History remade
In this year’s San Francisco Decorator Showcase, a chalkboard speech bubble beside one of the many toga-adorned figures in the frieze that wraps around the dining room reads: “If these walls could talk.” Indeed, the Classic Revival mansion at 2020 Jackson St. has quite a storied past.
Designed by Julius Krafft, it was built in 1902 by Isaias Hellman, president of Wells Fargo. In the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake and fire, it served as the bank’s temporary headquarters. Hellman later gave the 11,500-square-foot residence to his daughter, Clara, upon her marriage to prominent attorney Emanuel Heller. In the decades that followed, it hosted myriad high-profile functions — including the 1945 international conference that led to the creation of the Charter of the United Nations.
In 1991, the Pacific Heights abode took its first
turn as a Decorator Showcase, the spring ritual benefiting San Francisco University High School’s financial aid program. This weekend, it opened its doors to the public again. Many of the 30 or so participating designers sought to infuse a modern sensibility into the historic dwelling.
With no actual client to design for, Heather Hilliard devised an imaginary one for the master bedroom: “A young couple in their 30s and 40s. … They want a grand home without the heavy fussiness of their parents’ generation.” French console employed as a cocktail cabinet. And a glass-and-steel desk is at ease next to Louis XV chairs upholstered in a striped fabric.
Sandwiched between BAMO’S and Scavullo Design’s rooms is the entry designed by Dara Rosenfeld. Upon setting foot in the home, visitors are greeted by a colorful textile with a diamond motif, set against walls painted by Philippe Grandvoinet with a crosshatch pattern and a pearlescent layer.
Space you can use
Around the corner is the enormous foyer, which boasts 14-foot ceilings. “I wanted a space that you can use, not just walk through,” says Rosenfeld. The fireplace and walls are enveloped in mahogany — lending a stately feel that she counterbalanced with graphic Indian wallpaper, a multi-hued ikat rug, and zebra-print porter chairs. The carving on the wood base of the sea-blue mohair borne mimics the carving on the mantel, while the fireplace surround has been updated with églomisé glass panels.
The massive fireplace is flanked by the old and the new: an 18th century Italian commode and a contemporary console with a blue tiger eye top. Rosenfeld likens the latter, as well as the bead trim on the striped silk window shades, to jewelry for the room.
While the designers on the main floor had strong architectural details to consider, Jeff Schlarb of Green Couch was challenged by the “big pine party” in the kitchen, located on the first level of the four-story home. The pine is now unrecognizable: Schlarb had the floors bleached; the window and door trim, ceiling beams and island painted charcoal; and the remaining cabinets and ceiling painted a creamy white.
The exposed brick walls have been lightened with a whitewash. Above the range, a mosaic image is hidden behind a sheet of stainless steel. The tumbled marble backsplash is gone; in its place, Venetian plaster. Colorful candies beneath glass cloches and window treatments in a lemon-yellow geometric provide visual punch.
Kitchen palette
The kitchen’s palette and whitewashed brick continue into the adjacent family room, also designed by Schlarb. The geometric theme carries over, too, in a copper mirror above the fireplace and a rug made of gray cowhide shapes stitched together. Upholstered and textured items — a sofa, armchairs and fur-topped stools — offset the sharp angles.
The industrial Jules Verne Saturnus light fixture with hammered steel rings that orbit copper sockets and refractory lenses serves as a focal point overhead. And a photograph, standing clock and floor lamp by Cape Town artist Gregor Jenkin are among the other standout objects in the family room.
“We were interested in this room because we knew we could make a monumental change,” says Schlarb, who was limited to mostly cosmetic modifications.
Thankfully, designing under constraint — whether it’s a time crunch, tight budget, pre-existing features or all of the above — can lead to ingenious ideas.