In Living Color
Author:Lindsey ShookTasked with transforming a generic spec house, Chroma blankets a home in rich colors and woods, imbuing it with a profound sense of peace
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Hidden away in Noe Valley, this spec house was the standard basic, boxy builder’s special that would need significant coaxing to turn it into the tranquil home that a client of San Francisco-based design firm Chroma desired for himself and his family. Leann Conquer, partner at Chroma, explains about the transformation: “He wanted to take the space and make it his own.” Her partner, Alexis Tompkins, elaborates, “He was really interested in upgrading the quality of the home.” Contractor Clayton Timbrell agrees: “Everything was new and serviceable, but it just wasn’t to his liking.” Their work effected what Timbrell describes as “pure magic.”
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To get there meant gutting the interior of the house and reinventing its layout. “We reconfigured the home to facilitate the activities he wanted to enjoy at home,” Conquer shares. An audiophile, the client likes to listen to classical music while meditating, so Chroma created a listening area in the primary suite to support that pastime, set off by custom metal screens. The adjoining bathroom is designed for pampering; rich blue curved Tadelakt walls set an inviting mood that’s confirmed by the promise of the deep walnut bathtub. He loves to play board and card games; the lower level has a room completely dedicated to his hobby. Reading is a passion; the living room is designed to support that.
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Inspired by the client’s favorite chair—Finn Juhl’s iconic Chieftain—the house combines Asian and Scandinavian influences. “He’s very intentional and I feel that’s true of those design traditions,” Conquer says. “Everything has a place and everything has a purpose,” Tompkins adds. She points out that they also share an affinity for clean lines, natural materials and fine craftsmanship.
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Photos by Stephen Kent Johnson.
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Photos by Stephen Kent Johnson.
Those ideals immediately introduce themselves via the imposing shou sugi ban finished front door with its single oversize cast bronze handle. They’re in the entryway, where a vintage bench, tucked between two cabinets, offers a comfortable spot for removing shoes and suggests taking a moment to appreciate the transition from the outside world to this calm oasis. They’re apparent in the living room, where Farrow & Ball’s Dove Tale, which unites the rooms on the first floor into one unified whole, underscores the home’s contemplative vibe.
Inviting textures, low furniture—including a custom daybed and a voluptuous floor pillow—and a rug whose design channels ryūsui, the Japanese tradition of sand raking, telegraph relaxation and rest. “They wanted to be able to move things around and hang out on the floor,” Conquer shares. Tompkins explains, “It speaks to the Eastern philosophy of absorbing energy from the ground through our feet.”
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Photos by Stephen Kent Johnson.
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Those ideas wind their way through the kitchen, which is dominated by an enormous marble island with rounded corners. “They make it feel more like a rock formation than a monolith,” Conquer explains. It’s balanced by the nearby dining area’s custom table with thick shou sugi ban legs and a black-stained stadium-shaped wood top. “Given that we were trying to achieve a sense of invitation and relaxation, it didn’t feel right to have a lot of harsh angles,” says Conquer. Instead, there is a proliferation of curves and softly rounded edges.
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Bright colors, like the richly pigmented C-Print in the kitchen, the saturated hues of the oil and the upholstery in the living room, and the vivid blue of the photograph that dominates the game room, are offset by large expanses of wood. Used for walls, shelves and furniture and referencing Danish interiors or, in the case of the reeding railing that outlines the home’s staircase, Japanese ryokan inns, it tames the generosity of the home’s saturated tints and underlines the soothing, welcoming warmth of these spaces. “I think it’s important that color is a supportive characteristic and not the star,” Conquer counsels. In concert with the home’s many textures, its rounded edges and the soothing strains of classical music, it upholds the overall dreamy, sensory appeal.
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The final effect is that of a serene sanctuary—underlined by landscape designer Erica Timbrell’s lush garden—cocooned from the world, focused on rejuvenation and reconnection. “When you’re in the home, you lose all sense of place, of time and of the outside world,” says Conquer. Home free and clear.
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