A Pacific Heights townhouse is transformed into a luxe and contemporary masterpiece.
The dining room features a table and chairs from Redford House, along with jewel tones.
Falling in love with a historic Edwardian townhouse is easy. Bringing it into the 21st century is a different story—and challenge. Which is where a local pathologist found herself. She fell hard for the 1,200-square-foot Edwardian in Pacific Heights and adored its overall architectural feel. But she wanted the entire home to be updated with a feminine and luxurious vibe. The kitchen was dated, as were all the light fixtures, paint colors and many of the materials. In short, the home required a significant face-lift to perfectly blend old and new.
The hue of the living room is a dusty rose, offering a calm and luxe palette.
Kress Jack at Home (kressjackathome.com) was selected to transform nearly every inch of the house, including a kitchen renovation, selecting custom paint finishes and furnishing all spaces. “Our aesthetic is eclectic with a love for color and vintage touches,” says Kress Jack. “Our relationship with our clients is very important. Because this is such a personal process, we always want to make sure we can communicate respectfully and productively from the beginning. Many of our clients find us through referrals, so we have a good sense of who they are, and they have a good sense of who we are.”
“Our client wanted to make this home her sanctuary,” says Jack. “She works hard and wants to have a place to come home and relax in an environment that’s serene with glamorous touches. She also likes to entertain and wants a comfortable and functional space for friends.”
Jack also notes that one of the biggest challenges she and her team faced was the narrow stairwell leading from the front door. Which meant that all of the furniture had to be scaled accordingly. “Luckily, with this client, we were on the same page aesthetically, and she encouraged us to have fun with color and pattern to create a seductive home.”
Designer Kress Jack layered in lots of patterns and textures into the bedrooms.
The homeowner wanted her living room to be more formal, a space for friends to convene for cocktails and to showcase her collection of books and memorabilia. “We encased the room in a gorgeous dusty rose to create a calm and luxurious palette,” says Jack, whose team crafted custom sofas and selected a vintage coffee table. A Turkish rug from SummerHouse (summerhousemillvalley.com) serves as the room’s colorful foundation, along with paintings from Denise Carletta (denisecarletta.com) and Sheryl Daane Chesnut (sheryldaane.com) via Simon Breitbard Gallery (sbfinearts.com). A cozy den, which holds a Nathan Anthony (nafurniture.com) sofa, Made Goods (madegoods.com) coffee table and Oly (olystudio.com) mirror, offers another sanctuary for relaxing after a long day.
A Nathan Anthony coffee table and Oly mirror accent the home’s cozy den.
The so-called fainting room, a Victorian-era space typically on the first floor, is where Jack says she and her team truly let their imaginations run wild. “The only requirement was a bed large enough for a guest, but mostly this room would be a reading nook and afternoon nap area,” says Jack. “The black chinoiserie on the walls by artist Caroline Lizarraga (carolinelizarraga.com) set the tone of whimsy and fantasy, and the pink velvet daybed by Kress Jack at Home beckons you in for an afternoon’s indulgence.” Vintage lighting and a plaster eye mirror from Los Angeles boutique Salvare (salvaregoods.com) add to the allure of the room.
The Kress Jack team painted the original cabinets to add drama to the kitchen.
“As this room is a pass-through to several spaces, a round table was key, and the jewel tones in the paint colors and wallpaper created the drama,” says Jack. The team opted for a table and chairs from Redford House (redfordhouse.com), sconces by CB2 (cb2.com), a custom rug by Art Hide (arthide.co), wallpaper behind the bar by Abnormal Anonymous (abnormalanonymous.com) and an abstract painting by Monika Steiner (monikasteiner.com) from Simon Breitbard Gallery.
Since the homeowner didn’t want to move the main cabinets, Jack and her team painted the originals and added a large custom hutch for a bit of drama. The also used black—in the form of a custom cowhide banquette and the new floor-to-ceiling cabinet—which played nicely off the Kelly Wearstler (kellywearstler.com) tile and pendants above the island.
“We added a dark gray chevron floor tile for some interest and texture,” says Jack. “The painting hanging above the banquette, by local artist Denise Carletta, is hauntingly beautiful, especially as the sun comes in late afternoon.” Other standout pieces include Circa Lighting (circalighting.com) sconces, Kelly Wearstler pendants, a Made Goods table, Interlude (interludehome.com) stools and a custom banquette by Kress Jack at Home.
The ceilings are particularly high, which can result in square footage that feels empty. Jack combatted this by adding texture and color, especially a custom wall finish by artist Caroline Lizarraga. Whimsy was added with a custom bubble light fixture, and touches of gold leaf provided a little glam. “The butterfly canvas was a much-needed pop on the otherwise jewel-toned room,” says Jack, who layered in an antique bed, rug by CB2, vintage wall art and a bedside table from Summer House.
“Our client is thrilled, and the space reflects who she is,” says Jack, who also notes that her client’s boyfriend adores the home and its allure. “The jewel tones throughout the house create a cohesiveness and allow a romantic palette.”
A custom cowhide banquette offers exceptional views of the city.
HOME TYPE
Townhome
LOCATION
Pacific Heights
DESIGNER
Kress Jack at Home
kressjackathome.com
Abnormal Anonymous
Wallpaper, dining room
abnormalanonymous.com
Allied Maker
Sconces and pendants
alliedmaker.com
Art Hide
Rug, dining room
arthide.co
Article
Bar stools, kitchen
article.com
Caroline Lizarraga
Art, fainting room
carolinelizarraga.com
CB2
Sconces, dining room
cb2.com
Denise Carletta
Art, living room
denisecarletta.com
Interlude
Stools, kitchen
interludehome.com
Kelly Wearstler
Tile and pendants, kitchen
kellywearstler.com
Made Goods
Coffee table, den
madegoods.com
Monika Steiner
Art, dining room
monikasteiner.com
Nathan Anthony
Sofa, den
nafurniture.com
Oly
Mirror, den
olystudio.com
Redford House
Table and chairs, dining room
redfordhouse.com
Sheryl Daane Chesnut
Art, living room
sheryldaane.com
SummerHouse
Rug, living room
summerhousemillvalley.com
Photography by: HELYNN OSPINA
