Room of the Day: Colorful Midcentury Style by the Bay
For her San Francisco living room, a designer pulls together vintage pieces from near and far
Interior designer Alison Damonte’s living room in San Francisco is a revolving display of vintage treasures, sample sale finds and vacation mementos. “The tree is the only thing that has been in the room the whole time,” she says. “My husband and I really like it because it reminds us of a Calder mobile.” Now in its third iteration, of which there surely will be more, the Damontes’ living room includes items such as a pink ombré rug and a pair of teal velvet armchairs.
The painting above the sofa is by Paul Wackers. The painting’s black background and composition resemble Damonte’s kitchen on the opposite wall, with its black walls and open shelving.
Hanging light fixture: Ikea
Hanging light fixture: Ikea
Much of the room is composed of vintage pieces, a combination of Craigslist finds and items from Damonte’s travels. “I’ve got a sweet spot for the ’60s and ’70s and Lucite and glam,” she says. She discovered the ’50s velvet armchairs in an antiques store in Rome. The original midcentury storage system by Poul Norreklit features Lucite backing on the shelves.
The vintage aesthetic appeals to Damonte, but there’s more benefit to decorating with vintage than looks. “It’s an opportunity to get something that’s probably better-made at a similar price point, and you get something that’s unique,” she says. For that reason, while much of furniture looks familiar, you’re not going to see the vintage icons that many fans gravitate to. “For me, vintage is really about trying to get something that’s rare and not easily recognizable,” she says. It’s a way of keeping a space distinctive while ensuring that significant pieces survive for the future.
The vintage aesthetic appeals to Damonte, but there’s more benefit to decorating with vintage than looks. “It’s an opportunity to get something that’s probably better-made at a similar price point, and you get something that’s unique,” she says. For that reason, while much of furniture looks familiar, you’re not going to see the vintage icons that many fans gravitate to. “For me, vintage is really about trying to get something that’s rare and not easily recognizable,” she says. It’s a way of keeping a space distinctive while ensuring that significant pieces survive for the future.
As a collector and designer whose furnishings come and go, Damonte uses her living room shelves to show off recent treasures in style.
Damonte’s tips for styling shelves:
Damonte’s tips for styling shelves:
- Fewer, larger items are better than lots of knickknacks.
- Remove unattractive book jackets.
- Balance is everything: Mix thin and tall with wide and low, shiny with handmade, colorful with neutral. Don’t worry about matching colors or styles.
- Collect items slowly over time. Vintage items found at a flea market will create a more original look.
- Form trumps function. Hide the ugly (but necessary) stuff whenever possible. Remote controls always look better when they’re stashed in an interesting decorative box.
- Consider live plants (big air plants are great) or single, bold flowers as sculptural elements, and select species that have a strong form.
- Not every accessory you own needs to be on display at all times. Rotating will keep your bookshelves looking fresh.
In addition to vintage pieces, Damonte’s living room brims with rich color. “I see something brightly colored, and it makes me swoon,” she says, with the room’s current state being rose-colored. “I’m living in this pink dream,” she says.
Damonte has one piece of advice for homeowners who want to experiment with color. “Paint is the entry point to being bold,“ she says. If you like yellow, paint your wall yellow and don’t be too quick to decide you don’t like it — it may take some time to realize how you feel about it. “Live with it,” she says. “It has to be something you love living with.”
Wicker side table: Roost via Aldea Home
See more Rooms of the Day
Damonte has one piece of advice for homeowners who want to experiment with color. “Paint is the entry point to being bold,“ she says. If you like yellow, paint your wall yellow and don’t be too quick to decide you don’t like it — it may take some time to realize how you feel about it. “Live with it,” she says. “It has to be something you love living with.”
Wicker side table: Roost via Aldea Home
See more Rooms of the Day
Living Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Alison and Bruce Damonte
Location: Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco
Size: About 180 square feet (16.7 square meters)
Designer: Alison Damonte Design
The couple bought this house five years ago, immediately falling for the previously renovated open living space at the end of the home’s narrow, cramped Victorian hallway.
Damonte set to work furnishing the living room in her signature eclectic midcentury style, also making sure to complement the adjacent kitchen she had painted black when they first moved in. Bored with plain white walls, she and her husband decided to paint a mauve accent wall with an unfinished edge to add color and bring the 14-foot-high ceilings down to scale to make the room feel cozier.
Because it’s her own home, Damonte was able to design the space on a relaxed schedule. She’s also had the time to live with and use each furniture piece, such as the oversize coffee table, before she decides whether it works. There’s enough space in this room for people to move around it, and its size also allows her to seat eight guests around the table for casual dinners.
Wall paint: Behr; Mongolian lamb pillow: West Elm; shibori pillows: Mineral Workshop; magazine stand: Ligne Roset via Craigslist; yellow lamp: vintage via Craigslist; Bebop sofa: Cassina via sample sale; rug: Kelly Wearstler via Chairish