State of Grace

Renovating a historic home can be a daunting proposition, especially when it’s one with a larger-than-life backstory. After all, how do you find the right balance between making much-needed updates and preserving architecturally significant features? But when the new owners of a grand 1905 house in San Francisco’s Presidio Terrace neighborhood contemplated a remodel, they found the perfect collaborator in interior designer Marea Clark.

Like the owners, Clark has Southern roots and is drawn to spaces that are warm and welcoming. She immediately saw the potential for modernizing the home while infusing it with traditional elements that would complement the historic property. “The house needed to be brought up to date for this active family of five,” Clark says. “The owners wanted to make some key changes, such as creating an open kitchen and more family spaces, but they also wanted to retain the incredible architecture.”

The 5,400-square-foot house comes with a remarkable pedigree. It was designed by Havens and Toepke—the same architects who designed San Francisco’s landmark Flatiron Building—and was bult one year before the 1906 earthquake, which it fortunately managed to withstand. And, to add even more luster to the house’s storied past, it was once the home of Princess Abigail Wahikaahuula Kawananakoa, a descendent of the Hawaiian royal family.  

Working closely with San Francisco-based architect and fellow Southerner Benjamin McGriff, Clark and team opted to keep the seven-bedroom house’s floor plan intact; they only did larger structural work to the kitchen and family room. The team’s Southern sensibilities can be seen in the choice of furnishings, many of which have formal lines, as well as in the floral upholstery, drapes and wallpaper throughout the home. “All the furniture is custom-made,” says Clark, “and we balanced traditionally shaped pieces with relaxed materials. We also used a lot of fresh, elegant colors in our palettes, because color was really important to our clients.”

Clark says she had a “hand in every room of the house,” from selecting the marble counters for the kitchen to the playful Cole and Son “monkey” wallpaper for the downstairs “bonus room.” She brought in furnishings and décor from many Southern sources, such as the kitchen light fixtures from South Carolina’s Urban Electric Company. And she designed the living room to highlight the grand piano, a cherished family heirloom that once belonged to one of the owners’ grandmothers and that the family had shipped cross-country from Georgia. 

“Another side of Southern living is having a lovely outdoor space where you can entertain,” adds Clark, who created a cozy seating area overlooking the serene garden oasis, which was conceived by landscape designer Erica Timbrell.

“It was so much fun to be involved in the restoration of this historic home,” Clark says, “and the collaboration with the architect and owners was a truly unique shared experience.”