Home tour: a sprawling, modernist San Francisco Bay Area home that doubles as an art gallery

Within the home, Leverone Design balanced minimalist interiors with an appreciation of the homeowners’ various art pieces. Custom furnishings by the studio join made-to-order pieces from Coup d’Etat, Juin Ho and Holly Hunt in creating environments that feel well-appointed without ever overwhelming. The approach sets the right tone for the clients’ extraordinary collection, which includes works by Ansel Adams, Salvador Dalí, Alberto Giacometti, Lin Fengmian, Wu Guanzhong, Henry Moore and Pablo Picasso, amongst others.

The entryway opens to the guests with understated elegance, through such pieces as a Mitchell Denburg area rug, a Rina Minardi tray, custom triangular ottomans by Leverone Design, and an Erik Slayton outdoor bench. On the north wall above the stairs, Jonathan Smith’s Horizon #30 introduces the San Francisco home’s art programme, with a piece whose horizontal orientation presages the views beyond.

The living room opens dramatically to those shimmering vistas, paired with a custom Leverone Design sofa that anchors the seating arrangement. Meanwhile, Thierry Lemaire lounge chairs and Egg Collective coffee tables add organic charm to the space, while various daybeds and upholstered stools create pockets of conversation for larger gatherings. The most notable art pieces within the space are James Austin Murray’s oil painting Satisfying Delight on the west wall, whilst John Opper’s oil on canvas occupies the east wall. Underfoot, a Safar area rug grounds the entire arrangement, its texture adding a sense of friction to the primarily smooth surfaces surrounding it.

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Stepping into the dining room, one is seated at a Garde table surrounded by Diva Group dining chairs. A Coup d’Etat chandelier provides sculptural overhead lighting, whilst a custom Leverone Design console adds undeniable charm to the space. On the north wall, Sahba Shere’s acrylic on canvas provides a sense of chromatic punctuation without disrupting the room’s deep sense of serenity.

The nearby kitchen maintains the sophisticated restraint evident throughout public spaces. Mark Albrecht’s upholstered stools by DeSousa Hughes provide seating at the island, their comfort encouraging the homeowners to linger over morning coffee or casual meals. The material palette of integrally coloured cement plaster, clear anodised aluminium windows and doors, stained tongue-and-groove cedar siding and Windsor Limestone was expertly executed by Stroub Construction, whose craftsmanship translates the San Francisco home’s conceptual clarity into physical precision.

Within the family room, there is a feeling of greater intimacy that maintains a visual connection to the main living area. A custom Leverone Design end table, Visual Comfort floor lamps, and a Safar area rug define the zone, providing a retreat from the other areas in the home without fully isolating the space. The nearby powder room is furnished to look like a jewel box, with a Pelle Designs pendant and Jakob Gasteiger acrylic on canvas on the south wall to blend rich jewel tones with the homeowners’ enduring artistic sensibilities.

To round up the more public areas of the San Francisco property, the home office provides workspace with views of the garden and bay. Within the space are such pieces as the Juin Ho desk chair by DeSousa Hughes and Poltrona Frau swivel chairs that balance elegance and comfort, while a Holly Hunt coffee table and Visual Comfort floor lamp create an environment of peacefulness while supporting sustained concentration over time. On the east wall, a Qing Dynasty box provides a historical counterpoint to the contemporary furnishings, whilst on the north wall, Jakob Portes’s Untitled and Toti Scialoja’s Roma #28 are a source of daily inspiration for the homeowners.

Throughout the home, sculpture provides a three-dimensional complement to wall-mounted works. Bronze pieces, including Alberto Giacometti’s Walking Man, Salvador Dalí’s Don Quixote, Henry Moore’s lithograph Reclining Woman and Rivero’s Rebirth begin conversations with the modernist structure of the home. In contrast, Walter Furlan’s glass sculpture Omaggio a Picasso introduces transparency and colour into the space, its medium echoing the expansive glazing that defines the home’s south façade.

Moving into the more private spaces of the San Francisco home, the primary bedroom occupies the prime position on the self-contained upper level, with windows framing the extraordinary views that catalysed the project. With an SE Lankford custom headboard presiding over the sleeping zone, flanked by Lightology reading lights and grounded by a Safar area rug, the homeowners can easily unwind after a long day of working. 

Elsewhere in the room, a Boundary Christopher Delcourt lounge chair, custom Leverone Design media console, and RH white oak nightstand complete the soothing arrangement. On the west wall, two Picasso lithographs provide opportunities for morning contemplation. In the adjacent bathroom, the designers emphasised the Ridgley Studio Works wall sconce, showcasing how even the most utilitarian spaces deserve considered lighting design.

Within the secondary bedrooms, more of the homeowners’ art pieces are on display to reflect the inhabitants’ unique personalities. One bedroom displays Jean Paul Portes’s Composition 1 and Composition 2, pastels on paper that introduce colour and dynamic movements into the otherwise tranquil spaces. Additional bedrooms showcase works by Lin Fengmian, Ansel Adams, Brett Weston and others from the clients’ extensive collection.

Moving outdoors, the decks maximise the full impact of the home’s views. Landscape design by Stefan Thuilot moves in tandem with the home’s hillside topography, creating terraced gardens that are visible from the home office and other areas of the home. Furniture that can stand the test of time was also placed throughout the garden area, with furnishings from Restoration Hardware complementing a Niche dining table. 

Altogether, Swatt + Partners achieved the clients’ goal of a home that was “modern, bright, gracious and peaceful.” Beyond such traits, the home honours modernist precedents, from Kahn’s verticality to Wright's horizontality, blended with Neutra's transparency. Beyond mere imitation, these elements were distilled into the site, serving as a counterbalance for the extraordinary art collection it now houses.  

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