Janet M. Thuesen’s houseboat might better be described as a floating museum, filled with Danish heirlooms, relics of old San Francisco and a little bit of Jimmy Carter.
Thuesen’s houseboat is one of 12 featured on the Floating Homes Tour sponsored by the Floating Homes Association, a non-profit volunteer organization representing floating homes at five Sausalito marinas.
Thuesen describes herself as a “flag-waving Dane,” which becomes evident the minute you step into the bright and airy home. It’s filled with Danish heirlooms, figurines and furnishings that include the sign from her parents’ Midwest Danish bakery, hanging in the living room.
The living room also features a unique light fixture fashioned from a diver’s helmet and suspended from the ceiling. It’s just one part of the nautical theme that flows through the houseboat, including the working portholes throughout the house.
The floors on the main level are vintage 1890s maple salvaged from the original City of Paris department store in San Francisco. A deck wraps around the house and has a distinctive pattern in the planking.
Up a serpentine staircase, you’ll find the master bedroom and bath loft. Thuesen designed the space under the staircase to serve as a closet, and remodeled the loft to emphasize views of the harbor.
On the lower level is what Thuesen calls her “political hall” — a collection of photos and mementos from her days working in the Jimmy Carter White House.
The spare bedroom returns to the theme of Danish heritage with photos, artifacts and family furniture.
Thuesen home
Address: 21 Main Dock
Owner: Janet M. Thuesen
Square Footage: 1,700
No. of Stories: 3
Tickets: Prepaid registration is $50 per person; $55 on tour day
Time: 11 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Sept. 14
Location: Tour events are anchored at the Kappas Marina Green, 100 Gate Six Road, Sausalito, where there will be live entertainment, food and refreshments for sale, and artists and authors from the community offering their creations for sale. The tour, which returns after a year’s hiatus, is the primary fund raiser for the association and also benefits other local non-profits, including Sausalito Village and the Friends of the Marin City Library.
Other homes
Check out the other homes featured on the tour:
- Floating on a dream
- “White Elephant” houseboat focuses on whimsy, eclectic art
- Houseboat is a salute to modern Danish art and Hawaiian wood
- 4-story ‘Dragon Boat’ houseboat will be open to visitors
- Tiny houseboat makes a big statement
- Romance is only part of this houseboat’s attraction
- Landlubber transforms houseboat and himself
- Summer always in season on this Sausalito houseboat
- Colorful floating home suits a ‘pair of docs’
- Contractor takes his floating home ‘by storm’ to build his dream
- Transforming tiny floating home into a weekend getaway
