At home: Katherine North's Russian Hill flat
By: Karen Palmer
Special to The Examiner
March 15, 2009
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| Interior designer Katherine North packs her Russian Hill residence with circus memorabilia and objects that have stories. (Mike Koozmin/Special to The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — With a middle name like Ringling, it’s no wonder that interior designer Katherine North of Northbrook Design employs a touch of whimsy in her Russian Hill flat.
After all, North’s great-great-uncles founded Ringling Bros. Circus, which her grandfather and great-uncle owned and ran for a number of years. Her father bought Kelly Miller Circus in 2007 — which North even managed and traveled with for a month in 2008, and still visits as much as possible.
“The circus is all about diversity,” North says. “It’s made me open-minded to all kinds of ideas.”
“I’ve also seen how hard the circus performers work,” she says. “It’s that idea of service with a smile and the goal of the audience being entertained. That’s something I try to do with my own clients.”
Meanwhile, in the two-bedroom home that she shares with her mini pinscher Makeeta and Italian greyhound Bruno, not only are there reminders of her family’s circus heritage, such as a cluster of black-and-white photos of her father performing at age 12, but evidence of North’s own travels, as well.
North was raised in the land of her ancestors in Northbrook, Ireland. She later attended boarding school in Switzerland, then lived in Chicago and Santa Fe before landing in San Francisco.
“My criteria for having something in my home is that it has to either mean something to me or have a story,” North says.
Cases in point include several pieces from her grandfather, including a clock on her mantel.
In her living room, a striking orange-hued stenciled painting spells out some of the places she’s lived and traveled to, while Irish milking stools serve as end tables and set up a perfect space for North’s multicolored knitting yarn and needles.
Just off the kitchen, ceramics North created herself are stacked in a rustic shelving unit she found at a Paris flea market.
“Having lived in so many places, creating my own home is something that helps to ground me,” she says. “I consider it a daily process — and in my work I try to understand what will make a home to a client and how it reflects their identity.”
Style keys
Design aesthetic: Soft modern with a touch of whimsy
Design highlights: A neutral palette with pops of orange, blue and red; family heirlooms mixed with flea-market finds and more modern pieces; custom-made pillows that add pattern; photos and artwork grouped into collections
Favorite room: “I have two: the living room, because it’s aesthetically appealing and comfortable, and the kitchen, because that’s where I do a lot of entertaining.”
Prized possessions: Her grandfather’s clock, photos of her father in the circus, her ceramics and Irish milking stools
Favorite local design stores: Jak Home, Coup d’Etat, Tazi
Favorite design publications: World of Interiors, Western Interiors, various art and design books
