Julie and Julia

Several years ago, a young San Francisco couple came across a 1908 house by legendary architect Julia Morgan and knew it could be a perfect fit. Drawn to the house’s backstory, signature design features, and park-like garden setting, they saw how well the space could be adapted for their needs

Several years ago, a young San Francisco couple came across a 1908 house by legendary architect Julia Morgan and knew it could be a perfect fit. Drawn to the house’s backstory, signature design features, and park-like garden setting, they saw how well the space could be adapted for their needs. 

One reason the couple felt a connection to the property is that they have a deep and distinguished history in San Francisco that goes back many generations, making the Morgan-designed residence in the Presidio Heights neighborhood an especially resonant choice. Additionally, they had previously worked with local interior designer Julie Rootes—and knew she would immediately understand how to elegantly and sensitively refresh this iconic home. 

“The Morgan house gave us a strong foundation to work with,” Rootes explains. “Our goal was to keep the house elevated and stylish, but to reconfigure some of the spaces for how people live today.” Working with Sutro Architects and Cairn Construction, the design team enlarged the kitchen and family room to create a more expansive living area that opens onto the garden outside. “That was the pivotal architectural change,” Rootes says. “We kept the integrity of Morgan’s work, which can be seen in elements like the original fireplaces and mantles.” 

Rootes had a hand in all the interior spaces, but her favorite is the master bedroom. “The room is very tranquil, and I love the soft palette,” she says of the soothing green and tan hues. Perhaps most strikingly, Rootes chose exquisite, hand-painted silk wall panels from de Gournay that she describes as a “showstopper.” 

One challenge Rootes faced was how to imbue the home with a high level of sophistication while still making it super-functional for the couple, their 11-year-old son, and their pet cats. To that end, Rootes chose performance fabrics for the upholstery in the family room. And to be sure they’d last, she did her due diligence, subjecting the materials to cat scratches and intentional wine spills (they held up beautifully). She also concealed a bar and a workstation behind cabinet doors, making it easy to remove clutter from view when entertaining.

Similarly, the dining room—which features a walnut table by Oakland’s Jacob May and a dramatic bronze articulating chandelier from Visual Comfort & Co.—is well-suited for hosting guests without being stuffy or forbidding.

Design solutions such as these come naturally to Rootes, especially because she has a personal interest in this type of creative problem-solving. “I have three kids, so I definitely understand the needs of a young family,” she says. “Throughout, I really felt that my clients and I were on the same page in terms of how people live and what their priorities are. And it was a dream to work on it. Now the house feels inviting and livable, yet it still has this wonderful ‘wow’ factor.”