Lily Riesenfeld lives in a 1921 black shingled home in Larkspur, California. The house sits among redwood trees, with hiking trails meeting the backyard. She chose the location because of its proximity to 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, California. Over the years, the family 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 said her favorite part of going to the ranch is sharing it with visitors.
As a child, her 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. Gamby liked the shade so much she had a set of Wedgwood china made in that color. Many of the choices Riesenfeld has made in her own home were inspired by her grandmother’s home in Maine, the family home in Berkeley, and the ranch in Healdsburg.
A Career Focused on Wellness and Food Systems
In her early adult years, Riesenfeld focused on personal wellness. She launched her first business, The Lily Pad, in Malibu. After meeting her husband and moving back to the San Francisco Bay area, she cofounded The Pad Studios, a Pilates and yoga studio. She later created purpose-driven events to help communities connect through a brand called the Kinship Experience. As those events evolved, she said she began moving her work to “the intersection of human health and global health.” She then launched a summit called Futurewell.
Today, Riesenfeld advocates for regenerative agriculture and works to advance healthy, equitable food systems. She is fundraising for a regeneratively built Center for Food and Agriculture, which would offer a permanent farmers’ market by the Marin Civic Center. She said the building plans call for a structure that will draw down more carbon and energy than it uses.
Designing a Home in Harmony with Nature
Riesenfeld designed her home with guidance from Caitlin Flemming. The colors in the home coexist in a calm harmony. Earth tones of deep greens, wheat, and a light shade of blue are mixed with complementary patterns. These colors can be 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 a touch of wood-toned plaid in many rooms. Two small vintage French chairs are covered in a hand-printed leaf pattern. The plates are a combination of vintage transferware in varying shades of green, along with pieces from her great-grandmother’s green Wedgwood.
The kitchen serves as a central gathering place. Homemade tortillas sit wrapped in a linen towel by the stove, and slow-simmering pinto beans are ready for anyone who is hungry.
Reflections on Home
Riesenfeld shared several thoughts about what home means to her. She said she was drawn to her location by Mount Tamalpais and the hiking there. The colors of the nature where she lives inform her aesthetic. Her idea of home is a place for people to gather and feel comfortable, a place where you instantly feel at ease. Her favorite season is late summer, when the light changes and there is a golden cast to everything.
She collects wicker baskets, hats, and interesting pottery for the kitchen. On weekends, her family hikes, cooks, and goes to their children’s sporting events. In the winter, they go to a cabin in Sugar Bowl, near Tahoe, that was built in the 1930s to look like a Swiss village. She said she cannot live without a latte in the morning and her daily morning hike. She said her home feels like home because it has a strong element of nostalgia and layers of textures and textiles.
Riesenfeld said her home fuels her creativity through 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. She said she has learned from Alice Waters and is inspired by local creatives such as Paul Hawken, Jack Kornfield, Dr. Daniel Siegel, and her friend Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
