This Colorful House in San Francisco May Be Boxy, but It’s Anything but Square

Interior designer Regan Baker used bold wallpaper and clever storage to liven up her Forest Knolls home.

This Colorful House in San Francisco May Be Boxy, but It’s Anything but Square

Interior designer Regan Baker used bold wallpaper and clever storage to liven up her Forest Knolls home.

A milky way mural by Warp Collection reflects Everett's love of Star Wars. The Sutro Tower coat rack is an homage to the iconic landmark, which is visible just outside the window!

There is nothing square about interior designer Regan Baker’s newly-renovated home. That is, other than its shape. Baker renovated the 1,800 square feet midcentury home in San Francisco’s Forest Knolls neighborhood and made it an oasis for her family, including her husband, Jace, and their 11-year-old twins, Everett and Amelia. 

Baker modernized the pre-existing fireplace by encasing it in sheetrock and bringing it forward into the room for modern, minimal feel.

Baker modernized the living room's pre-existing fireplace by encasing it in sheetrock and bringing it forward for a modern, minimal feel. The stationary louvers outside the upstairs window add texture to the exterior and shadow play to the interior when the sun hits them just right.

Suzanna Scott

"I love challenges," she says. "I wanted to take this box-like, cookie-cutter home and make it amazing and show people what you can do with a square." 

 Built in 1961, the Bakers bought the house in 2016, and renovated it from 2018 to 2019. Despite its boxy shape and questionable peach-colored exterior, the interior designer recognized its good bones. Furthermore, she and her husband were drawn to the property’s forested surroundings, thanks to UCSF’s Parnassus campus, located right across the street. 

The linear quality of the wood slat divider echoes the cedar planks on the home's facade, and contrasts with the curves of the couple's Estudio Persona side chair.

The linear quality of the living room's wood slat divider echoes the cedar planks on the home's facade, and contrasts with the curves of the couple's Estudio Persona side chair.

Suzanna Scott

Baker drew unexpected colors from this abstract landscape painting. Shades of hunter green and pale lavenders pair well with the range of neutral tones, including the walnut wood tones of the floating cabinetry

Baker drew unexpected colors from this abstract landscape painting, which hung in the home prior to their remodel. Shades of hunter green and pale lavender harmonize with the range of neutral tones, including the walnut wood from the floating cabinetry.

Suzanna Scott

See the full story on Dwell.com: This Colorful House in San Francisco May Be Boxy, but It’s Anything but Square