In the hands of a gifted interior designer, no room is a lost cause. Phillip Silver’s overhaul of the living room in the 2015 San Francisco Decorator Showcase; a once drab white and battleship grey space that, he laments, was 'depressing' proves this point.
“I have always perceived the light in San Francisco to be Parisian in quality: gentle on color and very moody,” Silver notes. “So to me it was logical to commit to these elements and evoke a room that was full of romance, overlaid with Parisian glamour.” To that end, he introduced a sophisticated ivory and mocha scheme that popped with hot pink and burnt orange. The vibrant hues were inspired by Yves Saint Laurent’s Rive Gauche label.
The furnishings reflected a range of provenances from Silver’s own designs to the 18th-century Italian commodes. “I was educated to see design with depth, meaning that all beautiful design, regardless of its age or era, will sit together,” he explains. “The art in the room is totally eclectic-black-and-whites, big and small, French and American.”
With 1,100 square feet to work with, the designer deftly created cohesion. Sumptuous Beacon Hill velvets were employed for the drapes, ottomans, chaises, and Swedish antique chairs. An oval motif was repeated throughout; in the cutouts on the Phillip Silver Design armless chairs and the Tsar silk rugs, for example.
Silver’s composition also took advantage of a series of windows that overlooked a lush garden. “No one is seated with their backs to the view,” he says, adding: “This room was full of light during the day, making it an incredibly happy space. As the evening progressed, the lighting changed and the room became more evocative, sexy, and glamorous a room that not many wanted to leave.”
