san francisco chronicle articles

Kniphofias are gradually making their presence known in Bay Area gardening circles. Maybe it's the catchy common names - red hot poker or torch flower - or the fact that this South African bulb does so well in our...

February is normally a month of heavy rain and freezing temperatures. Now is the time to complete winter tasks in preparation for spring. The approach of spring sends early-blooming plants into bud - cut a few branches...

Martha Angus Inc., marthaangus.com Originally hung in her son's nursery, a valuable Roy Lichtenstein lithograph "Bedroom" (1991) was the motivation behind the witty living room design in Martha Angus' former Nob Hill...

Antonio Martins Interior Design, antoniomartins.com Crowning a historic four-story 1913 Beaux Arts-style residence in Nob Hill, this family room - a 1960s addition originally outfitted with rustic trappings normally...

Tucker and Marks Design, tuckerandmarks.com Suzanne Tucker designed the capacious living room of the 2007 Decorator Showcase House - an Italian Renaissance-style manse in Pacific Heights - with fictitious clients in...

First Bay Architecture is the last address on Canyon Road, above Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. Up here in the trees, Caitlin Lempres Brostrom does not get a lot of drop-in clients, which has been helpful to her side...

It's often referred to as the first rule of real estate : location, location, location. Never mind if the property itself is in terrible condition - as was the case when Chris Dressel set foot on a nearly 5-acre plot in...

Perched on the edge of Belvedere Island, the 41st Marin showcase home posed an unusual decorating dilemma for the designers tasked with its transformation: How do you compete with a world-class view? The 15,...

Even during ancient Roman times, Valentine's Day was celebrated amorously, albeit the exchanges were not nearly as rosy and sweet as they are today. Over centuries, the holiday has evolved from pagan pageantry to...

Part two on the Bay Area's ravens and crows looks at the reasons behind the local population boom and its effects. To read part one, go to bit.ly/y9l6nL. Not so long ago, common ravens were uncommon in the Bay Area. A...

Sometimes chard is something you saute in garlic, and sometimes it's a political and spiritual act. On a vacant lot in West Berkeley, chard is all of the above. So are snap peas, carrots, beets and other vegetables....

Fair Paris richly inspired California interior designer Jane Antonacci, resulting in a gilded private retreat for an avid lover of contemporary art. Ample window coverings dominate the soft and open room, filled with...

A painter, sculptor and designer prominent in the 1970s, Hans Hopfer conceptualized a style of sofa that profoundly influenced the way people furnished and arranged their living spaces. One of his pieces in particular,...