SF Showcase House 2020
The San Francisco Showcase House here in the Bay Area has always been a “who’s who” of design locally. For a great cause to benefit the school’s financial aid program, the annual showcase has raised over 17 million dollars over the past 43 years.
But it also truly does showcase amazing local talent. There are typically a group of very well-established designers who are awarded rooms, but there are also incredible new up and coming talents selected each year. Plus the homes are always stunning, dreamy mansions in the Pacific Heights area, so not only do you get a taste of San Francisco history, but as a designer you get to transform a dated stuffy home into something magical -- what a treat!
I participated in the Showcase House in 2012 just months after I had my second child. I didn’t even have my own business website, business cards, or many existing clients -- talk about a new kid on the block! I submitted a “Teen Only Hang Out Room” inspired by Christian Sirano’s fashion line that season in light pink, neon green, bright red and gold. (Oh how my tastes have changed!) To this day it was one of the best experiences of my design career and I met extraordinary clients and fellow designers whom I consider life-long friends and colleagues.
The selected home for 2020 is a beautiful Mediterranean masterpiece that I was inspired to check out because I do really have a ‘thing’ for that style of architecture. And let me tell you, the designers this year BROUGHT IT. Although the Showcase House had to make the tours 100% virtual this year, they did an incredible job flying through each space and providing the viewers with unique opportunities to hear designer interviews and more. It’s only $25 and a must-do activity for any of you design lovers!
Here are a few of my favorite spaces:
The Dining Room
By Kelly Hohla
“Salle d’Etude”
I loved this space Salle d’Etude. Kelly found that in the last several years, clients have been asking her to create rooms that function in more than just one way. For this study in modernism, her team created a multifaceted dining room that also seamlessly serves as a library, a workspace, and a gathering spot for cocktails. We loved the hand-painted wallpaper ceiling, and her innovative way of creating custom furniture and built-ins to create a sophisticated space that is gorgeous and multi-functional! Homework or a fancy dinner party? It can all happen here.
The Entry
By Leap Interiors
“Natural Always Wins”
I LOVE this room because each of the room’s pieces were designed or crafted in California as an exploration of the wealth of resources that exist right in our own backyard. All makers and manufacturers are within a 500-mile radius of the Showcase house, thus lowering the environmental footprint and the overall embodied energy of the design, all while supporting the local economy and the extraordinary artists and fabricators who help to fuel it.
More:
https://www.leapinteriors.com/sanfrancisco-decorator-showcase
The Lounge
By Chad Dorsey
“The Listening Room”
Oh this moody mash up is everything we love about design. Unique colors, a striking ceiling treatment by Porter Telco, a unique fireplace, fully painted color trim, an untraditional furniture layout, and a moody, sexy color palette. We can’t get enough -- relaxed luxury style taken to another level.
More:
https://thepowerplayermag.com/chad-dorsey-design-debuts-listening-room-bath/
The Kitchen, Breakfast Nook and Pantry
By Regan Baker
“Modern Mediterranean Kitchen”
These ladies killed it this year! We loved everything about this space and really appreciated the attention to detail. Inspired by an old-world influence, they infused modernity in simplicities like a contemporary cabinetry color and finish and brass handles; the change of wood in the island making it feel like a freestanding piece of furniture; a higher marble backsplash that is carried softly to the side and cut in a semicircle. The color palette really got me, and the art selections and furniture pieces ahhh… just soak in every last detail!
More:
https://reganbakerdesign.com/modern-mediterranean-kitchen
The Laundry Room
By Nest Design Co.
“Soak and Spin”
Small but mighty! We are obsessed with the leather finished marble backsplash and the cabinet face details. They packed a punch in a small space, and kudos to the oversized art...nice touch!
More:
https://nestdesignco.com/project/san-francisco-decorators-showcase-house-2020/
Purchase your San Francisco Showcase House virtual tour tickets here:
https://decoratorshowcase.org/register/supporter/