Comic-book fan, ‘composting queen’ set up lively home in NoPa
By: Karen Palmer
Special to The Examiner
November 2, 2008
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| Nish Nadaraja and Kristen Nygaard Nadaraja set up a lively place for themselves and their son in NoPa. (Mike Koozmin/Special to The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Nish Nadaraja and Kristen Nygaard Nadaraja just might be a model young San Francisco couple: They live in a remodeled Victorian — which they’re trying to make as green as possible — tucked in a small alleyway in the up-and-coming NoPa neighborhood, along with their 14-month-old son Dashiell — named for author Dashiell Hammett and affectionately called Dash for short.
“All of the furniture in Dash’s room is eco-friendly, and when we repainted, we used low- or no-VOC paint,” explains Nygaard Nadaraja, a corporate social-responsibility consultant. “Given the choice, we’ll choose the more environmentally friendly option.”
“Kristen’s also the recycling and composting queen,” Nadaraja, the marketing director for the popular consumer review Web site Yelp, says with a laugh. “She keeps us on track.”
The couple has been in NoPa for 3½ years and has seen firsthand some of its new developments constructed, such as a new farmers market and the Faletti Foods complex.
“The neighborhood is a good juxtaposition; I was a Mission guy, and Kristen has lived all over The City,” Nadaraja says. “Now that we have Dash, too, we’re seeing more and more people that we know from the neighborhood. There’s a real sense of community here.”
In the two-story condo, which was built in 1897 and later moved back from the street, the couple has effectively used all of their space to create a family-friendly — but still stylish — home. In the open dining and living area, for instance, they set out two low, sleek black Stumasa cabinets to create a play space for Dash that’s both effective and appealing. Upstairs, the couple commissioned a carpenter friend to build and install bookcases and a linen closet for extra storage.
Bright pops of color — especially orange, the couple’s favorite, which plays a major part in Dash’s nursery — give the home personality. Meanwhile, local art from such galleries as Hang Art, comics and comic-book memorabilia (Nadaraja is an avid fan) and accents shaped like rhinoceroses scattered throughout the home add a touch of whimsy and playfulness.
“The rhinoceroses have a special meaning for us,” Nygaard Nadaraja explains. “When we got married, we wanted something different on our Save the Dates, so our stationery designer put a rhinoceros on them. Then people started giving us rhino-shaped gifts, so they’re all over the house!”
