For the 50th anniversary of Earth Day this year on April 22, let’s look at a few easy green design inspirations and actions you can do at home.
Plant a Tree
“The best time to plant a tree is 50 years ago. The next-best time is today.” – old saying
The day before Earth Day this year is National Arbor Day, April 21, also known as Plant a Tree Day. How do you know which kind of tree is best for your area, and won’t contribute to pollen issues? Use this handy guide.
Reduce Your Energy Use
Find out what your household carbon footprint is in 3 areas: Energy use, transportation, and waste, then learn how to reduce them with this handy calculator.
Design Interiors with Plants
Our last post is perfect for this! Just click over to Designing with Plants and get all the tips you need.
Kimball Starr Interior Design creates healthy homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation.
A plant is the world’s oldest housewarming gift (other than a bottle of wine), because nothing makes your home feel fresh and lived-in like live plants. Bonus that they naturally clean your indoor air, too!
Here’s a brief look at which plants to include when designing your home, with tips to get the most out of specific situations.
Best for Beginners
Snake Plant (Sansevierias)
Snake Plants are some of the toughest plants around. Indoors or on your balcony, these spiked lovelies can deal with nearly anything.
Care tips: They’ll grow faster in strong natural light and slower in low light, so decide where to place them. Buy darker-leafed varieties for low light. No direct sunlight like a west or south window – they burn! Always ensure the soil is nearly completely dry before thoroughly watering again, though these will do well in a bathroom, too. Snake plants are mildly toxic to cats and dogs.
North-Facing
ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
Roots called rhizomes help this plant stay hydrated, while its variegated leaves go from bright green to a dark emerald.
Care tips: Low light and not much water, so it’s low-maintenance. Water when the soil is dry, or every two to three weeks. Poisonous if eaten, so keep away from kids and pets.
South-Facing
Asparagus Fern (Asparagus setaceus)
Stunningly delicate, the Asparagus Fern does better as a houseplant than an outdoor plant since it’s considered an invasive species.
Care tips: Keep in a sunny spot and let it dry out between waterings. Keep away from cats and dogs – it’s toxic to them.
Maranta (Marantaceae)
Known as a prayer plant because the Maranta’s leaves will raise and lower with the sun throughout the day. Gorgeous variegated leaves include shades of green and bright pink.
Care tips: Medium to bright but indirect sunlight. Water weekly or every other week, when you see its leaves look droopy. Pet-safe houseplant.
Best Indoor Tree
Ficus Altissima (Variegata)
For those who love the look of a leafy indoor tree like the fiddle leaf fig, try a ficus altissima with large velvety yellow and green leaves. “This plant makes a statement without the more complex care instructions that come with the Fiddle!” explains Joyce Mast, a horticultural expert at Bloomscape.
Care tips: Place this hardy plant in bright, indirect light, then let it grow. Indoors, this statement plant can gain six to eight feet in height (outdoors, up to 40 feet!) Toxic to dogs, so take care.
Kimball Starr Interior Design creates healthy homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation.
As the world of working from home becomes the new normal, the need for a comfortable space to do that work is higher than ever before. You don’t have to give up a whole room just for your office, though. We found pocket offices from around the web, to inspire you!
Linen Closet
Repurpose your linen closet simply and easily!
Bedroom Closet
A bedroom closet is the perfect area for a wide desk surface.
Corner Desk
Open shelving allows frequent-use items to stay within reach of a sleek corner desk.
Understairs
Make better use of space under the stairs for your functional and beautiful home office.
Pantry
Build a desk into a pantry, add funky wallpaper, task lighting, and storage, and you’re ready to work.
Nook
A recessed area or nook can become a stylish home office in any room.
Custom Cabinetry
If you have the space for a full guest room and home office combo, our custom-built convertible desk-to-bed cabinetry is the perfect solution.
Kimball Starr Interior Design designs stylish home offices throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation.
A few times a year I like to check in on what’s happening in the world of lighting design. Here’s what I discovered today.
Pendants & Chandeliers in Unexpected Places
Fancy chandeliers placed over kitchen counters for instant drama is a hot new trend!
We added unexpected glam to this San Francisco living room with a tiered glass pendant as mini chandelier.
Portable Lights
Portable lamps are becoming popular. This one is not only functional but stylishly cool. Great for kids’ rooms and tiptoeing down long dark hallways.
Color & Pattern
Combining color, pattern, texture, and WOW in your lampshades is an up-and-coming trend!
Statement Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting doesn’t have to be boring – just find your perfect style match.
Express yourself passionately with lava lamps on display! Would look great on your desk or dressing table.
Black & Geometric
Black is always in style. Now combine with a geometric trend for total sophistication.
Create a stylish, well-lit space with Kimball Starr Interior Design! She designs homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation.
Did you know that Kimball Starr Interior Design has been published, in two lovely hardcover coffee table books?
Zen Style Residences
In her first book publication Zen Style Residences, Kimball’s residential design project titled ‘A Meditative Living Space Inspired by Nature’ is featured.
Globally published and translated in both English and Chinese, the book features projects from 23 designers around the world. Of the highlighted designers, Kimball Starr was selected as the sole representative of United States residential designers, a great honor and testament to her design skills.
Some of the materials used in the project are bamboo poles for the potted sculpture in the living room, and Japanese folded paper sconces for a soft glow in the bedroom, as well as a tall, curving folded paper room divider that can be reformed and reshaped at will.
Porcelain tiles with a metallic luster and a bamboo coffee table wrapped in reclaimed black steel complement the urban setting with an industrial edge, while a reclaimed redwood slab dining table and hand-planed Douglas fir fireplace mantel bring in natural elements.
By maintaining the integrity of materials in their natural state, introducing organic forms that mimic nature, and incorporating Oriental antique elements, an air of Zen, peace and tranquility is cultivated for all who enter this city oasis.
If you’d like a copy of Zen Style Residences for your coffee table or library, you can view and purchase the hardcover edition at Phoenix Books. You can also read more about the publication in the Press section of this website and on PR Web.
Country-Style Residences
Kimball Starr’s ‘Hillside Retreat’ is a San Francisco urban location, surrounded by woods and natural elements. While the project leans toward the modern style, country style is displayed through the use of many plants, plant-themed decorative paintings, and floral-patterned fabrics.
Though this project features a rich palette, it is unified by the use of a dominant color in each room – chartreuse and teal in the dining room, cherry-toned wood in the kitchen, yellow in the master bedroom and tangerine in the guest bedroom.
In this San Francisco home design, fabrics such as cotton, leather, wool, velvet and linen reinforce the tactile comfort of the spaces, while the carefully-selected furnishings bring in playful modernity, and provide a sense of lightness and fun.
Translated into English and Chinese, this hardcover publication boasts many beautiful photographs illustrating why the projects were chosen from around the world.
If you would like a copy to display on your own coffee table, you can purchase Country-Style Residences through Amazon.com.
Kimball Starr is a San Francisco-based award-winning interior design firm, designing contemporary to traditional homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation.
Do you have a shed in the backyard, or want to get one? What should you do with it? Here are some inspiring ideas from around the web.
Craft Studio
All your crafting and artwork supplies neatly at hand, while working in natural sunlight.
Sewing Shed
Corral the mess from sewing supplies, allowing you to spread out. A sheer blind hides everything from view while allowing in sunlight.
Cottage Glam
Combine cottage style with chic chandeliers for a glam chillout space.
Potting House with a View
Made entirely out of reused windows, this potting house loves the sun!
Greenhouse Glass
An old-fashioned greenhouse becomes a beautiful seating area, with a few choice furniture selections.
Create a gorgeous, functional space with Kimball Starr Interior Design! She designs homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation.