Jun 25, 2014 | Posted in Trends |
Summer is here – you can feel it in the air! This is the season when we yearn to be outside, soaking up the sun and enjoying the cool breezes. If you’re lucky enough to have an outdoor space accessible to your property, now is the time to make improvements so you can really enjoy the summer months.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Eric Rorer
In the Palo Alto bungalow above, Kimball Starr Interior Design used outdoor furniture made of a contemporary resin material with the look of wicker but much more durable. The patio’s umbrella has a built-in light, so you can read the paper well after sunset. You’ll never have trouble finding your cocktail with these playful illuminating cube tables that double as additional seating. And the outdoor fabric on these loveseats is designed to last through years of rain, wind and sunlight without fading or becoming frayed – it dries quickly and covers a comfortable foam cushion.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Eric Rorer
On the deck of this SOMA loft, the stunning water fountain imported from Morocco features an uplight for dramatic nighttime scenes. It’s surrounded by large-scale textural floor tiles in multiple colorations, and a stylized patterned outdoor polypropylene rug that resists fading, which can be hosed off for easy maintenance. The entire space is dotted with easy-care live plants, including the succulent wall hangings on the trellis behind the water feature. An LED sconce will light the space for 50,000 hours before it needs changing. Durable outdoor furniture withstands the weather and remains welcoming, making this truly an outdoor living room.
If you have an outdoor space that needs sprucing up, we’re happy to help – just drop us a line using the contact page!
Kimball Starr, is a San Francisco interior design firm specializing in contemporary interiors and outdoor living for the San Francisco, Peninsula, and San Jose areas. Kimball works to “change lives one room at a time” through designing creative and innovative interiors.
Labels: lighting, outdoor, patio furniture, water feature
May 30, 2014 | Posted in Inspirations |
We recently saw the latest film from director Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and can’t stop raving about his fabulous use of color! We’re not alone – there’s a whole Tumblr dedicated to observing his playful palettes! Here are two selections:
Photo from “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, color palettes by Wes Anderson Palettes Tumblr
Photo from “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, palettes by Wes Anderson Palettes Tumblr
To those, we’d like to add a favorite of our own: The elevator!
Photo from “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, palettes by Kimball Starr Interior Design
We’re inspired by Anderson’s bold color choices! Are you brave enough to try these in your home or office? Get in touch- we’re color experts!
Contemporary San Francisco interior design firm, Kimball Starr, is a paint color expert and provides color consultations for both interior and exterior spaces. Kimball works to “change lives one room at a time” through designing creative and innovative interiors.
Labels: color, Wes Anderson
May 10, 2014 | Posted in How To & Decorating Tips |
Last time in this series of 3, we gave tips and ideas on how to maximize space in small kitchens . In this final edition of small space living, let’s look at how we entertain in our homes, and how we can make a space feel welcoming to guests as well as yourself!
The living room is the primary living space where we relax, spend some down-time after a hard day’s work, and have fun with friends and family. If you have tight space restrictions, reducing clutter through the use of clever storage is one of the more important ways to maximize your living room area.
Utilizing closet spaces or odd niches in a room can maximize a room to it’s fullest potential. In the photo below, custom Shoji sliding doors conceal an odd-shaped niche that has been transformed into a built-in entertainment center and mini home office.
On the left-hand side sits a flat screen television, with media components hidden below and behind the lower portion of the sliding screens. On the right-hand side concealed behind the screens, sits a computer monitor on top of a Douglas Fir wood slab, leaving open space underneath to pull up a desk chair and work at the computer.
To utilize every square inch, Kimball built hidden shelves inside the column situated directly to the right of the screens. The added shelves provide storage for office supplies and computer accessories for easy access while sitting at the desk.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Eric Rorer
Once again, custom-built furniture is the ultimate solution to small-space challenges. Because the screens slide instead of swinging open like a door, circulation through the room is never blocked. Adding built-in or open leaning shelves increase the storage and are great for displaying collectibles, books or art that you want to be more visible.
The glass partition between rooms functions as the balustrade for the stairwell leading to the downstairs bedroom. Instead of installing a sheetrocked wall, the glass partition takes up less depth, still provides the necessary safety, and allows the eye to travel freely throughout the space.
From another vantage point in the living room, the L-shaped sectional sofa fits perfectly from wall to wall to maximize the comfortable seating. By keeping the upholstery color similar to the wall color, the room is kept visually open and airy. The heavy coffee table does triple duty here — functioning as a table, providing storage underneath for remote controls and game consoles, and also serving as additional seating when the party gets crowded.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Eric Rorer
You may also notice the wall-mounted speaker system, which frees up surface area while providing the best possible sound for the room. And as mentioned previously in this series, adding floor-to-ceiling windows, french doors, or a skylight can expand your visual horizons in a small space.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this series on utilizing every square inch of your residential spaces. If you have a challenge you’d like to address in your home, let us know via the Contact page!
San Francisco Bay Area interior design firm, Kimball Starr, provides contemporary design in the San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Marin areas. Kimball works to “change lives one room at a time” through designing creative and innovative interiors.
Labels: custom furniture, living room, small space solutions
May 04, 2014 | Posted in How To & Decorating Tips |
Our last post on Small Space Living showed how custom furniture can maximize the useable space in a small residential area. Let’s continue the discussion with a look at the kitchen.
In the photo below, you can see the custom island in the foreground, featuring a shelf at the bottom for oversize pots and appliances, along with other heavy items you wouldn’t want to lift overhead. Cladding the island countertop in butcherblock makes the perfect chopping surface. A pull-out work surface is used as additional seating for guests while you cook and entertain. For mobility, put the island on rolling casters and wheel it wherever you need it to go.
Thanks to the addition of skylights, the space feels and looks light and airy. When remodeling your home, open up small spaces with skylights to bring in natural light. Benefits are twofold by adding to both your mental and physical well-being.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Eric Rorer
In the next photo, the island’s deep drawers are great for multi-use storage. Behind that is a mix of open and closed shelving ideal for displaying your china collection, or make the doors opaque and only reveal your better pieces. The shelving on the left makes excellent use of what could have been dead space, keeping your kitchen items readily available. Placing infrequently-used pieces that are also beautiful at the top of your cabinetry is a good way to utilize high shelves and the top surface.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Eric Rorer
The kitchen is a place used primarily for cooking, but also sometimes for entertaining. In the next installment, we’ll talk about entertaining in a small living room, and how to make the best use of a smaller space that is essential for both personal use and entertaining.
San Francisco interior design firm, Kimball Starr, provides kitchen design for homes throughout the San Francisco, San Jose, and Marin areas. Kimball works to “change lives one room at a time” through designing creative and innovative interiors individually suited for each homeowner.
Labels: island, kitchen, shelving
Apr 26, 2014 | Posted in How To & Decorating Tips |
Many of us are trying to do more with less these days. That’s even more true in urban homes, where our spaces must often perform double-duty. In a series of blogs over the next few weeks, we are going to show you how to get more out of your residential small spaces.
In this example, the clients’ entire townhome is just 596 sq. ft, so maximizing every area is important. Custom furniture can often be the solution to what may seem like insurmountable challenges.
In the photo below, the custom coffee table is adjustable in height, doubling as a dining table while also serving their entryway as a place to put down bags and keys. The shape of the glass table was specially designed to ensure safe and comfortable access in a tight space. The table’s hydraulic lift makes changing it from coffee table to dining table and back again a breeze.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Eric Rorer
Notice how the floor-to-ceiling windows really open up the space. If you have the budget to remodel a small, dark room, adding full-height windows is a great way to bring in more light and a feeling of expansion.
Below, the custom banquette is curved to fit the non-90-degree walls, maximizing every inch in a way that a store-bought design would not, plus the seats come off to reveal additional storage. Indoor-outdoor fabric was used for UV and stain resistance, and the color ties in with the outdoor greenery making the banquette area feel like an extension of the garden. The tiny wooden shelf behind is integrated with the banquette, a completely customized piece.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Eric Rorer
Small teardrop wall vases are great to hold fresh-cut flowers without cluttering surfaces. They provide a pop of color and bring the outside indoors. Selecting clear vases allows the eye to move freely across the space and makes the plants appear to gently float, providing a feeling of airiness. Finally, dress the space with your favorite throw pillows and change up the colors with the seasons or keep the same look year-round.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Eric Rorer
As you can see, custom designs really make a space function effectively. We hope you enjoyed the first installment in the Small Space Living Series. Look for the next installment when we’ll talk about ideas for making a small kitchen work for you.
San Francisco interior design firm, Kimball Starr, designs custom furniture for homes throughout San Jose, San Francisco, and Marin areas. Kimball works to “change lives one room at a time” through designing creative and innovative interiors unique to each homeowner.
Labels: contemporary, custom furniture, dining room
Feb 18, 2014 | Posted in Starr Spotlight |
Kimball Starr Interior Design receives “Best of Houzz” for Customer Satisfaction – 2 years in a row!
Many of you may know that Houzz.com is a great online resource for finding and saving inspirational ideas about residential interior design, locating your next designer, and sharing feedback.
The Best Of Houzz Award is given in two categories: Client Satisfaction and Design. Client Satisfaction honors are determined by the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2013. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among 16 million monthly Houzz users.
3 residential design photos uploaded to Houzz.com by Kimball Starr Interior Design. Top: Pacific Heights Edwardian. Center & Bottom: Contemporary Hillside Retreat. All photos by Eric Rorer
The top photo shown here of a home office was saved to over 13,000 ideabooks! There are 107 photos uploaded so far, which have been added to a total of 42,212 ideabooks worldwide. That’s a lot of ideas traveling the globe. And what does anyone most want to do when you’ve been traveling for a while? Come home, of course!
I invite you to borrow some of my ideas for your home, by visiting my Houzz.com profile today!
San Francisco interior designer, Kimball Starr, is a commercial design and residential interior design firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Kimball works to “change lives one room at a time” through designing creative and innovative interiors across the country.
Labels: Houzz, residential design
