There’s no need to sacrifice elevated home design simply because you have a busy family in mix. We’re sharing some of our favorite home design, decor, and organization tips plus a look inside some stunning family homes to help you make your home as fun and livable as it is sophisticated.
Eco-Terric
Partner Content
Rowena Finegan, Founder of Eco-Terric
If you’re highly allergic and sensitive to environmental toxins, Rowena Finegan has beautiful news for you. You’ll find sustainable, non-toxic, chemical-free home furnishings in her store and on her website. Rowena is uncompromising in her selections of furniture, carpeting, window coverings, and accents. And she is also happy to help you design your healthy interior spaces with elegance and style.
323 Pine Street • Sausalito, CA eco-terric.com • For Appt.: [email protected]
Healthy Home Design: From Meditation Rooms to Energizing Color Palettes, Here Are 5 Ways Your Interiors Can Boost Wellness
Everyone strives for a beautiful home — even more so these days, when we are spending so much time in our personal spaces. Our homes can not only look great, but also lift our spirits and enhance our wellbeing. We asked a panel of design pros for some easy decorating ideas to create a happier, healthier home. Read more.
Midcentury Makeover: A Dated Eichler Home in Marin County Is Reinvented as a Warm, Family-Friendly Sanctuary
When an entrepreneur and his young family outgrew their small midcentury modern home in San Rafael, they didn’t have to go far to find a new home that fit their needs, lifestyle and aesthetic. Tucked into family-friendly Lucas Valley, a 2,500-square-foot, five-bedroom home built by developer Joseph Eichler in 1965 checked all the boxes.
“We were drawn to this home because it had a lot of the same elements of our old home that we loved, and was in a beautiful neighborhood with a great elementary school. It was also larger—so, a win, win, win!” the wife says. Read more.
Sunrise Home
Partner Content
Family Friendly Home Furnishings
We’ve devoted an entire boutique within our showroom to family friendly furnishings. Our sofas and sectionals feature fade resistant, sun resistant easy care fabrics. Comfortable, great looking and long lasting upholstery that you can really live on. With hundreds of Sunbrella and crypton fabric options as well as slipcovers this collection is the answer to your decorating concerns. Our design team will happily and capably assist you with your dimensions and room planning. We have also designed dining, coffee and console tables that will stand the test of time. You want family friendly furnishings that represent your style and personality but that can withhold real life wear and tear. Come experience our new space aptly entitled NO WORRIES and see why we are so excited! Visit us soon and take advantage of our new Partnership Program offering twenty percent off all of your purchases for two years.
831 B Street San Rafael, CA 415.456.3939 sunrisehome.com
Your Complete Guide to Getting Organized This Year: What to Tackle First, Organizing Room by Room and Where to Donate Unwanted Items
When Marie Kondo, the undisputed queen of home organization and tidiness, showed up on our TV screens in 2019 with her wildly popular Netflix show, “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo,” her quirky yet effective KonMari Method sparked much more than joy — she created a tsunami of public interest in having a tidier home with less clutter. As it turns out, clutter can stress us out. A study reported in the New York Times found that too much unorganized stuff can trigger stress hormones and is deeply tied to procrastination, and it can even impacts one’s level of life satisfaction (or the lack thereof).
Take heart, however, help is on the way. We asked three Bay Area home organization experts — Ashley Polselli of Neat Method, Diane Woodall of Diane Woodall Organizing and Katy Congdon Williams of Sorted SF — to share their insight on how to tackle piles of paper, messy kitchen drawers and closets full of stuff you don’t wear anymore. Read more.
North Coast Tile & Stone
Partner Content
Full Service Tile and Stone Fabrication and Installation
Family owned and operated for over 30 years, they are the North Bay leader in tile installation and granite fabrication for residential remodels, new home construction and commercial jobs. From start to finish, North Coast Tile is dedicated to working with you on accomplishing your vision. Hundreds of granite, quartzite, marble, soapstone, limestone and onyx slabs to choose from in their acre large outdoor yard. Inside is a beautiful boutique tile showroom offering hand selected tile lines from all over the world. Six designers are on staff to help you achieve your vision. At North Coast Tile they are also happy to work with you and / or your Designer, Contractor and Architect. Expertise, knowledge and trust make them the tile company that provides the solid foundation you will need to get your project started. Builder Michael Muscardini Architect Jeff Zimmerman Featured home www.kenwoodmodern.com
3854 Santa Rosa Ave Santa Rosa, CA 707.586.2064 nctile.com
Tackle Home Organizing For Real — 3 Bay Area Professional Organizers Share Their Best Tips
Imagine this: everything in your home has a designated spot, your kids coloring books aren’t mixed in with your bills, your clothes aren’t crammed into your closet, there’s a zen corner for you to do yoga. You can think straight, take a deep breath.
Clutter happens, it’s natural. Especially since the pandemic has transformed homes into multi-purpose spaces, and the previously separate compartments of life/work/school have Picasso’d, one thing has become abundantly clear: our surroundings have an impact on our mood and well-being. In fact, a recent National Geographic article states that, “Clutter can cause our bodies to release cortisol, the stress hormone associated with the fight-or-flight response. Long-term exposure to clutter can induce chronic stress.” That said, achieving a mindful, clean home — one that simultaneously provides a productive, inspiring environment while being a respite from the busyness of daily life — is still possible. Read more
A Bay Area First-Time Buyer Finds a Home in Marin
SUSIE SUMMERS LOVED urban living. But when it came time to dip her toe in the real estate market, she recognized that purchasing in Marin County made better long-term sense than staying in the city.
“I was spending most of my weekends here for one activity or another,” she recalls. Buying into a community with quality public schools was also a priority. Nothing unusual about this decision — though in Summers’ case it was admittedly putting the cart before the horse. “I was still single at the time, but knew I’d eventually want kids.”
So when the right home came up after just three months of browsing, she didn’t waffle. “I saw it and put in an offer the very same day.” A month later the movers arrived to pack up her Cow Hollow apartment and unload its contents into her very first home.
The four-bedroom Craftsman was in great condition; still, she wanted to put her personal stamp on the place. So she brought in professionals, including San Anselmo–based interior designer Ann Lowengart and San Rafael contractor Martin Arrington, to create a space that better reflected her enthusiasms and taste. “They were an amazing team,” says Summers. “I got really lucky.” Read more.
Your Guide to Houseplants and Their Many Benefits
Winter is the season when we start spending more time indoors and start feeling a little overwhelmed — even blue. Luckily, adding some green can boost indoor air quality and your overall outlook. Here are the top, and easiest (you won’t need a horticulture degree to keep them alive), houseplants to chase away air pollutants and the bah humbugs. Take a deep, fresh breath and read on. Read more.
A Mill Valley Mediterranean Turned Modern For a Growing Family
The “one,” as it turns out, was a four bedroom three-and-a-half bath Mediterranean style in nearby Mill Valley. Laura was skeptical at first. The home needed updating and she struggled to see past its nineties-era finishes. But John convinced her that the home’s location, floor plan, and square footage ticked all the boxes. And, with a little prodding, she eventually came around. Then with the help of contractor Tony Anello of Anello Painting and Construction in Novato and interior designer Jill McCrae of JM Interiors in Mill Valley, the couple managed to turn this dated knoll-top house into their family dream home.
