Interior designer Holly Hollenbeck admits she was something of a one-woman team when it came to redesigning her own 6,200-square foot home in the historic region of Alamo Square, San Francisco.
Her goal for the new home’s renovation was to create a direct change from the Country Queen Anne Victorian home she’d just moved from, this time using brighter colours and tones, and to bring in 1960s and 70s infl uences as well.
To add to this, Holly says that in order to keep the project feeling young, she had a desire to let street art play its part in the overall feel of the home, and this would also act as a counter to the historical elements of its interior. She stripped all the original white oak paneling back to the raw oak, then applied a light wax to keep them as natural, modern and light as possible. The original herringbone oak floors which also remain and were refinished.
The original floorplan was stuck with, although part of the second fl oor was changed to create a master suite. The minimal, if traditional inclusion of just two bathrooms on the original floorplan was altered to allow more en-suite rooms for Holly’s family and guests.
Many of the key decisions, Holly says, came from a feeling in her gut, something her family are more than used to trusting. She followed her instincts and went with experiments - and as it was her own home, she had a touch more freedom.
Obviously this also meant Holly could shop for herself and take design cues from key pieces. The first furnishing she selected for the home was the Stark area rug in the living room. With its bright colours and street art look, the piece was the embodiment of the feel she was going for, she felt, and the colour scheme of the home was largely driven by the prominent oranges, blues and yellows in the area rug.
Finally, the powder room was spectacularly hand painted by artist Victor Reyes, who is now a friend of Holly’s. She first found his art through Instagram, only to discover he was a neighbour. When she called and asked to meet with him regarding painting a powder room, Victor was reluctant, as he is a respected artist who creates large scale murals and sells works on canvas through dealers and galleries.
However, Holly begged until he agreed to come and see the house. Luckily, he liked what was happening in the house and agreed to paint the room with a mural. He was given totally free reign to do his work as he saw fit for the space - another testament to Holly’s gut instinct and free reign winning through.
