Maria Khouri Interiors Elevates This Vallejo Street Abode

A French family returns to their San Francisco house and completes a vibrant renovation.

“[My] design approach complements the simplicity and serenity of the home’s architecture, yet does not distract from the gorgeous San Francisco skyline,” says designer Maria Khouri.

THE PROJECT

A French couple with three children—two of whom are in college—own a home on San Francisco’s Vallejo Street that needed a significant overhaul after serving as rental for nearly a decade while the family lived in Paris. Upon their return, they craved a new vision for the 2,800-square-foot home.

THE TEAM

The couple selected Maria Khouri, founder and creative director of Maria Khouri Interiors (mariakhouri.com), to tackle the ambitious project. “I wanted to embrace the open floor plans that maximize natural light and create a sense of spaciousness,” says Khouri, who took a minimalist design approach with clean lines, uncluttered spaces and a neutral color palette. “These large windows and skylights capture the breathtaking views of the city and the bay. [My] design approach complements the simplicity and serenity of the home’s architecture, yet does not distract from the gorgeous San Francisco skyline.”

“I have a collaborative working style with clients, and I spend a lot of time listening to their needs, learning about their likes and dislikes and understanding how they use and live in their home,” says Khouri, who had weekly Zoom calls with the couple since they were still in Paris during project planning.

The dining room benefits from natural light and a Saarinen tables and chairs from Knoll.

THE GOALS

Renovations have countless definitions, but in the case of this home, it meant a top-to-bottom renewal in only five months. Khouri says the floors had to be refinished and restained, the walls repainted and most electrical and lighting required updating. “The fireplace was very dated, so we removed the old mantel, replaced the hearth and plastered the whole wall in white for a clean look,” says Khouri, whose team also furnished the entire home and sourced an art collection. Pieces from Wayne Thiebaud (berggruen.com), Slim Aarons (@slimaaronsofficial) and Antoine Rose (antoinerose.com) round out an eclectic collection.

THE SUNROOM AND LIVING ROOM

Despite the fabulous light and impressive Golden Gate and San Francisco skyline views, the most challenging area was the previously unused sunroom—properly furnishing it was an obstacle. “My clients were delighted when I came up with the banquette idea, and we custom-built it with Holly Hunt (hollyhunt.com) fabric to capitalize on the view and use it to lounge and take in the sun and the views,” says Khouri. “This room went from unused space to a favorite room in the house.” Another standout piece is the coffee table from Sun at Six (sunatsix.com).

The living room features crosshatch chairs from Geiger (geigerfurniture.com), a rug from DWR (dwr.com) and a coffee table and side tables from Blu Dot (bludot.com). Khouri custom-designed the cubbies that frame the fireplace.

Crosshatch chairs from Geiger, a coffee table from Blu Dot and a rug from DWR grace the living room.

DINING ROOM AND KITCHEN

The dining room, bathed in natural light and adjacent to the highly functional kitchen, showcases a Saarinen dining table and chairs from Knoll (knoll.com), a pendant from Mooi (mooi.com) and kitchen lumens from Vibia Lighting (vibia.com).

PRIMARY SUITE

For this space, Khouri opted for soft and subtle hues, including grays, rusts and whites, to convey a sense of calm.

Creating a sanctuary that offered visual cues to the natural world outside the room’s window was important. Gorgeous pieces grace the area, including a bed and nightstands from Flexform (flexform.it), a chair, ottoman and rug from B&B Italia (bebitalia.it) and a table lamp from Artemide (artemide.net).

The primary suite’s soothing elements include a bed and nightstands from Flexform and a rug from B&B Italia.

HOW THE HOME IS LIVING

“The fact that my clients are [French] was a great way for me to tap into my own European influences to bring to life their vision for their home,” says Khouri. “They were delighted and impressed by the speed, flawless execution and overall designs— super happy clients.”

HOME DETAILS

Home Type
Single-family

Location
Telegraph Hill, San Francisco

Designer
Maria Khouri
Maria Khouri Interiors
mariakhouri.com

RESOURCES

Artemide
Table lamp, primary suite
artemide.net

B&B Italia
Chair, ottoman and rug, primary suite
bebitalia.com

Blu Dot
Coffee table and side tables, living room
bludot.com

DWR
Rug, living room
dwr.com

Flexform
Bed and nightstands, primary suite
flexform.it

Geiger
Chairs, living room
geigerfurniture.com

Holly Hunt
Banquette fabric, sunroom
hollyhunt.com

Knoll
Saarinen table and chairs, dining room
knoll.com

Mooi
Pendant, dining room
mooi.com

Sun at Six
Coffee table, sunroom
sunatsix.com

Vibia Lighting
Lighting, kitchen
vibia.com

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