A Sweet Bernal Heights Cottage With A Modern Heart And Glorious Views, $4M

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Once the longtime home of a noted San Francisco watercolorist, this adorable cottage on Bernal Heights’ desirable North Slope now conceals an impeccable contemporary renovation with 5 bedrooms and 5 full baths behind a restored Edwardian facade. After a comprehensive 2-year renovation, it’s ready for its next chapter.

A native San Franciscan and well-known watercolorist, Betty Guy (1920-2016) was a graduate student at UC Berkeley before traveling to New York and Paris to study painting. A longtime supporter of the San Francisco Opera, she considered the War Memorial Opera House her second home, and as the house artist for the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Ballet for decades, produced more than 400 opera-related watercolors.

Ms. Guy was famed for her afternoon teas, where she entertained luminaries such as Luciano Pavarottii and Joan Sutherland, and when San Francisco needed an official gift for the visit of HRH Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, the City chose a watercolor by Ms. Guy. Beyond opera, she loved to travel, and for decades, Ms. Guy rendered scenes all over the globe. Her work was represented by Gumps, San Francisco’s historic and luxe (and now, sadly gone) venue for works of art and antiques, and several of her watercolors on loan from The Betty Guy Collection have been included in the staging of 147 Ripley Street.

Beyond that deceptively compact Edwardian facade, there’s more than 3,000-square feet of contemporary living space. The spacious living/dining area and chef’s kitchen is a space with floor-to-ceiling windows encompassing unobstructed 270-degree views of San Francisco from Twin Peaks and the Sutro Tower all the way to the East Bay. The kitchen itself is a dream with custom cabinets and a suite of the latest Bertazzoni appliances, plus an island that’s sure to be the center of any gathering. The open living room, with a fireplace and walls of glass, opens to a deck seemingly cantilevered into the view.

This deck may possibly be the best place to have morning coffee in San Francisco.

The lower level contains the private family quarters and bedrooms, arranged around a spacious family/media room opening to an atrium with a planted wall and built-in benches.

Just beyond is the sybaritic master suite, with a spa bath featuring a smart switchglass wall: glass manufactured to go from opaque to transparent with the flick of a switch.

More: Go to the dedicated site for additional details, images and floor plans of this exceptional view property with links to San Francisco’s unique cultural history. Represented by Gregg Lynn at Sotheby’s International Realty.

Open House: Sunday, February 16 from 11:00am to 1:00pm

147 Ripley Street, Bernal Heights
5 bedrooms, 5 full baths, 3225 +/- square feet
$3,995,000