San Francisco views don’t get better than this: a great room with floor-to-ceiling windows that take in the iconic skyline, including the Transamerica Pyramid, Alcatraz and the Bay Bridge. The challenge for the new owners of this elegant town house (remodeled six years ago by Dumican Mosey Architects) was balancing the extraordinary landscape with a stellar art collection, but they knew who to call: Kendall Wilkinson, a designer whose work they had seen and admired.
“They’re entrepreneurs and very fashion- and art-forward people,” Wilkinson notes. Although the couple had already built a significant art collection—including works by Andy Warhol, Carlos Mercado and Ilya Zomb—and had previously purchased several “forever” furnishings, they wanted to acquire new elements to grow into their residence, and they were willing to invest the time to get it right. “We visited a lot of local showrooms together, which is something I like to do with all my clients no matter where I’m working—New York City, Los Angeles or Jackson Hole,” says Wilkinson, whose new book, Beauty All Around, comes out in May. “But these clients wanted to go the extra mile by seeing and feeling everything. We didn’t just visit shops and showrooms, we visited workrooms too, so that they could see the craftsmanship. That’s something they love and appreciate.”
Before those visits could begin, Wilkinson needed to organize the home’s interiors within the unconventional layout. “It’s an upside-down house,” she explains. “The top floor, which is the main living space, dictated the entire design.” That’s where you find the combined living room, dining area and kitchen, all of which are designed to take advantage of the jaw-dropping view. With its expansive outlook, the space “almost feels like it is floating, which is what the clients were after,” Wilkinson notes. To animate these rooms and the others below them, she looked to the couple’s linear mixed-media wall installation by Willi Siber for inspiration. Hung in the dining area, it is one of the first things visitors see (even before the view), so its bright and glossy palette informed her choices throughout. “We went for a lot of rounded shapes and colors like green, blue, purple and yellow. Everything is art-inspired,” she says. “The trick was to stand up to the views without overpowering them and vice versa.”
Artwork by Willi Siber catches the eye in the dining area, where a vintage table is paired with Bright chairs upholstered in a Rogers & Goffigon wool bouclé. The banquette cushion is made with Jerry Pair Leather.
The level below is the couple’s private refuge. In their bedroom, Wilkinson leaned into a palette of blues and purples, embracing the softness afforded the room by its treetop views. “This floor is totally different than the others because it looks directly out into the greenery and feels much more secluded,” she muses. Adding an even greater sense of quietude to the space is the velvet-upholstered headboard wall. “It gives texture and interest, too,” she says. Rounding out the retreat is a wood-paneled office and a luxurious bathroom.
In addition to chic sophistication and art, the through line in the home is the ribbon staircase that spirals from the uppermost level down to the dwelling’s dark-hued entry. The feature was created during the previous remodel, and Wilkinson underlined it with a custom chandelier more than 20 feet long. “It ties the floors together beautifully and adds just the right touch of sparkle to balance the moody elegance of the space,” she says.
In the end, the designer and clients’ shared focus on quality led to a spirited house that’s perfect for its new occupants. “There’s a playfulness, a perched feeling, to this home that I really love—it feels like you’re on top of the world,” Wilkinson muses. But she is also quick to add how much she enjoyed this project because it wasn’t just a one-way street of educating clients. “I learned from them too, especially with all the incredible art,” she says. “The project was fun because they were fun.”
In the primary bedroom, Rosemary Hallgarten velvet swathes the wall behind the Holly Hunt bed and bench, which rest atop a rug by the same brand. A Seguso lamp lights the Altura nightstand. The chandelier is by Christopher Boots, and the painting in the niche is by Ilya Zomb.
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The clients chose to leave the kitchen as it was designed by Dumican Mosey Architects in a previous renovation, including the Miele wall ovens and coffee maker. Holly Hunt counter stools wear Jerry Pair Leather and match the banquette.
Artwork by Willi Siber catches the eye in the dining area, where a vintage table is paired with Bright chairs upholstered in a Rogers & Goffigon wool bouclé. The banquette cushion is made with Jerry Pair Leather.
Interior designer Kendall Wilkinson worked with Douglas Fanning Design through Coup d’Etat to create a custom pole chandelier for the stairwell. The fixture extends from the top floor to the street-level entryway.
In the primary bedroom, Rosemary Hallgarten velvet swathes the wall behind the Holly Hunt bed and bench, which rest atop a rug by the same brand. A Seguso lamp lights the Altura nightstand. The chandelier is by Christopher Boots, and the painting in the niche is by Ilya Zomb.
Designed to work in concert with the view, the living room is populated by a Vladimir Kagan sofa and walnut chair, an armchair by Magni Home Collection, and a trio of tables by Coup Studio, all grounded by a Holly Hunt rug. Above the fireplace is a painting by Arty Grimm.