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Kasia Karska Design
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Pro Spotlight: Draw on Eastern Principles for Inspired Designs
A Vail design-build professional shares ideas for a home in harmony with your environment
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Who: Kasia Karska
Where: Vail, Colorado
In her own words: “As we create our own happiness, we create our own spaces.”
“When you align your home with the right side of the universe, everyone who comes into your home feels good,” designer Kasia Karska says. Her eponymous design-build firm in Vail uses the design principles of vaastu shastra (the Hindu science of architecture) and feng shui (the Chinese practice of designing living spaces to achieve harmony) to imbue homes with beauty and balance.
Where: Vail, Colorado
In her own words: “As we create our own happiness, we create our own spaces.”
“When you align your home with the right side of the universe, everyone who comes into your home feels good,” designer Kasia Karska says. Her eponymous design-build firm in Vail uses the design principles of vaastu shastra (the Hindu science of architecture) and feng shui (the Chinese practice of designing living spaces to achieve harmony) to imbue homes with beauty and balance.
Visual artistry. Karska studied architecture at the Technical Institute in Warsaw, Poland. She came to the U.S. in 1984 to work in the fashion industry but soon found herself helping friends in New York to design interiors. In 1999, she started Kasia Karska Design, relocating to Vail in 2002. “I love colors, I love fashion and I’ve learned a lot about the craft of building,” Karska says. “I bring it all together when I create.”
Inspired design. “You can feel the harmony and balance in homes that incorporate Eastern philosophies into their design,” Karska says. She applies the principles of vaastu shastra when designing new structures and of feng shui when doing interior work, such as choosing colors and creating flow. “Feng shui is more of a remedy,” she says.
Below, she shares a few ways you can use these traditional design systems.
Below, she shares a few ways you can use these traditional design systems.
1. Fit Your Home to the Land
If you have the opportunity to pick out the lot for your new home, Karska recommends using the principles of vaastu shastra. One of the principles, for example, concerns choosing a well-proportioned rectangular lot, rather than a narrow or triangular property.
Karska took cues from vaastu shastra to select a lot that had the right shape and orientation for this Vail Valley home, a building she calls Shambala. “We chose a flat lot so we could put the slab on the grade, which minimizes the effect on the Earth,” she says. She oriented the home so the front door faces north, in accordance with the Hindu architectural principles, while still capturing a striking view of the mountains beyond.
See more of this project
If you have the opportunity to pick out the lot for your new home, Karska recommends using the principles of vaastu shastra. One of the principles, for example, concerns choosing a well-proportioned rectangular lot, rather than a narrow or triangular property.
Karska took cues from vaastu shastra to select a lot that had the right shape and orientation for this Vail Valley home, a building she calls Shambala. “We chose a flat lot so we could put the slab on the grade, which minimizes the effect on the Earth,” she says. She oriented the home so the front door faces north, in accordance with the Hindu architectural principles, while still capturing a striking view of the mountains beyond.
See more of this project
2. Choose Colors With Care
One of the easiest ways to update and enhance the interior of your home is with color. Consider the landscape and the ways that your rooms will be used before selecting your palette. “It’s nice to have the color of the entry highlight the natural surroundings of your home,” Karska says. “You want earthy colors in the living room and kitchen, quiet blues and greens in the bedroom and perhaps deeper, more aggressive colors for an office or creative space.”
Karska consulted on the finishes for this new home in the heart of Vail Valley. “We knew we wanted peaceful, grounding colors,” she says. The floor is engineered hickory and the kitchen cabinets, a rich walnut. “The glass in the cabinets adds light.”
See more of this project
One of the easiest ways to update and enhance the interior of your home is with color. Consider the landscape and the ways that your rooms will be used before selecting your palette. “It’s nice to have the color of the entry highlight the natural surroundings of your home,” Karska says. “You want earthy colors in the living room and kitchen, quiet blues and greens in the bedroom and perhaps deeper, more aggressive colors for an office or creative space.”
Karska consulted on the finishes for this new home in the heart of Vail Valley. “We knew we wanted peaceful, grounding colors,” she says. The floor is engineered hickory and the kitchen cabinets, a rich walnut. “The glass in the cabinets adds light.”
See more of this project
3. Maximize Light
You have an opportunity to bring more light into your home, whether you’re building or remodeling. “Use as much as possible of the available natural light,” Karska says. She recommends large windows to allow indirect light to fill the house. Direct sunlight from the south or west can be moderated using overhangs or adding shades. For nighttime lighting, she recommends using a specialized lighting designer.
Karska designed this Vail Valley home, Windy Hill, for a client who admired Shambala. “Windy Hill is in a larger scale and more modern but with the same emphasis on light,” she says. “All-natural light illuminates the entryway, where a suspended yellow bench provides a pop of color.”
See more of this project
More: For more information on Kasia Karska and examples of her work, visit her Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
You have an opportunity to bring more light into your home, whether you’re building or remodeling. “Use as much as possible of the available natural light,” Karska says. She recommends large windows to allow indirect light to fill the house. Direct sunlight from the south or west can be moderated using overhangs or adding shades. For nighttime lighting, she recommends using a specialized lighting designer.
Karska designed this Vail Valley home, Windy Hill, for a client who admired Shambala. “Windy Hill is in a larger scale and more modern but with the same emphasis on light,” she says. “All-natural light illuminates the entryway, where a suspended yellow bench provides a pop of color.”
See more of this project
More: For more information on Kasia Karska and examples of her work, visit her Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Kasia Karska is a designer/builder and president of a full-service interior design firm, with projects across the... Read More
Review by saraschmitt922:
It has been an amazing experience to work with Kasia Karska Design over the past 2 years. From the architectural design phase through the completion of construction, Kasia provided a hands-on presence...More
We watched this beautiful house being built when we lived at Eagle Ranch. It was such a delight to see the inside, too. I can readily see that you are a gifted professional. Thanks for posting this fun experience for us.
No convinced that a northerly-facing front door is the wisest decision given Rocky Mountain winter weather ... otherwise, I love the exterior design of this home.