Interior designer Jennifer Gustafson has sent me her latest project, a beautiful loft for a software engineer.
This project started out small. The client, a software engineer, contacted JGID to walk his new condo and create a furniture plan utilizing his existing furnishings and some suggested additions. The condo is a rarity in San Francisco. It’s a real brick and timber loft. The developers had done a pretty good job with finishes and fixtures when the conversion was done about a decade ago, but it still had a cookie cutter feel. So, we started talking about possibilities and the scope quickly grew to include remodeling the kitchen and both bathrooms, moving a couple of walls, lowering a ceiling and pretty much all new furnishings.
The client grew up in Japan and moved to the Bay Area about 7 years ago to work in Silicon Valley. With a few successful start-ups under his belt, he moved from the Peninsula to SOMA last August. His aesthetic is driven by his heritage: clean, simple, beautiful. He has great taste and was willing to take some risks with his new place. That made it fun!
My design intent was to create a simple, sophisticated and comfortable space that took advantage of the loft / gallery- like environment. We had exposed brick and timber to consider, so continuing that organic feel through finishes and texture was important. Working under an overall palette of blues, yellows and both warm and cool neutrals, design is subtly layered, but not busy. It’s calm and peaceful, but not ho-hum. There are many beautiful pieces in this project, but none are too showy. There are quite a few of custom details added to the space that are in keeping with a custom home. The condo underwent quite a transformation over the past year and the finished design is a great representation of the client’s personality and aesthetic.
Photographs:Â David Duncan Livingston
