Five ways to bring the outside in
Plants, colors, textures, light: Not the usual stock-in-trade of a home store, but then Alta Tingle is not your usual store owner. Twenty years ago, Tingle, a former landscape designer, opened the Gardener in Berkeley, California. It's a store where every item is inspired by nature, whether it's a pillow, picture, or bar of soap.
Since then, Tingle has expanded the original store and opened two more, in Healdsburg and San Francisco. But the steadfast link to nature hasn't changed, proving that although some home styles change from season to season, using the outside world as the basis for interior design doesn't date.
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| Ericka McConnell |
| In Alta Tingle's dining room, horizontal bands of color mimic earth and sky. |
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"I've always been interested in the transition from the garden to the home," Tingle says. "I found that using the feeling and look of the garden inside creates a sense of harmony and peace."Her Healdsburg home is a proving ground for her style. There and in her nearby store, she has blended the look of the rolling hills, vineyards, and gardens of the Sonoma wine country seamlessly.
Tingle says her style isn't hard to achieve, and she shares some of her ideas for bringing the outside indoors.Everyday touches Each morning Tingle goes into her garden and selects something to bring inside — a flower, a leaf, a stone — creating a natural display that changes with the seasons.
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Tingle's Berkeley store, like her home, is an artistic blend of manmade and natural materials.
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Photos by Ericka McConnell
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Her kitchen hearth features deep storage alcoves for wood and cookbooks.
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And for a fresh touch, Tingle will often opt for a blooming plant over cut flowers. "When I'm having a party, I'll go to the nursery and see what's blooming," she says. "You can bring in a blooming agapanthus or begonia, and either drop it in a pot or wrap the nursery container in fabric." Later, she'll plant the flowers in the garden. In Tingle's home, even manmade accessories like plates, walls, and upholstery have the color and texture of natural materials. She keeps the walls behind these accessories and furnishings neutral in color. "A simple backdrop is like the dirt in the garden," she says. "All the color and forms start from there." She also chooses finishes and materials that change over time. Soft wood floors and zinc countertops develop a patina and new colors as they age, mimicking the weathering that occurs outdoors. Scent is also important to her. Tingle grows fragrant herbs such as lavender, rosemary, and lemon verbena, using them in the bathrooms, alongside naturally scented soaps and candles. In every room in her house, Tingle lets nature set the mood.
INFO: The Gardener has three California locations: Berkeley (1836 Fourth St.; 510/548-4545), Healdsburg (516 Dry Creek Rd.; 707/431-1063), and San Francisco (1 Ferry Building; 415/981-8181).
