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Most of us, says interior designer Janet Marena, moved to the Bay Area and stay here because of all it has to offer, including the great outdoors. So a big part of Bay Area style, she says, is combining the indoors with the out.
Whether that’s having a home with folding glass walls or French doors that open out onto backyard patios and gardens, or lots of windows that provide beautiful views, or bringing the outdoors in with house plants, including nature in your home is good for the soul.
“It’s about that connection,” Marena says. “People respond to that.”
Marena, who owns JTM Interiors in San Jose and is president-elect of the American Society of Interior Designers: California Peninsula, has been designing for about 20 years. Although raised on the East Coast, she has found her indoor-outdoor home in the Bay Area.
We asked her to help define the qualities of Bay Area style.
Does the Bay Area have a recognizable style?
It’s about creating spaces that keep with the house’s architecture — a lot of Spanish and Mexican influence, from tract homes to custom homes, with some Modern mixed in. We’re also influenced by our agricultural prowess with Napa style, another Mediterranean influence that’s a little more streamlined and clean vs. the overtly curvaceous as determined by Old World Mediterranean style.
What’s the color story?
Light, neutral colors with undertones.
What are the must-have home accessories?
Wine and beverage fridges, dining tables that seat eight to 10, both inside and out, and side tables that can move around a room or patio and hold drinks.
Any specific furniture or essential pieces?
Transitional — what I call traditional — with cleaner lines, that are less ornate than Old World Mediterranean. The silhouettes of the pieces lean toward clean and straight without sacrificing warmth and comfort.
Finishes tend to be matte or very soft eggshell for furniture and walls.
And lots of sectionals.
In bringing the outdoors indoors, I like to use a lot of greens and blues. They work well together, remind us of sky and plants, and a lot of greens especially work well with other colors.
I like to use things that have a natural feel — wood and sisal rugs or faux sisal rugs are other essentials.
What’s the general feel or mood of the style?
Inviting, casual and warm.
Are there specific plants you should have?
Inside, larger plants like fiddleaf fig and dracenus. Succulents are good, inside and out. For your landscape, olive trees and, more and more, drought-tolerant plants.
Other elements that would be must-haves in the design?
Folding doors or French doors that create a seamless transition between indoors and outdoors are definite must-haves.
What is Bay Area style trying to say?
We love it here! Our glorious nature and the weather provide the perfect environment for indoor-outdoor entertaining.
What are you favorite stores or places to shop for any or all of these elements?
I shop at trade-only stores such as Design Mart Silicon Valley, as well as the San Francisco Design Center, where we can customize our clients’ furniture needs. I also work with local crafts people, such as Terra Amico, to design truly custom pieces for my clients. I also love to shop vintage and antique stores in San Jose as well as Santa Cruz and when I go back East to Boston.
I do not shop retail. My client’s don’t want their houses to look like Restoration Hardware or Pottery Barn — they want something unique, like them.
Learn what other Bay Area designers have to say about our unique style:
