BROADWAY - RICHARD BEARD ARCHITECTS & FISHER WEISMAN BRUGIONI

A complete renovation by Richard Beard Architects and Fisher Weisman Brugioni turned this over-remodeled 1930s structure in San Francisco into an elegant, coherent home that’s edited to a T for its residents, a couple inspired by art, travel, and antiques. 

The Edwardian-style house’s character had become vague due to numerous stylist changes over the years, especially inside, where a Gothic Revival vibe prevailed. To clarify the aesthetic and fulfill the current owner’s request for a more deliberate, English-inspired look, the designers took the home back to its classical roots, then created a very different visual language within its walls. 

Richard Beard Architects first reconfigured the floorplan to create a more symmetrical layout and restore flow and continuity from room to room, which Fisher Weisman Brugioni enhanced with a soothing color palette of gray, taupe, and soft neutrals accented with strong, black and white notes and splashes of blue, chartreuse and magenta. 

The new openness is expressed most pointedly in the oversized grand foyer and central stairwell—surrounded by checkerboard marble tiles and dramatic mural-style wallcovering by de Gournay—which sets the tone for the rest of the house and transforms the space for entertaining, one of the client’s great passions. The salon-style living room, too, is tailored for large gatherings, with scaled-up proportions and three different seating groups. 

Art also plays a big role in the home’s personality. The client’s collection of animal-themed motifs and landscape imagery takes pride of place throughout, including the reimagined kitchen, where custom hand-painted Delft tile on the backsplash celebrates the equestrienne wife’s love of horses while further enhancing the home’s British-leaning sensibility. 

Dark walnut paneling in the husband’s study adds to the space’s strong, masculine stance, contributing to an overall edginess that encapsulates the home’s artful blend of classic and contemporary. 

Architect: Richard Beard Architects, Richard Beard, Rebecca Lischwe

Interior Design: Fisher Weisman Brugioni

Structural Engineer: Strandberg Engineering

Lighting Designer: Banks Landl Lighting Design

Contractor: Black Mountain Construction & Development

Landscape Architect: Zeterre Landscape Architecture

Photographer: Matthew Millman