Kimball Starr Interior Design is featured in this week’s Houzz Tour! The feature spotlights our Tiny House project that maximizes every square inch in a diminutive contemporary San Francisco townhouse.
How about an adjustable height table for the dining area, which then lowers to cocktail table height when entertaining? Or an AV media center and work desk placed in a previously unused wall niche that are concealed and revealed by sliding shoji doors?
Do you have a tiny house? No worries, we’ve got you covered with clever custom small space solutions!
Kimball Starr Interior Design is a San Francisco award winning design firm that provides contemporary interior design for residential and commercial interiors throughout the SF Bay Area and California.
Following up the first part of this segment, Kimball continues to share tips on how to choose paint colors for your home. If you missed the first half, here’s How to Choose Paint Colors: Video 1 of 2.
San Francisco interior designer, Kimball Starr, is featured as the paint color expert for home interiors in a guest appearance on the nationally televised series of PBS “Creative Living with Sheryl Borden”. In this 2-part segment, the award winning San Francisco interior design expert, known for her playful and fearless use of color, shares tips on how to pick paint colors for your home interior.
In this second video, Kimball shows examples from her San Francisco decorated interiors demonstrating how to use subtle paint colors in a brightly lit living room, and how to use moody or vibrant colors in bedrooms.
Below is a transcript of the video:
♪[music]♪
– [announcer] With your host, Sheryl Borden.
– [Kimball] I’ll show you the adjoining bedroom, that’s down the hall, and how…
it all flows together.
– [Sheryl] Again, it’s going to flow together.
– That’s right. And it’s just the one bedroom, so it’s not a huge home. And, we
use colors of…
– Oh, yeah.
– … Butterscotch and Dark Chocolate. My client joked, if I keep using
those words, Butterscotch and Dark Chocolate, he’s gonna wanna sit in bed and eat
all day. [laughter] So… and then we have this lighter color that I like to use
for the ceiling. And, you don’t have to use a lighter color for the ceiling. There
are instances where you can actually use a darker color than the walls.
– That would bring, bring it down a little bit…
– Yeah, it dep-
– … not seem so high.
– That’s right. It depends, though. If it’s a really big space, dark colors
are great for hiding open, exposed duct work. Like, if you’re in a restaurant…
– Oh, oh. Uh-huh.
– Or if you were in a really industrial loft that you live in.
– Uh-huh.
– But most of us don’t live in spaces like that, so…
– Mm-hm.[laughter]
– … we don’t have 20 foot high ceilings.
– Yeah.
– So, yes, it is good to keep them lighter, but you can bring in a pop of
color, and it’s very interesting when you do that.
– And it’s, it’s interesting to me to see how these all flow together. I would
have seen these and these, but the fact that ya added the blue…
– Mm-hm.
– … keeps it from being, sorta boring.
– Right, because if you take this out, it’s just a bunch a tan.
– They’re all the same. Uh-huh. [laughter] Yeah.
– Just a bunch a tans.
– Uh-huh.
– So ya need this, and this-, this orange is a pretty vibrant.
– This is pretty. Uh-huh.
– So it’s a nice balance of various shades of warm tones, and your cool tones.
– Mm-hm.
– And then the red that was in the last picture with the dining chair gives a
little pop that you can bring with your furnishings.
– Yeah, it does. Uh-huh.
– So that’s how color flows through space. And then, this feel that we wanted to
accomplish, was a very light and airy…
– Oh it is. Looks, looks huge. Looks- And very open.
– Yeah, and very calming.
– Uh-huh.
– And there’s a lot of sunlight, so the last… pictures that we showed, there’s
not a ton a sunlight, so you can afford to do darker colors.
– Mm-hm.
– But when you have a lotta sunlight, it really lights up the color, and so you
really wanna stay with the lighter colors to match the natural light.
– It’s more subtle. I see. Mm-hm.
– So it feels more intuitive that way. So just a really soft sea green, mixed
with a really pretty buttercream.
– Mm-hm.
– And… we have another picture here. Moving on into a bedroom. This is a
pop of color, with bright yellow, but using a mauve, kind of a purpley-grey as
your background.
– Oh, mm-hm.
– So the wall colors are this. The ceiling color is this. But then, they painted
the…
– Table, uh-huh.
– … lacquer nightstands in a really bright daffodil yellow.
– That pulls out the yellow from the pillows and the lamp shades.
– That’s right.
– Uh-huh.
– Now if your’e a little-
– Ties it together.
– Yeah, exactly. And if you’re afraid a color, you know, this would still be
beautiful in a room.
– Oh, yeah. Mm-hm.
– And you could do… soft corals, or peaches if you wanted to.
– Oh. Uh-huh. Coral would be pretty, too.
– But this, if you’re really…
– Wild.
– … like that dose of color. [laughter] Well, and speaking of wild, if you’re
faint of heart, this last picture might be a little tough for…
– No, I like it, but I probably could never use it.
– … for some people.
– Uh-huh.
– So it’s a very bright orange bedroom.
– Mm-hm.
– And this is great. This is a guest bedroom.
– Oh.
– So this is great for… people that are just gonna be there for a couple nights.
I wouldn’t recommend a color like this for long-term, because it’s not soothing.
– Day in and day out.
– That’s right. It’s not a soothing color.
– Mm-hm.
– So here’s the bright orange. But if you wanted to tone it down… and you could
paint part of the walls in this khaki tone, which pulls out the color from-
– And what’s the ceiling? Is it in this one?
– That’s right.
– That’s-, okay.
– Mm-hm.
– I can see how that would do.
– That’s right.
– Really interesting. Color is fun. It really is fun in clothing, and it’s
really fun in home furnishings.
– Yes. And I definitely recommend, when you’re choosing paint, that you paint a
sample on your wall.
– Uh-huh.
– Like, a two-foot by two-foot sample. And look at it in the morning, daytime and
nighttime, because it’s gonna-
– When there’s light changes.
– That’s right.
– That’s a great idea.
– Or you can put it on a movable poster board if you don’t wanna paint 50
samples…
– Paint your wall [laughter]
– Right
– … across your room.
– Right, yeah. And move it, and because the light will hit it differently.
– That’s right.
– Well, great. Thank you so much. I appreciate you sharing this information
with us.
– Thank you so much, Sheryl.
Kimball Starr is an expert paint color consultant who has been featured on television and published in several hardcover design books. The award-winning San Francisco designer showcases work highlighting both subtle and bold interior paint colors that capture natural light and desired mood.
It’s the new year, are you ready for a fresh start! Paint is the easiest and most economical way to dramatically transform the look and feel of your home interior.
San Francisco interior designer, Kimball Starr, is featured as the paint color expert for home interiors in a guest appearance on the nationally televised series of PBS “Creative Living with Sheryl Borden”. In this 2-part segment, the award winning San Francisco interior design expert, known for her playful and fearless use of color, shares tips on how to pick paint colors for your home interior.
In this first video, Kimball explains the difference between warm and cool colors, and uses a San Francisco residential interior she decorated as an example of how to create color flow and continuity throughout multiple rooms inside a home.
– [Sheryl] Thank you so much for being with us today, Kimball. We’re going to
talk about color, and, you know, a third grader usually learns about color,
the color wheel, and colors opposite, and what it all means. But when you’re
making an investment like we will in our homes, we wanna know what we’re going
to put together, and that we will really feel good about it when it’s done. So
how do you either caution people, or make them feel… sure about it. My
husband would always want white walls. That’s the only things he
would, you know, want to use.
– [Kimball] He’s a minimalist. [laughs]
– A minimalist, I guess that’s it. So, how do ya go about it?
– Well, I’m really excited to be talking about color, because it’s really my
favorite thing in interiors. It just… it’s just fantastic. Color can effect
you physically and psychologically. As you probably know, colors can make you
tired, they can make you happy, they can make you angry…
[laughs] … they can make you depressed, and they can make you feel joyous.
– Uh-huh.
– So, with picking colors, first it’s important to understand the difference
between warm and cool colors. So, we have warm colors on this side, and cool
colors on this.
– Mm-hm.
– So to understand warm colors, think of things such as… attached to the
Earth, or a sunset. So reds, and oranges, and yellows. And these colors make you
feel very energized, and they’re very happy colors.
– Mm-hm.
– And then cool colors are things associated with the sky and the ocean. So your
blues, your dark greens and your purples. And you’ll notice that I have two
greens here, and green can either be warm or cool. If it has more yellow in it,
it tends to be a warm color.
– Oh, or if it has more blue. I see. Yeah.
– That’s right. Whereas this would be a cool color.
– Mm-hm. So the basics, that’s where we need to start.
– That’s right, ‘cuz I didn’t-, I wasn’t as lucky. In third grade I didn’t learn
anything about color. I think it was, like, my 20’s.
– Uh-huh. [laughter]
– Well, that’s probably true.
– So, when you’re choosing color, the important things to think about are the
quality of the natural light in the room, and the artificial light because it
changes throughout the day.
– Mm-hm.
– Also, what mood do you wanna set? And, what are the existing furnishings, ‘cuz
you’re not gonna throw out the sofa just because you painted a color that
doesn’t match.
– Right. Mm-hm.
– You want to-, ideally, choose the paint last, because you’ve already purchased
all your furnishings, and that’s the harder thing to change. Paint-
– And the most expensive.
– That’s right.
– Uh-huh.
– Paint is the easiest thing to change.
– Yeah.
– And then, also think about what are the adjacent spaces that are next to the
room that you’re painting, ‘cuz you want there to be a flow throughout your
house.
– Oh, mm-hm.
– So — and here I have a dining area where I’ve chosen this color. And we’ll
just move these aside —
– Okay.
– … and show you this, kind of, burnt harvest color. And it’s mixed…
– It’s a very warm room.
– Yes, it’s very warm. It’s mixed with this color for the ceiling, and then to
really accent the trim, a bright white.
– Oh, uh-huh.
– And, oranges are great for a dining area. Oranges and reds. They elicit
appetite. As you notice, a lot of fast food places, they always use orange and
reds.
– Uh-huh. Yes, uh-huh.
– And they help with conversation. They can be passionate, so choose your dinner
guests wisely. [laughter] And… they create a feeling of warmth and intimacy.
– Mm-hm.
– So… moving on to- And this is all-
I’m gonna show you a couple rooms that are all within the same space.
– Mm-hm.
– So, actually, if we keep those colors here, we can see how they all flow
together. So we have…
– Oh.
– … the adjacent space
– Uh-huh, the blue.
– That’s right.
– Uh-huh.
– So it links.
– And the white.
– That’s right.
– Yeah.
– So we have oranges on one wall of the room, and then we have this color as the
ceiling and the trim.
– Mm-hm.
– And the linking color between, so there’s the living area, and then this far
wall. So the linking color is this.
– Sort of subtly goes. It goes from one, and blends it into the next.
– That’s right. It links. And then we have the bay window, which it’s accented
with this really dark-
– Um, down on the bottom, uh-huh.
– Now I wouldn’t do a whole wall. In this particular situation, I wouldn’t
do a whole wall on that. That would be very dark.
– Uh-huh.
– Although, that is very chic to do that now. But I don’t think it’s appropriate
for this space.
– Uh-huh.
– So it’s just used in a very small portion right down here.
– Mm-hm. It’s more of an accent.
– That’s right.
– Mm-hm.
– And then for the wall where the office is, we lighten it up and have this
blue.
– Mm-hm.
– And then, I’ll show you the adjoining bedroom, that’s down the hall, and
how… it all flows together.
– Again, it’s going to flow together.
Kimball Starr is an expert paint color consultant who has been featured on television and published in several hardcover design books. The award-winning San Francisco designer showcases work highlighting both bold and subtle paint colors to capture natural light and desired mood.
The new year brings with it new energy to refresh, enliven and redesign your life! An easy and fun way to inject your life with new energy is by using color – we recommend Pantone’s 2015 Color of the Year – Marsala.
“Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness. This hearty yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors,” says Pantone’s website heralding their selection.
How would you use Marsala? Take a look at this bachelor’s living room designed by Kimball, featuring a lampshade and high pile rug in Marsala. They exude sumptuous luxury and make you want to pour a glass of wine and have a seat!
Pantone’s Color of 2015 “Marsala” rug, lampshade in living room by Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Eric Rorer
Equally appealing to men and women, dramatic and at the same time grounding, the rich and full-bodied red-brown Marsala brings color warmth into home interiors. If you want to use this color but don’t know what it pairs with, or are not sure how to bring Marsala into an existing interior design scheme, Kimball Starr is an expert color consultant and can provide color consultations for your most challenging interiors.
For this series on Loft Design, we’ve been discussing how to get the best use of your space by creating zones. Let’s wrap up this series with this final discussion on how to create a guest bedroom that doubles as additional living space.
Many homes have dual-purpose guest bedrooms, and it can be difficult for guests to feel comfortable and maintain their privacy. This is a common problem in one bedroom lofts, where the same openness loft residents crave can leave overnight guests feeling exposed. The best way to approach this challenge is to define the space clearly, and to create a private temporary guest bedroom just for them.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Joe Fletcher
In the photo above of Kimball Starr’s award winning San Francisco loft design, you can see two areas that intersect: a dining space and a living area. Plenty of room for circulation has been left between them, as well as access to the wall storage and display shelves. However, the real magic is behind those frosted glass panels as they slide in multiple directions to create either a partial wall, or completely enclose the area behind them.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Joe Fletcher
Above you can see the slipper chairs have been moved, and the wall bed also known as a Murphy bed, is pulled down and dressed with silky luxurious linens. Artwork is hung on the wall behind to finish it off nicely, and an accent light operable from the guest bed doubles as a reading light. You probably didn’t even notice the closed Murphy bed in the first photo!
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Joe Fletcher
In this final view, you can see the translucent sliding glass doors, which were stacked previously. They slide effortlessly closed to create a temporary private guest room which allows light to pass through, so your guests gain privacy without losing light. It’s an elegant contemporary solution for maximizing living space while simultaneously providing guest bedroom space in an open floor plan.
We’re discussing clever storage as part of this series on Loft Design. Previously we looked at creating cozy zones using furniture, lighting and textiles, and considered the gifts and challenges of all that open space in Loft Design: Open Floor Plan. What most lofts don’t offer is built-in storage, and if there’s one thing that every modern family needs, it’s storage for their personal items.
Revisiting our San Francisco SOMA loft, here’s how you can address that need to hide away the relics and tools of daily life. To create a beautiful place to store and display china, books, and collectibles, a rolling curved bookcase shown below wraps around the loft’s spiral staircase, making it feel like a real treat to use the stairs. We painted the interior casework with lovely high-gloss orange paint, and the exterior facing the living room in a faded metallic stencil pattern for a sophisticated look.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / photo by Joe Fletcher
The entire height of the bookcase is attached with a piano hinge and swings back and forth on hidden floor casters, providing access to interior shelving and maximizing the floor space. The small recessed alcove repeats the orange color for a sense of harmony and rhythm, and the shape of the wall echoes the shape of the bookcase.
Because a loft is so open, there often isn’t a separate laundry facility. It makes sense to place your laundry nearby or in your loft’s kitchen, for the best use of plumbing and electrical facilities, but how do you conceal the mess and contain the noise?
Kimball Starr Interior Design / photo by Joe Fletcher
The washer dryer storage solution shown above was another moveable wall concealed as a column. Similar to the bookcase whose shape it repeats, this faux column slides on casters to reveal a stacked washer and dryer unit right next to the kitchen, complete with interior shelves for storing laundry supplies. What could be more convenient?
When you live in a loft, another challenge is how to make your overnight guests feel at home with their own private sleeping area. Join us next week for the final installment of Loft Design, where we’ll share an expert design solution on how to create a guest bedroom within a one-bedroom loft.
Kimball Starr Interior Design is a San Francisco award winning loft design firm that provides contemporary interior design for residential and commercial interiors.
