“I love framed botanical prints and use them in almost every project; it’s sort of a signature of mine,” says Marea. The hand-crafted lamps throughout the home are by favorite artisans of the designer such as Stephen Gerould (left) and Wayne Bishop (right).
Striking a balance between beauty and practicality may seem like an overwhelming goal, but it doesn’t need to be. San Francisco interior designer Marea Clark reworked a home for a family with young children to create spaces that serve up enviable style while addressing day to day living for her clients in the suburban community of Hillsborough, California. “They were at that stage where they needed more space, and this 1940’s Colonial had great potential and a large lot,” says Marea. “It had been renovated over the years, so our focus was more on tweaking and decorating the house to suit their taste and accommodate their lifestyle.” One reason her clients hired Marea’s firm was the designer’s deft aesthetic in pairing East Coast, Southern-traditional with casual California style to create pretty polish and comfort throughout the home.
Photo by Stephanie Russo
In the dining room for example, hand-painted blue floral de Gournay wallcovering makes a striking statement, but it’s placed above wainscotting, which protects it from active toddlers. “A wallpaper like this is certainly an investment, but this room is viewed from several locations in the house, so it was essential to make it special and welcoming,” says the designer. To bring down the formality, Marea employed a durable sisal rug, a more streamlined chandelier instead of an elaborate crystal style, and a painted buffet table in lieu of an antique wooden one.
A custom tufted banquette anchors one end of the long living room, and its Fortuny pillows add a luxurious Old-World feel juxtaposed with more contemporary cocktail tables.
The exceptionally long living room called out for some inventive choices. Marea designed a custom L-shaped tufted banquette upholstered in a Lee Jofa textured solid fabric that anchors one end of space and provides an additional seating area when paired with two-star shaped cocktail tables. Another custom piece achieves that desired balance—the large leather two-tiered chic coffee table can be easily wiped down for sticky fingers if need be, and by using a fully upholstered style instead of a wooden one, sharp corners are avoided for small children. By placing it on casters, the table can be rolled out of the way to make space for playtime. Marea also used hard working and easy to clean performance fabrics on both sofas.
The large foyer shows off a studied blend with an antique sideboard topped with a more transitional gold Carver’s Guild mirror and a green handmade ceramic lamp while a painted coral sphere-shaped chandelier with a scalloped canopy adds a colorful and playful note.
The designer worked with the existing vanity and flooring, but updated the powder room with paint, wallpaper, new fixtures, and a marble slab. A vase with anemones, white hydrangea, and copper-hued carnations adds additional texture and color.
Inspiration for the palette came from the location; there’s coastal blues, soft sandy neutrals and whites, and understated greens drawn from the sea and lush landscape. The powder bath offers a green large-scale Gucci botanical wallpaper while the dining room wallpaper’s billowing white florals speak to the fluffy hydrangeas and other plantings outside the home.
The office is smartly appointed with dark blues walls, built-in bookcases, plaid window treatments, and a custom hand-knotted rug. A textured fabric Urban Electric pendant provides a unique accent in the room.
For the office, Marea wrapped the walls, ceiling, and the glass-front bookcases and French doors in a navy shade that imparts a handsome attitude. “Since the office is located off the foyer, it was important that it felt in harmony with the adjoining living spaces, and by using a deeper blue, it speaks to those rooms, but it has a distinctive character,” says Marea. Brighter blues appear in the primary bedroom with a custom lively floral print upholstered bed, while a large-stripe Holland & Sherry fabric on a chaise lounge adds a nautical touch.
The primary bedroom is a study in feminine elements such as the blue floral upholstered bed with more streamlined pieces like the bedside tables and Stephen Gerould ceramic lamp.
Special decorative elements fill each room such as framed botanical prints, handcrafted artisanal lamps, Fortuny pillows, and unique mirrors. Every element speaks to sophistication and welcoming comfort that captures that elusive balance.
The circa 1940s Colonial home in the Hillsborough neighborhood outside of San Francisco shows off the original door with its glass side lights and an unusual and charming transom window above.
SOURCES FOR THIS COLONIAL HOME MAKEOVER
Dining Room:
- Abbey Carpet area rug, abbeycarpet.com
- de Gournay Earlham wallpaper, degournay.com
- Woodbridge dining chairs, tester chair, and console, woodbridgefurniture.com
- De Sousa Hughes dining chair fabric, desousahughes.com
- Doorman Designs dining table, doormandesigns.com
- Shears and Window sconces and shades, table lamps, chandelier, and mirrors, shearsandwindow.com
Foyer:
- Abbey Carpet stair runner
- Carvers’ Guild mirror, carversguild.com
- Coleen and Company Co pendant, coleenandcompany.com
- Stephen Gerould table lamp, stephengerould.com with Schumacher fabric shade, schumacher.com
Living Room:
- Abbey Carpet area rug
- Anthem candles, throws, woven tray, and ceramic pot, anthemsf.com
- Antique and Art Exchange round side table, aaxsf.com
- Casa Tosca drinks tables, casatosca.eu
- Circa floor lamp, visualcomfort.com
- Found by Maja match strike, coasters, and taper candles, foundbymaja.com
- Gina Berschneider custom banquette, swivel chairs, ottoman, and pillows, gbfurniture.net
- Lee Jofa banquette fabric, kravet.com; banquette pillow fabrics, Pindler, pindler.com and Hewn, hewnsf.com
- Maiden Home sofa, maidenhome.com
- Sloan Miyasato sofa pillow fabric
- Urban Electric sconces, urbanelectric.com
- Priley Lane bar cart, prileylane.com
- Woodbridge square table and sconces
- All upholstery trim by Kneedler Fauchère, kneedlerfauchere.com
- Holland and Sherry leather ottoman fabric, draperyhttps://www.etsy.com/ fabric, and sconce lampshade fabric, hollandandsherry.com
- Hwang Bishop Designs side table lamp, shophwangbishop.com
- Antiques Legacy mirror, antiqueslegacy.com
- Ornis Gallery artwork, ornisgallery.com
Office:
- Abbey Carpet area rug
- Burke Décor side table
- CB2 armchairs, cb2.com
- Woodbridge desk chair
- Lawson-Fenning desk and window treatments, lawsonfenning.com
- Select accessories from Etsy, etsy.com; Hay, Pigeon and Poodle Home, pigeonandpoodle.com
- Rejuvenation, rejuvenation.com sconces with Lamps Plus shades, lampsplus.com
Powder Room:
- Gucci glade print cotton wallpaper, ‘Souvenir from Rome’ Gucci.com
- Waterworks facet and drain, waterworks.com
- Anthem guest napkins
- CB2 hand towels
- Integrated Resources Group limestone slab, marblecompany.com
- Just Shades sconce shades, justlampshades.com
Primary Bedroom:
- Abbey Carpet, area rug
- Alicia Adams alpaca king throw, aliciaadamsalpaca.com
- Arhaus dresser, arhaus.com
- Visual Comfort chandelier
- Shears and Window bed fabric, floor and table lamps
- Derby chaise lounge, Holland and Sherry chaise fabric
- De Sousa Hughes window seat and drapery panels fabric, Kneedler Fauchère pillow trim
- Found by Maja vases
- Gina Berschneider custom lumbar pillow and upholstered bed
- Made Goods mirror, madegoods.com
- Just Shades lamp shades, floor and table lamps
- Matouk coverlet, matouk.com
- Stephen Gerould bedside lamps