Similar to an aerie perched strategically on a seaward cliff, the impressive 1927 Italian Renaissance home of industrialist Milton S. Ray, with its sweeping views of San Francisco’s Bay, was built on its rocky ledge for a purpose. A passionate ornithologist, Ray traveled the world for business, led scientific expeditions and made important discoveries of birds, eggs and nest specimens, all of which were brought home to his own perch.
Located at Broadway and Baker Streets in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood, the stunning, four-story mansion opened to the public for the first time this past spring, dressed for the occasion by some of the West Coast’s most respected interior and landscape designers. It was presented as the San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2007 and marked the 30th anniversary of design show houses to benefit University High School (
DecoratorShowcase.org). If you weren’t able to take the tour this spring, here are some of the highlights. At the time of the Showcase, the home was listed for sale at $55 million. (
2901BroadwayStreet.com)
A Promontory Presence
Ray selected San Francisco’s reputed “hillside architect” Henry Clay Smith and structural engineer Joseph Strauss, known for his work on the Golden Gate Bridge, to tackle the building of his mansion with its commanding presence on the steep, rocky lot. The formal home, which includes seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, a motor court, mezzanine and a tennis court, encompasses 10,000 square feet of living space.
California businessman Mitchel L. Mitchell long admired the home and the Ray family extended a purchase opportunity to him in 1946 – for $93,000. Today, the home is owned by Mitchell’s daughter, Gladyne Mitchell, who arranged for its showing.
“In this special anniversary year, only veteran Showcase interior and landscape designers from past Showcases were invited to participate in ‘A Celebration of San Francisco Design,'" says Showcase Director Delanie Borden. “Many of these prominent designers found inspiration from Showcase mentors or design icons such as Michael Taylor and William Gaylord." Designer Showcase alumnus Paul Vincent Wiseman sponsored a Design Salon Thursday-evening lecture series that featured such luminaries as mandy Aftel, Barbara Scavullo, David Meckel and Henry Urbach.
With a house so rich in San Francisco history and culture, a sense of nostalgia permeated the designers’ work. With reverence to a graceful, bygone era, they enhanced the home’s distinctive architectural details with consideration for its present use.
Design Refinement
Living Green (
livinggreen.com) designer Davis Dalbok set the tone on the esplanade of the motor court with plants, flowers, minerals, fine antiques and artifacts from the Luciano Tempo line to re-create the look and feel of an authentic Italian garden estate. On the grand exterior stairway, a massive 19th century Burmese standing Buddha greeted and blessed all who entered.
“I wanted a design that had intensity, was edgy and interesting to look at and would transport the viewer to a different time and place,” says Dalbok.
Designer Suzanne Tucker, with a subtle nod of respect to her mentor and design legend Michael Taylor, created a classically elegant space with a quiet palette and an inviting mix of antiques with modern art to complement the breathtaking views of the Bay from the living room or grand salon. Tucker punctuated the room with a spectacular Chinoiserie secretary, and a striking intarsia inlaid library table with Buddhist elements.
The Steven Miller Design Studio collaborated with decorative artists Christel Heinlet and Thad Warren to create a beautiful and elegant dining room, in the northwest corner of the house, with its sensational views of the Golden Gate Bridge. The grayed green walls with the build up of layer upon layer of latex paint and the overlay of the faint shadows in juxtaposition with the white wainscot made this space stand out. Veils of transparent paint produced an aged effect that took two weeks to accomplish.
“I loved that you see the great neoclassic Palace of Fine Arts in the foreground as you look down on the beautiful rooftops,” says Miller. With a reference to the influence of the late John Dickinson, Miller sought to meld layers of history with clean, new-fashioned forms.
Fun and Inspiring
The tea room, kitchen and butler’s pantry were linked together by a black, white and vibrant dark-lime color scheme. Designer Tish Key (
TishKeyInteriorDesign.com) was inspired by the original black and white floor.
The room had a cosmopolitan polish with its crisp, high gloss white moldings and black kitchen and butler’s pantry cabinets with mirrored fronts to enlarge the space and bring in more light. Glossy white subway tiles used in the kitchen also helped to reflect light. “[It was] a nice mix because it [had] this edge to it with the black, and that citrus color that I think is modern, making it contemporary and very fashionable,” says Key. Fashioned into a canopy with so many light bulbs attached to each other, the unique, contemporary, “85 Lamps” kitchen chandelier by Droog was fun to inspect and harmonized with the black and white palette.
In a whimsical, playful mood, designer Susan Lind Chastain Fine Sewing (
SusanChastain.com) and painter Willem Racké (
Willemrackestudio.com) turned a traditional servants’ working area into a cake baker’s lair, in shades of pink spun sugar with dashes of chocolate. The room was, well, delicious, with cakes painted all over the walls. Fabric by Pierre Frey, a chandelier with nickel plated brioche cups, and cakes by Cecile Gady of Cake Work highlighted the luscious quality of the sweet, inspired baker’s studio. Pink sheers of ribbon and silk organza by Cowtan & Tout really did put the icing on the cake room. “I heard someone enter the room shortly after we installed the draperies, and they stopped and said, ‘The curtains look so yummy, I could just eat them,’ and then I knew we had it,” says Chastain.
The design team from Ironies (
Ironies.com), Kate McIntyre and Brad Huntzinger, used natural light with a calm palette of creams and neutrals in the beautiful and classic girl’s bedroom. They accented it with one-of-a-kind pieces from their own furniture line and recycled materials. The flooring was a hair-on-hide, hand-sewn, cream cowhide, and the four-poster bed frame was encased in polished bone to give it a feeling of smooth ivory.
Artist Lynne Rutter (
LynneRutter.com) had fun in the laundry room with the faux-tile floors. “I’m sure I’m the only one who begged for this room and pleaded that they not touch the walls,” says Rutter. “I have many clients in Napa and Sonoma who ask me to create plaster walls like this.”
Exiting the home from the elevator foyer, where the family and visitors would have waited for their car, showcase attendees found that Davis Dalbok also transformed this area into a welcoming space. A large painting of a devotional monk, gave the feeling that you were also blessed upon leaving the home – or just to have seen it..
