FAMILY TREE
A SIXTH-GENERATION SAN FRANCISCO BROOD SHARES A MODERN VICTORIAN AND AN APPRECIATION FOR ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL
An exceptional dwelling designed for making art and raising family
When Jessica Parish Galloway and her husband, Stephen Galloway, are craving a little family time they simply unplug the Wi-Fi and, one by one, their three children emerge from their bedrooms to the home’s central station: the kitchen. Parish Galloway, a trained chef, can be found whipping up anything from lobster bisque to a cassoulet and catering to their gluten-free, vegetarian and omnivore needs nearly six nights a week. “My happy place is feeding my family a wonderful meal,” she says. “Every person has opinions about what they do and do not like and I feel that needs to be respected. That said, we’re not a macaroni-and-cheese kind of family.”
Oliver, 16, Benjamin, 14, and Claire, 12, crowd around the kitchen’s comfort zone, a cozy den that was once the formal dining space but later reconfigured to better suit the family’s modern lifestyle. Parish Galloway, who has a keen eye for design, collaborated with interior designer Allison Bloom. “We moved the formal dining room away from the kitchen and created a comfortable seating area intended for family time, homework, movies,” says Bloom.
The Galloways discovered the Victorian in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond district 12 years ago. “We bought the house the day Claire was born,” says Parish Galloway. “We signed the papers while I was still in the hospital.” Walls came down (along with anything too decorative like crown molding); the dark wood floors were bleached to reveal an unexpected design feature—beautiful hand-placed nailheads; and new lighting went up, including an Ochre Arctic Pear chandelier. Today, the home feels open, airy and, when San Francisco’s fog cooperates, full of natural sunlight. “We wanted to make the interior bones of the house modern and clean, like a gallery,” says Bloom.
Gallery here by no means implies stuffy or antiseptic. Stephen Galloway’s artwork, stunning large-scale photographs of nature, is displayed prominently throughout, as are colorful works from local artists and friends. The Galloways are collectors, of art, cookbooks, lanterns, even pigs. San Francisco-based artist Julie Chang stenciled a mural along the
stairway incorporating Parish Galloway’s second-favorite animal (other than dogs). “In Eastern culture, pigs symbolize generosity, love and inclusion,” she says. “Part of me still feels like I should have pictures of my kids here, but I love it.”
In the living room, skirted sofas and wainscoting gave way to a much more relaxed, modern and bohemian vibe. The custom lacquered coffee table, designed by Andrew Woodside Carter, incorporates a Tibetan doorframe that Bloom scored at Omega Salvage and the neutral palette relies on textures rather than prints as a canvas for art and antiques. “Now the heirlooms and the art are the heroes in the room,” adds Bloom.
Heirlooms include antique furniture from Parish Galloway’s dad, a renowned collector, and her grandmother, Sister Parish, acclaimed interior designer most known for decorating Jackie Kennedy’s White House. “My design style is obviously very different from hers — you know, chintz upon chintz upon chintz — but she definitely influenced my appreciation for interior design,” says Parish Galloway. When you do see prints in the home, they are likely from Sister Parish Design, a collection of fabric and wallpaper inspired by the late designer and run by a cousin. Claire’s bedroom is the setting for twin beds inherited from her great grandmother and reupholstered in a Sister Parish bold floral print.
The Galloway kids are sixth-generation San Franciscans. Their world pretty much revolves around their private cul-de-sac in their close-knit community. Stephen Galloway works from his studio downstairs, currently on an installation for the new Powell Street Bart
“We wanted to make the interior bones of the house modern and clean, like a gallery.”
Station, Parish Galloway works just blocks away at the San Francisco Free Clinic (she is also a nurse practitioner), and her brother and his family live right across the street. The Galloway home has become a venue for local fundraising events—philanthropy taking an important role in their family for generations. Parish Galloway is on the board of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and she founded Give Breast Cancer the Boot, having given the disease the boot twice herself.
During their 12-year collaboration, Parish Galloway and Bloom, who met when their sons entered kindergarten together, have developed a close friendship. “Working with clients like the Galloways, who already believe in the intrinsic value of beauty and good design, is just so fun,” says Bloom. “There is no convincing required, just concepting and finding the right pieces.” When the master bedroom needed a revamp, they agreed to make it more romantic and relaxed, embracing imperfections like a worn patchwork rug and frayed curtain edges with
“WORKING WITH CLIENTS LIKE THE GALLOWAYS, WHO ALREADY BELIEVE IN THE INTRINSIC VALUE OF BEAUTY AND GOOD DESIGN, IS JUST SO FUN,”
loose leather ties. A four-poster bed was on the list when Parish Galloway happened upon one at Jessie Black. A hammock, also from Jessie Black, serves as a canopy. As they fuss with it over the bed, Bloom holds onto the hammock handles and whispers to Parish Galloway, “It’s so sexy,” to which Parish Galloway replies “So sexy!” Their shared laughter exemplifies their long and close friendship, and proves that the design of this home has its roots in the relationships of the people who inhabit it.