Out of the ashes
After a devastating fire, a 1904 edwardian residence is reimagined by ABD Studio into a personality-packed home for the new owner.
Brittany H. Giannone of ABD Studio gave this living room some high-design drama with a color-drenched navy backdrop, matching custom sectional, and woven touches throughout. Regal purple pillows covered in fabric by Dedar, through Holly Hunt. The Long Room, Trinity College Library Dublin Ireland by Reinhard Görner hangs over the sofa.
When Brittany H. Giannone of ABD Studio was hired to work on a 1904 Edwardian home in San Francisco’s Presidio Heights neighborhood, she was on a mission to rediscover the spirit of the home. The residence caught fire before her clients purchased the 6,090-square-foot space, with much of the interior reduced to ashes. “During our first visit, there were still plates on the dining room table from right before the fire happened,” she shares. “It was bittersweet because while it was very sad, we had the opportunity to bring new life into this home.”
Along with Bay Area architect Nick Noyes, Giannone drew inspiration from the residence’s rich history, but really relied on the clients’ needs to give the home its new beginning. “We wanted outsiders to experience the home and have it feel like the clients’ space,” she explains. “That’s my whole design ethos. It’s the hardest, but best compliment to receive as a designer.”
Since the property required a lot of repairs, Noyes had the opportunity to open the once-constricting rooms to create a more expansive, inclusive floor plan. “But even in your more opened up public spaces, you still want those intimate areas where you can cozy up,” Giannone counters, referencing the charming reading nooks sprinkled throughout the home.
For a kitchen that’s well-appointed but not too precious, Giannone outfitted this space with quartzite countertops, Miele appliances, and ample storage space.
On the design front, Giannone wanted to honor her clients’ penchant for pigments. “The clients love jewel tones—no pastels,” she explains. “They wanted the space to be bright and fresh but still have some saturation.” That tension between light and dark is seen from the moment you step inside the foyer, where an inky staircase and emerald ceiling pendant punctuate an otherwise crisp, white room. “The central staircase goes from the top of the home to the bottom, so it creates a really easy flow,” she shares. “A huge skylight at the top lets light stream down it, which is pretty dramatic when you see it in person.” While the color- drenched living room puts the drama on full display, caned chairs, a coffee table with an antique mirrored top, and brass touches throughout keep the navy room from feeling drab.
This San Francisco home might offer plenty of high-fashion moments, but it still had to be functional enough to accommodate a young family. “It’s the place where your life is going to unfold,” Giannone explains. “You don’t want to feel like you have to be restrained because of design selections you’ve made.”
Left: Giannone sought to create a space that celebrated her clients unique design perspective. The designer peppered the bathrooms in brass fixtures, a nod to the family’s favorite finish.
Right: “They wanted every inch to get used for storage or something that would enrich the experience of their family using the home,” Giannone explains. With its jute rug and brass hardware, this mudroom deftly creates a space for smart, stylish storage.
Family is front and center in the great room, which has easy access to the property’s backyard. The family area boasts a sofa upholstered in durable Peter Dunham fabric that evokes the calmness of the ocean, while a central dining table holds space for dinners and science projects alike.
“The clients love jewel tones—no pastels. They wanted the space to be bright and fresh but still have some saturation.”
However, it’s the kitchen that deftly bridges the gap between form and function. “They do cook a lot, but they don’t necessarily want to have to remember to wipe up after every spill,” Giannone explains. The designer used a quartzite stone in a honed finish for the kitchen island for a stain-free surface. Miele appliances and leather stools from Thomas Hayes Studio complete the room, striking a balance between style and substance.
Since the family room offers direct access to the property’s backyard, Giannone bridged the gap between the great outdoors and indoors with an ombré rug and abstract art, both of which evoke the calmness of sitting seaside. Pillows covered in Jim Thompson Ridgeline, in magenta, provide a splash of vibrant color. Through Holly Hunt.
Giannone leaned into the clients color palette and lifestyle, but it’s those smaller touches that really speak to the soul of this family home. “She gravitated to ombré a lot, so we brought that in with the rug in the family room and the dip-dyed window treatments in the primary suite,” the designer explains. Meanwhile, even the tiniest details, like the fixtures in the primary suite, were meticulously selected to speak to the clients love of brass.
Of course, not every inch of the home was planned to precision. Giannone gave the children’s spaces a lighter touch—the neutral spaces are dotted with patterned window treatments and furniture—allowing the next generation to find their own design voices.