Designers show off at San Francisco Decorator Showcase

ONCE KNOWN as "The Pink Palace," this year's San Francisco Decorator Showcase house received the royal treatment from 30 top-notch designers and scores of craftsmen.

Both grand and gracious, the well-appointed rooms of this 16,000-square-foot Italianate home that sits high on a hill overlooking the San Francisco Bay are as colorful and unconventional as the home's history.

Built in 1905, the house has served as a residence for a cattle baron, an attorney, a Colombian diplomat, well-heeled boarders and socialite Maude Graves, who undertook major renovations in anticipation of a visit by Queen Marie of Romania.

The queen was expected to attend the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, but World War I precluded her visit.

"I like to think I've captured the ghosts of Maude and Princess Marie in these mirrored paintings," says artist Jane Richardson-Mack, who used verre e'glomise (gilded glass) to create a shimmering homage to the past owners. Hanging in the third floor landing over an exquisite table by Sonoma craftsman David Dempsey, these paintings create "a mix of history, reality and fantasy."

Finding inspiration

Inspired by both the history of the house and by the size and location of its many rooms, the designers relied heavily on fantasy to adorn their assigned spaces.

In the grand first floor dining room, Napa designer Thomas Bartlett hid an unwieldy fireplace

behind an elaborate coromandel screen, placed a large table that once belonged to Rudolf Nureyev on the opposite wall and designed filmy curtains reminiscent of a ballerina's tutu.

The deep aubergine wall color by Farrow & Ball provides a rich backdrop to the two expandable walnut tables surrounded by Bartlett's own chairs upholstered in Fortuny fabric.

European flavor

In the next room, the beautiful apple green kitchen by Shelley Gordon is lined with cream-colored cabinetry, marble countertops, and grey limestone backsplashes punctuated with white marble dots in a geometric pattern.

The unusual French oak floor was covered with a grey wash and left with a matte finish.

"Europeans have been doing this for years," says Gordan. "It feels more casual and is easier to maintain."

Will Wick used a similar treatment on the floor of his second-floor library.

Just off the grand central staircase covered with an enormous Tiffany stained glass skylight, the small 14-by-14 foot room is lined with sandblasted walnut and cold rolled steel bookshelves filled with antique French parchments and Belgian turn-of-the-century hat molds.

A set of moose antlers hangs on the wall of firewood, stacked both in and around the mantel. Large wingback chairs, upholstered in pinstriped grey flannel, flank a highly polished fruitwood table that rests beneath a rusticated metal chandelier.

Public spaces

Other public gathering spaces include the second story living room (formerly the home's ballroom) designed by Geoffrey de Sousa, and the adjacent sitting room designed by Kathleen Navarra. Both designers chose to create intimacy with a deep wall color.

In de Sousa's enormous living room, a dark slate blue silk by Bart Halpern was backed with paper then applied to the walls. The moody blue color causes the warm persimmon and leather furnishings and lush artwork to hold center stage.

A dramatic hammered silver library table by Stephanie Odegaard divides the room into two distinct seating areas that deSousa hoped would have a 1960s feel inspired by the classic designs of John Dickinson.

Navarra used dusky, silver-leafed wallpaper, romantic furnishings, whimsical light fixtures and accessories to create a magical sitting room.

"The ceiling was our inspiration," says Navarra, pointing to the elaborately carved and painted original ceiling.

The eclectic mix in the room includes a turquoise patent leather ottoman, immense blue and brown striped draperies, and a sofa Navarra inherited from her grandmother, now upholstered in multicolored silk velvet by Clarence House.

Sleeping pretty

One of the more recent incarnations of the home was its turn as an upscale boarding house in the 1950s and '60s. Accordingly, there is no grand master bedroom, but a series of chic sleeping quarters distinguished by color and style rather than by size.

The smoky palette in the bedroom designed by Megan McKinley provides a serene backdrop for a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

A cheery tangerine-hued bedroom by Massucco Warner Miller shines on the third floor, and includes such charming details as an accent pillow fashioned out of a silver and orange Hermes scarf and vivid turquoise seascape paintings by MaryBeth Thielhelm.

A charming sitting room and master bath and closet by Melanie Coddington showcases vibrant pink and blue furnishings, a beautiful Jules Leleu parquet sycamore chest, and ultra-feminine lighting fixtures.

"We were shooting for a clean-lined traditional look," says Coddington.

The bathrooms feature innovative tiles and fixtures. In the guest bath by Val Fiscalini, you can see an exquisite mix of ivory and linen-colored glass tile, honed limestone and hand-beaded passimenterie details.

His and hers glass sinks by Vitraform are underlit to add a soft glow to the room. The "Mimi" faucets by Italian manufacturer Gessi are being introduced here to the American market.

Designers Jennifer Hershon and Jo Ann Hartley used unusual brown and white stained glass tile to line the master bath shower, then finished off the room with tortoiseshell painted trim and burl wood custom cabinets.

A sleek sculpture by Manuel Neri inspired the crisp faux-bois bathroom designed by Benjamin Dhong.

Rooftop style

While most rooms on the main levels have a more traditional feel, the rooftop terrace and lower level media room embrace a contemporary vibe.

On the very top of this four-story house, a new rooftop terrace provides a panoramic view of the Bay and city. Although the design is quite modern, with a hot pink windbreak wall and a dramatic sculpture garden featuring bronzes by Curt Brill, the furnishings come from a more traditional source — Restoration Hardware.

"I wanted to make the space modern, hip and edgy using materials that were readily accessible," says designer Sean Weatherill.

Speaking of hip and edgy, look no further than the vibrant lower floor media room designed by Applegate Tran.

Featuring Applegate Tran's new line of contemporary furnishings along with other pieces by Santa Cruz designer Nicolas Phan, this room contains any number of A-list amusements including a piano, a pool table and state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment.

"We wanted the room to feel like an upscale nightclub," says Gioi Tran.

Just the kind of place that today would have made Maude Graves and Queen Marie feel right at home.

Kathryn Loosli Pritchett lives in the East Bay and writes about home and garden design. E-mail her at klooslip@earthlink.net.