Who We Are

Cafirlin

I’m Christina Noren, also known by my initials – CFRLN – which my friends pronounce “Cafirlin.” 

For almost 30 years I was a successful tech exec driving groundbreaking products and leading teams of up to 200 at many high-profile tech companies in Silicon Valley and beyond. 

But I’ve also lived a parallel life as an artist, collector, and designer, calling upon the sensibilities of my traditional European upbringing and how to adapt them for different households and situations so they serve to set you free rather than weigh you down. 

I’ve been exposed to a wide variety of cultures, lifestyles, social classes, and environments in a richly varied and well-traveled life. I have a strong intuitive design sense, deep knowledge of art, furniture and architectural styles, color theory, materials, craftsmanship and fabrication techniques, and the art and design markets. 

I’ve dedicated serious study to psychology, the liberal arts, philosophy, history, and religion; intense personal work with great coaches, yogis, and therapists.

I know what is what and who and where to go for almost anything one could need to support whatever lifestyle you might want, from art, antiquities, furniture, rugs, lighting, kitchenware, and linens to floors, appliances, and draperies; trades from landscaping, electrical, and plumbing to carpentry, blacksmithing, and home automation; providers from yoga, massage, sound baths and meditation to organizers, cleaners, caterers, art advisors, and travel consultants. 

My friends are an amazing, ever-growing group of skilled and dedicated artisans, artists, providers, and other specialists I’ve gathered over many years to build my own lifestyle. And thanks to Cafirlin + Friends, these incredible individuals are now on hand to build, curate, and celebrate your unique lifestyle.

+ Friends

Hiroko Tsunetsugu

Floral and textile artist, landscape, and interior environment creator, and Christina’s personal friend and collaborator of 25+ years. Hiroko works with Japanese textiles, specializing in denim, linen, felt, and other raw materials. Her utilitarian bags and aprons are made for people who expect these things to outlive them. She is also known for her creative contributions to Boulettes Larder and Bouli Bar in San Francisco.

In Hiroko’s own words: “I am of two worlds. While my deep roots are in Japan, I have been transplanted to the greater San Francisco Bay Area. My gaze and interest in materiality are tied to nature, to construct and repurpose materials into ephemeral and functional objects. I connect my practice, which grows from fashion and art design, to the ongoing fabrication of one-of-a-kind and limited edition objects.

“Everything holds its unique energy. I live and work in a studio full of Somethingness.”

Oscar Flores

A key contributor to Christina’s last two home projects in L.A. and Ventura County, Oscar is an interior and fashion maven, and an expert in home organization and sustainable living. Inspired by his early life in Mexico and an innate passion for design, Oscar came to the United States and learned English specifically to be able to enroll in interior design classes. Since then he has worked in Orange County and then in Los Angeles, where he feels at home among like-minded artistic friends and colleagues. His current project involves complete renovations of a trio of historical homes in L.A., working with his sister, a real estate investor.

+ More Friends

Salvador’s Gardening

Salvador and his team collaborated with Christina to redesign and completely overhaul landscaping and hardscaping in her current home where a previously garden tour star garden had fallen into disrepair over 20 years. He and his team have the skills and capacity to take on any size and complexity of a project and the aesthetic sense to make it beautiful.

Alison Bristow

Yoga, meditation, sound bath practitioner. Christina has worked with and hosted events featuring Alison for over 3 years after connecting with her through the globally renowned Ranch at Live Oak Malibu where Alison is a top instructor.

Amy Naber

Health and wellness coach, yoga, meditation, sleep therapy, and hypnosis. Christina worked with Amy for 8 years in the SF Bay Area before her move to Southern California and still gets sessions with her when she can.

Cristian Fajardo

Electrical and lighting expert installation.

Laura Grigsby Art Advisors

Top Bay Area art consultant to collectors and corporations. Friend of almost a decade and Christina’s go-to for helping friends get into collecting and all issues and resources for handling and maintaining contemporary art.

Bryan Bilgore, Sensorium AV

Top-tier audio, visual, and home automation consultant that works for top music celebrities, high net worth individuals, and discerning clients worldwide. A friend of Christina’s for over 30 years and a critical contributor to her last three homes.

Taylor Enstall, Samuel Scheuer Linens

Adam and the team at Samuel Scheuer Linens has patiently helped Christina select and source sumptuous linens for her and guests’ comfort for over 12 years across four homes. Guests often want to know why they slept so well!

Michele Palmer

Growing up in Marin County, Michele was a member of 4-H where she showed and competed at poultry events. She has held statewide and National titles in Poultry Competitions. She has a special affinity for the Cochin breed of Poultry which is a Feather Legged variety. Thirteen years ago, she relocated to Southern California where she currently maintains a flock of 60 chickens, ducks, and geese.

Becky Vesperas

Cool hunter.

Royal Oak Flooring

Did new real oak herringbone floors in newer areas of the Camarillo house and refinished and repaired 1959 original oak floors with custom purple stain.

Ray Hepinstall

Master painter of Malibu, Ventura County, and Calabasas estates, and personal friend of the family that painted every inch of Christina and Paul’s Camarillo home its striking color scheme on move-in.

+ Invaluable Resources and Relationships

Nick D’Adamo, Luteca

Deeply rooted in the artisanal craft traditions that inspired the work of Mexico’s leading modernist designers of the 20th century, Nick and his team at Luteca celebrate a holistic vision of Mexican artistry in all its nuanced complexity and brilliance, untethered from antiquated stereotypes of humble, folksy charm.

Christopher Bojucki, The Rug Company, Los Angeles

Most of Christina’s rugs purchased over the last decade come from The Rug Company that is the world’s leading company bringing the greatest designers together with the best craftspeople to make the best handmade rugs in the world today.

Andy Zeff, Resource Furniture, Los Angeles

Andy is an LA native, and a well-established designer in the LA design community. Andy has helped Christina design the incredibly clever daybed/foldout queen bed solution to the upstairs loft/music studio area for the Camarillo house as well as source the master bed used in the LA loft and Camarillo, the wallbed in the Camarillo downstairs office, design the custom Camarillo guestroom bed and source many other unique custom modern Italian pieces. And solve pandemic supply chain problems with grace.

Zafer Güven

Zafer learned the fine art craft of ceramic ware from his uncle who was a fifth-generation master ceramic artist. With 150 years of family tradition behind him, Zafer has taken his art to a whole new level. Originally from Turkey, Zafer Güven now produces his pieces in Maine. He has been designing and producing ceramic art for over 20 years.

Veronica Renton, 1stDibs.com

Head of private client services, 1stDibs.com, the leading platform for art, antiques, collectible and one of a kind furniture. Veronica has made purchasing many of Christina’s most remarkable pieces from dealers around the world a breeze and her team is ready to work with CAFIRLIN + Friends’ clients to make their projects just as smooth.

Jennifer Tzar

The renowned art and fashion photographer.

Jefferson Mack

An award-winning blacksmith who has created custom gates and architectural details for Christina’s homes in San Francisco and Camarillo.

Robert Remer, Opiary

International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2021 prize-winning creator of nature integrated outdoor sculptural furniture that custom designed the breathtaking outdoor furniture and fountains for Christina’s current home.

Escape Gardens

David and his team from Escape Gardens in Somis, the tiny satellite town of a hundred nurseries down the road from Camarillo in Ventura County, have provided amazing personalized service in helping Christina select nearly every plant for her gardens in the last year while remaking their own nursery into a true escape with ponds, waterfalls, gazebos, greens and seating areas to inspire and give their clients places to rest while imagining what is possible.

CK Contemporary

Lauren Ellis, partner at CK Contemporary, helped Christina secure the breathtaking early steel shark-gun sculpture by Christopher Shultz that anchors the back garden in Camarillo as well as the pile of trailers by him in the living room, then alerted her to emerging young Jamaican born New York artist Nicholas King whose graphite photo realistic drawing hangs above her desk.

Lou Blass, Lighting Designer at Ad LIB Gallery

Lou Blass, living legend midcentury modern lighting designer of Sputnik and other designs created the custom asymmetrical angular momentum chandelier with crystals in the dining room specifically for Christina’s San Francisco home and it has followed her from there to LA to Camarillo. Lou continues to create custom designs and sell his classics from his gallery now in New Mexico.

Steven Handelman Studios

Custom-designed iron outdoor lighting throughout the Camarillo house from his studio in Santa Barbara.