When a pediatrician who spent the pandemic treating COVID patients dreamed of creating an escape from the stress, she and her husband – a Scottish-born leader in climate tech – turned to Anu Jain of Atelier Oleana. The interior designer was tasked with transforming their cramped San Francisco Craftsman home into a sanctuary for the couple, their two children and black labrador.
Set in San Francisco’s Cole Valley, the four-storey house sits among leafy streets and handsome period buildings with cinematic views over the city. Anu paints a vivid picture of ‘a neighbourhood that feels intimate and civilised – morning walks for croissants at La Boulangerie, a quick Luke’s Local run, salads at Blue Barn – yet minutes from the cultural hum. When we first saw the house, its historic façade had such gravitas, a quiet invitation to imagine what could lie within.’
While they own vacation homes in London, Paris and Tahoe, San Francisco is her clients’ main residence and they wanted it to reflect their dual heritage and contrasting sensibilities – his love of bold patterns and vibrant colour against her preference for soothing blues and calm spaces. Proving that design tension can be a beautiful thing, Anu wove together his maximalist tendencies with her minimalist instincts, creating spaces that feel internationally influenced and distinctly Californian.
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The historic façade was preserved, but inside the project was a full gut remodel: the kitchen and main bathroom were reconfigured, bedrooms were refined and a proper snug was created. The new sculptural staircase became the home’s spine — an ‘arrival moment’ that sets the tone the instant you cross the threshold.
‘Their brief was a designer’s dream: a contemporary canvas with classical detailing and a dash of British punk – fresh traditionalism with edge,’ says Anu, adding, ‘I always begin with the soul: if the house could speak, what would it say about its people? For this, the clients dreamed of serenity, but with colour. They are lovers of classic design and architecture, yet they craved a charge of contemporary irreverence.’
A rhythm of palate cleansers (chalky whites, creamy taupes, smoky neutrals) is punctuated by saturated statements: a periwinkle living room, forest-green kitchen and a deep blue snug. ‘The chromatic story threads through the house,’ she explains, ‘so spaces oscillate between moody intimacy and bright uplift, much like the cadence of family life.’
In true San Francisco style, every room serves multiple functions. The dining room doubles as homework central for the couple’s children, while the main bedroom is a multi-zone suite encompassing two offices, a private retreat and sleeping quarters – a masterclass in urban space planning. ‘They travel a lot and are used to staying in amazing properties around the world and they wanted their primary suite to be grand and luxurious in the same way a Peninsula London suite would be!’ says Anu.
This was the first space Anu and her team designed, and the one that unlocked the vocabulary of the house. ‘The clients adored Farrow & Ball’s ‘Setting Plaster’ and its dusty pink hue became the muse. It was especially joyful that the husband, too, loved this tender, unexpected colour.’ They upholstered the bed in Dedar Milano’s ‘Amuleto’ in a soft rose tone and wrapped the walls in a sumptuous Gregorius Pineo wallcovering. ‘That interplay of softness and edge, romance and modernity, became the palette for the entire home.’
Washed in periwinkle blue (treating ‘paint as the skin of the room’), the living room features a fireplace clad in rare chocolate bronze marble and topped with a hand-sculpted matt-black steel artwork by Peruvian artist Aldo Chaparro. Confident without shouting, the space is a moody jewel box layered with Pierre Frey velvets, nuanced pattern, sculptural lighting and art.
For Anu, materiality is everything. She layered rich marbles with chalky whites that echo San Francisco’s fog and finishes that move fluidly between aged metals, warm woods, hand-troweled plaster and lush textiles — think Pierre Frey velvets and mohairs and Dedar Milano’s weaves.
Time was the studio’s biggest challenge; they were brought on after construction had already begun, so had to work at record speed. ‘Normally, for a project of this scale, we’d want at least 18–24 months to design, specify and procure. Here, we had just 12 months,’ Anu says. ‘It was a sprint, but one that delivered a home both deeply intentional and artfully layered.’
She recalls how the final installation ended with ‘a house-warming of cake, champagne and hugs – the best kind of sign-off.’ For the husband, returning from constant travel to a space that’s beautifully resolved yet deeply relaxing is everything, while the wife – who rarely cooked or entertained while living in their ‘grey and black rental during the renovation’ – now finds the opposite is true.
‘The house has become a backdrop for gatherings with her girlfriends, and cocktail parties in the living room have quickly become a new ritual. The design didn’t just give them a beautiful home — it reshaped the way they live in it every day.’ atelieroleana.com. Styling by rachelforslund.com
