Starting with designer Jiun Ho who hails from Malaysia, and the bio-tech executive homeowners, one African-American, his partner German; to such artworks as a larger-than-life sculpture from Cameroon and paintings from Russian conceptualists Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid; to furnishings that include a Kashan carpet from Persia to a Louis XV desk, it’s clear this house would be hard to beat in the “universal” category.
“It was a tremendously rewarding project,” notes Ho. While another designer might not relish clients who voice their opinions on every detail, right down to the door hinges, and send near-monthly emails about a newly acquired artwork or piece of furniture to include in the décor, Ho adds, “I like clients who are involved. If they’re not, you can have a disconnect and end up with an unhappy situation. Plus, these men are so well educated in art and antiques, it was useful to have their insights.”
The homeowner’s directive – their second venture with Ho – was simple. They wanted their new home to be a place to live not only now, but later, in retirement. Equally important, they wanted their home to reflect themselves and their personalities, suit their lifestyle – which includes a great deal of entertaining for their charity work – and finally, enable them to easily add to and rearrange their art.
The designer reconfigured the entire layout of the 3,700-square-foot, 1930s-era house beginning with a near-total gut. Significantly, he redesigned the awkward exits and entrances from one room to the next; transformed an open-air atrium into a reception area with a glass-floored elevator landing with skylight above – a wise move, for as is often the case in San Francisco, there are three flights of stairs between the sidewalk and the front door, which can be hazardous for older people – and created a new back stairway that brings to mind Art-Deco geometrics. All of this provided what Ho deems “a good architectural backdrop with perfectly proportioned rooms and lighting systems throughout that will make the most of any art they install.”
As for color, the designer notes that, “I based the palette on the views seen from the windows, which include the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, Alcatraz, Angel Island, and of course, San Francisco Bay. Each room is a different shade of greyblue with the living room being the lightest, showcasing the merest hint of color, and the back of the house the darkest, painted a deep grey-blue.”
In addition to the thoughtfully-selected color scheme, Ho embraced a vast number of textures in a mix of materials to “add another dimension and create an interesting dynamic.” Sometimes this came from items already owned by the clients, for example the wood-topped coffee table and metal framed Eames chair in a guest room, gifts from one of their mothers; at other times, as with the silk mohair- and leather-upholstered living-room sofa, items were designed specifically for the space.
Most remarkable is how well the most disparate items look together. One prime example is in the living room where two triangular, fluted and carved banquettes c. 1775 appear completely at home with multiple examples of lineal contemporary art. The same holds true in the dining room where Ho’s subdued table – combining a base of cold rolled steel and sandblasted wood with a top of rift-sawn oak – stands firm below a fantastical chandelier of steel roses and crystal dew drops by the Dutch lighting team, Annet van Egmond and William Brand.
While three men from such dissimilar backgrounds might have had some difficult exchanges,only one notable disagreement occurred involving the kitchen and baths. As happens frequently in Europe, the German-born client focused on the utilitarian aspect of these areas with little regard for aesthetics; his partner argued for a more traditional, American style; and Ho himself says, he would have liked a warmer, more integrated look with millwork and built-ins.
Now, a year after completing the project, Ho reflects, “There’s nothing more satisfying than designing a home that truly fits the client, one that makes them feel as though they’ve been living there forever. The house does just that for these men.”
Photography Courtesy of Matthew Millman.
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