Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Jewel Tones, Comfort and Craftsmanship
Designer Lindy Donnelly takes us through a new San Francisco renovation with a couple of hidden surprises
We caught up with Lindy Donnelly, former fashion designer and now a Millbrae-based interior designer, for a peek at her latest project in San Francisco’s upscale St. Francis Wood neighborhood. “The house was originally designed by Henry Gutterson in 1923,” says Donnelly, who worked in New York for companies including Tommy Hilfiger before transitioning into interior design. “This project began as a simple bath remodel and ultimately turned into a complete renovation showcasing the clients’ love of books, jewel tones and architecture.” But, the couple also required a casual, low-maintenance space for their three dogs and visiting relatives from overseas. Let’s take a look:
"The clients wanted a jewel- toned color palette and comfortable furniture with rich textures," says Donnelly. She used dining chairs from Gaul Searson upholstered in a cotton viscose blend fabric by Manuel Canovas. The custom dining table has a bronze-finished metal base.
Cabinets were made by Dana Rath. Donnelly paired amethyst, the client's favorite color, with soft gold carpeting and wool sateen roman shades in a camel-hued tone.
"I love the comfortable, welcoming ease of the interiors," says Donnelly, who worked with architect Tom Hardy and Riley Construction. For the walls in the living room and dining room, Donnelly chose Glidden's Tawny Birch. "I often select warm toned neutrals from Glidden," she says. "They seem to have the best selection."
Throughout the house the team used green building techniques including cellulose insulation, solar panels, Solatube skylights, and a Unico heat pump system.
Throughout the house the team used green building techniques including cellulose insulation, solar panels, Solatube skylights, and a Unico heat pump system.
The color of the crown molding and baseboard is from Yolo paints and is called Air .02. Yolo's paints have a zero VOC base. "The creamy, off-white color reminds me of Haagen Daas French vanilla ice cream."
"One of the homeowners is from England and it seemed fitting to have the interiors inspired by an English cottage," says Donnelly of the guest bedroom. "I wanted the space to be luxurious, but not precious. I wanted the focal point of color to be harmonious with the jewel tones downstairs in the living room and dining room, but still blend in with the pale gold carpeting in the hall, so that when you walk upstairs into the room, it isn’t a jarring diversion."
"The master bath tiles are handmade from Sonoma Tilemakers, represented at Country Tile Floors at the SF Design Center," says Donnelly. "They have a large selection of pieces from base tiles, chair rails, corner pieces and even curved tiles used to form the arch. There 19 different types of tile in this bathroom. Rather than using one uniform color, I used a range of soft hues within the same palette. The focal point of the room is the arched tub area."
The bathtub is an air tub from Basa. The marble flooring is from AKDO at Integrated Resources in Brisbane, while the tub deck and vanity counter top is by Daino Reale Marble from Integrated Resources.
The bathtub is an air tub from Basa. The marble flooring is from AKDO at Integrated Resources in Brisbane, while the tub deck and vanity counter top is by Daino Reale Marble from Integrated Resources.
For the master bedroom, Donnelly played with textures and patterns to create dramatic but cozy window treatments. "The loden green wool sateen has just a bit of sheen paired with finely striped textured fabric of the Roman shades. The lambrequins have inverted pleats, a detail I used to use in fashion design, and I love how the space is a comforting cocoon-like retreat."
The pale beige cotton sateen bedding with an acanthus damask pattern is from Yves Delorme, while the frosted glass table lamps are from BAE in San Francisco.
The pale beige cotton sateen bedding with an acanthus damask pattern is from Yves Delorme, while the frosted glass table lamps are from BAE in San Francisco.
"One of the homeowners is a children’s book publisher and had an extensive collection of books," says Donnelly. "Because of the vast number of books and her desire for the living room to also function as a library, we created floor to ceiling built-in bookcases."
"One of the homeowners spotted the swivel TV in a friend’s home, so she gave us that idea," says Donnelly.
The swivel allows for even more book space.
The other owner had been a set designer and engineer and "enjoyed smartly-crafted architecture," Donnelly says, "so it was his idea to hide the laundry room behind yet even more bookcases. We could have done a conventional laundry room within the kitchen area as it was originally when the homeowner purchased it, but this is much more unique."
All photos by Eric Rorer
Next: Browse more home design photos
All photos by Eric Rorer
Next: Browse more home design photos