Reimagined Beauty

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Jeff Schlarb Design Studio transforms a San Francisco Victorian into a modern family home that is equipped with a DJ room

In the living room there is a custom sofa covered in Wolf Gordon Blue Mohair with Kravet throw pillows, the custom window sofa is covered in Holly Hunt boucle with donut pillows covered in Fabricut and the ceiling wallpaper is from Flat Vernacular. Photos by Christopher Stark.

In a sea of neutral design, Jeff Schlarb’s colorful and thoughtful curations stand out. When tasked with redesigning this 4,000-square-foot home on Clay Street in the Presidio Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, they were ready to marry modern touches with the home’s traditional Victorian details. “He is in the commercial real estate business and they have a very sporty family who especially love skiing at their home in Telluride,” Schlarb recalls about the clients.

In the dining room, the custom wallcovering is by MJ Atelier, the lacquered Ebony dining chairs are from Carlyle Collective and De Sousa Hughes. Photos by Christopher Stark.
The kitchen features faucets by Kallista and custom cabinets by Christopher Peacock. Photos by Christopher Stark.
The breakfast banquette features black lacquer dining chairs covered in Ben Soleimani woven performance fabric, the breakfast bench is covered in Perennials and the accent pillows are from Holly Hunt, Eskayel and Zak & Fox.
Photos by Christopher Stark.

Tasked with a complete remodel, that included excavating and adding two floors below the primary level, creating additional rooms and living spaces including a media room, bar/lounge, yoga room, DJ room and a bathroom. “They asked us to maintain a seamless feel from the original home to the newly added floors/rooms,” he notes. “It’s always a design challenge to create a thoughtful thread from existing pieces of a home to the newly added areas so that it feels coherent, but we are all very happy with the results.” 

The powder room vanity is made of Lilac marble, the wallpaper on the ceiling is by Trove and the mirror is by Arteriors.
Photos by Christopher Stark.
The DJ room is covered in Elitis 3D wallcovering with velvet touch Dedar Window treatments. Photos by Christopher Stark.

The home’s original interior architecture is very stately so it was important for the other rooms to echo the feeling. “Among other things, we added picture moldings to the living room so that the two rooms shared the same interior aesthetic as you look from one room into the other,” he recalls.

In the kid’s room, the Stonewashed Linen Quilt is from The Citizenry, the throw pillows are by Kravet and the handpainted striped ceiling is by Nicole Hayden. Photos by Christopher Stark.
In the primary bedroom, the custom bedframe is covered in Rubelli velvet, the linens are by Sferra and the Alpaca throw is from Alicia Adams. The blue and white crackle porcelain table lamps are from Arteriors and the nightstands are from Caracole. Photos by Christopher Stark.

Unlike some of Schlarb’s other projects, the overall design direction was to add layers but not too much pattern or vibrant color therefore they infused the home with a more muted color palate. “The most significant feature is the stunning hand painted wallcoverings from MJ Atelier in the dining room,” he notes. “Other design highlights include, artwork from Daniel Anselmi, Robert Kingston, Amanda Means (Dolby Chadwick Gallery), as well as Photographer Ellen von Unwerth  plus the custom designed furniture pieces from JSDS studio among other design highlights.”

In the lounge, a photograph by Ellen von Unwerth and Pigment Prints by Jessica Poundstone add artistic edge. The rug is by Erik Lindstrom and the custom leather coffee table by JSDS. The Mark Alexander Swivel Chairs are covered in Romo velvet.
Photos by Christopher Stark.
The game room features a table is from Made Goods and the chairs from Twentieth are covered in jacquard velvet from Opuzen. The barware is from West Elm. Photos by Christopher Stark.

One of Schlarb’s favorite details is the DJ room that that was created and constructed to house the clients’ extensive vinyl collection including an impressive amount of his favorite genre, jungle drum and bass, which was developed out of the UK rave scene and Jamaican sound system culture in the 1990s. “The client was thrilled with the results and felt that it was exactly what they were looking for,” he remarks. “So much so, that we are now designing their new home in Telluride!”