Inside a San Francisco Home with Iconic Views

On Russian Hill in San Francisco, Jennifer Tulley of Jennifer Tulley Architects converted a dated mid-century townhouse on Lombard Street into an open, spacious home that merges seamlessly with its environment. At first, the four-story house presented a serious design challenge — its verticality made for limited square footage on each level. However, the narrowness of the house inspired Tulley to move the living and dining areas to the top floor, maximizing the views of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and nearby Redwood forest.

Selecting light woods and marble as her defining materials, Tulley also collaborated with another San Francisco-based creative, Jennifer Jones of Niche Interiors, who selected organic, minimalist furnishings that perfectly match the architecture of the space. Read on for our tour of the Russian Hill home.

The kitchen, living, and dining spaces were placed on the third floor to take advantage of the verticality of the house, and the views as well — the front looks out toward the Bay Bridge, while the Redwood forest in the back creates the feeling of a canopy surrounding the home, as if it were a treehouse.

On the third floor, high ceilings contribute to the comfortable, light-filled atmosphere of the dining room. Sliding glass doors from Fleetwood Windows & Doors open onto the back deck. The wooden table thoughtfully matches the sculpted Cherner chairs; both were sourced from Design Within Reach. The elegant chandelier above was discovered at Bocci.

In the living space, two armchairs from Consort complement the marble fireplace and angular floor lamp by Aerin. A textured rug from House of Tai Ping brings warmth to the minimalist room. The unique side table is from Erinn V, and the coffee table, Gabriel Scott. Behind the vignette here, the marble for the fireplace, chimney breast, and mantel comes from Benattar Marble and Granite.

Adding softness to the space, the curved sectional is by Vladimir Kagan.

In the kitchen, all the appliances were sourced at Purcell Murray. The refrigerator, ovens, and stovetop are all by Gaggenau, while the dishwasher is Bosch, and the sink, Franke. The fixtures are by MGS, and the kitchen countertops were sourced at Benattar Marble and Granite.

The elegant millwork in the home is by Cugini Cabinets & Design.

The clients’ love of marble and light woods is evident in the third-floor design.

Because the garage is located on the first floor, space was limited. Tulley decided to use the curved space to create a sense of continuity between the first floor, which features garden views, and higher floors.

Located on the top floor, the master bedroom includes its own outdoor deck and firepit. Niche Interiors custom designed the bed; the sconces are from Rejuvenation, and the armchairs are from Robert Allen.

The tile in the bathroom is from Specstones Studio, and the marble is from Benattar Marble and Granite.

Originally a design challenge, the home’s narrow footprint allowed the architect to create a well-designed, visually interesting layout that still feels spacious. All windows are Marvin Ultimate.