Height of Style in San Francisco

Author:

A change of scenery is a reliable cure for workaday blues, but who says getting back to nature is the only way to rejuvenate? For a Silicon Valley-based couple, renewal happens during the weekends at their ultra-urban “staycation” pied-à-terre nested on the 15th floor of a high-rise in San Francisco’s Russian Hill district. The luxury two-bedroom apartment, with its jaw-dropping bridge-to-bridge views, creates “a sense that you’re floating over the bay,” says the wife, who loves the quick drive and the big change from their earthier ranch-style home on the peninsula. 

Permission to redo the floor’s main lobby allowed Macdonald to introduce the apartment’s visual lexicon with slate-blue Phillip Jeffries wallpaper.

In the great room, Macdonald layered a custom Erden rug in silk, wool and metal trim from De Sousa Hughes, a custom-angled Kroll sectional in Pindler & Pindler fabric, and tufted Coup d’Etat swivel chairs in Holly Hunt fabric.

After purchasing the 2,100-square-foot aerie in 2017, the owners turned to San Anselmo designer Jennifer Macdonald, of Jennifer Robin Interiors, to reimagine the outdated décor. “A vacation home should be uplifting and whimsical, and elevate the senses,” Macdonald notes. She began the process by selecting a tranquil palette of silver and vibrant blue inspired by the surrounding ocean and sky. Macdonald brought texture and cohesion to the space by adding gray-stained vintage oak panels to the entryway, bedrooms and custom Jasper McCarty cabinetry in the kitchen.

Custom gray-stained oak by Querkus replaced maple wood in the kitchen.

The open-plan living room and dining area features a custom banquette by Kroll in Jerry Pair and Dualoy leather, a custom dining table by Gabriel Statsky Design in oxidized maple and acrylic, and a custom waterline mirror from Uhuru.

In the great room, walls streamlined in pale gray bounce light around, while a giant custom sectional and swivel chairs take advantage of the views. The master bedroom reveals a moodier tone, with wallpaper featuring tiny white polka dots on a black background. “It looks like a starry night to me,” notes Macdonald. The designer pushed the scale in the dining area by enlarging the banquette and adding a custom waterline mirror above it that extends the window wrap. “The space has a youthful, fun vibe to it,” the owner says. “When we were creating it, we never realized our kids would want to use it more than we do!”

Dark hues create a cozy master bedroom.