The best features of this San Francisco loft were once overshadowed by its worst. While the apartment has a sweet history—it’s located in a former See’s Candy factory—and an entire wall of original iron-framed windows, it lacked comprehensive storage solutions, and the kitchen was an eyesore.

A software engineering manager rented the loft for five years before receiving an unexpected offer from the previous owner to purchase it. He jumped at the chance to buy the home, and began planning a remodel to improve how it functioned and elevate the interior to suit his taste.

The owner contacted Jessica Weigley and architect Robo Gerson of Síol Studios, and the firm provided a plan that reorganizes the kitchen and dining spaces, integrates abundant storage, and weaves in an understated material palette that better highlights the space’s cool industrial character.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

The apartment’s existing concrete floors had a patchy, uneven finish, so Weigley and Gerson refinished them with light-toned Microtopping—a cement-polymer coating and decorative finish. The subtle texture of the new, light-toned palette underscores the industrial loft’s preserved features, such as the board-formed concrete ceiling and massive structural pillars.

“The client wanted to bring in as much light as possible, so the palette went toward light woods, light stone, and light floors,” says Weigley. “Obviously, we were going to be working with that existing rough textured ceiling, and we really wanted that to sing as well.”

Next up, the kitchen. After living with it for many years, the owner had good insight into the room’s strengths and limitations. “The kitchen wasn’t very functional,” says Gerson. “It didn’t have great counter space or overhead storage.” The cabinets and counters had been put to hard use when the apartment was a rental, and the L-shaped layout was crammed into a corner. The small eat-in area was dark and uninspiring.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

Weigley and Gerson realized that if they swapped the cooking and dining areas, the latter would benefit from more natural light and gain sight lines to the wall of windows in the living room.

“We had this wild question: What if you put seating where the refrigerator was originally—what would that get you?,” recalls Weigley. “It would get you this view out through the space, out to the tree, and out those lovely windows.”

Now, a custom banquette outfits a cozy nook, and a custom table is as high as the counter so that it can be enlisted for additional meal prep space.

The wall that faces the entry was also extended in length. Doing so provided a surface to hang the owner’s bicycles and create a composed view upon walking into the apartment.

Additionally, the firm streamlined the passage to the bedroom. Before, a basic curtain rod cordoned it off from the main areas. Síol Studios added a transom window system with a built-in curtain track. One of the window panes was replaced with a fan, to draw air and improve circulation at the rear of the apartment.

Thanks to Weigley and Gerson, the space’s storied past can finally shine, enhanced by refined contrast and a medley of textures. “We really wanted to honor the history of the building, not conceal it,” says Weigley.

Before: Bedroom

After: Entry and Bedroom Door

More from Síol Studios:

An Art-Collecting Couple’s L.A. Home Is a Masterpiece in its Own Right

A Craftsman Bungalow in San Francisco Gets a Striking, All-Glass Rear Facade

A Bay Area Warehouse Becomes a Live/Work Space for $124K

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Robo Gerson, Síol Studios / @siolstudios

Builder: Bell Construction

Interior Design: Jessica Weigley, Síol Studios

Cabinetry: Roth Wood Products

Countertops: Stoneman Fabrications