A LABOR OF LOVE &
A LEAP OF FAITH

We’re Christie and Isis—artist and strategist, mothers, wives, and creative partners in both life and work. In 2019, we found this little white cottage tucked into Sacramento’s original city grid—worn down, neglected, but still standing proud after nearly 140 years. Built in 1885, it rose from a city that survived fires, floods and fever—a capital that literally lifted its streets to keep living by the rivers. This place held its ground through waves of development as the city grew and transformed around it.

Through the decades, it had sheltered artists, entrepreneurs, politicians, and musicians—dreamers who shaped the rhythm of this resilient city. When we first stepped inside, we could feel that history in the walls. At the time, we were in the thick of life—raising four kids and managing full careers. Still, we dreamed of one day restoring a small piece of Sacramento’s story and giving it new life.

For years, we rented it out to tenants, doing what we could to keep it going. But each time we handed over the keys, something didn’t feel right. The house wanted more care than a rental could ever give. In October 2024, after the final tenant left it in disrepair, we made a decision: to stop waiting for the “right time” and bring the cottage back to life ourselves.

What followed was a year-long labor of love—equal parts sweat, sawdust, and soul. We stripped, painted, repaired, researched, and restored. We dug into the archives—old city maps, land deeds, census records, and photographs—learning that this home had been owned by generations of women who held their own. That lineage became our north star. As we peeled back layers and rebuilt, we felt connected to the people who came before us, and to the larger story of Sacramento itself—a city that has always found a way to endure and reinvent.

For Isis, a genealogist and storyteller by nature, it became an act of devotion—to history, to truth, and to the beauty of things worth preserving. For Christie, a visual artist and photographer, it became an experiment in transformation—how design and function can turn a funky, timeworn house into a place that lifts your mood, stirs emotion, and makes even small spaces feel big. Together, we learned that what we were really rebuilding wasn’t just a house—it was connection: to each other, to community, and to this beautiful and resilient city that we love to call home.

This fall, as our youngest left for college, we stepped into a new season as empty nesters and stewards of this home. We’re deeply aware of what it means—as two married, interracial, queer women—to restore and inhabit a place in a city once divided by redlines and racial covenants, and now celebrated as one of the most diverse in America. We hold that privilege and responsibility close to heart.

Capitol City Cottage is our way of honoring the past while making space for new stories. What began as a renovation became a reflection of everything we believe in: that small, soulful spaces can hold big meaning—and that beauty, story and connection belong to everyone.

Here we are, and we can’t wait to welcome you.

C & I