Lily Riesenfeld’s home in Larkspur, California, is a reflection of her deep connection to the environment and her family history. The 1921 black shingled house, with its mahogany doors and trim, sits among redwood trees. Hiking trails meet the backyard. The family chose the home for its location near Mount Tamalpais, with San Francisco Bay inlets to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
Riesenfeld grew up in Berkeley. When she was eight, her family bought a ranch in Healdsburg. Over the years, they planted hundreds of trees, built a ranch home, restored a redwood barn from the 1850s, and planted one hundred acres of French varietal grapes. The ranch was developed so that animals, the vineyard, and natural habitats could coexist. Riesenfeld’s favorite part of going to the ranch is sharing it with visitors.
The family also spent two weeks each summer in Maine at a home belonging to her great-grandparents. The porch furniture there was painted in a celadon green the family called “Gamby green,” after her great-grandmother. Many choices Riesenfeld has made in her own home were inspired by her grandmother’s home in Maine, the family home in Berkeley, and the Healdsburg ranch.
In her early adult years, Riesenfeld focused on personal wellness. She launched The Lily Pad in Malibu. After marrying and moving back to the San Francisco Bay area, she co-founded The Pad Studios, a Pilates and yoga studio. She later created purpose-driven events through a brand called the Kinship Experience. She then launched a summit called Futurewell. Today, she advocates for regenerative agriculture and works to advance healthy, equitable food systems. She is fundraising for a regeneratively built Center for Food and Agriculture near the Marin Civic Center. She says the planned building will draw down more carbon and energy than it uses.
Riesenfeld designed her Larkspur home with guidance from Caitlin Flemming. The colors in the home are in calm harmony. Earth tones of deep greens, wheat, and light blue are mixed with complementary patterns. These colors are found in the outdoors around her: the golden hills, the redwood trees, and the light blues and grays of the water. Walls in the entry and dining room are covered in a large-scale William Morris pattern. Curtains and pillows use smaller prints combined with wood-toned plaid. Two petite vintage French chairs are covered in a hand-printed leaf pattern. The plates combine vintage transferware in shades of green with pieces from her great-grandmother’s green Wedgwood.
The kitchen is the heart of the home. Homemade tortillas sit wrapped in a linen towel by the stove, and slow-simmering pinto beans are ready for anyone who is hungry. Riesenfeld says it is a place to be nourished.
10 Reflections on Home
1. What drew you to where you live?
Mount Tamalpais and the hiking. The family did not look in Berkeley, even though their families live there. They also wanted to be a bridge away from their parents.
2. How do the surroundings inform your aesthetic?
The colors of the nature where she lives inform her aesthetic.
3. What is your idea of home?
A place for people to gather and feel comfortable, a place where you instantly feel at ease.
4. What is your favorite season where you live?
Late summer, when the light changes and there is a golden cast to everything.
5. Is there anything you collect?
Wicker baskets and hats. She also loves anything for the kitchen, especially interesting pottery.
6. How do you spend your weekends?
Hiking, cooking, and going to children’s sporting events. In the winter, she likes to go to a cabin in Sugar Bowl, near Tahoe, built in the 1930s to look like a Swiss village.
7. What can’t you live without?
A latte in the morning, her children and husband, and her morning hike every day.
8. What elements turn your house into a home?
A strong element of nostalgia. She also likes adding layers of textures and textiles. The home is the opposite of stark.
9. How does your home fuel your creativity?
She loves styling meals and bringing people together at the table. Every Sunday, her mother-in-law comes to dinner, and she makes an effort to dress up and make a nice meal.
10. Are there people or businesses close to home that fuel your creativity?
She learned from Alice Waters. For the purpose side of her work, she is inspired by local creatives such as Paul Hawken, Jack Kornfield, Dr. Daniel Siegel, and her friend Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
