The summer following the financial collapse was one of uncertainty, but that didn’t prevent Metropolitan Home Magazine’s selected team of A-list designers from choreographing a seamless narrative.

Gary Hutton’s team was given the master bedroom and office suite on the second floor...four rooms and a hallway in which to play and have fun.

The team wanted to go 3D-graphic in the hall and settled on an abstracted, metaphorical map of US seismic activity. In a GHD twist, the map was created by pinning silver pearls to the wall in clusters where earthquakes occurred, with no indication of geographical features or borders.

Ever on the leading edge of materials, Gary’s team employed felt for curtains made from recycled plastic bottles. Used cardboard boxes were carefully incorporated into a nightstand, held together with giant rubber bands, and real Ivory Soap bars made the perfect screen between bathtub and toilet.

The room hit just the right note for the times.

Architect: Mark English Architects, SF
Builder: RBR Development, SF, CA