amy azzarito by Amy Azzarito 66

sneak peek: christina weber of studiopatro


Christina Weber has lived in this apartment in the Cow Hollow neighborhood of San Francisco for 12 years. And it’s no wonder she hasn’t wanted to leave — she’s just a block from the Presidio and a short walk to the Crissy Field beach. However, her great location means that space is at a premium, so she has carefully planned for lots of built-in storage and frequently edits her possessions, careful to keep only those that are well chosen and functional. Her work is inspired by elements in nature (she even has a nature blog!), architecture, maps and typography, and I love seeing where that work inspiration intersects with the home she has created. Many thanks to Christina & Lily! — Amy A.

My home is a typical city flat with lots of San Francisco’s wonderful light. I love the morning light in my bedroom and the warm afternoon light in my living and dining rooms. My studio is on the lowest level of the building, separate from the flat, quiet and right off the garden. A simple commute of one flight to outdoor stairs! I tried to work with the “bones” of the space — simple decorative woodwork, curved ceilings, 30s cabinetry and yet keep it bright, white and filled with my favorite “friends” (paintings and photography from friends and family, objects and folk art from travels).


Image above: The dining room painting is a favorite. It was painted on the beach in Barcelona by my sister’s former boyfriend. There’s sand mixed in with the paint.


Image above: When I moved into the flat, it had an old 1930s kitchen. For two years, I planned and drew and designed, before completely tearing out the old and building the new. I love to cook, so this is where I spend most of my time.


Image above: More of my favorite things — the Beatles, a doll from San Miguel de Allende, a linen throw by Robert Le Heros in Paris.


Image above: Can you tell I love typography? I painted the “e-a-t” on the wall myself in beautiful Helvetica.

CLICK HERE for the rest of Christina’s sneak peek after the jump!


Image above: The painting is by my sister Karen, and I love how it balances with the round wooden Marimekko tray. I saved and restored the old cabinetry on the right, to keep the original integrity of the flat’s design in place.


Image above: My embroidered linen pillows play with contrasting words and their meanings. Turn them over and they say “still” and “life”.


Image above: The dresser was nine different bright colors when it was in my teen-aged daughter’s room. I’ve painted it white and reclaimed it as mine!


Image above: Lily B. Good, my walking companion.


Image above: My garden became another opportunity to add some pattern to my life . . . the stepping stones in a bed of pea gravel are a favorite place to play for visiting kids. We move them around to create new patterns or create letters.

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66 Comments

Liviu Buldur

Absolutely amazing, esspecially the “eat” sign on the wall
close to the dinning table, reminds me of what my mom used to say
when I was a kid: ” Don’t talk with food in your mouth, just eat!”
:))

Christina

That garden is wonderful! I just love the idea of having
stones to make patterns with. Such an unexpected way to promote
creativity and playfulness.

Jen

This is one of my new favorite sneak peaks—beautifully decorated but lived in. A wonderful combination.

Ashley

Love the use of color – it’s so clean and refreshing! I also love the typography in the kitchen. How did you do that?

Jessica

Kudos on the Nicole Krauss in the bedroom! :)

Very inspiring home. Love the living room cushions.

Cara

Love the striped dishes in the kitchen! Are they available for purchase somewhere?

bbrunophotography

Love the Slow Motion pillows…the “Eat” wall decor, and that adorable kitchen with bookshelves on either side of the stove. Beautiful!

tami Cohen

i am IN LOVE, flat out, with the dining room art. i’m going to have to try and make something like that for myself! gorgeous home

Michelle

Can you tell me where the light above the kitchen table is from? Thanks

Isa Maria

I love that first photo with the fireplace and all the bookshelves. I just wasnt to dive in and start flicking through all the books! Beautiful apartment.

Christina Weber

To Stephanie Press: Yes, I never tire of the painting in the dining room. The artist is Stefano Castronovo, a muralist and painter in NYC in the 80′s and early 90′s. Not sure if he’s still there or in Italy.

Christina Weber

Michelle: the lights in the kitchen are Louis Poulsen (I
splurged, and they are totally worth it!). The fixture over the
table was designed in 1966… timeless. :)

Christina Weber

Cara, the striped dishes are from my friend Cary Nowell, a
designer and artist in Marin… she’s working on a website, so her
work may be available soon!

kiti

The kitchen is very nice, it invites to go and cook:)…and
to paint the dresser it’s a great idea!

Didi S. Gilson

So far as I can see — St. Mom & all 3 of her Weber
gals have exceptional taste, talents & charisma. Thanks for
sharing your fabulous space. Enjoy!

Birgit_Wo

I love the bright colors, they make the rooms wide and
open. Just great!

Justin

The kitchen fittings are a rare combination of book
collections on top with important tools to cook food stuff. It is a
good reflection of 1930′s kitchen model.

niki

What a beautiful home! SO simple and peaceful. Where did
you get that fireplace screen? It’s gorgeous.

Allison

Thank you for sharing! This is the exact color scheme that I’ve been trying to achieve in my own home. My boyfriend has been a bit resistant since I haven’t been able to show him what I have in my head, but now I have some photo inspiration…Could you tell me what the paint color in the bedroom is? It’s perfect.

Phillylass

So, so lovely!!! Can you offer info on that amazing coffee
table? And source info on your kitchen cabinetry and countertop?
I’m swooning over here! Just gorgeous!

Emily Cline

I second the adore-ment for the color scheme. What’s the
paint color in the bedroom? Is it the same for the dining
room?

sarah

this makes me even more excited to be moving into a new
flat in Noe Valley at the end of this month…

teresa

Oh WOW! Love, love love everything about your place. We
have very similar taste I can tell, and I wish I could just move on
in. Thank you very much for sharing!!!

Hilary

What I would give for that stove! The whole kitchen really. I love all the teal and white, it’s a beautiful home!

coral

I have a sudden desire to add some black and white stripes to my all white dish collection.

Christina Weber

Hey everyone… your comments are so kind. Thank you! A few notes about sources: the photo over the mantel is from Thomas Arledge, a photographer friend of mine. Primary wall paint color is Kelly-Moore Frost. Coffee table was a taller table that I found years ago, and cut the legs down for the lower height. Embroidered pillows in LR: I designed and had them made. Might be a future product for studiopatro though!

cait

love the kitchen!! im obsessed with typography too, i so want to steal that “eat” idea…

LM

Love the combination of patterns and textures. Not once did the multiple patterns seem overwhelming and busy because of your clever use of tones and colour. I love this sneak peek, I would love to see more pics of your garden, it looks like you have a beautiful piece of the world back there!

Christi Weber

Great design work….and great name;)! Can’t wait till my home projects are done and I can feel as serene as your space looks!

Hickory Furniture Mart

Christina did a great job making use of all of her space. The apartment is beautiful–I’m particularly impressed with the kitchen! http://bit.ly/hexyxU

Stacy

What a *gorgeous* home! I have been trying for soooo long to find a groovy fireplace screen like yours. Any suggestions on where to look? Thanks!

Sandie Pope

I have been lucky enough to spend a night in the guest room of this wonderful house. Chris has such amazing talent and it’s all over the house. Simple, beautiful,
uncluttered: just like her products.

cc

I’m going about to start a kitchen renovation – were all your cabinets custom? I just love the clean lines and how simple they are.

Christian Nova

Hi Christina! Awesome photos of your beautiful house!! We wanna come for a visit!!! Christian & Tony

Mike Groves

Castronovo has been living in Berlin for a couple of years.

Number one or 2 fan so I have direct contact with him everyday.

I too decorated my kitchen with some of his murals. Darker ones though.

Indeed you never get tired of them.

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