I love happy clients! One of my favorite things about my work is the satisfaction of action items getting checked off my list, and then the happiness of my client once the whole design is done.
In the above photo, our contractor holds up cabinet hardware options on the client’s job in progress. She left a detailed review of her experiences working with us on her San Francisco home. We’re delighted that she’s delighted!
We’re proud of our work on this project. Above is a view of the living room close to completion, with beautiful built-in cabinetry and a new modern fireplace.
“Kimball is amazing… She frequently suggested things that at first I didn’t gravitate towards, but I would end up choosing in the end because they were the right choices.”
Here’s a look at the kitchen during construction, with a floating island visible towards the front. You can see the wood flooring is mid-process of being stained. I hope you enjoyed getting to peek inside my work!
Kimball Starr designs beautiful homes for delighted clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation.
Catching up on trends in tiling styles and designs in the USA.
New Heritage tiles – These look great in traditional, transitional, and contemporary homes.
Retro concrete tiles – we’re seeing a lot of wall patterns like this, for a fun and funky space.
Hexagons and colorful shapes are a big trend right now in bathrooms and kitchens.
Dark drama – The trends here are two-fold: Large, oversized tiles, and also a dramatic blend of color and pattern.
Spa style tiles – The keys to this trend are texture, layering, and harmonious materials.
Kimball Starr designs stylish homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation!
I don’t know about you but I can’t start my day until I’ve had a cup of coffee. That rich, aromatic smell of ground beans, the sumptuousness of adding thick creamer and sugar, the ritual of holding a hot mug and sipping until you’re pleasantly awake and alert. To create a coffee bar in your home, here are some ideas.
Choose whether to have a full-service coffee machine, French press, or single cup server like a Keurig.
Where will you locate your coffee bar? A dedicated set of shelves and counter space or a classy built-in are good options.
Providing a place to sit and talk or read while you sip your hot coffee is delightful for you and your guests.
Personalize your coffee bar for that down-home touch. What a great way to kickstart a fun day!
Kimball Starr designs welcoming homes with coffee bars throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation!
Today we’re looking at designs created with concrete. “It’s too severe to be inspirational” I hear you say. Well, let me prove you wrong!
Many architects and engineers use the ability of reinforced concrete to produce structures of surprising lightness which, despite being made of masonry, barely appear to touch the ground.
Félix Candela was one of the earliest and best to focus on arches and vaults in the form of parabolas, efficiently directing the structural forces inside the material, which makes this 1958 Mexico City restaurant called Los Manatiales lighter still.
Cohen Chapel in Switzerland, built in 2017, both protects against the elements and invites elements in, with beams of light streaming down onto simple bench seats, surrounded by stratified concrete walls with a textural feeling, open to the sky at the top.
The unusual design of the chapel is a hideaway from the mountainous countryside, a way to focus on more spiritual concerns.
In the Louvre Abu Dhabi, light-colored concrete blocks seem to float weightlessly, while the stainless-steel-and-aluminum dome forms star-shaped patterns when the light shines through in a dazzling effect for this 2017 storied art museum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates by Atelier Jean Nouvel.
Another of Jean Nouvel’s buildings is made of 539 disks, forming the walls and ceilings. Glass-fiber-reinforced concrete cladding consists of 76,000 panels, made from 3,000 master molds, completed in 2019.
Limited window glazing is deep-set, shading openings from the intense sun and protecting the art inside the National Museum of Qatar, in Doha, Qatar. Modern, bursting with style, uplifting, and made with concrete.
Kimball Starr designs stylish homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe, inspired by some of the most stunning architecture across the world. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation!
The world is opening up again as the global pandemic slows, which makes people want to travel more. I’ve enjoyed traveling to gorgeous Thailand multiple times in years past.
However, I’ve read Thailand is currently struggling with the biggest COVID-19 surge since India’s. My heart goes out to this beautiful country and their wonderful people. I wish them a speedy recovery, so that travelers could again enjoy views like these in the future.
Above, sunken seating with rows of colorful pillows perfectly matching the blue-green water surrounding it is a real wow-factor. Color is absolutely key to this Thai experience.
In the jungles of Northern Thailand, this hotel pictured above and below features a gorgeous infinity pool with a spa house at the head, where I received relaxing and nourishing treatments for skin and body. Ahhhh!
Below, this Thai reflecting pool shows off balanced rocks lit from underneath that appear to float effortlessly at sunset, contrasting the city skyline and modern buildings beyond. The warm color of the lit stones is energizing yet peaceful, stoking my desire to return again and again.
If you want to help Thailand during the pandemic, donating to Doctors Without Borders is an excellent choice.
Kimball Starr designs inspired homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe, and visits Thailand whenever possible. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation.
Your inspiration today is breezy beautiful California Mission style. One of the main elements of Mission style is a gorgeous terracotta tiled roof.
Style wins: Delicate scrollwork instead of over-bearing metal, alongside wood box beams and soft puddles of drapery fabric.
Arched doorways and coffered doors are especially inviting into a Santa Barbara-style home.
White dining chairs and walls reflect light and provide a feeling of calm, under dark wooden beams and an elegant chandelier.
Mission embroidery and leather chairs are historically flavored, boasts interior designer Madeline Stewart of this LA home.
Cooling brick-colored tiles underfoot are tempered by faux animal skin rugs in white, a familiar feature of Montecito-style homes. What a relaxing space….
Kimball Starr designs Santa Barbara, Montecito and Mission-style homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation!