Mar 01, 2018 | Posted in Before & After |
Don’t you just love a good bathroom makeover? Remodeling outdated and inefficient spaces is very rewarding, and the results are a beautiful reflection of the collaboration between myself and the client’s aesthetic and lifestyle.
This original bathroom needed a complete overhaul. With too shallow a tub, aging fixtures, and a supersized green and pink tile diamond greeting you in the shower every morning, it was enough to make you go back to bed and pull the covers over your head.
BEFORE: Sunnyside master bathroom
The design remodel of this compact master bathroom in a San Francisco home resulted in a beautiful, airy retreat. The transformation is amazing!
Goodbye shallow tub you could barely fit in, good riddance dreary lighting that gives you dark under-eye circles, arrivederci cracked vinyl floor tile, and hello gorgeous everything!
AFTER: Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by David Duncan Livingston
We installed tile wainscoting to keep with the traditional Arts & Crafts architecture of the home, and added white glass pendant lights and custom curved mirrors for a balance of contemporary and traditional.
Enlarged windows, deep tub, and pale colors instill this calm sanctuary with natural light. Statuary marble floors and handmade ceramic tiles keep the design timeless while enriching every moment spent in the bathroom.
AFTER: Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by David Duncan Livingston
That’s the first half of this makeover, done! Now for the powder room….
BEFORE: Sunnyside powder room
Have you ever had a powder room that’s just too small? A clever way to fix that is to break into the adjacent room! This powder room shared a wall with the water heater closet, so we relocated the water heater and used that closet space to add a sink area. Instant size upgrade!
AFTER: Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by David Duncan Livingston
This powder room before-and-after takes my breath away! Dark blue handmade tiles ground the walls, and are balanced above with pale and ethereal sea mist toned tiles. Statuary marble in various forms from tile to mosaic maintain visual interest and classic sophistication.
Wouldn’t this put a smile on your face every time you walk into the space? It certainly does to the house guests in this home!
AFTER: Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by David Duncan Livingston
You can have a fantastic remodel like this for YOUR home, too! Just drop me a line and tell me about your home’s challenges. If you transform your home, it will transform your life!
Kimball Starr transforms lives one room at a time by providing bathroom and kitchen design for all outdated and unloved spaces throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe regions.
Feb 12, 2018 | Posted in How To & Decorating Tips |
When you host an event at your home, whether it’s a formal dinner or an informal gathering, most of the time everyone hangs out in the kitchen — whether you want them to or not. Here’s how to transform a less-than-ideal kitchen into the heart of your home… in time for Valentine’s Day or any day!
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Paul Dyer.
If your kitchen feels dark and dreary, the best action you can take is to reveal more light! Someone once said, “If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then windows are the soul.” Enlarge exterior windows or add a skylight to bring more natural light in and make the space feel more airy. If you can’t knock through walls or ceilings, you can more easily add pendant lights to your existing space.
Once you have a brighter kitchen, adding an island will create additional workspace, doubling as a gathering space where everyone will want to sit and chat while you cook. Make sure your island includes seating and storage, and fits into the kitchen work triangle whenever possible.
The way to anyone’s heart is through their stomach, and a great way to ensure quality ingredients is with quality appliances. This Belmont kitchen renovation added a Sub-zero refrigerator and Wolf oven/range combination. Investing in high-end appliances that last a long time, won’t break down, and perform well such as evenly heating throughout, will make this kitchen a delight for years to come.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Paul Dyer.
Special finishes such as a great backsplash provide excitement and enjoyment that you can live with a long time. But if you do change your mind, it’s relatively easy and fast to replace, without making your kitchen a construction zone.
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Eric Rorer.
Bring in warm elements. In this San Francisco farmhouse, the countertop next to the range is made warm and inviting by adding an end-grain butcher block to one end. A single section means it’s easier to keep clean than an entire countertop made of wood, and it’s charming!
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Eric Rorer.
Good space flow, warm elements, quality appliances, and natural light will make your kitchen a place that nourishes both body and mind. Give your kitchen some love today and contact us to turn your kitchen into the heart of the home.
San Francisco Bay Area interior designer Kimball Starr, provides kitchen and bathroom design for homes throughout Northern California and Lake Tahoe region.
Labels: appliances, backsplash, countertops, kitchen, pendant lights, skylights, tips, windows
Jan 29, 2018 | Posted in Travel |
Here is the first in a series of travel blogs that I’ll be sharing about interior design integrated into my globetrotting adventures. Back in September 2014 I visited Morocco and learned about the country’s architecture and intricate tiling. I’ve shared with you a few of my travel pictures to bring you inspiration for new design influences into your own tiling design or home remodel.
Above is the Ben Yousseff Madrasa, an Islamic college in Marrakech, Morocco where decorative tile is found everywhere in both public to private spaces to help keep gathering areas cool in a hot climate, as well as communicating religious and cultural ideas.
Located in Northern Africa, Morocco is bordered by the Mediterranean and Atlantic oceans with architecture that reflects its diverse geography and a long history of settlement and military encroachment. Rule by the Berbers from 110 CE gave the country its cultural heritage of constructing buildings from earth or mud brick called pisé, a word from the French, who occupied Morocco as recently as 1912.
It was the French who, seeing unorganized real estate growth from early 1900s, mandated Moroccan architectural standards in the early 20th century requiring buildings not be higher than four stories, have flat roofs, and that 20% of the space must be gardens or courtyards. These building regulations have maintained the country’s preexisting architectural features and balanced the rapid urbanization, while beautifying contemporary construction.
Classic Moroccan interiors contain common elements such as intricate woodwork that is left untreated and unpainted; metalwork of copper, bronze, iron and brass used for door and window frames, door knobs, studs and room partitions; plaster used for sculpting, called “gabs” or “jybs” made from gypsum quarried nearby; and painted and glazed ceramics. The process of tiling, arranging and cutting them requires great expertise. Several of these classic interior elements are featured above in the Ben Yousseff Madrasa photos.
The colorful style of enamel-covered terra cotta tile that originated in northern Africa and migrated to Spain in the 8th century is called “Zellige”, a design solution that arose from the need of Islamic artists to create spatial decorations that avoided depictions of living things, consistent with religious teachings. Today Moroccan or Moorish tile is used to accent and decorate in Western design, where it brings romance and adds visual interest to monotone interiors.
Zellige-making is considered an art form, passed down from generation to generation by maâlems (master craftsmen). Training starts in childhood to develop exceptional skills. Small shapes are cut according to a precise radius gauge and painted. (This is where those high school geometry classes become useful!)
The enameled pieces are assembled in a geometric structure face-down to form a completed single mosaic with a completely even surface, so the pattern is not revealed until after the zellige dries. If the tiling is done on an uneven surface such as a curved wall, a mold is made first and then the tiles laid and cured, and only later installed onsite. The process has not changed for a millennium, though the first stages of conception and design now allow for new technologies to create the patterns.
Arches are another important element in Moorish architecture. Arches vary in shape from pointed, multi-foil, to horseshoe, which is also aptly named the Moorish arch by Westerners. Used frequently, arches appear in almost every aspect of Moroccan housing, whether it’s doors, entrances, windows or niches. The horseshoe arch was originally designed as a superstitious and symbolic emblem to provide protection and bring good fortune into the home.
A fountain or water feature is a conspicuous feature in every house, often made of marble or cement. It’s located in the heart of the courtyard, living room or guest room. Before the conversion to Islam under Berber rule, water was already an important part of Moroccan culture; however, Islam made water even more important functionally because of ritual ablution before prayer.
The herringbone tiling pattern pictured above is one more familiar to Westerners, though not as intricate as the geometric zellige. I love the variation of color!
Colors have different meanings in Moroccan culture. Yellow stands for wealth, the sun, and gold. White means purity, beauty, and femininity. Blue represents the sky, heaven, and water, and green also relates to heaven, because it is halfway between reddish hell, and blue heaven.
Now that you’ve been inspired by the beauty, history and charm of Moroccan tiling, if you’d like to explore using these ideas in your own little palace, get in touch!
Kimball Starr Interior Design is a boutique SF interior design firm providing design solutions for home renovations and remodels of SF Bay Area homes.
Labels: bathroom, color, decorative tile, kitchen, Moroccan tile, travel series
Jan 16, 2018 | Posted in Trends |
Design by Kimball Starr
As a longtime fan of purple, I’m excited Pantone announced Ultra Violet as their 2018 Color of the Year! I created this San Francisco mid-century modern dining room a couple years ago for a city-dweller who isn’t afraid of color, contrasting the violet walls with chartreuse chairs.
From Top Left: Kobe Pendant Lamp in Purple Wool by Innermost / Cotton Velvet Throw Pillow in Nebulous Violet by 17patterns / Orb Pendant Light by Curiousa&Curiousa / 3-Seater Sofa by Linteloo Lab from their Pleasure line in Purple / Console Table by Malabar / Stream Rug in Lilac by Tania Johnson Design
I’m imagining what fun it would be to design another pied-de-terre in the Bay Area using even deeper and stronger shades of purple, such as this Linteloo Lab three-seater sofa from their Pleasure line, paired with a Kobe Pendant Lamp in Purple Wool by Innermost, a funky console table by Malabar and a few 17patterns cotton velvet throw-pillows in Nebulous Violet. Accent with Curiousa&Curiousa orb pendant lights and tie the whole thing together with a Tania Johnson Design Stream Rug in Lilac, and you’d have a room where boredom would be impossible!
If you’re the kind of person who wants to bring more color in your life, get in touch and let’s see what we can create together!
Kimball Starr Interior Design is a San Francisco design firm that offers interior remodels and decorating services for homes throughout the SF Bay Area. Our designs are focused on creating modern and fun interiors for relaxed California living.
Labels: color, dining room, living room, modern design, residential design, vintage furniture
Jan 02, 2018 | Posted in Inspirations |
Do you make new year’s resolutions? How many of them do you keep? Here are some suggestions for interior design resolutions that, if kept, will make your daily life so much better, you’ll wonder why you didn’t address them earlier!
Resolution 1: Streamline Important Spaces – The Kitchen
Courtesy uglyhousephotos.com
How often do you struggle to find infrequently-used tools, the right-sized storage lid, or Aunt Sarah’s prized dip and chip hostess set in your kitchen? Maybe your challenge is shelving that is too tight for your daily-use dishware, constantly requiring you to remove and replace stacks to get to what you need. Perhaps a lack of counterspace is making learning to cook more difficult than it needs to be, or not having a light in the right place to see your cookbook is a problem.
Design by Kimball Starr, photo by David Duncan Livingston.
Why start every day annoyed with your kitchen, when you could be enjoying a beautifully-designed centerpiece to your home?
Design by Kimball Starr, photo by David Duncan Livingston.
It could be as simple as updating your cabinets and countertop surfaces with a more modern finish, changing your hardware and lighting, or you might need a complete re-design, right down to the bones. Either way, using your kitchen should be an easy and fun experience that makes you want to invite guests over!
Resolution 2: Utilize Sacred Spaces for Recharging – The Bathroom
Courtesy TripAdvisor.com
You know that feeling when you come home from a long day at the office, and you just want to relax in a soothing bath, and then you see your current bathroom that makes you feel like you’re staying in a forgotten motel? Maybe the annoyance is that you have to go out to the hallway closet to get a clean towel, or that a hundred beauty products fall down when you reach for that one styling tool on the top shelf?
Design by Kimball Starr, photo by David Duncan Livingston.
Your bathroom should be a place of private relaxation and refreshment. It should be filled with light, pleasing to the eye as well as your other senses of touch and smell, and provide a haven to improve how you feel about yourself and your day. Ideally, it would be easy to keep clean, and have a place for everything you need, right at your fingertips.
Design by Kimball Starr, photo by David Duncan Livingston.
Every last detail of your bathroom should leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed. You might want a change of tiling, a fresh coat of paint, some new hardware, or maybe you need a completely new layout to make your bathroom function more like a sacred space. After all, don’t you deserve the very best, so you can achieve your best?
Resolution 3: Bring the Outside In – Use Natural Accessories
Courtesy Flagstaff Design Center
Are you one of those people who loves nature, and always wants to be outside, even when you have to be indoors? Are you drawn to wood finishes, natural fibers and the colors created by Mother Nature? Maybe you’ve admired a natural tablescape an artistic friend debuted, but didn’t know how to create one yourself.
Design by Kimball Starr, photo by Eric Rorer
Designing with biophilic elements can be as simple as using natural fibers for your furniture or rugs, such as leather, sisal, wool, or bamboo, or it could be more complicated, like installing exterior louvers that block sunlight in summer months and allow sun in during the winter. You might select a vertical planter for your living room and then realize you’re not sure if that needs direct sunlight, or if watering will damage your wood flooring below. Maybe you’re not ready for a big installation and want to start with something more cosmetic.
Design by Kimball Starr, photo by Eric Rorer
Whether your resolution is big or small, Kimball Starr has the experience, relationships with local contractors, and creative eye to carry it through to completion! Don’t let another day of 2018 go by without keeping your interior design resolutions – you’ll be so glad you did!
Kimball Starr Interior Design is an award-winning San Francisco interior design firm specializing in contemporary interiors. Kimball Starr “changes lives one room at a time” by creating interiors tailored specially for you. Contact her today!
Labels: bathroom, contemporary, kitchen, modern design, outdoor, residential design
Feb 01, 2017 | Posted in Starr Spotlight |
KIMBALL STARR INTERIOR DESIGN RECEIVES “BEST OF HOUZZ” FOR SERVICE IN 2017 – 5TH TIME – 50K SAVES!
If you haven’t heard by now, Houzz.com is a respected online resource for residential interior design ideas, locating a design professional, and sharing feedback on how your design project turned out.
The annual Best Of Houzz Awards are given in two categories: Client Satisfaction and Design. Client Satisfaction is benchmarked by the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2016. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among 40+ million monthly Houzz users in the United States and Canada.
Kimball Starr Interior Design won for Client Satisfaction a fifth time, proving that Kimball’s ideas for your home are valuable, too. Visit Kimball’s Houzz Pro Designer profile to view photos that were added to over 50,000 ideabooks, such as this contemporary desk, proving why she’s a Houzz Influencer!
Design by Kimball Starr / Photo by Eric Rorer.
Kimball Starr is an award-winning interior design firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Kimball resolves your frustrations with creative and beautiful design solutions.
Labels: best interior designer, Houzz, residential design
