San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2011

Every Spring, San Francisco calls to me. The weather is clearing from the Winter doldrums and the fog of Summer has not yet arrived. The city is at its finest, and what better time to showcase the fresh talent of the San Francisco design community?

The San Francisco Decorator Showcase opens this weekend on April 30th and runs through May 30th. There will be a full month of viewing....so one might consider attending more than once! I never seem to catch all of the creative details the first time around. The house is located in the prestigious Pacific Heights area. A brick Italianate villa estate, the home was built in 1927 and designed by architects of Villa Montalvo in Saratoga.

This year, the designer line up is fantastic. I was able to see a preview of the house yesterday and let me say, it is fantastic! I will give you a peek little by little during the next month just to whet your design appetite!

First up,

The Living Room

Navarra Design, Inc.

Kathleen Navarra, proprietress of Navarra Design created this stunning space. There is a nod to the feminine with the unexpected dollop of fuchsia pink and dressmaker tailoring, but the room is also fit for the King of the house as well. The room is anchored with a simple grey natural woven area rug. It almost looks like the grey flannel of a man's suit. The scaling of the furniture is generous, while also being very elegant.

One of my favorite elements was the gorgeous cast bronze, Swarovski crystal studded Twig chandelier by Jonathan Browning available through the De Souza Hughes Showroom in San Francisco. Kathleen centered the chandelier in a ceiling stenciled in gold leaf on a copper-y red field.

Kathleen put together a really wonderful mix of things, spanning time and the globe. A large scale portrait of Marchesa Balbi oversees the room where a modern bronze candelabra sits atop a custom white and steel coffee table. Peeking out from underneath are a pair of imported carved footstools. Details, like the small cigarette table next to the sofa, the shark skin topped accent table next to the fuchsia velvet ottoman trimmed in grosgrain ribbon, and the antique mirrored fireplace screen collectively add layers of inspiration. Everywhere I looked there was another treat for my eyes.

Across the room was a table surrounded with whimsical carved armchairs covered in a velvet stripe and a settee that charmed me to no end. It was upholstered in a grassy green velvet on the tufted seat, and the back was upholstered in a snakeskin embossed fuchsia velvet.

And then there were the chests on either side of the window, the bronze lamps, the art!! There was so much to take in and way too little time. I may have to make another visit!