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Family Home Refresh

San Francisco interior designer Marea Clark breathes new life into a 1940’s-Colonial house infusing it with a mélange of pieces that speak to classic elegance and California casual.

Black, four-panel front door with sidelights and arched transom lights, flanked by pair of potted evergreens on brick landing.

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.

Dining room with blue floral de Gournay wallpaper, and centerpiece of pinkish purple roses on table. Streamlined lighting fixture above the table.
“The dining room wall covering really sets the tone for the entire home with its rich blue color and both formal and informal notes,” says Marea. The designer had the oval table hand crafted by bespoke firm Doorman Designs in New Orleans. “It’s classic, but it’s not too fancy with its clean lines.”

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.

Custom, L-shaped banquette upholstered in Lee Jofa fabric, with pair of star-shaped, rattan cocktail tables.
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.
Large, leather-covered coffee table on casters in living room with sage grey sofa and antique side tables. Botanical prints on wall above sofa.
“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).

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.

Sunny foyer with open door and antique sideboard topped with gold Carver's Guild mirror, handmade ceramic lamp, and vase of flowers and foliage branches. A woven basket with tall green branches stands beside the table.
Marea had the antique sideboard refinished for an elegant note in the foyer while foraged branches in a simple basket brings down the formality along with the coral pendant light.

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.

Powder room with green, large-scale Gucci botanical wallpaper above wainscoting. Antique chest adapted for sink holds a vase of anemones, hydrangea flowers and ranunculus.
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.

Home office with bookcases, walls and ceiling painted in a shade of navy blue. Desk topped with reading lamp and rustic ceramic jar of olive branches.
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.

Primary bedroom with lively floral print upholstered bed and headboard, bedside table with Stephen Gerould lamp, candle, and flowers.
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.

White ceramic vase of pink roses on dining table with pink, gold, and gray place setting with gold bow napkin ring on rose-colored napkin.
Lively pink in the abundant garden roses and tableware complement the de Gournay hand-painted wall covering beyond creating a welcoming and color-filled atmosphere.
Bedroom dresser topped with mod lamp, stack of books, and rattan-covered vase of white ranunculus, green-tinged oakleaf hydrangea blossoms, white berries, and white tuberose flowers.
A green-and-white arrangement suits the serene attitude in the primary bedroom and includes ranunculus, hydrangea, hypericum, and veronica.
Powder room sink with Waterworks fixtures, ceramic vase filled with anemones, ranunculus, and oakleaf hydrangea blossoms.
No entertaining event is complete without fresh flowers, and the powder room should not be overlooked—this fluffy arrangement makes a pretty statement with hydrangea, anemones, carnations, and ranunculus.
Stacks of books, a white ceramic vase filled with blue delphinium and belles of Ireland, along with amber-toned dominoes top the living room coffee table.
Blue delphiniums and green butterfly ranunculus speak to the interior’s palette and the lush landscape beyond.

By Alice Welsh Doyle

Photography by Stephanie Russo

Styling by Kendra Smoot

Interior design by Marea Clark Interiors. See more from Marea at her website and on Instagram.

More Stylish, Family-Friendly Designs

Sources for this colonial home makeover

Dining Room:

Foyer:

Living Room:

Office:

Powder Room:

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

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