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At Home and Work with Kimberly Ayres

by habituallychic

05 . 18 . 09

Kimberly Ayres could have been another casualty of the demise of Domino magazine but since the photos of her home and office were taken by my friend Eric Cahan, I get to introduce you to this Designer to Watch for 2009 instead! Kimberly, like many designers, started out renovating and decorating her own houses while she was practicing law as a way to relax. Luckily for the design world, law was not her calling and as she told me, “friends began to ask for decorating advice and I realized I might have a chance to do something I loved and I couldn’t be happier with my career switch!”


“After completing studies at International Fine Arts in Miami and at UCLA in Los Angeles, Kimberly jumped head first into an apprenticeship with internationally renowned designer Kelly Wearstler, and continued her development with designer Michael Lee in Malibu. In 2000, Kimberly launched Kimberly Ayres Interior Design in Los Angeles where she quickly established a notable clientele and reputation for deftly mixing eras and cultures. In 2006, she opened her much admired Kimberly Ayres Home furnishings and accessories store in San Francisco.”

In the breakfast room, the parterre and curtain fabric is from Raoul Textiles in Santa Barbara. The table is vintage from Blackman Cruz. The chairs are vintage from Kimberly’s friend and boutique owner Gabriella Sarlo. The chandelier is vintage. “For parties, we clear out the chairs and this table becomes the bar,” says Kimberly.

The room above is the dining room in Kimberly’s apartment. Her description cracks me up! “This apartment was loaded with mirrored walls when I found it. Really scary on a bad hair day. Most were removed, but I kept this one. The artwork is a collage created by Lulu de Kwiatkowski from an Eric Cahan photograph. My all-time favorite ebay purchase is the blue pigskin/suede sideboard. The parson’s table and the chairs are vintage. The chandelier is Moth Design from my store.”


In Kimberly’s bedroom, the bed is from Oly and the lamp is from Christopher Spitzmiller. The wallpaper is the Montague print from Twenty2. The curtain fabric is from Nina Campbell and the table is the Bungalow 5 Jacqui Side Table from Eboniste. The painting is vintage.

A beautiful bedroom vignette close up.

In the guest room, the headboard is custom and the pillow fabric is Christopher Farr – Cloth. Kimberly says, “I love this quilt. It’s designed and made by hand by my friend, Michael Pechenski.” Moroccan lantern is an ebay find. I think the best thing about Kimberly’s apartment is all the new sources and vendors that she has introduced to us all!

Kimberly’s desk in her office is by Jonathan Adler but the cabinets and chair are vintage. The wallpaper is grasscloth from Twenty2 and looks like a great alternative to Phillip Jeffries, my usual source. “The french plaster sconce is by Moth Design, one of the lines we sell in the showroom,” says Kimberly.

I posted this photo once before and it received a very positive response and now I can tell you that the vintage desk, lacquered in Farrow and Ball Dix Blue, is where Kimberly’s lucky assistant, Angel Tasso, sits. The wallpaper is grasscloth in Neptune from Twenty2 while the lamp and chandelier are Moth Design in silver leaf finish. The chair is vintage and the drawing was found at Blackman Cruz.

“This room is in my office in San Francisco. The building is a tiny 1890’s cottage in the Design District, serving as both my design studio and a showroom for the furnishings I sell. We carry new lines of lighting, accessories, wallpaper and fabric, as well as all sorts of vintage furnishings.”

I think we can all agree that interior designer Kimberly Ayres made a great career switch and the design world had better look out! She’s definitely one to watch and I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Photos by Eric Cahan

26 Comments
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  1. A Gift Wrapped Life May 18, 2009 | 3:05 am

    Kimberley Ayres had a fresh look to her design, especially love the bedroom vignette. Thanka always for sharing another talent.

  2. Scott Fazzini May 18, 2009 | 3:52 am

    Fantastic! Thank you SO much for introducing me to this wonderful designer! I look forward to hearing her name more often!

  3. Suzy May 18, 2009 | 5:18 am

    Thanks for sharing!

  4. NenaghGal May 18, 2009 | 9:10 am

    What a refreshing color palette! The curtains in the breakfast room are a lovely surprise and Raoul Textiles has always been a favorite of mine. The sunny yellows are scrumptious! Thanks for sharing.

  5. Design Cracker May 18, 2009 | 9:45 am

    Loved it . Thank you so much. Especially the mix of elements.

  6. tarheel May 18, 2009 | 11:08 am

    Everything is so fresh and fun! Great post- thanks!

  7. pve design May 18, 2009 | 11:51 am

    I remember loving that desk shot.
    Love that ginko wallpaper and the use of color amidst white. Fresh “Ayres” is good for the home and the heart. Lovely.
    pve

  8. mary May 18, 2009 | 2:53 pm

    I love the lightness to her work and the mix of colors.

  9. Laura [What I Like] May 18, 2009 | 2:56 pm

    Love that grasscloth wallpaper! That tree silhouette paper is fabulous as well.

  10. maison21 May 18, 2009 | 4:41 pm

    thank you so much for posting the source of the grasscloth- it’s pretty delish, and affordable too!

  11. ana May 18, 2009 | 4:41 pm

    Amazing guest room!
    I love the lamp

  12. up and down town May 18, 2009 | 6:31 pm

    the assistant’s spot, and the rug in the SF office are my favorites. but it’s all wonderful. thank you for sharing this.

  13. Averill May 18, 2009 | 6:54 pm

    So inspiring. I, too, am an attorney and like Kimberly, am starting to think I should’ve gone into design and not the law. Great post, HC!

  14. Lucinda May 18, 2009 | 7:17 pm

    Capital F Fabulous!

  15. Melanie May 18, 2009 | 8:52 pm

    LOVE the blue desk, beautiful color!!

  16. katie fine May 18, 2009 | 11:07 pm

    Love this post. Her use of color is so great and original, I love all the fabric and wallpaper she uses.

  17. Dobbygirl May 19, 2009 | 1:33 am

    Wow! Great post!

  18. Kelly Galvin Robson May 19, 2009 | 1:19 pm

    i loved reading this post, heather! …and, from a fellow ucla design grad, i am very proud. 🙂

  19. Jules @ Lovely Las Vegas May 20, 2009 | 1:44 am

    Very cool style and colour scheme. Love the ginkgo biloba wall paper print!

  20. Rebecca June May 20, 2009 | 2:04 am

    I just saw this post and it is so dunny how similar her breakfast room and my dining room are! The strange world of design!

    xoxo

    Rebecca June

  21. Chic Provence May 20, 2009 | 3:00 am

    I really love everything about this apartment, the colors, the white, the use of vintage, I LOVE teh Montague wallpaper and the great resources are wonderful. I’m sure I’ll make my way to her showroom very soon! Thanks for posting these great pix/info on a designer to watch.

  22. Two Tall Girls May 20, 2009 | 4:25 am

    Love her style and have to know where I can find that butterfly shirt!!

  23. hello gorgeous May 20, 2009 | 12:42 pm

    The lacquered desk is gorgeous!!

    And I can’t believe I still don’t have even one Chinese Chippendale chair. I still love them.

  24. French furniture May 26, 2009 | 9:17 am

    I love the bright colours! Great decor!

  25. coco+kelley May 27, 2009 | 3:19 am

    LOVE the combo of that wallpaper and curtains in the bedroom! what a brave contrast of patterns, but it completely works. thank you for the inspiration m’dear!

  26. Alicia May 27, 2009 | 7:46 pm

    Yellow & I have never gotten along well but there is something about Kimberly’s living room I love.
    However its the laquered desk & its companion lamp & chandelier that have me ga ga.
    Thank you for the intro to Moth Designs!!!