Welcome Home Again

Author:Abigail Stone

Interior designer Tineke Triggs of Artistic Designs for Living gives her Sonoma County home a refresh that highlights its inviting vibe

“I always approach each project with three questions in mind: who’s the client; how will the environment inform the design and how will the home be used?,” says interior designer Tineke Triggs. The same format applied when she tackled her own home in Kenwood, a town in Sonoma County.  “We’re a family of four with a gaggle of friends that we wanted to share this home with,” she shares, “It was therefore very important that the home’s layout and designs be family friendly and work for large gatherings.” 

The family had bought the home almost twenty years ago. “We’d been looking for property in the wine country forever and when we stumbled upon this one, we knew we had something special,” she remembers. “Although the home itself was in need of major renovations, the land, the views and the feel of the property were amazing. It had such a great energy about it.”

Located just one hour from the family’s main home in San Francisco made it a convenient spot in which to welcome visitors. “In fact, when we purchased it, we gave all of our friends a set of keys and told them, ‘This is your home, not ours, and we want you all to enjoy it with us.’ That spirit has resulted in many wonderful memories. “There are many special stories and deep connections with family, friends, children, grandchildren, that were formed here,” she shares.  

Of course when they’d originally purchased the property, a 2,500 square foot home Eichler-ish design built in 1964, they reconfigured the layout to improve the home’s flow and its connection with the outdoors, and rethought rooms, like opening up the small kitchen to the view and creating a great room where everyone could comfortably gather. They’d also added a swimming pool. 

But two decades on the house was in need of a refresh. Living in the home had taught them about the space — what works, what didn’t, what needed improvement — and the furnishings were worn. “What you’re seeing now is a fresh update to the designs throughout each space in the home.  Designs that reflect who we are today, how the home is used and what we’ve learned about the space after 20 years of living in it,” says Triggs.

The 2017 wine country fires had also impacted the property, coming within 5 feet of the home and grabbing two smaller structures. “We were so incredibly lucky that the house itself was spared, but it prompted us to make some important changes, such as replacing the roof with one that was more fire-resistant and installing solar panels to reduce our reliance on electricity,” Triggs says, “We even bought pumps for the swimming pool in case we needed the water to extinguish fires!”

There were other changes that they made that were just as important as these practical improvements; they were the renovations that underline this home as a  place that embraces family and friends and relaxation. Triggs notes the covered patio, “where we love to relax during the golden hours – either at breakfast or as the sun sets.  People come here to take in the beautiful views, read a book, or just take a quiet moment away from the crowd when we have larger gatherings. We recently added two hanging chairs to the patio that I sourced in Paris from a Danish designer.  They create such a fun yet relaxing vibe.” Inside, little seating areas create areas for the intimate conversations that happen at large events.

In the refreshed design, Triggs revised the color palette and textures, drawing from the surroundings to “make the house look like the space it inhabits.” The new scheme puts people front and center. 

“My kids have grown to truly appreciate the home and this was really driven home after the 2017 fires,” says Triggs. “When they realized that this special family place only narrowly escaped being consumed by the fires, it became all the more precious to them.” Here’s to twenty more.