About Catherine Baldi

Hello! As the owner of Arana Craftsman Painters, I want to thank you for visiting our website. Below is an extensive list of resources to help educate our San Francisco Bay Area regarding various paint topics. Please do not hesitate to contact us if there is anything we can assist you with!

How to Combine Textures and Colors for a Space You’ll Love!

Creating a unique home aesthetic that speaks to you and looks beautiful to the world isn't just about throwing together a bunch of colors and textures and hoping for the best. Interior Design is an art form (and if you have the resources, we recommend working with an interior designer). [...]

2024-04-25T07:19:00-04:00April 25, 2024|

Beautiful Books for Cozy Reading Nooks

A Holiday Gift GuideThere is something about a book; a real book that you hold in your hands: the texture of the edges of the pages, the way the words and the spaces between the words comprise a visual pattern as well as communicating ideas. And when included, the beautiful [...]

2024-04-23T10:23:00-04:00April 23, 2024|

What to Expect at Your Painting Estimate – San Francisco Bay Area

There’s a level of trust placed in any home service provider as they work in and around your home. Building this trust starts from the moment you contact Arana Craftsman Painters to come to your home or business and provide you with an Estimate. This article helps you understand what [...]

2024-04-15T12:51:00-04:00April 15, 2024|

Home as Canvas and Art Gallery

Interior painting and artwork have an intimate relationship. The way that light reflects, the color tones shifting against the other’s presence. It is no small thing to choose the right location, lighting, and wall color for art, or to choose the right wall color when those factors have been set. [...]

2024-03-21T07:59:00-04:00March 21, 2024|

Community Member Spotlight: Our Beloved Writer/Editor

Longtime readers of our print newsletter may have noticed that not all of our articles are about paint or painting (fun topic for us, but maybe too repetitive for you) and that most of our articles are written by me or Julie Feinstein Adams — plus the occasional featured guest, [...]

2024-02-23T13:47:00-05:00February 23, 2024|

Featured Interior Designer Colleague: Congratulations Heather Cleveland!

HCDS's kitchen design selected for million-viewer Design Trends Forecast 2024 round-upArana has been delighted to be working with Heather Cleveland of Heather Cleveland Design Studio, helping realize her visions for her clients and projects. In this article, we wanted to spotlight the recognition she recently received for her design talents, [...]

2024-02-22T09:42:00-05:00February 22, 2024|

Pantone Color of the Year for 2024 Mostly a Miss

Experts weigh in on the awkward feeling surrounding 2024’s pickA tradition since it was first introduced in 1999, Pantone’s announcement of the Color of the Year usually evokes a sense of whimsy and excitement. From their wildly over-embroidered company language in their press materials, to the bold graphics the company [...]

2024-02-21T19:15:00-05:00February 21, 2024|

Paint Is Elemental

Paint is elemental. It is, in essence, a creamy blend of many of the earth’s elements: minerals, resins, oils, clays. Yes, paint can be and historically has been manufactured with heavy chemicals and toxic compounds, such as lead. But, fortunately, there is now paint on the market that is made [...]

2024-02-20T09:00:00-05:00February 20, 2024|

After and During/Before: A Brown-Shingle Exterior in Piedmont

A repeat-client for Arana! This client purchased a new home in Piedmont and called us in to do some restoration and repair on the front door frame and period details on the wood balcony/decking. We applied a clear product to the shingles that both protects against moisture intrusion or damage, [...]

2023-12-26T10:44:00-05:00December 26, 2023|