The entryway to a house is the first impression you and your guests get when you first step into your home.

This spaces always look amazing in pictures, but the reality is that to keep it looking like a perfect, organized and beautiful space is not that easy. Things tend to accumulate in my entrance. Mail, kids jackets and shoes, my handbag or a couple of them if I am having a crazy day and I'm switching gears. Sometimes water bottles, half eaten snacks and soccer cleats also make it into the scene. If you are a parent, you know what I am talking about.

In the picture below you see my entryway. It looks organized, the table has no junk mail on it, and you can see there are some empty hooks close to the door, which usually are covered with kids jackets. But I am an interior designer, I create magic, so I made all that life reality disappear.

I try to keep it as organized as possible. And I always make a point of having fresh flowers. It makes me happy to walk in at the end of a long day and see fresh flowers on that table.

Let’s talk about the interior design of this entryway. This home is a Victorian in San Francisco, and my goal was to keep the space light and bright while making a strong first impression through the flooring. I considered installing hardwood floors with a runner, which would have allowed for flexibility and evolving design choices—something I naturally gravitate toward as an interior designer. At the time, however, I was drawn to cement tile. Inspired by the tiles I had seen throughout South America and Morocco, I chose a patterned cement tile floor instead. Ten years later, it remains one of my favorite design decisions and continues to be the first detail guests notice when they walk in.

With such a bold statement on the floor, I chose to keep the walls and detailed moldings crisp white to maintain balance and light. The artwork and table were sourced in Argentina, adding a personal, collected layer to the entryway design. The large mirror leaning against the wall began as a solid wood door found in a local salvage yard. I stripped the paint and waxed it myself, transforming it into a custom mirror. The total cost was just $50 per mirror, with a matching piece placed on the opposite side of the table—proof that thoughtful interior design doesn’t always require a large budget.

In this San Francisco interior design project, I introduced color and texture through a Moroccan rug and a statement lantern that adds warmth and character to the space. The antique mirror was sourced from a local antique store, though similar styles can be found at Restoration Hardware. I kept the walls and detailed molding painted in the same white tone to create cohesion and allow the layered elements to stand out. If you’re familiar with my work, you know I have a long-standing love for white interiors—and the fresh flowers were the perfect finishing touch.

I’m not sure who designed the space pictured above, but it’s a beautiful example of modern interior design. Crisp white walls create a clean backdrop, allowing the black statement door and colorful furniture to stand out. The hardwood floor pattern adds warmth and visual interest. Personally, I might have opted for a long runner to soften the space—but that’s just my designer instinct coming through.

Your entryway doesn't need to be big to make a statement and look beautiful and put together, as you can see in the picture above. I love the materials and proportions of everything in this space. The console was designed by Nelson.

As an interior designer I always try to make spaces look beautiful, but you also have to be practical and keep in mind how you use your entry. If the first thing you do when you walk in your house is put your bag down, and take off your shoes, then try and incorporate a chair or bench where you can do that. If you live in a shoe free house, find options like baskets, or under a bench to put the shows awya. I have a basket close to my front table where I dump all my junk mail before I put the pile of useful mail down.

Do you like checking yourself in the mirror before going out? Add a wall mirror close to the exit, so you can get that last look. Your space has to work for you besides being beautiful.

Soledad Alzaga interior Design was named Top 15 Best Design Companies in San Francisco. We work in the whole Bay Area and beyond.

Contact us for any questions.

The weather is getting warmer, or maybe it was the heat wave that hit San Francisco this week! 

It got me thinking about summer and outdoor spaces. The weather has changed in general (global warming anyone?!) and San Francisco, that used to have foggy summers, has been having a lot more sunny days. I'm not claiming it's LA weather, but we have been getting a bit closer to having those sunny summers I love. Although it still gets chilly at night so nobody is going out to dinner in summer dresses like in LA!

Most of the outdoor spaces I design in San Francisco include the use of outdoor heaters, fire pits and glass walls to protect from the wind. As people who live in the Bay Area know, there are many different micro climates and the weather can change unexpectedly many times during the same day. 

The open air spaces in a city are more like an extra room, and you have to decorate and design it as if it is interior design. Here are some images of spaces that have me dreaming of summer and warm weather! 

I love the wood planks on the floor mixed with grass or moss in between. And the cushions on that sofa arrangement look so comfortable! There is even a lamp on that table, making this feel like an interior living room.

I am not sure about the stiff seating furniture, but the over all look is very inviting. I hope they have the wall of pots connected to an irrigation system! watering that would take a log time... I love the mix use of materials.

Neutral colors, linens fabrics and wood.

Lot's of inspiration!

xxx, Sole

Soledad Alzaga Interior Design has been named in the Top 15 Best Interior Design companies in San Francisco.

Let's talk kitchens!

I personally like to cook, so when I design a kitchen it has to look amazing but also be functional. Nothing worse than going into a kitchen that looks great and finding out that the garbage bin is on the other side of the room where it's not practical for every day use, or that the fridge is so far away from the cook top that you have to walk a long way to get something in the middle of cooking.

I have been saving a lot of inspirational images of beautiful kitchens and I realized that I have been gravitating towards a lot of Australian design lately. Yay Australia! These images are some of the ones I have been saving on my Instagram and Pinterest lately that have me dreaming of big and open spaces, and remodeling my own kitchen.

This kitchen is designed by Australian design firm Arent & Pike and said: "Defining the kitchen, bespoke raw brass cabinetry has been designed to patina with time while revealing the warm beauty of bright brass in areas of high use".

I just love anything gold, even though this is a big statement, I think the hardware in the back cabinets is exquisite and it ties in perfectly with the massive gold "island". To see the whole project go here.

This one hardly looks like a kitchen. Is it a kitchen? Not sure where the cooking top is, but this looks like a space you can use for many things. The mirror behind the stools make this island look like a free standing table. This design is by Australian firm Travis Walton and the lighting is by Bec Brittain who has a studio in Manhattan and produces her pieces in New York.

This is another kitchen by Australian designers Arent & Pike. You can see the lack of upper cabinets on the back wall and instead they used marble to make it a focal point that is clean, modern and easily blends with the rest of the room. I personally LOVE this look, but with three kids in my house, boxes of cereal in the kitchen and empty bowls by the end of the morning, this would be very hard to keep looking good all the time! Maybe when all the kids are gone to college?! The whole project looks amazing.

This kitchen is a perfect mix of Parisian style and modern. The Australian company Minosa Design made this kitchen in an early 1900 Victorian house in a Sydney suburb. The kitchen is behind the panelled pocket doors that match the wall panelling. You can see the open kitchen here and also read more information on the whole project. The clients hardly cooked, and they didn't want to see the appliances so this is a perfect solution for this space.

DESAI CHIA Architecture designed this kitchen in a loft in New York. Another example of an open space with no upper cabinets. They’ve taken black cast-iron of the columns and used the same material for the kitchen. The back wall with the geometric cut out and back lighting, makes it look like a piece of art. The darkness of the kitchen and columns contrasting with the blonde oak flooring looks great and very masculine.

These kitchens are intentionally different. Working primarily in San Francisco homes—where layouts are rarely open—we often transform kitchens by removing walls and reimagining the space. Function and flow always come first, but as these projects show, kitchen design can still be bold, modern, and completely unique.

Soledad Alzaga Interior Design has been named one of San Francisco Best Interior Design companies. We are proud to be on the top list. We look forward to designing your kitchen.

Hope you enjoyed looking at these!

This Atherton home is of a third-time client who said she wanted color and bright spaces for this new home. Soledad Alzaga Interior Design was hired to bring a team or architect and contractor together to re-imagine this home. New bathrooms, updated kitchen, custom furniture and rugs, art pieces and colorful wallpaper were used throughout the spaces. The end result was an eclectic, fun, kid and dog friendly vibrant home.

Soledad Alzaga Interior Design was hired to bring a team of architect and contractor together to remodel, update and design this home in San Francisco's Sunset neighborhood. The redesign aimed to optimize living spaces, remodel the bathrooms and kitchen, new furniture, finishes and decor, and create a new garden. We incorporated custom built-ins and furniture, updated the fireplace, and used graphic cement tiles throughout. The garden was transformed from an overgrown jungle into a modern entertainment space with decks, patios, and landscaping.

This rental apartment was designed for a client who needed a move-in-ready space within a month. Soledad Alzaga Interior Design was given complete creative freedom, allowing Soledad Alzaga to channel her inner bachelor and source furniture from vintage stores and in-stock items. The result was a stylish, fully furnished apartment completed in record time.

This sunny apartment in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood was designed by Soledad Alzaga Interior Design to create an intimate retreat, perfectly tailored to the client's desire to be surrounded by books and personal treasures. The design features an eclectic mix of neutral layers, textures, custom made furniture and vintage finds.

Architect John Maniscalco transformed this classic Pacific Heights house into a contemporary and sophisticated home. The now 10,000-square-foot residence was stripped to the studs, preserving the original street-facing facade while creating a modern glass masterpiece in the back to showcase stunning bay views. Soledad Alzaga Interior Design designed all the interiors with furniture sourced from Italian brands, local artisans and stores, and included custom pieces of furniture and drapery.

A meticulously restored Queen Anne Victorian home in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury/NOPA area was reconfigured for a growing family with young children. This full remodel features a new kitchen, renovated existing spaces, and added new bedrooms and bathrooms, all while preserving the original period details and hardwood floors. Many areas were reconfigured to maximize space efficiency. The interior design seamlessly blended the client’s antiques and new finds with modern pieces, incorporating rich textures and personality throughout. This project highlights the expertise of Soledad Alzaga Interior Design in creating functional and stylish homes in San Francisco.

Soledad Alzaga Interior Design was hired to design the offices and common areas for the company Marker 7 in this industrial building. To create a more inviting, living room-like atmosphere, we sourced vintage furniture, including Milo Baughman chairs,  burl coffee table, and an original Curtis Jere sculpture.