Modernizing A Century-Old San Francisco Abode

In 2018, Rebecca and Tod Sacerdoti toured a 1907 home for sale near their San Francisco residence. The couple already knew that they loved the neighborhood, and, in this new property, they saw the potential to better accommodate friends and family. To be certain, they invited her architect father, Jim Caldwell, to check it out, too. “We had always admired the house,” Tod recalls. “But we bid on it and lost.”

Yet that wasn’t the end of the story. The Sacerdotis continued to keep an eye on the place, and when it hit the market again four years later, they successfully seized the opportunity to create their forever home. In addition to Caldwell, they enlisted interior designer Regan Baker and general contractor James Dijeau to realize their vision. The undertaking marked Caldwell’s third residential collaboration with his daughter and son-in-law. “This one was much bigger and more complicated,” he says, “but, ultimately, the most successful.”

Although the wood-shingle house had undergone multiple renovations over the decades, it maintained its traditional aesthetic. Caldwell worked to preserve and reflect the original elements of the dwelling while improving the flow between its rooms and providing more efficient storage. Within the reworked floor plan, Baker and senior designer Kelly Gabaldon personalized and modernized the spaces for the owners and their two daughters while honoring the architecture. “We brought in a little glam because the family loves that,” Baker notes. To that end, she chose wallpapers, fabrics and finishes with visual and textural interest, including a metallic mural in the dining room; a dusty rose bouclé on the living room’s pair of sculptural armchairs; and a gray Venetian plaster for the primary bedroom walls (the handiwork of decorative artist Willem Racké).

Thanks in part to Caldwell’s vision, the family room and kitchen flow easily into each other. To promote gathering, Baker designed two seating areas in the former: a built-in corner banquette for casual meals and game nights, and a comfortable sectional for lounging in front of the fire. “It works for our family of four just eating breakfast, but we have the benefit of the rest of the room when we have friends over or host a party,” Tod observes. Caldwell left the load-bearing ceiling beams intact for a classic note but removed the unnecessary cross beams, resulting in a cleaner look. Meanwhile, Baker painted the kitchen cabinets a sophisticated pale gray and topped them with understated, durable porcelain counters, allowing them to live gracefully in the open space.

While Baker assisted with some art procurement and placement, such as Victoria Wagner’s prismatic composition in the living room, about a dozen works are by an artist who’s well- known and loved in this household: the family’s patriarch. Caldwell is not only an architect but also a landscape painter, and his wife, Philipa, was instrumental in the selection of pieces throughout the dwelling, including a painting of the Italian island of Capri created specifically for a narrow spot between two windows in the living room. These artworks informed Baker’s palette. “A lot of his scenes are of nature—blues, greens, browns and grays—colors that are organic and inviting,” the designer says.

Unsurprisingly, Caldwell’s influence on Rebecca is also undeniable. “Growing up with an architect dad, I appreciate good design, whether it’s the color of a stone or the texture of a fabric,” she says. “But it’s truly about how a space feels to me. We wanted this house to feel special: unique and modern but also warm and welcoming.”

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