Pacific Heights Remodel
In the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, what started off as a decorating job turned into a full-blown renovation for Nicole Hollis, founder of Nicole Hollis Interior Design. "When I walked inside, I knew it needed to be redone," she recalls. "The cabinets were made of plastic laminate that was peeling off, it was really small, and the rooms just didn't fit."
The resident, a young banking professional, wanted his home to be a place to entertain friends, which was difficult with the existing layout of intertwined, oddly positioned private and public spaces. Hollis left the 1940s exterior intact but "blew up the upstairs to put in a new kitchen upstairs and move the master suite downstairs."
The renovated home, which is entered at a middle level with stairs going up and down, places the private spaces--the master suite, guest room, guest bathroom, workout room/office, steam room, and laundry room--on the lower level, and the public spaces--the kitchen, living room, dining room, family room, and media room, plus a bathroom--on the upper level.
Downstairs, Hollis situated the master bedroom next to the exterior patio with a large sliding door between the two in order to open up the space. The renovation also included adding structural steel supports so that the resident can build a third level in the future and move the master suite to the top floor. "He was really nervous about moving the bedroom to the lower level," Hollis says, "but because of that, we were able to put in an exhibition kitchen and now he's been able to have so many parties, though he worries that the neighbors won't approve a plan if he does ever want to build upward."
The kitchen opens up to the dining room, where Hollis played with size and shape. She designed the solid French oak dining table and bench, which were fabricated by B Serota Furniture and Architectural Design, and flanked the table with a Host and Hostess chair from Coup d'Etat San Francisco. She hung two Piet Boon-designed drum pendants over the table and placed a large mirror on the wall to extend the space so that the person sitting on the bench can see the living room fireplace in the reflection.
Photo by Ben Mayorga PhotographyThe new upper level is a mix of large and intimate public spaces. The kitchen features a main cooking and entertaining area that flows to a built-in bar and out to the living and dining rooms, which work together as a great room. At the other end of the kitchen, there's a small family room for quiet conversation. The media room is connected to the living room with a door that closes for someone to enjoy a movie or read a book without disturbing anyone else in the house.
For the furnishings, the resident knew he wanted a modern aesthetic. "He kept presenting very European, minimal-design advertisements to me," Hollis remembers. "He was born in Japan, his parents are from England, and he was raised in California, but he has a very European sensibility. He knew he wanted something modern but had no idea how to get there." Click the "Slideshow" button at the top right-hand corner of this post to view more photos of the house and read about how Hollis outfitted his home.
Article
-
Interior Design: Nicole Hollis
To call interior designer Nicole Hollis’s portfolio “eclectic” is an understatement. On one page you’ll find a modern man-cave with a colorful LED-lit staircase and on the…
Dwell Collection
-
Sidewalk Gardens in San Francisco
After taking on San Francisco City Hall, architect Jane Martin helped spawn a movement that has rendered the city’s sidewalks more hospitable to birds, bees, butterflies—and even to…
Tips
-
What Constitutes Clutter?
Nothing should be seen unless it’s meant to be seen. Everything else can be behind drawers to keep clutter out of the room and also to keep the items free of dust.
-
When in Doubt, Recover
Comfort is the number one concern, then textiles. You can transform the look and feel of a sofa by just changing the fabric, rather than buying a whole new piece.
-
Lounge Chair Basics
A lounge chair is an art statement. It should have a shape or form that is sculptural.
Events
-
AIGA San Francisco's Cause/Affect
Presented by AIGA San Francisco, cause/affect is a biennial and international design competition that celebrates the work of designers and organizations who set out to positively impact our…
-
San Francisco Community Clean Up
The Girl Scouts of Northern California (San Francisco Branch) and Safeway present their Bright Green Clean Team, a group of volunteers that will help clean up the San Francisco Zoo using…
Advertising
Advertising
Advertising
Latest
-
02.09
An Architecture Guide to Pyongyang
German architect and writer Philipp Meuser realizes that…
-
02.08
Fair Chairs
We continue our coverage of the 2012 Stockholm Furniture and…
-
02.07
Seven from Stockholm Design Week
It's about mid-way through the 2012 Stockholm Design Week and…
Follow
Dwell
-
Thanks, @dailytekk, for including @dwell on your list of 100 Best, Most Interesting Blogs & Websites! http://t.co/hbMnDiTO #design
-
Was Mario Manningham's Super Bowl catch a work of #architecture? http://t.co/zxD47gN1
-
“@archpaper: Move over Ice Cube, Moby jams to #architecture, launches new blog about Los Angeles: http://t.co/eVKNB5WK”
-
What does the #architecture of Pyongyang look like? Just interviewed the guy who wrote the guide book http://t.co/qA6Pm0Nm
The public areas are as bland and sterile as the vodka bottles on display...a little boring. TV room and bedroom seem nice though. If I was invited to dinner I would be concerned that I might be at an intervention when I saw that table and that kitchen - no color and no contrast....
The kitchen puts me in mind of a sterile lab. It feels cold and lifeless, it needs some color! Every room leaves me feeling cold. I know the Bay Area, you need brightness to offset the foggy days!
In general, I loved the approach and style. Obviously money wasn't much of a constraint, considering the appliances and some of the furniture, not to mention the premium paid for being in Pacific Heights. The idea of using the entire length of the wall for the bed/night stand system was something I should have done. The 'bones' are definitely present, but I assume as the space is lived in, accessories that will provide color pop and/or represent personal aspects of the resdients' lives will evolve themsleves into the space. I also love clean/crisp/quality/less-is-more, but this test tube aesthetic begs for a little more adventure. I'd love to have the problem of bringing life to this property! But I'd do it over time and get it right, because to my sensibilities, this is a brilliant beginning.
Beautiful overall. Bathroom seemed generic contemporary. Nothing wrong with monotone. Soothing, restful, graceful spaces.
It's hard to believe human beings live in this place.
The whole point of this space is being 'sterile', using the word from the above comments. This is what distinguishes much of the minimalist, contemporary style that uses clean lines and never bursts with much color. Contrast - yes (as in black and white), but never the whole spectrum.
Why does a home's decor need to have "color" or provide "contrast" for the home to have life? It is the people occupying the spaces who bring life, color, contrast and warmth to a space. I don't understand this reliance on seeking these qualities from objects. A red pillow or a green wall is inanimate; it doesn't provide warmth. It takes a certain kind of confident person to live this way -- someone who can use such a neutral space as a background for very colorful thoughts, conversations, and activities. And when you bring out colorful objects like books and magazines, the images really pop in such a setting; but you don't necessarily need to have it all out on display. As a person who works in design and who is dealing with color and images all day long, I need to come home to what everyone else is calling a "sterile" environement to cleanse my mind and refresh myself. And I find that it creates a fantastic setting for conversation and listening to music, and -- best of all -- quiet contemplation.
You do know they make paint in colors other than white, right? My eyes hurt from looking at all that.
RSS Feed
Add a Comment