Singular in the City

Author:Anh-Minh Le

California meets Italy in a house with a strong point of view

Situated on a steeply sloped block in San Francisco’s Dolores Heights neighborhood, the wood-shingled house with a gable roof is not quite what it seems. From the outside, the quaint structure reflects its early-1900s origins. Inside, however, a contemporary dwelling reveals itself, with interiors as unexpected as the architecture and that defy easy classification.

“I’ve never been interested in having a distinct look,” says interior designer Charles de Lisle, who cites influences such as late California designers John Dickinson, Frances Elkins and Michael Taylor, as well as French interior designer Jacques Grange and 20th-century Italian architect and designer Carlo Scarpa. “For this house,” he continues, “our jumping-off point was these Italian rooms that were so great because they have texture, and things that are over the top mixed with things that are super spare. What would that look like in a modern San Francisco house?”

When his client purchased the fixer-upper, the goal was a home that would emphasize the bay and city views. Hence, Levy Art + Architecture conceived a 4,500-square-foot, four-story structure featuring expanses of glass. In a residence teeming with striking elements, the pièce de résistance is arguably a dramatic stone, steel and bronze staircase that seemingly floats in the space, winding around an iteration of de Lisle’s Linden vertical brass light fixture that spans nearly 12 feet.

Such custom marvels abound, contributing to the idiosyncratic nature of the house, for which Blair Burke General Contractors and landscape architecture firm Green 17 Design were also enlisted. The entry hallway sets the tone, with a wall console designed by The Office of Charles de Lisle. Channeling 1950s pieces by Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti, it combines burl walnut with Howe goatskin leather in a minty hue. Elsewhere on the same level of the abode, a shower comprising glass, bronze and Ceppo di Gré stone—placed in the middle of a guest bedroom—references Scarpa’s vitrines for the Museum Gypsotheca Antonio Canova in Possagno, Italy.

The kitchen, located on the top floor to take maximum advantage of the views, centers on a showstopping redwood island by Italian-born, London-based designer Martino Gamper. “When you open the drawers, it’s all saffron yellow inside and really fun,” de Lisle enthuses, calling attention to the integral pulls too. The sink—CNC-carved from a single block of soapstone—was quite a feat as well. Meanwhile, brass and steel shelves flank the backsplash composed of volcanic ash–glazed ExCinere tiles that are a collaboration between Dzek and Formafantasma.

The kitchen’s custom black-stained ash cabinets contrast the adjacent den’s bleached Douglas fir walls and gabled ceiling. Paneled sconces—also devised by The Office of Charles de Lisle and based on a Danish design used by the firm years ago—were fabricated in the same light wood to blend into the surroundings. A five-piece sectional, upholstered in an orange wide-wale corduroy by Holland & Sherry, provides an ideal spot for lounging, watching television or listening to music (record storage is tucked behind the sofa). Italian designers are represented in the space, thanks to a 1970s coffee table by Vico Magistretti and a pair of lacquered rattan armchairs by Gae Aulenti.

Even the lowest level of the house—what might be an afterthought to some—is an enticing destination, complete with an Alaskan cedar-clad sauna and redwood hot tub. A window in the former looks out onto an exquisite sculptural wall by West Marin artist and arborist Ido Yoshimoto. “We thought instead
of having another cedar fence, this could be a focal point,” de Lisle says of the salvaged redwood installation, which backdrops a curved concrete bench. The latter material permeates a nearby bathroom: Concrete walls with vertical striations bring to mind Scarpa’s Tomba Brion—a complex of concrete buildings in Italy’s Veneto region—while an egg-shaped concrete sink adds a playful touch. An orange anodized aluminum shelving unit with an integrated mirror further enlivens the venue.

Some of the most delightful details are woven into everyday activities around the house. Take the blind door in the kitchen that accesses a pantry where coffee-making paraphernalia is contained. On the door, a circular brass plate with a black patina is engraved with the word “push” in tiny letters. “It’s super charming,” de Lisle says. “I love that the client wanted to do all these things that are a little out of the ordinary.”

When de Lisle met the client, the tech entrepreneur was a bachelor. “It was him; there was no them yet,” the designer recalls. “In the middle of the process, he got married. Then they had two kids.” Fortunately, de Lisle and his team take a “very organic” approach to projects, so the pivot was not a concern. “As a rule, we don’t design the whole house and then hand it off,” he elaborates. “This took four years because we were constantly trying to figure out what the best solutions were, thinking through things one step at a time. I’m very program-driven, function-driven, and then that’s mixed with the idea of the aesthetic being unique to the client and to the house.”