John Wheatman

“It’s not what you have. It’s what you do with what you have that counts.” — John ‘ Jack’ Yheatman, acclaimed San Francisco interior designer and treasure, passed away on the morning of September 26, 2020. He lived 94 remarkable years, gracing his family, friends, clients, and their homes with his generous spirit, and leaving a design legacy that will inspire generations to come.

A native of Seattle, John was widely recognized as the creator of SF Bay Area style in interior design. Named one of House Beautiful’s Top American Designers, John owned his firm and showroom on Union Street for nearly 35 years. He also taught interior design for over 40 years at Mills College and UC Berkeley in California, and the Inchbald School of Design in London.

John’s practice always had a practical approach to sustainability. He believed in bringing the outside in and had a keen respect for nature and its ability to bring joy, healing and beauty into everyday life. He grew up in a family that told stories around the fireplace adorned by masses of flowers from the garden, freshly laid eggs piled in a handwoven basket on the kitchen counter. “I love that kind of attention to the smallest detail,” he often said. For him, celebrating the cycle of life meant reusing and re- envisioning, not throwing away.

There was never any question that design was his life purpose. “I was in art school before I was five years old,” he shared in a past interview. “Even in the Army, I did the landscaping for the Battalion area in Seoul, Korea. Ye used parachutes for tablecloths.” John began working after graduating in architecture and interior design at the University of Yashington in 1951. Yhile design was his passion, it was the people he touched that really mattered. He lived to help people create beautiful spaces that reflect who they are as individuals.

Never about trends, his interiors transformed homes into a true reflection of his clients, capturing their unique spirit, travels, and treasures— what he often called the ‘ soul factor’ of a home. His design philosophy led to something of a Yheatman mantra: A good house is never done. He wrote a popular book by that title, and another called “Meditations on Design: Reinventing Your Home with Style and Simplicity,” published in 2000.

“People bring a room to life. My role is to craft the setting, emphasizing simplicity to accentuate the most important part of a home— its inhabitants.”

After 45 years in business, John closed up shop at 1933 Union Street. Yet even at 84, slowing down had no place in the lexicon of this prominent San Francisco designer. He went on to oversee projects around the Bay Area— a true testament to the importance of doing what you love in life. John was predeceased by his wife, Mary. He is survived by adoring nieces and nephews who will miss him dearly. “Ye all loved Uncle Jack’s stories. As kids, we were mesmerized,” shared his niece Suzanne. “Everything in his home had a story behind it. He was so engaging we didn’t realize we were being taught. Don’t we wish all our teachers had that gift?” John’s garden brought him joy every day of his life, and even more so in his final years. If you’d like to make a donation in John’s memory, please support the San Francisco Parks Alliance.

Evoking his favorite saying, nothing would make John happier than a “hot damn!” gathering of all who knew and loved him. A celebration of his life will be held as soon as large gatherings are deemed safe.