This stylish penthouse overlooking San Francisco Bay features a tasteful mix of art and custom pieces, complemented with shades of pink within its modern interior
When American interior designer Alison Pickart chanced upon a remarkable moonstone-and-gold firescreen in an auction catalogue, she never thought this serendipitous find would guide her artistic direction for a particularly memorable project—one that involved refurbishing a 1930s penthouse apartment located in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighbourhood.
Its owners had envisioned a warm and inviting space that would highlight their contemporary art collection and also frame the surrounding views of the bay. This would entail a reconfiguration of the apartment’s original layout, which comprised a constrictive number of smaller rooms with heavy architectural millwork and small doorways.
They engaged the services of architecture firm Sutro Architects, which led to a collaborative partnership between the interior designer and architects Stephen Sutro and Karen Moy. Together, they had to decide on an overarching concept that would suit a space for socialising and entertaining, as well as one befitting of the owners’ reputation as art lovers who are passionately involved in the city’s arts and cultural scene.
“Stephen was very interested in how light was cast in the apartment as well as how the rooms were defined. The architect worked out the schematic design of the space so that the entire front of the unit could be opened up,” says Pickart. “Because the clients were used to more traditional spaces, we offered a design we considered to be warm and modern. Using a mix of subtle metallic tones, wood and a neutral palette that was heavy on texture and yet not too severe, we were able to create this soft answer to the crisp, modern lines that were architecturally necessary.”
The team rerouted the unit’s utility network to open up the front half of the apartment into an airy, light-filled space for entertaining, as well as ensure unblocked views of the city from the living room. This allowed space for the couple’s modern art collection, an important factor that influenced the look of their home.