Houzz Tours

Houzz Tour: Sophisticated Family-Friendly Flat

San Francisco home blends versatility and portability with favorite colors and childproof finishes

Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected." I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.

Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More »

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When a San Francisco couple with a new baby bought their flat in the Marina district, they knew they were not in it for the long haul. They planned to stay about three to five years while their family grew and then to move on. "Because the clients knew this wasn't going to be their house forever, we decorated with pieces they would be able to take with them to their next home," explains Ali Davin of Jute Interiors. Here's a look at how she designed for the clients' future with sophisticated style, family friendliness and versatility.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and two children
Location: San Francisco
Size: 4 bedrooms, 2 baths

by Jute Interior Design

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Blue, brown, gray-green and tan make a wonderful palette for the playroom, and the dark color of the sofa helps hide stains. "Everything in this apartment is very childproof," Davin says. She used sturdy outdoor fabrics wherever possible.

The painted wall stripes incorporate Davin's signature color, Benjamin Moore's Texas Leather. The photograph over the sofa, of nearby Ocean Beach, was a gift from the client's mother.

Zebra rug: Jonathan Adler
Side table: Roost
Sofa: Crate and Barrel

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The kitchen, dining area and living room are all open to one another. "My clients inherited this kitchen," she says. "While they wouldn't necessarily have picked these cabinets and countertops, it wasn't worth changing them, so we brought in the tile backsplash, pendant lights and Bertoia stools to add some style," Davin says.

Berlin pendant lights: Roost
Bertoia counter stools: Design Within Reach
Backsplash tile: Ann Sacks
Counters: Caesarstone

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"My client's favorite color was gray, and she brought me the issue of Domino featuring Jenna Lyons' townhouse as her inspiration because she loved the way they used lots of gray with those pops of yellow," says Davin. This soft color palette carries through all of the open space and keeps the dining and living areas sophisticated, light and cheerful.

Drape fabric: Charcoal Ribbons by Hable Construction

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The dining room incorporates an interesting and versatile mix of materials, textures and eras; it includes a custom-made dining settee, reupholstered chairs from the 1950s, a wood and metal table and a barn light. The result is a comfortable, beautiful and functional space.

Pendant light: Design Within Reach; dining table: Hickory Chair

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A comfortable sectional sofa holds a mix of muted yellow pillows. A leather ottoman can be used as a coffee table or extra seating. The painting, by artist Nancy Christensen of Charleston, South Carolina (a friend of the client), picks up the lavender color of the Scottish throw.

Sectional sofa: Room and Board; pillow fabric: Osborne and Little; zebra rug: Williams-Sonoma Home

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This office was designed with a potential future transformation in mind. The gray walls and vibrant blue window treatments could be incorporated into a nursery, and the Parsons desk could take on many functions in just about any room.

Parsons desk: West Elm; Eames Eiffel Base Shell Chair: Design Within Reach; roman shade fabric: Quadrille Veneto Collection

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When their second child came along, it was easy to transform the office into a nursery, swapping out the desk for a crib and the Keep Calm and Carry On posters for flags with the letters of the baby's name. Pops of pink were added to the gray, blue and white color scheme.

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The couple used this room as a nursery (as shown) when they first moved in. Now that their son is older, they've swapped the crib for a twin bed, a very easy transformation from baby to bigger boy bedroom.

Wallpaper: Porter's Paints; crib: Nurseryworks

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Future transitions drove the design of the master bedroom as well. "My client knew that this furniture would be for the guest room in their next home, so we stuck with calm, gray and gender neutral," Davin explains. "She also wanted a bed that resembled Cameron Diaz's character's bed in the movie The Holiday."

The wallpaper has a fun Art Deco floral print that does not overwhelm the room. Swing-arm reading lamps make it possible to place a tufted occasional chair where a nightstand would traditionally go. Like the rest of the home's furnishings, those in the master bedroom work well for this stage of the family's life and will continue to do so in the next.

Velvet headboard fabric: Schumacher; wallpaper: Cole & Son

More:
Builder's Beige Gets a Makeover
Family Home Gets New Soft-Modern Style
Houzz Tour: '70s Condo Gets Extreme Makeover

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