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Standing the teSt of tymeLocal Professionals Offer Custom Home Services

Most team sports have some form of all-star game, a kind of fantasy league made up of preeminent players. Test of Tyme took that concept out of the arena and put it to use in the field of home remodeling and interior design. The firm is a triumvirate of Monterey Peninsula professionals:

Don Whitaker, Scott Coulter and Susana DeFatima Silva, encompassing, respectively, the disciplines of woodworking, painting and finishing and real estate/financing. All three are recognized masters of their vocations.

Prior to joining forces, all three Test of Tyme partners operated respected, successful businesses. The Golden Hammer is Whitaker’s cabinetry, custom millwork and furniture design firm. In his 40 years in the trade, this Monterey native has garnered many awards for his exquisite carpentry work. Coulter heads up Time Honored Finishes, providing custom painting and specializing in rustic, Old World finishes plus antique revitalization and restoration of artworks such as sculptures and paintings.

Between them, the two have performed renovations on more than 350 of the most prestigious homes in Pebble Beach and Carmel. Silva is a Del Monte Realty real estate agent, specializing in luxury residential properties and has more than 20 years of experience in project management and property development, with international connections.

Test of Tyme was formed in 2008 with the intent of buying, renovating and reselling proper ties on the Monterey Peninsula. “Scott and I met some years ago on a job and greatly admired each other’s work ethic,” Whitaker recalls. “We decided to buy properties together. That way we could call all the shots and exercise our creativity.” Silva finds and negotiates the purchase and financing of the properties, then places them on the market when renovations are complete. But this isn’t a “Flip This House” style, slam-bam, blow-and-go operation. The work performed by Whitaker, Coulter and their hand-picked cadre of artisans is of the highest order. They take great care and pride in what they do. “Our work is going to last a long time,” says Whitaker. “We want to reach as far as we can in terms of quality and craftsmanship.”

Copyright © 2016 by Test of Tyme. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems,

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Printed in the United States of America

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8Recently, the trio has branched out into performing work for individual homeowners. One such example is the South Carmel home of Dale and Margaret Byrne. They purchased their lot with approved building plans in place. A lucky find of some 150-year-old French roof tiles, combined with meeting Coulter, resulted in an Old-World French design. “When Scott saw the tiles he was excited,” Dale Byrne says. “We clicked right away and had great confidence that he should lead our project. We immediately began creating what we now call ‘lived-in art.’” Named “Carmel Ciel,” (“Carmel Heaven”) the Byrnes’ compact, comfortable home has been transformed into a supremely livable French provincial masterpiece. “Pretty much everything you see in this house was custom and hand-made by us,” Coulter says proudly. To achieve the effects he’s looking for, Coulter makes his own lime paints and hand rubs finishes until they glow as if they’ve been in place for centuries instead of mere months. The drapes were made by Coulter’s mother and hung on curtain rods crafted by Carmel metal artist Robert Signorella. For his part, Whitaker’s woodworking is without peer. Painstakingly carved wood surfaces are everywhere in the home, from the imposing, oversized kitchen cabinet that cleverly disguises the refrigerator to the intertwining shapes surrounding a guest-room bathroom entrance, to the frame around the flat-screen living room television, all subtly scream quality, good taste and attention to detail.

“We’re trying to go beyond what you would normally see in a home,” Whitaker says. “I like to make my clients happy. It’s a win-win.” And as the Byrnes can attest, Test of Tyme succeeds in that aspiration.

“Our original concept was to build a home that incorporated some flavor of our favorite Carmel hangouts,” says Dale Byrne. “Not only did this team of local artisans allow us to do that, but together we created Carmel Ciel, a magical place chock full of beautiful artistic details that will be a bit of heaven in Carmel for generations to come.”

Article by Michael Chatfield – Carmel Magazine, Holiday, 2015

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A Carmel cottage built by the Test of Tyme Artisans. P h o t o b y K e l l i U d a l l | C a r m e l m a g a z i n e

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A beautiful guest bedroom suite. P h o t o b y K e l l i U d a l l | C a r m e l m a g a z i n e

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An elegant custom-built walnut desk featuring a

24k gold embossed leather top. P h o t o b y K e l l i U d a l l | C a r m e l m a g a z i n e

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A stunning hand-carved walnut entertainment center. P h o t o b y K e l l i U d a l l | C a r m e l m a g a z i n e

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Kitchen island and staircase. P h o t o b y K e l l i U d a l l | C a r m e l m a g a z i n e

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A garden retreat. P h o t o b y K e l l i U d a l l | C a r m e l m a g a z i n e

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Old World details that enhance the home’s elegance include

a mermaid sconce, a 24k gold Fleur-de Lis beam

carving and custom mouldings. P h o t o b y K e l l i U d a l l | C a r m e l m a g a z i n e

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A classic Old World style estate.

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A comfortable dining and living area for entertaining guests.

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An Old World-inspired master bedroom suite.

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A pair of French Old World interior doors.

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A custom closet with hand-carved doors featuring 24k gilding.

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A great room finished by Test of Tyme Artisans.

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A comfortable family room.

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Recycled white oak kitchen island with butcher block top.

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A dark walnut china cabinet with an antique

French clock and white oak beams.

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A beautiful stairway ~ a vital connector point in your luxury home.

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An estate home finished by Test of Tyme Artisans.

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An Old World custom door.

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A surround for a sub-zero refrigerator & a custom

built-in Old World bookcase.

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A walnut entry Dutch door and an antique oak Wine Cellar door.

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Old World architectural details.

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A pair of hand-carved French walnut entry doors and a Garden entry door.

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A master bathroom treatment and a hand-carved walnut vanity.

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A master bathroom hand-carved vanity and a pair of oak linen fold doors.

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A walnut entry door.

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An elegant wood and glass entry door.

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A custom Old World kitchen.

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A hand-carved door to the garden.

Building to stand the

Test of Tyme ...

T 831-655-2008 ƒ www.T estofTyme.com