“Elle Decor's reality showcase”

Posted: 14 Nov 2010 12:24 AM PST

Decorator showcases are not exactly known for having a cohesive design. There can be little visual continuity from room to room. And it makes sense, when you consider that the designers tend to develop their ideas around their own imaginary client. Oftentimes, it's a chance to indulge in flights of fancy, with practicality not a priority.

But the Elle Decor Designer Showhouse, which opened to the public last weekend, took a different approach, asking the 11 design firms that transformed the 1911 Mediterranean home to consider the same fictional client: a young family, fifth-generation San Franciscans, who enjoy traveling as well as entertaining.

"The challenge is: How do you make all the rooms feel like one, but also make an impact as a designer?" said Kendall Wilkinson, who was responsible for the entry, hallways and office. Rather than her trademark vibrant colors and patterns, she opted for a more subdued aesthetic - think platinum and warm grays, with a splash of coral.

Jay Jeffers also veered from his signature bold style. "We were very inspired by textures - luxe cashmere, worsted wool, soft linens, sisal, grass cloth," he said, explaining his choices in the master bedroom. "Texture creates a richness that leaves less need for color, so we restrained ourselves on that front. The soft, cool palette creates an oasis."

The room, which features a dark gray cerused oak bed upholstered in gray tweed and chairs by Franco Albini and Franca Helg, evokes a suite at a luxurious hotel - "where you'd lock the door, order Champagne and never come out!"

New neighborhood

The Elle Decor project - which was four months in the making - stands out from previous showcases held in the city for other reasons, too. Take the location. The San Francisco Decorator Showcase, an annual rite of spring in the design community, is usually held in Pacific Heights or thereabouts. When the now shuttered Metropolitan Home presented its show house in December, the chosen residence was steps from the Presidio.

Elle Decor, however, ventured into the St. Francis Wood neighborhood. During the opening festivities, one out-of-town guest commented that "this is really far out there." (Because the party occurred on an unseasonably warm November evening, plenty of people took advantage of the outdoor lounge and garden, the work of Surfacedesign Inc.)

Smaller showcase

The size of the Elle Decor dwelling is also an anomaly. While 5,000 square feet is enormous by most standards, for a showcase, it's actually on the small side. In 2008 and 2009, the Decorator Showcase residences totaled 16,000 and 10,000 square feet, respectively.

Of course, the Elle Decor Designer Showhouse does share traits with its counterparts: It benefits a local organization (San Francisco's Junior League) and highlights some of the best and brightest design stars. "The group spans a wide range of experience," Editor in Chief Michael Boodro said. "Some are well established, and others are up and coming."

For his teen girl's bedroom, Grant K. Gibson found himself buying accessories that are atypical for the designer: "Twilight" books, an autographed photo of Lady Gaga, a poster of the cast of "Glee." Gibson clearly had fun with his assignment, layering in lots of colors and prints - including Chinoiserie wallpaper, a pair of yellow X-benches, a teal Christopher Spitzmiller table lamp, and white Matelassé curtains and cornices adorned with black grosgrain ribbon, the handiwork of Madina Aryeh.

Gibson commissioned a pair of twin headboards in a zebra print with black piping, utilizing an unconventional fabric source. "I had searched all of the fabric companies at the design center and then just happened to be at Target, where I found these sheets," he recalled. The bed skirts were also sewn from the sheet sets.

Garden views

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Furniture Bedroom

Sunday, November 14, 2010