A 1925 Spanish Revival home in San Francisco’s Sea Cliff neighborhood held undeniable charm on the outside: red tile roof, arched windows and a lofty location overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. But inside, the layout told a less romantic story, with cramped rooms, disjointed spaces, and an oddly placed staircase that obstructed the very views that made the location so desirable.
For homeowners Linda and Chris Conner, it was a classic case of falling in love before fully realizing the scope of the project at hand. “On a whim, we took a field trip to the city one Sunday in August just to look at some open houses,” Linda recalls. “Never in a million years could we have anticipated making an offer 72 hours later.”
After nearly two decades in Palo Alto, the empty nesters were ready for their next chapter — Chris more so than Linda, who had just finished a major remodel on their previous home. But when they stepped into this Sea Cliff property, something clicked. “Walking into this house for the first time, there was something that immediately hit me with memories of my grandparents’ home,” says Linda, whose family hails from the Boston area and spent summers on the coast in Rockport, Massachusetts. “Maybe it was the foghorns or the smell of the ocean, but even some of the finishes and architectural elements elicited a sense of familiarity.”
That sense of familiarity — with a Pacific Ocean twist — became the emotional foundation of the project. The physical foundation, however, needed serious work. The home had been in the same family for nearly 60 years and had fallen into a state of disrepair. Urgent upgrades included less glamorous elements: all new plumbing, electrical and seismic retrofitting.
The Conners lived in the house for over a year before starting construction, a decision Linda calls “one of the best we made.” From an old window that fell off when they opened it to rainwater pouring through a ceiling light, the experience offered valuable insight. “Our ideas for the remodel on day one versus 18 months later were significantly different,” she says.
CKA Architects’ Chris Kummerer and Emilie Blase of Menlo Park, both of whom had worked with the Conners on previous projects, immediately saw the potential. “The biggest priority was to really maximize the view and move the living spaces to the back where the view is,” Kummerer says. The home’s layout — a byproduct of its era — divided the space into many small, closed-off rooms, including a tight kitchen with minimal counter space and limited storage.
The team, which included John Murphy of Macnamara Construction, removed the awkward stairwell, opened up the main level and reconfigured the floor plan. “We abandoned the stair and used that square footage to put the day-today living spaces at the back of the house,” Kummerer explains. They also excavated the previously unfinished basement, adding over 1,000 square feet to include a game room, laundry, guest suite and garage — all integrated with the rest of the house via a new, more thoughtfully placed stairwell. The result is a seamless connection between inside and out with all four floors gaining some part of the Golden Gate Bridge view.
Though Linda initially thought she’d just need “some adult supervision” on furniture, it quickly became clear this was a full-scale design job. “It took about 72 hours for us to realize we were in over our heads,” she says with a laugh. That’s when interior designer Laura Elliott of Bay Area-based Refined Interiors came on board.
Elliott worked closely with the Conners to source everything from hardware and stone to paint colors and custom murals. “They basically said, ‘Can you just handle all of the pretty stuff?’” Elliott recalls. Still, Linda and Chris remained collaborative throughout the process. “They wanted their home to be beautiful and impressive, but also with a pop of humor,” Elliott says. That playful spirit shines through in details like a sculptural Molten Spider chandelier by Regina Andrew in the dining room and cheeky blowfish wallpaper in the bathroom.
The newly opened kitchen and family room is now the heart of the home. What was once five rooms is now one. “We love to cook, have our family over, entertain friends and watch the pelicans fly by,” Linda says.
Just off the dining area is a formal living room painted in Benjamin Moore’s Van Deusen Blue — a space Linda especially cherishes. “The serene blue walls, the stunning original ceiling beams, the curated bookshelves and cozy fireplace make Sunday mornings a peaceful ritual,” she says.
Upstairs in the top-floor “Crow’s Nest,” original beams and a nautical palette nod to Linda’s Boston roots. “That room has a very East Coast beach house vibe,” Elliott says. “We even painted the hardware a silvery color to bring out that nautical feel.” It’s one of the couple’s favorite spots with a cozy Camerich Nature Sofa offering everyone who sits a spectacular view. “When the sun is setting over the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the vibrant orange glow hits the Golden Gate Bridge, it’s literally pure magic,” Linda says.
Throughout the home, heirlooms from Linda’s family add character and history. A stagecoach-era Wells Fargo safe, a Louis Vuitton trunk from 1885 once owned by Linda’s Parisienne great-greatgrandmother, and the infamous “Prisoner’s Chair” — a 17th-century oak chair complete with hidden leg irons — are just a few of the standout pieces. “That chair lived in my grandparents’ Boston home for decades,” Linda says. Carved in elaborate detail, the chair offers an invitation to “sit and rest.” “Today, the chair holds a commanding spot where unsuspecting guests get quite a surprise when the leg irons drop!” Linda notes.
For Elliott, incorporating these storied pieces was a new challenge. “I was so scared at first,” she says. “But the chair worked so well with the architecture of the home and added so much interest to the living room — even though everything else is more contemporary.”
Chris’ own photography also plays a major role. Elliott discovered one of his photographs — taken on an African safari, just as a small crane touched down among a group of towering elephants — while flipping through one of the couple’s travel albums. Wanting to ensure a diverse mix of artwork, Elliott worked with a creator to turn the striking image into custom wallpaper she displayed in the new game room. “It’s one of our favorite elements in the house,” Linda says.
Reflecting on the transformation, Linda sees the home as a serendipitous gift. “The move to San Francisco wasn’t planned, as we had no real intention of leaving Palo Alto when we did,” she says. “But we feel a lot of kismet.”
The house succeeds in feeling both elegant and unpretentious — a home that holds space for children, friends and dogs. “It’s beautiful, comfortable and not too fancy all at once,” Linda says.
