SF Home

Andrew Giammarco

• Architects

This 1907 San Francisco home combines both locally coastal and travel-inspired elements, creating an updated and refreshing ambiance. It authentically reflects the homeowner's worldly explorations without resorting to clichés, resulting in a cohesive living space that fosters both large family gatherings and intimate moments.

photo_credit Andrew Giammarco — Andrew Giammarco

The project came to us during the COVID-19 pandemic, which posed several challenges - the most significant being the inability to visit and explore the space physically. We relied on Matterport during the design phase, and while beneficial, it was difficult to observe tiny nuances through video calls and still photographs. As a direct result, it took some time to uncover the home’s quirks and full visual understanding of the existing conditions.

The space had undergone various remodels in the past, all attempting to achieve a "modern" interior setting. However, these attempts left the space feeling overly sleek and lacking character and soul. Our objective was to revitalize the space and create something new. The client had one specific request - they wanted each room to represent a place they had traveled to, loved, and enjoyed remembering. This established a challenge as we wanted to bring an uplifting and light attitude to the design while avoiding an overly thematic jumble of rooms. We aimed to create an assemblage of personalities, colors, textures, and pieces inspired by places around the world.

Each of the rooms takes on its own theme, but not in a literal sense. The overall inspiration from the home’s Bay Area location runs throughout, creating a cohesive thread that ties the spaces together. Carefully chosen pieces bring an eclectic personality to each room, offering delightful opportunities for discovery. To maintain the charm of the old house, we kept the existing polished limestone floor but worked to warm it up. The main house exudes a lighthearted atmosphere while the cottage has a slightly moody vibe.

Purposefully opting for lighter, sunnier, uplifting tones, we created a subdued yet standout color story. The golden hues harmonize beautifully with the cool and warm-washed wood tones.

Instead of having a grand central room, we preserved the intimacy of each space by retaining all walls, allowing for the creation of unique charm and personality in every corner. By leaving the individual rooms as they were, rather than following the current trend of open floor plans, we were able to craft an intriguing sequence of rooms.