Open House Obsession: Wonderful New House In Bernal Heights With A Subtle Twist, $3.5M

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Where: 116 Elsie Street, Bernal Heights
When: Sunday, November 18 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm
Asking: $3,495,000
What: A 4-bed, 4-bath, 4-half bath, classically simple new Bernal house. Intelligently laid out on a steep view site, it fits the visual context of the neighborhood perfectly.


Plus it’s become the venue for two artists, Neena Holzman and Jamie Emerick, who have created site-specific works for the house. Emerick’s work is anecdotal, with surprises drawn (literally) from the visual language of San Francisco and everyday life, like the umbrella “propped” against the wall, below, while Holzman’s work is equally subtle and graphic but more surreal, with images of aspens and eyes.


The welcoming street-level entry leads to a family/media room with a deck (at top and below) and the living/dining area and kitchen occupy an airy top floor space– the skylit corner kitchen is cleverly connected to the garage with a dumbwaiter for the inevitable groceries.



The Team: Agent Wendy Storch has advised the seller/developer all the way through the project, from representing them when they initially purchased the lot (four years ago!) and consulting on layout and details, to conceiving the finished product with artists Holzman and Emerick, plus the adroit staging by Brett Pearsall of Guilded Staging and Design.

What We Love: Like so many Bernal Heights properties, a constrained lot means compact spaces. Here, the simple, cubic volumes are flooded with light and don’t feel at all cramped– in part from the unobstructed views on every level.

More: Go to the listing for additional images and details, plus floor plans and a video that really brings the project to life. Represented by Wendy Storch at Sotheby’s International Realty.