I just love leather furniture: The texture, the feeling, the look of something aged by use, loved by a family. Here we look back at some of my favorite projects that include leather furniture, in time for the holidays!
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Marija Vidal
Love the cracks in this well-worn armchair.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Marija Vidal
Leather chairs pair nicely with a hair-on-hide ottoman, here used as a coffee table.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Marija Vidal
The look of the bed’s leather headboard with nail-head details in this same gentleman’s modern classic condo makes my heart sing.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Eric Rorer
Barcelona leather chairs are timeless.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Eric Rorer
Even the family dog loves the leather sectional sofa in this hillside retreat.
Kimball Starr designs custom leather furniture for homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a remote or socially-distant in-person consultation.
One of the common issues we have in a modern world is entertainment equipment and collections – your wifi router, streaming devices, books, magazines, and Blu-rays take space to store and can look cluttered. I have an elegant solution: Custom cabinetry!
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Steph Dewey
Look how many cabinets and drawers we can fit in this light, bright, contemporary family living room by creating a custom wall of storage.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Steph Dewey
Books, photos, and collectibles are easily accessible and displayed with open storage.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Steph Dewey
Closed storage keeps the messier things like wifi equipment, magazines and personal papers out of sight.
The row of cabinets underneath the television are specially designed to open out of the way, so nothing prevents you from looking in to see the contents without having to bend over. Thoughtful design like this makes such a difference to how you enjoy the space.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Steph Dewey
What’s on display is the beauty of this light oak wood cabinetry, which is trending right now. I can create something like this for you, too!
Kimball Starr designs custom storage for homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a remote or socially-distant in-person consultation.
Have you ever been in a powder room that really made you say, Wow? Was it a single detail that bowled you over, or the coordination of multiple materials in such a small space? Let’s look at some of my work on powder rooms to learn more.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Steph Dewey
A mix of patterns and shapes adds energy to this small-but-mighty powder room in a transitional home. From the vertical backsplash wall tiling with a wall-mounted single spigot to the geometrically-patterned flooring, joined by grey-blue cabinetry with clear acrylic handles, this little room is smartly appointed, if I do say so myself!
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by David Duncan Livingston
The many colors, patterns, and textures in my Sunnyside client’s powder room are unified by the color scheme of blues and blue-greys. Notice the marble continued on the ceiling inset in a different scale from the marble floor tile, repeating but not copying each other. Repetition is one of the hallmarks of good design.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Eric Rorer
This is a detail view with bold impact. The above-counter stone basin is the star here, with a single waterfall spigot, while the teardrop mirror is a simple, usable, and stylish addition.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Eric Rorer
This one isn’t solely a powder room, but we’re looking at just a portion of the space. Here the wall mount toilet is a space savings, leaving more open floor. Wood-look plank floor tiles keep the space easy to clean. Using a small amount of veining in the marble wall tiling maintains interest while not overwhelming the space.
Design and photo by Kimball Starr
Here we made a toilet niche interesting with textural stone. While not technically a full powder room, this stand-alone toilet room has the same project goal of providing interest with the textural stone tiles while maintaining usability in a very small space. Do you think we achieved that goal?
Kimball Starr designs for trendy and classic homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a remote or socially-distant in-person consultation.
More than just a way to get from one floor to another, staircase designs can truly uplift your spirit. Here are three of my own designs and an image from the web.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Joe Fletcher
A stunning circular staircase is surrounded by a moveable bookcase –- one of my favorite project solutions for a San Francisco condo. Subtle pattern keeps the exterior from looking too industrial, while the interior is painted a warm orange to match the statue wall inset.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Eric Rorer
This elegant traditional staircase lives happily alongside midcentury modern furnishings in another of my projects in San Francisco. Notice how the end is curled and finished neatly without a fussy finial.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Eric Rorer
My Belmont client’s home has a cabin feel that’s uplifted by modern balustrades and glass pendant lighting. We kept the natural oak color in contrast with the knotty pine-clad walls, so it doesn’t get lost in the existing wood paneling, which the client wanted to keep. Specifying the balusters in blue ties it in with the kitchen, from which this staircase is visible.
Photo courtesy Viewrail
Here’s a beautiful example from the web: I just adore a wooden floating staircase with metal accents, especially when it has a little twist and landing partway up. So modern and clean.
Kimball Starr designs staircases for stylish homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a remote or socially-distant in-person consultation.
I’m a fan of lighting design. One of the cool, modern trends I’ve seen recently is created by projecting light. Here’s what I mean:
Photo courtesy Lightoro
This projector LED floor lamp can create multiple overlays and shapes.
Photo courtesy Lightoro
A Sunset table lamp throws the shape and color of the sun onto your walls or artwork.
Photo courtesy Lightoro
This table lamp washes light in a long slice, creating an exciting accent.
Photo courtesy Lightoro
The PostKrisi Sun wall lamp displays its unique texture as an interplay of light with tendrils of material.
Would any of these bring excitement to your next project?
Kimball Starr designs with lighting for stylish homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a remote or socially-distant in-person consultation.
We love furry friends; they’re part of the family. Why not design your kitchen so they can hang out with you, too?
Photo courtesy Artisan Signature Homes
A dog washing station is integrated in the laundry corner along with built-in feeding stations for dogs and cats over a beautiful and useful herringbone tile floor. Keeping your pet friends clean is made easier for you by good interior design.
Photo courtesy TomHowley.co.uk
A large hidden storage bin can really help with oversize bags of pet food, as can tucking the bed away under a desk with supplies on the shelves above.
Photo courtesy House of Rohl
Create a water and food station in your kitchen island using a pot filler for stylish convenience. The slick subway tiles contrast with the gorgeous grey-green finish of the cabinets here.
Or you can make the bed visible to keep an eye on your pooch. Kitchen islands are often perfectly sized for this.
Photo courtesy Ladisicfinehomes
Give them access to the outdoors using a real metal door, sized for pets. Then you can focus on your cooking and your guests.
Kimball Starr designs for pet-friendly homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a remote or socially-distant in-person consultation.