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Since I started blogging, I’ve gained an appreciation for the importance of personal style in interior design. Even the most flawlessly-executed design is incomplete without the owner’s unique mark. There has to be a sense of history, a character, a feeling that life is lived within those four walls.
So today I’m starting a new series that peeks into the real life homes of our friends and family and appreciates not only some wonderful design choices, but also their highly individual styles. When you ask people about their homes, you find that there are stories behind almost every item. It makes you realize just how valuable our homes are to us – and not only in financial terms. Something worth remembering, especially in times like these…and especially for those of us obsessed with interior design and all the materialism that goes with it.
Anyway, enough of the philosophy and onto the houses. In this first post, I was lucky enough to be allowed to take photos of a fabulous San Francisco house that combines great taste with a highly personal twist.
The house belongs to friends of ours, Alison and Eric and their two kids. It is an Edwardian home built in 1917, not dissimilar to ours in layout. It survived the 1989 earthquake intact so has nearly all its original moldings and rooms. This is the living room. The bookshelves were installed a few years back, replacing some very 90s granite, to cope with the family’s growing collection of books, games, art supplies etc. A wood fireplace surround was removed at the same time and the simple stucco one put in its place. This is pretty much the only significant remodeling that was done – and although it’s clean-lined and modern, it works because it still keys with the style of the house.
You can tell this is a creative, sociable family that loves art, music and travel (if you’re on their holiday card list you’re left in no doubt about the creative part!) The print above the fireplace is from a Louise Nevelson show that Alison’s father curated about 35 years ago – and it’s signed by the artist. I love it because it echoes the bookshelves perfectly.
The chairs either side of the fireplace are a stroke of genius. The red one is from IKEA. But the yellow one is actually a piece of art acquired in Germany over a generation ago. It’s made of an industrial spring and apparently is wonderful for lulling babies to sleep (as several babies in the family have discovered over the years). All I know is that these chairs are not good for the later stages of a party: after a few drinks the red one is impossible to get out of and the yellow one is impossible to stay in!
The painting over the sofa was another one from a show curated by Alison’s father more than three decades ago.
Here’s the dining room. This is a real lesson in color. The walls are a beautiful, vibrant green. The color has been continued onto the ceiling to show off the moldings, wainscoting and coved ceiling. You find these in a lot of the Edwardian houses in the area, although this is a particularly good example. The two Asian posters were from a flea market in San Francisco and are reproductions of pre-Mao Chinese advertisements, while the Air France one is from Paris. I asked about the tablecloth too and apparently it’s from Cost Plus!
The stunning lamp was made by Alison’s step mother, Dez Ryan. You can see more of her lighting designs here. There are some real stand-out pieces – check out the Mint Condition collection. I like the way this particular one looks so perfect alongside the Nelson Saucer Bubble Lamp over the table. Here’s a closer look.
Like our place, this home has a sunroom at the back of the house. Here the space has been painted this glorious sky blue. My photography really doesn’t do it justice (I’ve said before that these rooms are impossible to photograph). But you can get a hint of the architectural detail in these pictures below. There’s beautiful wainscoting all round the room. Often, homes in the area have this left as dark gumwood, but I think the white is much nicer.
Many of the photographs here were taken by Alison’s sister during her travels in India.
The stove and cabinets have all been left as they were when the family moved in. But the cabinet doors were all refaced by KitchenWorks. I love all the pots hanging down – I’ve only ever seen this done in enormous country kitchens with a central island but it works here.
From the kitchen you get a good view of the stained glass above the door. Again, this is original to the house. You can’t see it all but it depicts a windmill and hillsides. Apparently there are very few in the city that had this type of bucolic scene.
Lots of the houses around here have these carved details in the stair railings. Ours has heart shaped cut-outs (Pennsylvanian apparently)! I’m guessing they’re influenced by the Arts and Crafts style that was popular at the time, even for Edwardian style homes.
So, that’s the end of the tour. Hope you enjoyed it. I think this house just has so much personality. You can see how it would work for kids as well as entertaining (and, having experienced both, simultaneously, here, I can vouch for that!) This is not a place to tiptoe about and whisper in shushed tones. It’s a place to yell for more gravy on the table, thump out a few tunes on the piano (visitors that is, I believe this family is actually quite talented in the music department) or to help yourselves to cocktails. And here’s to that kind of interior design!
And, speaking of entertaining, I’m off to Julia‘s blog party again to see what everyone else has been up to this week.
If you’ve ever wondered where interior design magazines stage their photo shoots, you should check out some of the location agencies’ web sites. I’ve been browsing Light Locations recently. There are dozens of wonderful homes (mostly English, although some are overseas) to ogle. Granted, they’re a little depersonalized, as you’d expect. But this is the cream of the crop when it comes to light, space and architectural details. I even recognize a few from memorable features that have graced the pages of my favorite design mags.
There are country houses:
Quirky houses (this is a knitting barn!):
Elegant town houses:
Eclectic houses (remember this from this photo shoot?):
Drop-dead fabulous houses:
Eccentric houses (I remember this one from a Rug Company shoot):
Cool Britannia houses:
Victorian houses:
Farmhouses:
Uber-stylish houses:
‘I-want-to-go-to-Marrakech-now!’ houses:
Go on, I challenge you to find one that isn’t your style…
There’s only one week left of the San Francisco Decorator Showcase. So, before it’s over, I thought I’d share a few more reasons to go and visit it. Here’s a clue: they’re all very small, but very important reasons…
The great thing about the Decorator Showcase is that every single spare inch of the place is decorated – which means every closet and every corner has a treat in store. It is in some of the tiniest spaces that you can discover the grandest ideas.
Check out this amazing wine cellar, for instance. Only the size of a deep walk-in closet, it is an absolute treat for the eyes. I can actually imagine sitting down and checking off my wines on that leather wing chair. The best feature, however, is the wall – a commissioned mural. It really opens up the space.
Vintner’s Vault, designed by Zumaooh, picture via access.decorati.
Then there’s the Powder Room. A tiny sliver of a space, it is so simple yet so very stylish. There’s a mosaic tile design with an ‘S’-shaped curve which continues up the wall in a single tendril. The same shape is echoed in the colored glass window. It’s fanciful but very subtle.
Powder Room Revisited, by Marsh & Clark. Picture again via access.decorati.
For even more tiny spaces, how about this windowless closet on the second floor landing? It’s been converted into a sweet wrap room by Gale Melton. Much as I can’t imagine ever having the space for a wrap room, I have to admit to coveting the custom shelving, a perfect fit for rolls and rolls of ribbon, sheets of luxurious wrapping paper and various other finishing touches.
Wrap Room by Gale Melton, photo via Anh-Minh.
And it’s not just the little rooms, it’s also the little details. There are lots of (almost) hidden tips and tricks to spot. Silk drapes backed with coarse linen, for example, were a surprising twist in the living room. A glorious bar filled with silver and crystal, was tucked away inside a gentleman’s closet (!). I also really liked the use of black task lights against dark chocolate (almost black) walls in the study, by John Wheatman & Associates. The lamp almost disappears and all that’s left is the little pool of light underneath.
The study, by John Wheatman & Associates, photo via Inside SF Real Estate.
So even if you’ve been once, maybe it’s worth going back for a closer look…
I’ve just come back from the 2009 San Francisco Decorator Showcase. It’s in a stunning four-storey mansion on Pacific Avenue. Since I used to live on the same street (several blocks away, in a far less posh area, I might add!) I’ve passed the house many times and often wanted to look inside.
It certainly lived up to expectations. The house has beautiful high ceilings, wide stairways, moldings and lots and lots of natural light. It’s hard to imagine anyone ever living there – but then that’s kind of the point, it’s supposed to be slightly dream-like.
You can’t take pictures in the house so I found some on other sites. In particular, Anh-Minh has a great sneak preview. I hope they make more photos available after the event though.
This is the family room, designed by Michael Leverone. This was probably my favorite room in the house. It somehow manages to be extremely special, while also being comfortable and eminently livable. I think that’s because of the proportions of the furniture. The coffee table, for example, is enormous. It’s made of teak – apparently the trunk of six trees that fused together. I can’t imagine how heavy it must be. Then there’s the sofa which is about twice the length of a normal sofa. Because Leverone has chosen fewer pieces, but on a larger scale, the result is a much more simple space. The other thing I loved about this room is all the texture – again it makes you want to actually sit down and stay for a while. The stools are covered in fluffy mohair, the teak table is smooth as silk, and the sideboard by the window is covered in linen with a pattern in brass studs. Oh, and those little glass ornaments under the wall light are old fashioned electric bulbs!
Leverone also did the breakfast room. I could definitely enjoy a morning coffee here…
Also via Anh-Minh.
The kitchen is by Jennifer Weiss. I learned in this room that stainless steel countertops don’t have to feel cold and industrial. [UPDATE: I've just had an email from Jennifer and they are actually zinc, which explains why they seemed much lighter and warmer than steel]. I also love the white tiles with oval reliefs on them. I’m going to think about that for our kitchen (if we ever get it done). Photo via Apartment Therapy.
This is the dining room, by Orlando Diaz-Azcuy. I forgot to count how many you can seat at this table, but it has to be about 14. I’m really into white ceramics at the moment so this was a fun room to browse in. Photo via Anh-Minh again.
Here is one of the bedrooms, by Cecilie Starin. I like the gray and lilac. The Louis sofa and the screen behind the bed are both really pretty. It looks a lot more serene here than when I was there, though. Probably because there weren’t 15 people all crammed in when this pic was taken! Photo via Apartment Therapy again.
Palmer Weiss did the teenage daughter’s bedroom. This was one of the brightest rooms in the house. I would have loved this as a teenager. She really hit the nail on the head with this. You can’t see it, but there’s a black (I think) leather Louis chair in this room too!
On the top floor is the penthouse, by Heather Hilliard (photo from her web site). This is a much smaller space, but I really liked it. It felt much more like home. The views, though, are incredible – right across the bay. Heather has done a wonderful job: those peacock blue chairs against the orange flowers are great.
In the basement there’s a silent auction. If you want to buy the shooting script from Milk, signed by Sean Penn, this is the place to get it. Last bid is $1250 though…
I’ll post some more on the Showcase later. Meanwhile, enjoy!
Today the sky is a particularly luminous shade of blue. Nothing is more likely to put me in a good mood than a bright blue summer sky (even if it is only April). Who said blue was sad? And to prove the point, I scoured the Internet (while sitting outside on the patio, of course) for examples of the perfect, fresh, happy blue.
This is decorator Dawn Falli’s dining room. It first appeared in Domino and then on Apartment Therapy. The blue chairs are a jolt of summer color and look stunning against the gold and white.
What better example of a ‘happy’ blue than the one used in Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment makeover in the Sex and the City movie? Production designer Jeremy Conway combined a particularly uplifting blue (close to Benjamin Moore’s Electric Blue, according to Casa Sugar’s great interview with Conway) with airy white drapes, vibrant rugs and that delightful collection of pictures above Carrie’s bed to come up with a space that simply oozes positive thinking.
With the pale blue wallpaper in this bedroom, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped into a garden on a summer’s day. While the style is a little ornate for my taste, this is an undeniably ‘feel-good’ blue.
So, how to inject some of that happy blue into your own home? Graham and Green has the most amazing sapphire-blue bone inlay furniture. It’s an unconventional way to get that clean, crisp blue and white effect, without resorting to blue toile or wedgewood.
The crazy pattern of this blue ‘Squiggle’ rug, by Vivienne Westwood at The Rug Company, is certain to induce a good mood – if you can get over the shock of spending big bucks on something you’re going to walk all over, that is.
Or mix it up with orange and lime in a statement piece like these armoires by Argentinian artist, Lucas Rise, again courtesy of Casa Sugar.
I have loved this Cole chair from Room and Board for ages. It’s simple, inviting and perfect for a scheme inspired by spring skies…
Painting a staircase blue might not be for the fainthearted, but the tropical blue in this Scandinavian house is surprisingly effective. It turns a narrow staircase into a sunny spot you might actually want to linger in. See the full house story on Remodelista and Materialicious.
Who knew blue could be so upbeat?
To some, a home is just four walls and a roof. To others, it’s a showcase for a lifetime’s achievements. To a few, it’s a canvas for artistic expression. To me, it’s a refuge and a source of comfort. It’s also a lab for design experiments, some of which go well, many of which don’t.
That’s the real reason I started this blog: to record the changes in our home, capture the things that inspire those changes; and document the disasters so I never repeat them!
To some people, I suppose our home looks finished. Or maybe it looks like we’ve barely started. But to me, it’s a work in progress. So here are the first photos of our home – finished or otherwise.
We live in a San Francisco Edwardian. There are three stories, including the basement garage. The living room is at the front and is open to the hallway via a double-width arch. We’re lucky to have tons of natural light, with windows on two sides – although that does make it chilly on winter evenings. The sofas are from IKEA (when we moved to the US seven years ago, we had to furnish an entire apartment in a weekend so most of our basic items are from IKEA – and still going strong, I might add). The ottoman is from Pottery Barn and has been absolutely invaluable – there’s nothing better than kicking back in front of a movie with this as a footrest. Good for extra seating too when we entertain. The shades are raw silk from the Shade Store (excellent for reasonably-priced custom shades). The mirror and lamp are from Pier 1 and the apothecary chest is from Gingko, a little store in Soma that makes items to order for a great price – mostly from reclaimed wood. I also have a beautiful Louis chair (out of shot) covered in cream velvet, with silver gilt arms. It’s rather ornate but balances out the two boxy IKEA sofas. The challenge here is keeping the effect modern while indulging my preference for vintage, gilt and shiny things. Seems I’m constantly teetering between the two.
Ok, this shot is taken from the sofa under the bay window, looking through to the hallway and then dining room. Here’s the Louis chair. The painting is by Chris Hankey. We asked for contributions to an art gallery for our wedding gifts, and this was one of the pieces we eventually purchased. If there’s one thing in our home that helps me relax, it’s this.
The dining room wall color was a major change for us – it’s quite a cool blue/green/gray. It’s Iced Marble by Benjamin Moore and seems to change color depending on what you put next to it. But it looks great as a backdrop to the wave painting. The table is (of course) IKEA, but the chairs are from a, now closed, store on Fillmore Street. I loved the leather but couldn’t justify buying six of them so two are in a charcoal fabric instead. The sideboard, just seen, is from Gingko again. I had trouble deciding what to do with the front door, which is glass. I didn’t want to block out the light completely, but also didn’t want passersby peering in while we ate our dinner in the evening. The laser-cut paper screen by Tord Boontje seemed to be a good solution – and, somehow, we’ve managed to prevent our toddler from tearing it to shreds.
Just off the dining room is a tiny sitting area, which we use as a playroom. I’ve already shared my excitement about the West Elm zigzag rug in an earlier post: I’m loving how it contrasts with the more somber dining room.
This is the master bedroom. It’s above the living room so we get the same great light. But we had to invest in extremely well-lined drapes and shades to keep the warmth in in winter. The bed is IKEA again, as are the lamps. I feel like we should replace the lamps with something more visible against the light-colored drapes. But the light they give is so warm it’s perfect for a bedroom so I can’t bear to part with them. The pomegranate painting was another wedding gift and was the inspiration for the colors in this room.
Ok, I’m no stylist. But I like to see this little collection of things on our dresser in the mornings. The photos are of my father as a child, the handheld silver mirror (lying flat) was an 18th birthday present, the mother-of-pearl inlaid mirror is from Wisteria and was a source of much soul-searching (should we really spend the money?) but it was the best price I’d found for this type of mirror and I absolutely love it. The domino box is also from Wisteria and was a present from my sister (with some strong hints…). The large paper flower was made by my two-year-old at his daycare and is, quite frankly, the best thing about this collection (in my humble, doting-parent, opinion!)
Last but not least, the guest room. The photograph isn’t great, but the room itself is really relaxing to be in. The wall color is Morning Dew by Benjamin Moore – a really pale, creamy green. The drapes are white linen and from the Shade Store again. The bedside tables were an absolute find for $140 each in a local antiques store (Past Perfect on Union Street – same place I got the Louis chair). Somehow they work with the IKEA bed and lamps. The rug is from South Africa, a gift from my parents.
In another post, I’ll try to show some pics of the nursery, office and kitchen. The latter is definitely a work in progress – we’re contemplating a renovation.
So, that’s our home. I hope it provides some ideas – even if only what not to do!
I’ve spotted a few examples of trompe l’oeil recently, with a rather unexpectedly modern feel. I would never normally consider using trompe l’oeil, but these pictures made me think again.
This is Mary, Mary, quite contrary, watering her garden – it’s quirky and humorous but the black and white gives it a graphic appeal and prevents the room from looking too sugary sweet.
Here’s a similar effect in author India Knight’s home, from Livingetc.
The mural is by Charlotte Mann. It actually goes all the way up the stairs and features favorite items belonging to the family. This is a really great, albeit unusual, alternative to wallpaper – much more personal without being gaudy.
For more by Charlotte Mann, check out her site. I particularly like this piece – perfect for turning a tiny, windowless room into something inspirational.
I’m not quite sure if I’d have the courage to do this to a wall in my house yet. And I’m imagining it might be rather expensive. I haven’t found anywhere that sells wallpaper like this and a custom piece is not in the budget right now! But definitely one for the inspiration files…
I’m obsessed by this chinoiserie wallpaper in the bedroom of clothing designer Erica Tanov (her home is featured in Apartment Therapy Re-Nest house tours, pics are from there).
I’m going to have to start a hunt for something similar and figure out a way to fit it into our house (hmm, would it be too much against our mother-of-pearl inlaid mirror with birds and flowers?). It’s so light and airy and yet it’s really luxurious-looking too. I have a feeling you’d have sweet dreams in a room like this….
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