A South Bay couple creates the perfect Pacific Heights pied-a-terre.
The rich and moody dining room holds an oak and stainless-steel table from Olivya Stone, a chandelier from 1stDibs and a silk rug from Scott Group Studio.
THE PROJECT
What is an escape if not a place to disappear—to become someone else for a day, a week or a month? These days, we’re even finding these sanctuaries close to home. A South Bay couple with a teenage son recently discovered an Edwardian in Pacific Heights with the requisite great bones, including gorgeous molding. It called to them, while it also became obvious that the place needed a considerable refresh, as the flooring, bathrooms and kitchen were significantly dated.
THE TEAM AND GOALS
The couple chose Tineke Triggs (tineketriggs.com), principal at her eponymous design firm, to take on the revamp of the 2,200-square-foot home. “The couple wanted an urban escape that was a departure from their more traditional home in the South Bay,” says Triggs, whose design aesthetic is chic, colorful and contemporary. “I wanted to create a sophisticated pied-a-terre for them to entertain—both formally and informally—as well as a place to relax comfortably.”
“My clients wanted to expose their teenage son to urban living, as their life in the suburbs only provided one perspective of the Bay Area,” the designer says. “They also wanted to take advantage of weekend time for the entire family to experience new cultural perspectives with proximity to museums, theater, city sights and a different overall energy.”
The couple also wanted the rooms to showcase their art, and their design bucket list included a chef’s kitchen and relaxing primary suite. Of course, given the age of the home, Triggs says the design team ran into a few hurdles because of dated electrical systems and steam heating.
The living room features a custom sofa from Arden Home, chairs from 1stDibs and art by Katherine Warinner via the Seager Gray Gallery
LIVING SPACES
In the living room, the couple wanted an area that was formal for entertaining yet comfortable for day-to-day family time. “The space gets lots of natural light, especially with a wall of windows, so I wanted to keep it light and bright,” says Triggs. “While the walls are white, the colors from the adjacent rooms were brought into the space in fabrics and tapestry.” Standout pieces include custom sofas from Arden Home (ardenhome.com), vintage chairs from 1stDibs (1stdibs.com), a puzzle coffee table from Olivya Stone (olivyastone.com) and art by Katherine Warinner via the Seager Gray Gallery (seagergray.com).
Because of the home’s open floor plan, Triggs says each space needed definition. This was especially true in the dining room. “I wanted the dining room to be rich and dark, intriguing and inspiring,” she says. “The green walls and a gold ceiling create that dramatic jewel-box effect—a perfect space for entertaining.” The designer and her team layered in elements like an oak and stainless-steel table from Olivya Stone, a chandelier from 1stDibs and a wool and silk rug from Scott Group Studio (scottgroupstudio.com).
In the L-shaped kitchen, entertaining guests is a central theme, so Triggs says she had to get creative to define each area. She expanded the space into the adjacent hallway and created a bar between the kitchen and the dining room. For storage, the kitchen now features a separate pantry, and a coffee station offers endless convenience. Custom cabinetry from JCM Cabinets (jcmcabinets.com) frames the kitchen, and brass pendants from Rubn (rubn.com) add perfect lighting throughout the day. Calacatta marble from Da Vinci Marble (davincimarble.com) serves as a backsplash, and quartz countertops via Santa Margherita (santamargherita.net) serve as one of the kitchen’s anchors.
PRIMARY SUITE
“I wanted the suite to feel like a luxurious hotel room playing off of the urban feel—a getaway from the day-to-day,” says Triggs, who added a Killian bed from Porada (porada.it), a chandelier from Visual Comfort (visualcomfort.com) and a handknotted linen rug from Stark (starkcarpet.com).
Custom cabinetry from JCM Cabinets frames the kitchen, and brass pendants from Rubn offer chic lumens to the space
“The challenge was the bathroom,” says Triggs. “It was a small space, previously a Jackand- Jill bathroom. To make the space feel bigger, I put a trough sink in the middle of the room and separated the room using seeded glass,” which allows natural light to spill into the square footage. Countertops are from Da Vinci Marble, the mosaic tile flooring is from Artistic Tile (artistictile.com), and the Forchette sconces are from Materia Designs (materiadesigns.com).
A Killian bed from Porada, a chandelier from Visual Comfort and a handknotted linen rug from Stark Carpet grace the calming primary suite.
HOW THE HOME IS LIVING
With endless creativity and some breakthrough solutions for each room, Triggs and her team carved out a unique home away from home. “The clients are thrilled with the end result,” she says. “It’s a sophisticated space that remains homey, warm and perfect for weekend escapes.”
Photography by: CHRISTOPHER STARK
