A new home in SF’s Noe Valley gets a refresh with fine art as a central focus.
Artwork from emerging Los Angeles artist Amir Nikravan graces a wall above the fireplace.
THE PROJECT
A lawyer and restaurateur with an adorable bull terrier named Rami purchased a newly built 2,745-square-foot home in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood. As with any new home, each room needed personality and flair to match their interests and passion for art.
THE TEAM
The couple selected Leo Cesareo, founder of his eponymous design studio (leocesareo.com), to tackle the ambitious project, which included the foyer, two guest bedrooms, an office, a media den, primary suite, an exterior balcony, the kitchen and the living and dining rooms.
“My design aesthetic is a fusion of modern, layered and eclectic elements that result in spaces that feel both sophisticated and inviting,” says Cesareo, who works closely with clients to develop personalized interiors that speak to their unique tastes. “By carefully curating each layer of design, from furniture and lighting to textiles and accessories, we aim to craft interiors as visually captivating as they are functional.”
The kitchen's jet black cabinetry matches the home's moody design aesthetic.
THE GOAL
“Our clients wanted to make this project an art-forward design,” says Cesareo. “We sourced emerging artists and designed rooms around the art. The existing space was a blank canvas for us to play with.”
Cesareo says the home’s painted plaster walls presented a challenge. “Getting the colors and texture just right was a huge undertaking, but thankfully, we partnered with a great local craftsman who helped us navigate the tricky nuances of plaster paint,” he says.
The dining room includes a walnut and steel dining table, a leather-bound credenza from Croft House, dining chairs from DWR and a gorgeous custom chandelier from Lindsey Adelman Studios.
LIVING ROOM
“We wanted to create a moody, masculine space with pops of color mainly coming from the art we sourced for the room,” says Cesareo. “We aimed to create a comfortable art gallery experience where the art dictated the design.”
Because this room faces south and receives natural light throughout the day, Cesareo says his team added pieces with bolder, darker colors, such as a black boucle sofa from Egg Collective (eggcollective.com), which he paired with a gray velvet lounge chair from The Future Perfect (thefutureperfect.com).
“The main sculpture prominently displayed above the fireplace mantel is from an emerging artist from Los Angeles, Amir Nikravan (@amir_nikravan),” says Cesareo. The artwork’s subtle pinks inspired the selection of a coral-colored TRNK NYC (trnk-nyc.com) rug. Pops of cobalt blue from the artwork of photographer Pascaline Dargent (@pascalinedargantcollages) paired with the blue glazed ceramic cocktail table from ceramicist and artist B Zippy (@bzippy). The team accessorized the room with local artist Rafi Ajl’s (@the_rafi_ajl) beautiful hand-blown glass vases.
The primary suite features a custom, leather-bound headboard and bed frame from Croft House, chrome sconces from The Future Perfect and a brass chandelier from Snelling Studio.
DINING ROOM & KITCHEN
“We installed a beautiful walnut and steel dining table and a leather-bound credenza from Croft House (crofthouse.com), which we paired with dining chairs from DWR (dwr.com), all under a gorgeous custom chandelier from Lindsey Adelman Studios (lindseyadelman.com),” says Cesareo. “Running alongside the wall, we commissioned a triptych of artwork from emerging Polish artist Nikodem Szpunar (@nikodemszpunar).”
In the kitchen, the design team worked with a local refinisher to paint the original cabinets jet black to match the darker mood throughout.
PRIMARY SUITE
Cesareo plastered the walls in this gorgeous sanctuary and installed a custom, leather-bound headboard and bed frame from Croft House. The team also incorporated chrome sconces from The Future Perfect and paired them with a brass chandelier from Snelling Studio (snellingstudio.com).
“To balance the dark tones throughout, we paired oak nightstands from Disc Interiors (discinteriors.com) on top of a tufted white wool rug from Awanay (awanay.com) rugs. At the foot of the bed, we installed an ebonized custom Cuff Studio (cuffstudio.com) bench with black velvet swivel lounge chairs from Room & Board (roomandboard.com) and placed a cocktail table from Sabin (sabin.la) in the middle.” Two custom ceramic lamps from The Future Perfect and a dresser from CB2 (cb2.com) round out the space.
The family's bull terrier, Rami, fully embraces the new outdoor space.
HOW THE HOME IS LIVING
“This project was a true collaboration with my clients. They were up for anything and trusted the process, which was a huge part of why things worked out so cohesively,” says Cesareo. “They absolutely love their home and have expressed interest in collaborating again on a future property, which would be so fun.”
Because the living room receives so much natural light, a black boucle sofa from Egg Collective fits the space's mood perfectly.
Type
Single-family home
Location
Noe Valley
Architecture
Leo Cesareo Design
leocesareo.com
RESOURCES
Amir Nikravan
Sculpture, living room
@amir_nikravan
Awanay
Rug, primary suite
awanay.com
B Zippy
Cocktail table, living room
@bzippy
CB2
Dresser, primary suite
cb2.com
Croft House
Credenza, living room; headboard and bed, primary suite
crofthouse.com
Cuff Studio
Bench, primary suite
cuffstudio.com
Disc Interiors
Nightstands, primary suite
discinteriors.com
DWR
Chairs, dining room
dwr.com
Egg Collective
Sofa, living room
eggcollective.com
Lindsey Adelman Studios
Chandelier, dining room
lindseyadelman.com
Nikodem Szpunar
Artwork, dining room
@nikodemszpunar
Pascaline Dargent
Artwork, living room
@pascalinedargantcollages
Rafi Ajl’s
Glass vases, living room
@the_rafi_ajl
Room & Board
Lounge chairs, primary suite
roomandboard.com
Snelling Studio
Chandelier, primary suite
snellingstudio.com
The Future Perfect
Lounge chair, living room
thefutureperfect.com
TRNK NYC
Rug, living room
trnk-nyc.com
Photography by: ALANNA HALE
