A Northern California Home Transformed Through Phased Design
How a collaborative, iterative approach created a warm, art-filled family space
1From white box to warm home
The 8,000-square-foot Hillsborough home began as a stark new construction with clean lines and bay views. Designer Luke Foss and creative director Jenni Witt transformed it through a multi-year, phased approach focused on adding warmth and character while accommodating the homeowner's active family life with two school-age children.
2Client-driven design process
The homeowner, newly single and passionate about music/art, wanted an analog-friendly space that worked for both entertaining and family life. He embraced an iterative approach mirroring his creative career, living comfortably through ongoing renovations that prioritized key areas first - primary suite and living room, then upper living spaces, finally accessories and bathrooms.
3California casual aesthetic
The team developed a "loose, comfortable, casual" Northern California style with intentionally imperfect elements. Spaces encourage floor seating and conversation, blending high design with approachability. Wall panels added Midwest basement warmth to the modern architecture, while art and vintage pieces provided personality throughout.
4Art as emotional anchor
Art consultant Nicolás Colón curated pieces ranging from blue-chip international to emerging local artists, selected for timeless quality rather than trends. Placement alternates between grounded, earthy rooms and light, ethereal spaces. Notable works include Robert Rauschenberg's photonegative on steel and Shannon Rogers' geometric Myriad (2023).
5Custom musical elements
A custom DJ booth and Doug McCollough's cork bed with built-in aluminum speaker system reflect the homeowner's music passion. The whole-house audio system features manual toggle controls - no phones required. Foss created spaces that transition smoothly from daytime family use to nighttime entertaining with color-changing Noguchi lamps.
6Material storytelling
The design celebrates craftsmanship through materials like old-growth cherry wood bookcases, George Nakashima walnut/rosewood tables, and Kvadrat velvet upholstery. Fabien Cappello's stained glass pendant and John Hogan's custom aluminum/glass stair rail demonstrate how artisan touches elevate industrial materials.
7Entryway as mood-setter
Foss prioritized the entry sequence, believing it fundamentally shapes the home experience. Rough-edge bluestone tiles support curated vignettes of organic shapes and expressive art, including an impossibly balanced Nakashima table holding Addison Woolsey's polka-dot vessel and an eight-foot schefflera bonsai limb.
8Kid-friendly sophistication
Children chose their room color schemes, with spaces featuring playful elements like Jasmin Anoschkin's panda sculpture alongside serious art. Pierre Yovanovitch's Papa Bear chair and Chen Chen/Kai Williams' caviar sconces add whimsical texture while maintaining design integrity throughout family areas.
9Staircase as journey
The redesigned staircase became a metaphor for moving from forest floor to treetops. Foss replaced the mall-like glass railing with custom aluminum featuring Hogan's glass inserts that filter changing daylight. The team spent a full day composing panels to choreograph the light experience ascending between cool lower floors and warm golden upper levels.
10Legacy through design
The home ultimately reflects the homeowner's well-lived life through meaningful vintage furniture (Ettore Sottsass armchair, Flos Snoopy lamp) and art with provenance. As Foss notes, even those unfamiliar with design history feel the soul of these carefully sourced pieces that transform a house into a deeply personal home.