A Victorian home returns to its former glory with modern touches and an eye on history.
The bones of the old Victorian shine with modern art, lighting and dynamic furniture.
THE PROJECT
A couple with two children under 5 owns a gorgeous 4,600-square-foot Victorian home in Pacific Heights that needed a significant renovation. What makes the house so unique is the story of its owners: They were childhood sweethearts who grew up in the neighborhood, moved away and spent years apart but found themselves back in San Francisco six years ago. They reunited, and love found a way—and so did the purchase of a new home with old bones.
THE TEAM
The couple selected Blair Williams Design (blairwilliamsdesign.com) for the ambitious project. Her design aesthetic combines a timeless foundation of traditional elements with modern and eclectic details. “I prioritize luxury while ensuring every environment is inviting, comfortable and livable,” she says. “By using a diverse range of natural materials, I create a warm, textured color palette that adds depth and comfort to every room. My job as a designer is to help bring every client’s design goals to life so that each space feels different from the next.”
The design team used Limewash from Color Atelier for the kitchen walls, adding depth and texture to the space.
THE GOALS
Williams says she wanted to honor the original Victorian architecture by maintaining its historical integrity and bringing authentic elements into each room. For example, she used imported vintage Scottish marble for the fireplace surround and added gorgeous paneling to select walls.
Other than a three-car garage, the home hadn’t been updated in decades. “The house felt very pieced together, as if small spaces had been updated over time to make it livable. But it didn’t match other renovations under the same roof,” says Williams. “Our goal was to unite all four floors to feel cohesive with one design perspective.”
The dining room features Phillip Jeffries wallpaper in herringbone and Gallery L7 sconces.
LIVING ROOM
Two distinct living rooms—divided by an entry space and dining room—grace the home. Each had to feel unique, allowing for different functions. Williams says one became the family room, located off the kitchen, and the other was the traditional living room.
The living room now feels comfortable yet more elevated. It includes vintage Bruno Mathsson chairs from 1stDibs (1stdibs.com), a vintage Victorian fireplace surround crafted in Carrara marble (also from 1stDibs) and built-in cabinetry in a bleached walnut with reeded doors. “I also added a plaster medallion as a base for the Gallery L7 (galleryl7inc.com) light fixture and paneling on the walls to create a nod to the home’s original Victorian heritage,” says Williams.
Williams added paneling to the home’s living room in a nod to its Victorian heritage.
DINING ROOM
“We created a dining room within the open floor plan,” explains Williams. “To differentiate the space, we added Phillip Jeffries (phillipjeffries.com) wallpaper in a herringbone wool suiting fabric, layered on Gallery L7 sconces and created a built-in hutch at the head of the table.”
Williams added a vintage light fixture from 1st Dibs, an Italian custom travertine dining table and Hans Wegner chairs with oak and cane detailing. “I like each space to feel as though it has the perfect balance of luxe and comfort,” she says.
KITCHEN
“The jewel of the kitchen is the connected sunroom, which serves as the casual dining space with a built-in banquette upholstered in a Ralph Lauren (ralphlauren.com) plaid and a rich camel mohair, paired with vintage rush chairs from 1stDibs,” says Williams, who used a custom Limewash paint from Color Atelier (coloratelierpaint.com) for the walls. She notes brush strokes and color variation add warmth and depth to the space, featuring a 55-inch Lacanche Cluny (lacanche.com) range and Calacatta Bettogli marble for the surfaces.
Boucle bedding sourced from Principal’s Daughter graces the primary suite.
PRIMARY SUITE
The room used to boast a large sitting area, but Williams removed this and replaced it with a much larger primary bath. “We wanted to keep the bay window in the primary bedroom, so we added warmth, dimension and depth into the space by creating custom Schumacher (schumacher.com) drapes and a bench cushion and including Principal’s Daughter (principalsdaughter.com) boucle bedding,” she says. “The Camaleonda chair by Mario Bellini (bellini.it) and vintage midcentury floor lamp and chandelier add the right amount of modernity to the otherwise traditional design.”
HOW THE HOME IS LIVING
Williams’ clients are ecstatic and recently said, “Whenever we travel or leave for a weekend, our children always tell us how excited they are to come back to their home and that no home is as wonderful to them as the one they live in—that feels like the biggest win of all.”
The design team created a bath that feels like a luxe spa, complete with exquisite marble and tile throughout.
Type
Single-family home
Location
Pacific Heights
Architecture
Blair Williams Design
blairwilliamsdesign.com
RESOURCES
1st Dibs
Chairs and fireplace
surround, living room;
lighting, dining room
1stdibs.com
Baker Furniture
Various furniture
bakerfurniture.com
Color Atelier
Paint, kitchen
coloratelierpaint.com
Gallery L7
Lighting, living room;
sconces, dining room
galleryl7inc.com
Lacanche
Cluny range, kitchen
lacanche.com
Phillip Jeffries
Wallpaper, dining room
phillipjeffries.com
Principal’s Daughter
Bedding, primary suite
principalsdaughter.com
Ralph Lauren
Banquette fabric, kitchen
ralphlauren.com
Schumacher
Drape fabric, primary suite
schumacher.com
Photography by: R. BRAD KNIPSTEIN
