This Stunning Pink Ombré Home in L.A. Is Pure Design Eye-Candy

Everyone has their own design aesthetic, and that’s welcomed. If everyone liked the same things, the world would definitely be a lot more boring. But sometimes a design aesthetic doesn’t quite match its surroundings, like what the previous owners did to this 1958 Eichler E-111 home in the San Mateo Highlands.

Summer is the season all gardeners await. The bright sun and warm weather signal the start of the showiest time of year, and nowhere is this excitement more evident than with container gardening. Garden stores are overflowing with plants and pots in every color, size, style, and shape. Whether you lean toward tropicals or are smitten by succulents, summer is the season to show off your talents. To get you started, we’ve assembled a few designs by Riz Reyes of Seattle and Julie Chai of San Francisco (for Julie’s designs, see part 1 of this article). We invite you to tap into their creativity—and to expand upon their tips—to make this your best container season yet.

The thought of a professional organizer entering your home may send you into a cleaning frenzy. Even if you’re naturally tidy, piles of items can easily stack up, whether due to a lack of storage or a lack of a system.

Spring has officially sprung, which means one thing: Pool season is so close, we can practically smell the chlorine. But before you slather on the SPF and do your inaugural cannonball, why not turn your watering hole into a well-designed outdoor destination? Chic umbrellas and cozy chaise lounges might be two easy ways to dress up your backyard, but if you want to take your setup to the next level, some people are using bright tiles and paints to transform their pool floors into maximalist moments.

Heads up: It’s probably time to revisit your junk drawer. Not to grab your go-to tube of lip balm or a piece of gum, but to finally organize it. 

Jasmit Singh Rangr, a Berkeley-based architect, founder of Rangr Studio, and a lecturer in architecture at the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design, is technically responsible for building his family’s stylish, minimal, cost-conscious home near the Grizzly Peak summit in the Berkeley Hills. But the behind-the-scenes mastermind who made it possible is his wife, Abigail Dillen, president of Earthjustice, a nonprofit, public interest environmental law firm. Anyone familiar with the area’s cutthroat real estate market won’t be surprised to hear that the search for a vacant, buildable lot in one of the most coveted neighborhoods in the West required Dillen to use all of the skills that make her a great lawyer: creativity, a knack for analysis and research, perseverance, and the art of persuasion.

About 70 miles south of Jackson Hole, 2150 Robinson Lane is a sprawling property with a castle, fully outfitted with tunnels and towers—and it can be yours for the cool price of $14 million. It hit the market in April, and since then, all eyes have been on this extraordinary real estate opportunity. 

Hannah Rose Rivers Muller is essentially a farmer-florist by birth. She was born at Full Belly Farm, located in the rural, charming Capay Valley of Northern California, and works there to this day. She gained her expertise similarly to how plants absorb water, through osmosis—her skills and knowledge a result of the very soil she was raised on. Here she learned the inner workings of the flower fields, small hands exploring the ground, taking naps in harvest baskets between colorful rows, watching seasons change in vibrancy and texture, and admiring her mother who skillfully nurtured and expanded the flower fields over the decades with care.

There’s no question that people love Trader Joe’s, and while you might be popping in for the current end-cap display of Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix or Pizza Party Potato Chips, I’m taking full advantage of the springtime buffet of blooms. For me, there is no greater pleasure (or budget-friendly flower shopping) than building your own bouquets out of TJ’s flowers and fillers. Whether you’re looking to make an arrangement for someone you love, or just to add a little splash of seasonal style to your tabletop, here are a few tips and tricks to take your springtime stems to the next level. 

Vacation homes are meant to be places to relax and recharge, which means the design and architecture should set the tone. And that’s exactly what Celeste Robbins of Robbins Architecture did in this four-bedroom, five-bathroom home in Driggs, Idaho, which is featured in her new book, The Meaningful Modern Home: Soulful Architecture and Interiors.

When it came to the kitchen in their three-bedroom, two-bathroom 1930s San Francisco home, the owners wanted keep the current square footage and layout, but adjust the space to make it work harder for their family’s needs (they have two daughters). So they brought in Allie Allen and Sasha White of Shiny Shed Collective to oversee the renovation of the 144-square-foot L-shaped room.

It takes a certain kind of person to buy a vintage house sight-unseen, to dive headfirst into the rough waters of reviving a property’s faded glory without even opening the front door.