Southern Comfort

San Francisco-based interior designer Marea Clark creates warm, sophisticated aesthetics in spaces that are refined but not precious. The Kentucky native founded Marea Clark Interiors (MCI) in 2016, and her portfolio is informed by both her Southern sensibilities and adopted Golden State lifestyle. In Hillsborough, Clark employed her unique dual perspective to update a Georgian Colonial residence with a passionate but restrained approach.

“My signature aesthetic has an underlying femininity to it, as I love using florals, colors and antiques, but I also appreciate the tensions of incorporating modern pieces and exercising restraint so spaces don’t appear overdone,” reports Clark. Her Southern-inspired passion for bold florals and colors makes Clark’s work well-suited to the current Grandmillennial design movement, but she prefers to dismiss trends in favor of timeless qualities. 

“My projects are very diverse, and my style depends on the clients and existing architecture,” says Clark, who adds, “I really lean into the story being told at a particular home.” For this project, the clients were a young family seeking a warm, sophisticated environment that could accommodate children but also be suitable for entertaining. Clark infused the 4,500-square-foot home, built in the 1940s, with an expressive personality while retaining a genuine sense of place. 

For the project, the designer was inspired by the generous suburban lot, whose lush landscaping differentiated it from most San Francisco commissions. A pivotal element to the entire design is the hand-painted de Gournay floral wallpaper in the dining room that honors the site’s beautiful gardens and is visible the moment one walks through the front door. “I took the same palette but softened it for the living room,” says Clark of an expansive space she anchored with her own custom-designed coffee table, clad in leather.

Clark notes that her two points of view—growing up in the South but spending her professional career in California—are hardly incompatible and both came into play in Hillsborough. The relaxed, laid-back lifestyle of California echoes that of her native region, despite some Southern homes possessing a greater sense of formality and penchant for antiques. “I love incorporating antiques in every room, interesting pieces that tell stories. The vintage patina brings soul to a space,” says Clark. The designer strategically placed such pieces throughout this project, including a handsome Federal-style sideboard in the home’s entryway and an 18^th century Chippendale table in the living room.

Marea Clark successfully created an exciting new chapter for this midcentury-vintage Hillsborough home, and her personal experiences contributed to a design that is quintessentially Californian.