Global Affairs
Jenny Magdol and Steffie Oehm of Alter Interiors bring a hint of British charm to this Spanish Revival home.
For this San Francisco project, Jenny Magdol and Steffie Oehm of ALTER Interiors bring a British charm to this Spanish Revival residence. This mint green kitchen is equipped with Gaggenau appliances and a custom breakfast nook for well-appointed practicality.
In the world of interior design, opposites don’t just attract. Juxtaposing elements can spark inspiration and lay the groundwork for truly personalized design palette. Such was the case for Jenny Magdol and Steffie Oehm of ALTER Interiors, a San Francisco–based firm that was tapped to put the finishing touches on a family home near the city’s Buena Vista Park.
After spending a few years in London, the firm’s clients returned to the Bay Area and wanted to create living spaces that felt authentic to their experiences: something that was rife with British inspiration but didn’t feel out of place against the home’s Spanish Revival architecture. “They wanted to consider the architecture, which was also a requirement for us,” Oehm shares. “We wouldn’t do something that doesn’t talk to the architecture at all.”
Left: Magdol and Oehm installed floating bookshelves, a drop-down desk, and hidden storage to make this nook suitable for arts and crafts as well as cocktail hour. Botanical prints, courtesy of S. Harris from Fabricut, give the space some English appeal.
Right: The designers sourced an antique dresser—made from Spanish pine—to celebrate the home’s Spanish Revival architecture.
Magdol and Oehm employed a thoughtful use of pattern, texture, and vintage details to blend two cultures under one roof. Step inside the foyer of the 2,619-square-foot residence and you’ll spot a rare 1940s Arturo Pani wingback lounge chair, which has curved details that echo the house’s softly sculptured plaster arches. A whimsical light fixture above plays up the stairwell’s wrought-iron railings, while an antique Spanish pine wood dresser blends and function. “There was no place to put a closet, so we came up with was this beautiful dresser,” Magdol explains. “Each family member has their own drawer, and that’s where their shoes are stored.”
Antiques and soft silhouettes play up the space’s architecture, but the design duo took a more calculated approach to its English elements. Magdol and Oehm traded in an onslaught of pattern and color—which feel inherently British, but incongruous in San Francsico—for hints of blue and green to evoke a “Northern California vibe.”
Left: Though Magdol and Oehm opted for a nature-inspired palette of blues and greens, the rust-colored sofa creates unexpected contrast.
Right: A curved, silk-covered bed frame, vintage Swedish lamps, and contemporary nightstands transform the primary bedroom into a dreamy oasis.
“I think the kitchen color is British to me,” Oehm says of the minty cabinets and breakfast nook that interspace the room’s Gaggenau appliances. The designers reprise a similar palette in the home’s joint living and dining area: Here, chairs covered in muted fabrics from Holland & Sherry and Harlequin contrast with a Nickey Kehoe sofa upholstered in a sky-blue velvet from George Spencer Designs. However, Magdol and Oehm also use this common area to introduce thoughtful florals.
“We weren’t going to have this maximalist space,” Oehm says. “Covering an entire room in a floral wasn’t really an option for them, but we did it strategically on more modern pieces.” The design duo coated a freestanding ottoman and multipurpose reading nook in botanical repeats, courtesy of S. Harris from Fabricut. Meanwhile, branchy artwork hangs above the sofa to enhance the subtle floral motif.
Since the homeowners love to entertain, it was important to design for a crowd, with ample seating for intimate conversations. The designers added warmth and texture using textiles from Holland & Sherry, S. Harris from Fabricut, Harlequin, and George Spencer Designs to create a space that’s haute and hospitable.
“There’s this dance with colors and patterns,” Oehm explains. “You must make it feel like it belongs together when it really doesn’t. Having florals that aren’t matchy-matchy, but well-coordinated, feels very British.”
The result: A design with global appeal. “It’s a well-traveled home,” Magdol says. “But ultimately, it belongs in California.”