From the outside, 625 El Camino Del Mar, San Francisco, has a pronounced Spanish Revival grace, with its 10-foot-high carved wood front doors and curved iron railings. Inside, though, the effect is somewhat different—at least through May 29. During this time the 1927 home is the site of the 2023 San Francisco Decorator Showcase. Amid the towering coffered ceilings and paneled walls, nearly two dozen West Coast design firms have created rooms referencing everything from Salvador Dalí to Memphis Design, with an abundance of colors, shapes, and materials that the original residents of the 6,100-square-foot house likely never envisioned.
The three-story home features 28 design spaces, including five bedrooms, a game room, a wine cellar, and an elevator; the show house benefits the San Francisco University High School financial aid program. Can’t make it to San Francisco? At right and below are a few highlights of the showcase.
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Curves were a theme throughout the show house. In this corner of a study, Geoffrey Coy of Coy & Co. incorporated arches into the custom cabinetry and a barrel swivel chair to balance the numerous straight lines and right angles inherent in just about every room. Find the picture light here. Photo by Mario Serafin Photography.
To make this large living room feel more intimate and inviting, Kimberly Denman Rebuffel and Laurent Rebuffel of Kimberly Denman Inc. created multiple seating areas and introduced a trove of plush textiles: “Our goal was to reinterpret an old San Francisco mythic quality, with a modern twist, sensual and sophisticated, yet cozy enough for a young family to feel at home.” The furniture’s rounded corners complement the existing grids of the coffered ceiling and the mantel. Photo courtesy Kimberly Denman Inc.
Salvador Dalí’s 1934 painting Enigmatic Elements in a Landscape inspired design firm Chroma‘s vision for the dining room. The abstract ombré wall treatment provides a dreamlike background for the surrealistic artworks and furnishings.
In the home’s “mahjong tea room,” Dina Bandman married the classic (the hand-painted de Gournay floral wallpaper, the klismos chairs) and the contemporary (the hand-painted geometric motif of the floors, the white-oak table). The result is a space conducive not only to playing mahjong and sipping tea but also to dining, reading, and so much more. Photo by John Merkl.
By integrating a few geometric motifs, including the diamond motif of the Kali Jute Rug, Chantal Lamberto ensured that this butterfly-adorned bedroom never felt too girly. The reading nook the arched doorway adds “secret garden” charm. Find the nightstand lamps here and a similar desk chair here. Photo by Bess Friday.
If any room could benefit from the introduction of a few sweeping curves, it’s the bathroom, which is usually dominated by hard surfaces and precise lines. Tineke Triggs made the primary bathroom conducive to relaxation with tiles in an arched motif, sconces made up of discs, and the rounded corners of the vanity. Photo by Christopher Stark.
Eugenia and Emma Jesberg, of EJ Interior Design, went all out with the vibrant colors and curves of the 1980s Memphis Design movement. The custom bed also references an up-and-coming trend: oversize upholstered headboards. Photo by Mario Serafin Photography.
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