This San Francisco Edwardian's Update Retains Its Character
Custom sofas covered in a Rose Tarlow Melrose House textile flank a vintage Edward Larrabee Barnes coffee table. A Soho Home floor lamp illuminates one corner, while a Patterson Flynn rug covers the floor. The Lena Wolff artwork over the fireplace was selected with art consultancy Pastel Advisory.
WHILE KEEPING AN EYE ON THE PAST, A RENOVATED LAKE DISTRICT EDWARDIAN EMBRACES THE 21 ST CENTURY.
The saying goes that time stops for no one, but it seems to slow inside this San Francisco Edwardian nestled in the tree-shaded Lake District. Inside, the passage of decades is preserved with elements like the original 1904 fireplace, Art Deco-era stained glass windows and ceiling beams likely added during a 1960s remodel. For one couple with two children, this continuum “was what attracted us to the house,” the wife says. Freed from any pressures to trap the residence in amber, “we saw how we could keep the home’s character but make it work for modern family life,” she continues.
The prospect immediately drew in designer Caryn Sloan, who spent her early professional years working on the restoration of old churches and schools for her family’s construction firm. “I loved making those buildings current while still having their history shine through,” she reflects. Joined by architect Brooks McDonald and a team of artisans led by general contractor Mike Caruso, the ensuing renovation became a thoughtful melding of periods past and present.
The mix feels tangible throughout the newly arranged interior, where more classically detailed spaces shift into a looser layout catering to modern comforts. “As you move from the front to the back, you go from traditional to contemporary,” the wife observes. The progression begins in the foyer, where the team “uncovered this beautiful Art Deco-style inlay floor that we refinished and added to, fully replicating the details,” Sloan notes. Rebuilt to connect all the floors with one continuous run, the new staircase nods to tradition with a sculpted railing that harmonizes with the flooring.
Home Details
Architecture:
Brooks McDonald, Brooks McDonald Architecture
Interior Design:
Caryn Sloan, Caryn Sloan Design
Home Builder:
Mike Caruso, Caruso Construction and Design
A Turkish Oushak rug from Boga Rugs accents the graceful entry. Beside the Currey & Company accent table is a mahogany Arhaus bench adorned with a pillow in Schumacher fabric. A Marz Designs sconce punctuates the stairwell landing above.
The pantry embraces a verdant palette, from the Segale Bros.-crafted cabinets painted in Farrow & Ball’s Green Smoke to the glossy Bedrosians backsplash tile. Calacatta Cremo marble countertops from Da Vinci Marble add a creamy contrast to the space’s lush hues.
Rift-cut white oak cabinetry complements the kitchen’s golden-veined Calacatta Borghini countertops from Da Vinci Marble. Zellige tiles by Zia Tile accent the hood floating over the Lacanche range. Visual Comfort & Co. pendants and J.L. Møllers Møbelfabrik stools complete the eat-in island.
A dramatic mural wallpaper by Phillip Jeffries surrounds the formal dining room, accented with Farrow & Ball’s Studio Green on the cabinetry, original wainscoting and fireplace. Below the Lumfardo chandelier are vintage Finn Juhl chairs and a live-edge table.
In the family room, a custom Pierre Frey rug grounds a Clad Home sofa, Lawson-Fenning coffee table and vintage Finn Juhl lounge chair. By the folding LaCantina glass door is artwork by Rachel Kaye. Segale Bros. fabricated the rift-cut oak built-in.
A walnut vanity topped with Calacatta Oro marble is the centerpiece of the serene primary bath, featuring walls lined in zellige tiles by Zia Tile. Alabaster Visual Comfort & Co. sconces frame the West Elm medicine cabinets.
Anchored by a custom bed upholstered in Perennials velvet and a Loloi Rugs wool rug, the primary bedroom serves as the couple’s retreat. Above the bed is an artwork by Diane DallasKidd; at its foot is a CB2 bench covered in an archival Morris & Co. print.
The living room’s original cove ceilings and stained glass windows seamlessly integrate into the new fireplace and gently reworked bookcases. Here, the built-ins begin to weave the family’s history into the home, with shelves designed to frame the old windows while displaying such treasures as an heirloom Tang Dynasty horse. In the dining room, the designer put the current occupants’ mark on the dwelling’s timeline by carefully preserving the wainscoting and coffered ceilings but painting the features a bold green hue and adding a modern wallcovering. “I selected a pattern that reflects their love of Asian art,” explains the designer, who chose an undulating mountain mural that recalls classic Chinese ink landscapes.
From there, the layout shifts from discrete spaces into a modern open concept. “We combined the rear rooms to open the kitchen to the family room, creating one nice big gathering space,” McDonald explains. Life here moves more fluidly, circulating from the oversize eat-in island to the family room seating area (complete with a built-in bench) and out through the folding glass doors onto the exterior deck. “The whole space feels designed to have an easy flow of people inside and out,” the wife notes.
Timeless materials weave a visual through line between spaces. Though it features minimalist millwork and modern appliances, the kitchen’s warm oak cabinetry and Calacatta Borghini marble countertops would be familiar to eyes a century ago. So too would the adjacent pantry’s glossy tile and unlacquered brass hardware and mesh-inset cabinets. The renovated bathrooms follow a similar vein, including the primary en suite outfitted with zellige tile. “Overall, we wanted things that would patina and grow more beautiful with age,” Sloan explains.
“I WANTED THE INTERIOR TO FEEL BRIGHT AND AIRY, EVEN AS THE FOG ROLLS IN.”
–CARYN SLOAN
An eclectic mix of pieces flesh out the rooms, inspired by the couple’s unique collection. “Their style is a mix of modern organic with Asian influences,” the designer observes. “Everything is full of personality.” Their vintage pieces enjoy pride of place, like the living room’s Edward Larrabee Barnes glass coffee table and the iconic Finn Juhl chairs placed in the dining room and family area.
To this, the designer added character-rich contemporary elements. Upholstered furnishings play with silhouettes, like the living room’s wing-armed sofas. In other cases, Sloan covered modern pieces with archival prints, from 1920s-inspired patterns to a classic William Morris motif. A warm neutral palette unifies everything into a cohesive whole, inflected with shades of blue and green that “draw the outside indoors,” the designer says. “I wanted the interior to feel bright and airy, even as the fog rolls in.”
Now enmeshed in modern living, the home feels like part of the family’s own evolving story. “We saw this as a place to build memories, and it has truly become that for us,” the wife reflects. “The design really made that dream a reality.”