Three stories tall and totally freestanding, a near anomaly in super-dense San Francisco, the 1920s Spanish Colonial blazes with space and sunlight. Regan Baker’s clients were plotting an expansion of their own home across the street when it came on the market. “They love to entertain—they used to have parties in their garage. So they really wanted a nice place for friends to come over and enjoy,” says Baker, the principal of Bay Area–based Regan Baker Design. Baker walked the alluring property with her clients and architecture firm Medium Plenty and encouraged them to spring for it.
Conveniently, the house was already under construction—permits filed—when it went up for sale, so the design team dove into floor plan adjustments posthaste upon closing. Maximizing all that unfettered sunlight was top of mind. “We wanted to make sure that, whenever possible, there was a connection to the outdoors,” say Gretchen Krebs and Ian Read, co-founders of Medium Plenty, who added insulated steel-and-glass windows and sliding doors from Jada on every floor, which opened rooms to leafy views as well as several private patios. The roof terrace features a hot tub, fire pit, and herb garden. “The spaces are meant to casually flow into one another and the house,” says Story Wiggins of Los Angeles- and San Francisco–based Terremoto, who oversaw the landscape design. “Using the same stone throughout the interior and exterior spaces really helped knit the project together.”
With all that light and glass, the client requested some more traditional elements inside. “Each room has its own personality,” Baker explains, “from the wallpapers to the baseboards... The client loves the opulence of Art Deco, she loves color, but she also loves rough-around-the-edges imperfections.” Brass accents add glittery warmth, as in a custom Amuneal shelving unit that houses the couple’s global spirits collection, while botanical prints on the walls of several bedrooms give them a “secret garden” feel. A custom steel banister climbs all the way up to the roof deck. “One of the reasons they bought this house,” Baker explains, “is because they could have a path from the front door to the back without having to go through the house. It’s the idea of being able to live outside.”
Great Room
Sliding steel-and-glass doors disappear when open, connecting the kitchen directly to the terrace and backyard. Sofa: custom, Franciscan Interiors in Kravet fabric. Rug: Alexander McQueen, The Rug Company. Sconce: Philippe Malouin for Roll & Hill, The Future Perfect. Coffee table: Nickey Kehoe. Armchair: Mecox in Kneedler Fauchère leather. Outdoor chair: Design Within Reach. Cofee table: RH. Side table: Dunkirk.
Kitchen
Millwork: Midland Cabinet Company. Pendant: Snelling. Stools: Nickey Kehoe. Counters: Calacatta Oro, Da Vinici Marble. Range: Viking.
Tasting Room
To show off the client’s global spirits collection, this room was given “an English pub feel,” says Baker. Paint: Holiday Wreath, Benjamin Moore. Accent table: Lawson-Fenning. Chair: Coup D’Etat. Bench: custom, Franciscan Interiors. Brass shelving: Amuneal. Backsplash: antique glass, Paige Glass. Sconce: RH. Millwork: Midland Cabinet Company.
Stairwell
A curved, blackened-steel railing climbs all the way up to the roof deck, connecting all levels of the house.
Library
What was initially conceived as a playroom was upgraded with a new chimney and fireplace as well as a variety of seating options for reading and working. Paint: Ice Formations, Benjamin Moore. Sconces: Allied Maker. Sofa: Gerard van den Berg, 1st Dibs. Rug: antique Sultanabad, Doris Leslie Blau. Lounge chair and coffee tables: Lawson-Fenning, chair in Pierre Frey fabric and right table with Brimer Workshop top. Pillow fabric: Holland & Sherry. A Negro Marquina marble hearth is naturally heat-resistant.
Primary Bedroom
Sheer blinds in a recessed track filter the light. Rug: Pak Oriental Rugs. Art: Kiki Smith. Wallpaper: Morris & Co. Chair: Coup D’Etat. Mushroom lamp: Atelier MVM, Nickey Kehoe.
Primary Bath
A custom vanity by Midland Cabinet Company resembles an antique dresser. Counters and wainscot: Calacatta Oro. Floor tile: Ann Sacks. Sconces: Apparatus Studio. Fixtures: Waterworks. Runner: Etsy. Stool: Coup D’Etat.
Daughter’s Room
A piece of floral Paule Marrot artwork from Natural Curiosities inspired the garden trope. Wallpaper: Pierre Frey. Chandelier: Anthropologie. Chair: Design Public. Rug: custom, Woven Designs. Millwork: custom in white oak with Rejuvenation hardware, Midland Cabinet Company.
Bunk Room
To comfortably sleep the children when the grandparents are in town, the beds were built with more vertical space for sitting up and playing board games. Paint: River Blue, Benjamin Moore. Bunk beds: custom, Midland Cabinet Company. Bedding: OnceMilano. Drawer pulls: Rockler. Sconces: Rich Brilliant Willing. Rug: custom, Vivienne Westwood, The Rug Company.
Lower Level
Tucked behind a wall of custom cabinetry is a secondary kitchen, mainly for visitors and in-laws, which opens to a small dining room and, beyond that, the backyard. Credenza: Lawson-Fenning. Lamp: Blackman Cruz. Table: Crate & Barrel. Dining chairs: West Elm. Pendant: Apparatus Studio. Sofa: Croft House in Perennials fabrics. Armchair: Four Hands. Ottoman: The Future Perfect, in Shears & Window fabric.
Roof Deck
All three firms, Medium Plenty, Terremoto, and Regan Baker Design, came together to mastermind this bonus entertaining space, complete with a hot tub, fire pit, and herb garden. Bench cushions: Jovinas Upholstery, in Peter Dunham Textiles fabric. Flooring: custom marble, Stone Fleury.
Backyard
“It’s petite, but we were able to carve out a few different spaces that were sited, scaled, and detailed differently to offer various ways to inhabit the garden,” says Wiggins. The cherry laurel hedge will grow in over time. Armchairs: Dunkirk. Side table: West Elm. Bench: Galanter and Jones.
