MEET LINDA BARON
Coastal Meets Cosmopolitan at The Cove
If you’ve noticed some changes in the outdoors spaces at The Cove in Tiburon, you don’t have to look far to find the designer behind it all. Resident Linda Baron, owner of STUDIOBARON Design, and her team, have been hard at work transforming the property’s pool area, fire pits and other public spaces.
The project began innocently enough. Linda was in the clubhouse one day last fall, chatting with Mac, The Cove’s property manager. He asked if she could help select and source new carpet for his office. And thus began the partnership between The Cove and STUDIOBARON, which to-date, has completed the full design and installation of a model townhouse apartment unit, elevating it to suit resort life —from the welcome mat greeting residents at the front door to the thread count of the sheets they dream in at night!
Just this week, her team installed a fresh, coastal palette outdoors, fabricating custom plush periwinkle-blue performance velvet and striped ‘trade blanket’ cushions with luxe, oversized, looped terry bolsters to lounge on, all inside stunning, modern, crisp white cabanas. The Cove’s prominent outdoor spaces have been transformed by the design — the two pools, the Clubhouse Lounge, as well as the gathering space outside the Sunset Lounge.
Linda came to The Cove at Tiburon last year. She was attracted by the calm waterfront vibe, and sense of community. She began her career as a photojournalist, working for The New York Times, among other publications. But it’s hard to work the unpredictable hours of a photojournalist while raising children, she said. So, in the mid 90s, she went back to school at Cal to study Interior Architecture and started taking on residential projects.
“They’re really the same skills, interior design and photography. It’s all about creating a visual narrative, framing a point of view, telling a story using light, color, juxtaposition, and composition,” she says. “Good design is simply problem solving. There’s no right answer, it is really more about understanding your client, being able to anticipate and articulate what they may want, always aiming to have them love the results, long after you’ve finished the work.”
For the outdoor spaces at the property, she developed a comprehensive design scheme and materials palette that would elevate the property, collaborating side by side with Mac on selection of umbrellas, benches, chaise lounges, cabanas, and daybeds. “I purchased 263 yards of outdoor performance fabric. We custom designed every detail of each cushion and had them all custom fabricated at a local workroom.”
Next, she is tackling a new outdoor deck near the food trucks. It will include a fire pit and plush, Euro-style outdoor sofas, woven poufs that can move where needed and fill in as extra seating, or as drinks tables, and crisp white hourglass-shaped side tables. The result is an edgy, casual beach resort look.
Linda is excited to share her expertise with her Cove neighbors. “I like to think that when people hire me, they get the best blend of both two worlds: The expertise of a trusted advisor and the honesty of a true friend.”
In her Marin projects, Linda finds that design sweet spot, where coastal meets cosmopolitan. A native New Yorker who has lived in California nearly half her life, Linda juxtaposes an easy-breezy, California sensibility with the tailored vibe of a city girl. She loves to design for clients inspired to live their best lives! Clients are drawn to Linda’s warm manner, relentless curiosity, and immersive attention to detail
To get started, Linda is partnering with The Cove to offer residents complimentary one-hour consults at the clubhouse. She developed ‘The Cove Collection’, a well-curated grouping of furnishings that perfectly suit the vibe of resort living here: barefoot luxury that’s part ‘feet up,’ and part downtown. You can discuss space planning, floor plans and furniture selection or schedule an onsite walkthrough to understand how to get the most out of your space.
You can learn more about Linda and her design firm at studiobaron.net. Please go to the COVE Residents tab to schedule a consultation.
