There are a million-and-one ways to dress and cover your windows. Wooden louvers, venetian blinds, roman shades, cellular shades, plantation shutters, curtains – the list goes on! With all of these options, one of my favorite ways to style windows is with draperies, a classic, enduring choice. Read on for my top tips!
Luxurious Layers
In high-end projects, attention to detail is paramount. This one is an inspiring example because the homeowner was willing to spend time creating something he really loves.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Eric Rorer
To balance the straight architecture of the room and the amount of wood on view, stationary side draperies are stacked in sage green outdoor fabric to prevent sun-fade over time, while accent trim stands out from the face edging, a luxury detail. The sage green fabric tones with the exterior color of the house for additional curb appeal.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Eric Rorer
Replacing the old wood shutters with woven natural grass Roman shades meant we could add a fabric liner in the back: Pull down for privacy, or up to allow a lovely filtered light through the natural grass. A beautiful and useful result.
Techno Style
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Joe Fletcher
For this San Francisco loft created to remind you of a Moroccan bazaar with a midcentury element, because of the height of the space, the best solution is remote roller shades with automated floor-to-ceiling draperies.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Joe Fletcher
The weight of the draperies allows light to filter through, a sumptuous moving artwork created with patterns of sunlight that adds life to the selection of colors, patterns, and textures in the space.
Join me next time for part 2.
Kimball Starr designs beautiful window treatments for luxurious homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a remote or socially-distant in-person consultation.
This year’s Houzz Home Survey reveals that homeowners want design options offering more flexibility within the existing footprint of their homes.
Searches for TV armoires with pocket doors, queen Murphy beds, and nesting side tables have increased on Houzz, all of which create dual-use rooms by creatively hiding when not in use. Swivel accent chairs create flexible definitions between rooms, while custom cabinetry offers multiple uses. Clever storage and guest bed solutions for dual-use rooms are all increasing dramatically in demand.
Here are a few from my own portfolio that are very successful solutions. I hope these give you ideas for your own spaces!
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Paul Dyer
Custom cabinetry conceals a bed AND a desk in this smart combo I designed for a couple who own a condo in San Francisco.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Paul Dyer
In the same condo, custom cabinetry hides away the mess to make a home office/living room/media space work in the same room alongside a dining table and chairs.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Joe Fletcher
In this San Francisco loft, a staircase doubles as bookshelf storage in dual-use design. The bookshelf slides to hide the storage away.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Joe Fletcher
Still at the SF loft, this guest bedroom transforms to additional living room seating with retractable light-transmitting walls. The transforming bed makes this possible – get this look only with custom cabinetry.
Kimball Starr designs homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe, specializing in flexible spaces. Contact her today for a remote or socially-distant in-person consultation.
Have you ever seen one of those all white interior design spaces and wondered how they made it look so appealing? The key isn’t keeping it’s clean, it’s using a variety of textures! Read on for inspirational images of brilliantly-designed textural homes.
Photo courtesy HereDwelling
Herringbone wood floors, white imperfectly-painted subway bricks, glass chandelier, glazed ceramic tub with brass fixtures, combined with an unexpected wood stump side table show how disparate textures can work together luxuriously.
Photo courtesy MyDomaine.com
Bright and light space. Love the rough, plant-based furniture, woven rug, the amazing basket-like pendant light, and the neutral colors, paired with marble and painted white walls, all of which are very popular right now.
Photo courtesy Alexandra Ribar
A smooth marble island and splash-back, slick wood chairs and cabinetry, architectural concrete, and round glass pendant lights all create movement and interest.
Photo courtesy LuxeDeco
Fluffy stools with brass components contrasted with the sleek console table and multiple vases and ceramics give a fun sense of glam.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Eric Rorer
This dramatic city skyline view is complimented by the textural sensations from the faux fur rug, soft pillows and blankets, the smooth wood flooring and sleek blue vases filled with fresh flowers. I’d love to cozy up here and spend hours taking in the view, wouldn’t you?
Kimball Starr designs for textural, sensual homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a remote or socially-distant in-person consultation.
What’s the one thing you can put into a home that increases its financial value, frees up hours of time weekly, and makes your life easier, better, and happier? A mudroom! Here are some inspirational ideas.
Photo courtesy SF Decorator Showcase participant Dina Bandman Interiors
A mudroom with a pet-washing station next to the washer and dryer is a grand idea. This one was a winner at the San Francisco Decorator Showcase house.
Photo courtesy Houzz user Hadley Court
This traditional mudroom entry with barn half-door allows for greetings while pulling boots off.
Photo courtesy shelterness.com
Fancy tiling distracts from the dirt brought in on adorable tiny wellies in this mudroom.
Photo courtesy Murphy & Co.
Love this look! Custom dog crate integrated into a mudroom space, with classic herringbone flooring and dark, dramatic cabinets.
Kimball Starr designs luxury mudrooms for homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a remote or socially-distant in-person consultation.
My favorite part of completing an interior design project is arranging the artwork. A room isn’t considered finished until it has art, but what is the best way to display it? Read on for my top tips!
First, if you’re not familiar with Minted.com, you should be. They have the biggest collection of custom online art, canvases, art printing, posters and cards, canvas bags, printed gifts and handicrafts, so you can find just the right piece to finish off your home or office design. I use them all the time when I need to create a custom piece unique to my client. And here’s how I like to display them:
Photo courtesy chrislovesjulia.com
Ledges are great for a casual look. Put artwork against the wall and change it up as often as you like without having to remove nails or hooks.
Photo courtesy Sandra Roe via Apartment Therapy
Lean prints against the wall, either from the floor, a shelf, or a picture rail. Another great way to display art, and easy to update.
Photo courtesy CarlaAstan.com
Stacking frames of different sizes together creates groupings and combinations that tell a story.
Photo courtesy Rabatin Family via arakawagrip.com
Hanging systems like rods or wire and clips are fun and creative. You don’t have to commit to a single location. Change and update them as desired, and you don’t have to repair the wall afterward.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by David Duncan Livingston
Unify multiple frames with size or color. Using all black frames, or all the same size frames, or making all your photos black and white are good ways to unify them. Here we’ve hung pictures from a picture rail using grosgrain ribbon, befitting the client’s Craftsman home.
Kimball Starr designs for luxury homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a remote or socially-distant in-person consultation.
According to the annual Houzz Trends Report, people have been relying on their homes to provide new avenues of activity and entertainment since the beginning of the pandemic and it shows in emerging search trends for art studios (up nearly 10x), home bars and wine cellars (up nearly 4x) and home theaters, home gyms and home offices (up 3x, 2.5x and 2x, respectively).
Let’s take a look at some wine cellars and home theaters today, spaces I enjoy creating.
BEFOREAFTER Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Eric Rorer
Above is a before-and-after wine storage solution we created in a San Francisco condo’s open plan dining area. The owners wanted something contemporary and sleek, while still welcoming and convenient.
We sunk the wine storage into the wall for a clean look, with slide-out racks. Beside it, a built-in credenza makes it easy to serve a flight of wines for tasting, with hors d’oeuvres. Above that, custom artwork ties in colors from their beloved vacation destination of Guatemala, so our retired couple can enjoy a glass of wine and share happy memories for many years to come.
Photo courtesy Millesime Wine Racks
Here’s another way to create wine storage with a small footprint: A climate-controlled environment within a room.
Photo courtesy Kitchen Design Partners Chicago
This grand tasting room and storage space has an elegant feeling, where you can really spend time enjoying your wine.
Photo courtesy Charles Cunniffe Architects, Aspen
A contemporary living and entertaining room can be created with coordinated furnishings that tie the spaces together, such as this corner sofa and seating at the bar.
Design by Surreal Systems LLC / Photo by Jeri Koegel
What a beautiful coffered ceiling over the game space, coordinated with the living room and wine bar in this open-plan entertainment room in Orange County.
Photo courtesy Outdoor-FX Inc.
This transitional porch with a pergola and outdoor living room has everything you need to relax and entertain outside, with stunning views.
You can have the wine cellar or entertainment space of your dreams! Kimball Starr designs for homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a remote or socially-distant in-person consultation.