Name: Lorena Siminovich and Esteban Kerner
Location: San Francisco
Size: 1000 sq. ft.
Years lived in: 1!
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San Francisco artist Lorena Siminovich has a knack for putting things together. Take her collages, which combine vintage, found, recycled and painted papers. The end result? Whimsical works of art that are carried in stores like Velocity Art and Design, Zinc Details and Anthropologie.
Then there's the Edwardian house she shares with her husband, fashion designer Esteban Kerner. It's a wonderful mix of finds from their favorite shops, as well as garage sales and flea markets. The couple, who hail from Argentina, have also infused an international flair with pieces from New York (they moved from Brooklyn to San Francisco in 2006), Buenos Aires, Paris and London. It all comes together in a home that is as comfortable as it is stylish.
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AT Survey:
Our Style: Midcentury and Scandinavian inspired.
The inspiration for our home: Nothing in particular and too many things to list!
Favorite element: Brown wall in the living room.
What friends say about our home: That it is neat and clean and modern, but folksy.
Biggest embarrassment in our home: The closets — you won't find them in any photo.
Proudest DIY: Painting the Saarinen tulip chair found for $10 in a garage sale, and keeping alive the succulent plants!
Biggest indulgence with respect to our home: Is yet to come!
Best advice given or received: My mom says to put flowers in front of a mirror so they look like a fuller bunch!
Dream source for stuff: Velocity Art and Design, DWR, The Conran Shop.
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Resources:
Living room:
• Mirror from Dorrego Market in Buenos Aires.
• Sofa from Room & Board.
• Credenza is Danish vintage.
• Lamp from ABC Carpet & Home.
• Coffee tables are vintage.
• Orange chair from Ikea.
• Pillows from Klein Reid, Fedora Design.
• Type drawer from 26th Street Flea Market in NY.
• Trays from John Derian.
Dining Room:
• Dining table from Room & Board.
• Chairs are Jacobsen.
• Terradome from Modern Past.
• Daybed from White on White; a similar one can be found at Modernica.
• Pillows from Marimekko, ABC Carpet & Home, Clarissa Hulse.
Bedroom:
• Bed is the Ikea Malm.
• Dresser is Danish vintage from Horseman Antiques in Brooklyn.
• Eames lounge chair.
• Lamp is Sentou in Paris.
Studio:
• Desk is a painted door with Ikea legs.
• Chair is a Saarinen tulip from a garage sale.
• Desk lamp from West Elm.
Art:
• Artwork through the house by Jen Corace, Riley McFerrin, Grady McFerrin, Lisa Congdon, Chris Silas Neal, and myself!
• Photogravures in bedroom by Karl Blossfeldt.
• World map by The Future Mapping Company in the UK.
Thanks, Lorena and Esteban! To view more of their home — with additional comments and captions — check out her Flickr set.
Links: Lorena Siminovich, collages
(Thanks to decor8 for first bringing Lorena and Esteban's fantastic place to our attention!)
(Edited from a post originally published 07.24.07)
Do you have an idea for a house tour? Let us know!
sf (at) apartmenttherapy (dot) com
lovely...
view chris_94131's profile
i love seeing such beautiful homes, but what happened to the APARTMENT in apartment therapy? I live in less than 300sq. ft. and really miss seeing more ideas for my scale of space.
view pdxcarrie's profile
i love the little chair collection & the Terranium!
view sanriofreak's profile
I love the kitchen tiled backsplash!
Also, your paint in the living room is great, just what I want for my place. Can you let us know what the colors are?
view tamar's profile
great place. Love how the dark wallcolor sets off the white accessories.
view Sassy in SF's profile
Sorry, chair is not a Saarinen tulip, it's a Saarinen tulip knock-off.
view Fio's profile
Charming and calm looking.
view hrhprincessfiona's profile
Beautiful home!
view ccs's profile
This is such an inspiration all around! I love the color schemes. Thanks for sharing.
view Caitlin in Seattle's profile
My husband and I just bought a house, and we've spent our late nights talking about how we'd like to decorate it. It's like you're in our heads! :)
Did you buy the tile locally or online, and did you do it yourselves? It's the exact style of backsplash we're considering.
view Jen's profile
What is that paint color in the bedroom?? It looks like a greenish gray in the headboard shot but much more minty in the corner shot. I'm looking for something in this family to pop nicely (and lightly) against white trim and a white/cream duvet in a bedroom that lacks direct sunlight.
view bostonkayla's profile
Please tell me the name of that orange Ikea chair? I can't find it on their website... anyone?
view kitabklyn's profile
Beautiful home. I also found some great tulip (knockoff) chairs, and would love to repaint them, but I'm afraid it will come out terribly. What kind of paint did you use?
view jennydc's profile
quite nice, although a little too eclectic for me to live there.
view godsfool's profile
Nice; a bit too eclectic for me as well, but it isn't heavily random and junky-looking. You have some nice furniture; really like the credenza.
view Sydney's profile
"THAT'S THE COLOR!"
do you happen to remember the color in the living room... tannish yellowish greenish color... the wall showing the books and dining table. thanks!
view ggirl's profile
Very nice! Where is the dining room fixture from? I am imagining it in my dining room!
view ChicagoNicole's profile
Very nice. I love the wainscoting in the bedroom!
I'd suggest some larger scale items on the shelves flanking the fireplace, but what do I know?
view Jon_B's profile
Lorena, I LOVE your work, and your house!
:)
view poopmama's profile
Very nicely done. I like it!
view Maureen's profile
Beautiful home. Where did you get the round glass terrariums for your air plants? They're lovely. Many thanks.
view Cloudy's profile
Wow!
Nice place and cool 'stuff' you've collected.
However, are you guys really tall?
The art appears to be hung way too high for enjoyment when seated.
I would also suggest removing the top pair of floating shelves flanking the fireplace.
Too 'intimidating', and then the gorgeous fireplace would show off much better.
Otherwise, it's a great accomplishment.
view paulmuscat's profile
I love that paint color in the dining room - can you tell me what you used?
view kaytiej's profile
Cool place. Thanks for sharing.
view danze's profile
Love it! Where did you find the mini chair? Especially the rocking chair?
view Mina180's profile
My toddler would go berserk here.
Absolutely fabulous. I'm not a huge fan of tchotchkes, but yours make me smile. Also want to know what that greenish paint is...
view Bolder's profile
Can you tell where you got the bedside tables?
view krisn's profile
slideshow doesn't work for me (firefox 2.0)
view Charlotte's profile
Charlotte, the address that the "see photos" link is going to is this one...:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/072407lorenas/_slide_
If you remove the /_slide_ part and only have this...:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/072407lorenas
...You will get the first image, and then you can page forward using your arrow keys.
======
Miniatures here:
http://www.unicahome.com/c1325/miniatures-and-figurines.html?sort=%7C&page=1&oldpagesize=10&newpagesize=1000
There used to be less expensive ones at Magic Pony, but they aren't there now. See also this thread:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/babies-children/mini-designer-chairs-from-magic-pony-008465
======
The IKEA chair shown is FRIDENE swivel armchair, on page 139 of the 2005 IKEA catalog. Not online at IKEA now...
Covers (a beige and a couple turquoise) available still from this eBay store:
http://stores.ebay.com/IKEA-Home-Furnishings-PLUS
view TRUE BLUE's profile
For folks asking about the dining room color...realize that these three pictures are ALL of the same color:
http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/072407lorenas/15%20dining%20room
http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/072407lorenas/16%20dining%20room%20new%20collage%20designs
http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/072407lorenas/17%20dining%20room%20daybed
And secondly, that you are seeing the color on YOUR monitor, which is not the same color that I am seeing, or the color that anyone else is seeing...if you can adjust brightness or white point or numbers of colors, then you are not seeing the same color as is originally in that room.
Asking for the color and racing off to buy it may lead to disappoint...no matter whose home it is. Even magazines are not accurate.
So let's say your monitor IS calibrated to the camera that took the picture...you might not have the same light. You might face north, while this room may face south. You might have light reflected off of adjoining buildings, landscaping, etc that will definitely change the color of the light coming in.
Getting a color from someone online is a STARTING point, not an ending point.
view TRUE BLUE's profile
Mina180, while looking for the chairs, I also came across these, but it's in the UK...
Cushion, T-shirt, and magnets here:
http://www.snowdenflood.com
view TRUE BLUE's profile
Does that couch still exist at Room and Board or is it an older model? I looked through the site and couldn't figure out which one it is.
Also, how did you do those built-in shelves? I'm looking for a relatively easy do-it-yourself method for exactly the same kind of space (two sides of a similar brick fireplace).
view abs's profile
The sofa looks like the Jackson from Room and Board. I have had that sofa for years and we LOVE it, it's so comfortable and such a classic design!
view tracey c's profile
I agree with pdxcarrie. Lovely to look at, but how practical for apartment dwellers without extensive amounts of discretionary income to spend furnishing our nests.
view bstein's profile
I love the hanging lamp in the bedroom. I have a plaster medallion similar to that in my bedroom and have been struggling to find the appropriate lighting. Where did you get that pendant?
view kristinm's profile
I am also very interested to know where the bedside tables are from. They seem simple, practical, and attractive. Thanks!
view natalia's profile
I love it, especially the jasper room and board sofa and the cobbletones glass blend interstyle tiles.
view domicilehouse.wordpress.com's profile
Shelves flanking the fireplace look like Ikea Lack shelves.
view kristinm's profile
is anyone else having trouble opening the albums??
I have been experiencing this for the last month.
it just is a blank page with a small advertisement in the upper right corner when I try to open a picture...
?
view Nads's profile
I love, love, love this home. I want to live there. I'm going to use this place as inspiration for decorating my first home.
view H.B.'s profile
The fireplace is such a beautiful and interesting focal point!
view amelie de lune 's profile
Lorena & Esteban,
I am a location scout in the Bay Area. I work for several different national magazines and am currently looking for decorating and DIY stories. I am interested in scouting your house and possibly submitting to a couple magazines if you are at all interested. Please give me a call or email me at
albaworks@gmail.com 225-1903
Thank you,
Sarah Alba
view Sarah Alba's profile