3 Designers On How They Use Color To Transform A Space

Few things can transform a room like color. We asked San Francisco designers masterful at using it how they took a space from ho-hum to heart-stirring.

PORTRAIT BY STEPHEN KENT JOHNSON

LEANN CONQUER AND ALEXIS TOMPKINS Chroma 

“Our client came to us with a lot of imagery from the 1970s,” says Alexis Tompkins. “She and her husband are children of that era and wanted to recreate positive childhood memories in a modern way for her young family.” For the son’s bedroom, the client wanted something that would be fun while he’s young that could transition into his teenage years. “We referenced artist Jean Dubuffet’s work to develop a custom pattern, designed it in a combination of paint and Photoshop, had it printed at a local printing lab and then applied it as wallpaper,” says Tompkins. “The bed is a classic ’70s color that’s really bright.” chromasf.com

VIGNETTE COURTESY CHROMA

PORTRAIT BY LYDIA DANILLER

SUZETTE SHERMAN Suzette Sherman Interior Design

Suzette Sherman says that designing for clients is like “finding an outfit” that fits them, and if they’re open to using some color, she’s fully onboard. When she revamped the interiors of this Los Gatos home for a recently divorced father of two, “It was an opportunity for him to do what he liked,” she says. “His upbringing was in the Midwest. He had Scandinavian parents and was harkening back to those roots in terms of look and feel, and he was not afraid of color.” His kitchen was done in bold chartreuse, for example, and a bathroom in vibrant blue. suzetteshermaninteriordesign.com 

VIGNETTE BY AYA BRACKETT

PORTRAIT BY JEREMY CORTEZ

JEANNIE FRAISE Lotus Bleu Design

“Color really informs a space and sets the stage and tone, so it’s one of the things that I start with always,” says Jeannie Fraise. “Often, there’s a textile that inspires and informs the palette.” While working on this Noe Valley home, Fraise incorporated a modernist aesthetic to honor the family history of the homeowner, the granddaughter of legendary architect Edward Durrell Stone, who designed MoMA in New York and Radio City Music Hall. Fraise used color to help make the spaces warm and inviting. “In the family room/kitchen, there are two paintings that contain orange and blue tones,” Fraise says. “The fabric on the armchairs is a midcentury fabric that Lee Jofa brought back, and that pulled the palette together.” lotusbleudesign.com

VIGNETTE BY VIVIAN JOHNSON