Name: Ginger Richardson
Location: Nob Hill, San Francisco
Size: 550 square feet
Years lived in: 2 years
As part of this year's Small Cool contest, we were thrilled to be invited back for a closer look at Ginger's Nob Hill apartment. Her bold use of color along with the amazing details of her space (swoon pocket door!) got everyone's attention. And after meeting Ginger, I can say the space truly reflects the owner...a little quirky, a little girly and incredibly welcoming!
Ginger's apartment had a unique (well, not necessarily to San Francisco) challenge — the rooms were very narrow so conventional furniture wouldn't work. Ginger made the most of it by finding pieces that fit and served a purpose, even if not the intended purpose. She is also a proud proponent of the mantra that "if you don't love it, get rid of it!" Her home is full of pieces she loves and enjoys and it shows.
While her color scheme may have seen its fair share of debate on the site, we give her major kudos for going for it! The colors make the space feel cozy, comforting and not at all dark, considering it receives an amazing amount of light thanks to her bay windows. Oh, and did we forget to mention the view? Stunning! It makes her apartment a true San Francisco gem — unique and bold like Ginger while still highlighting the beauty that is this amazing city!
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My/Our style: Classic but quirky. Always tons of color used in unexpected ways.
Inspiration: My inspiration was the opulent glamour of bygone days, sort of “Old Hollywood”, but updated with a funky twist.
Favorite Element: Everyone loves that giant brown sliding pocket door, and I don’t disagree. I can keep it closed and have a separate living room and bedroom, which is good for when I have overnight guests or otherwise need some privacy. Or I can leave the pocket door open and have just one giant (relatively speaking) open studio space. I leave it open most of the time so that I can spread out, enjoy the view from the bedroom, and watch the living room TV from the bed.
Biggest Challenge: The biggest challenge for me was definitely the unique narrow footprint of my home, which is characteristic of these classic San Francisco buildings. All of my rooms are only 8 ½ feet wide, which makes it difficult to find the right furniture and arrange everything so you can still walk around! I could not fit a full sofa in the living room without completely blocking the bay windows and cutting the room in half, so I found my vintage settee on eBay that was the perfect size. The best plan for me has been to do things unconventionally, accept the fact that I couldn’t fit a full sized dining table or sofa or entertainment center or dresser in my place, and then come up with narrower options that would still fulfill the purpose. I think the result is a little classic, a little quirky, which matches my personality and makes it fun.
What Friends Say: My friends say it’s fun, cozy, and very me. Or they ignore my décor completely and just stare out the window at the view. That’s the annoying thing about living in this city; no matter how much I put into the decorating, I just can’t compete with the beauty of San Francisco out my window.
Biggest Embarrassment: Whenever I work on my place, I blast Michael Buble’s “Feelin’ Good” at top volume. Something about that song has the right amount of old world sophistication and sassy funk to guide my decorating.
Proudest DIY: The artificial flower arrangements in the living room, which I designed, spray painted, and put together by hand. And just the overall design of the color scheme. The way I express myself is with color, from the clothes I wear to the car I drive (I drive an Orange Mini!) I came up with combining the chartreuse green with the scarlet red based on the fact that I had two mismatched pieces when I moved into the place - my chartreuse futon and my scarlet red shag rug. I wasn’t sure if the two could go together (I know it‘s debatable still!), but I bought a scarlet red pillow, threw it on the chartreuse futon, and it popped! The rest is history. Since red looks so great with black and white, and I already had that gorgeous black and white flooring in the bathroom, I made my bathroom’s primary color red, the kitchen got the chartreuse green, the living room is a combination of both with some chocolate brown, and in the bedroom chocolate brown predominates with some scarlet and soft pink accents.
Biggest Indulgence: Striped bar chair I found from an adorable boutique in Russian Hill on Green Street. It had no mate, and I had no need for a lone barstool, but it was gorgeous, the right colors, and I knew I wanted to do a wall in stripes. That whole side of the wall is designed around that chair.
Best advice: No Fear!!!! Don’t feel like you have to be like everyone else - just because Ikea put a certain room together, you don’t have to go with all of those exact same pieces. I hate the idea of looking cookie cutter, so I think it’s important to not be afraid to add a bit of flair. My funky colors and design aren’t for everyone, but don’t be scared to do something different that you like. Also, I think you shouldn’t find everything you want in one store, or decorate a whole house in one weekend, even one that’s as small as mine. It looks too boring and homogeneous. So much better to pick up a piece here at your favorite store, stumble on a piece there while you‘re on travel, pick something out when you’re elated and on top of the world, buy something when you’re melancholy… your home will be a mixture of all of your different moods and tones. Also, my big rule is, when you buy something, if it doesn’t work out, throw it out. I think the biggest mistake people make is putting something in their home that they don’t even like, and thinking “oh, well”. If you don’t like it, no one else will like it - that’s what returns and Craigslist are for. I’ve sold more mistakes and disasters on Craigslist than I care to mention, but the result is that I love every piece that remains in my house.
Dream source: Design Within Reach. Some of those items aren’t within my reach or budget! I also love Room and Board. And anything I see in Dwell or Elle Décor.
Resources:
I used the same paint colors in every room of the apartment. The red is Benjamin Moore “Caliente!” The green is Benjamin Moore “Spring Moss”. My go-to chocolate brown is always Pratt & Lambert “Hickory”. It is so rich and has just a hint of eggplant. I’ve had people say they want to eat my brown walls!
The lime green microsuede futon is from Urban Outfitters, I bought it 7 years ago right off the showroom floor downtown. It moves in three different directions, it’s awesome. The red settee/loveseat is vintage Ward Bennett, I won it on eBay. My shag rug and vases are from ZGallerie, and my leopard rugs are Ballard Designs. My striped barchair is from Flipp, an adorable little furniture store in San Francisco. That gorgeous mirror on the wall and the nesting tables are from Horchow. I get a lot of basic pieces from CB2 or Ikea, like the TV stand, my wardrobe armoir, the CD/DVD case, and the bar table. The key is to not overdo it and mix these pieces with more opulent items. It’s just like clothes: there’s nothing wrong with mixing up designer jeans with a Target T-shirt, no one will notice!
(Thanks, Ginger!)
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Comments (44)
great view
I love how she took a chartreuse futon and a scarlet red shag rug and MADE them work. She brought one element from each room into the next. Like the red accents in the brown and pale pink bedroom, the chartreuse and red in the accent pillow by the bay window. It all works in a quirky eclectic way without look like grandma's. Well done.
I love the bold colors, and of course, the fabulous view. Thanks for sharing.
WHOA. This is spectacular! Totally not my style, but I'm super impressed!! Kudos, Ginger :)
LOVE!
Two things stick out to me: the alcove in the living room with the desk, that just doesn't work, it's awkward somehow and I think it needs something completely built in, and, the mirrored closet doors don't fit with the period of the house. Otherwise this house is lovely, really warm and cozy and she has a great sense of style. She has a good eye.
fantastic, just fantastic. i love the energy that the red and green generate between them. and the bedroom somehow makes me think of a luxurious train car. perhaps it is the brown paneling on the walls and the leather on the bed?
What a romantic bedroom!
i loooove that red shag rug and the mirror over the chaise! however.... toilet seat covers are one of my design pet peeves, especially coupled with that teddy bear.. ehhh
Please tell me where you got that table on photo number 26. It would fit perfectly in my livingroom.
That view is amazing!
The bedroom photos in this tour are so much better than the one in Small Cool--that bedding looks absolutely gorgeous. What is it?
Ginger did a great job pulling it all together...
...and Jessica did well w/ the photos and writing - It's so nice to get a feel for who these people are and the design struggles they've overcome with these personal anecdotes!
You've done a great job, and a one-of-a-kind apartment for sure! Having lived in an 8-foot wide apartment for 10 years (with no side hallway, but the main bedroom was a luxurious 10-feet wide) I can totally empathize with the difficulties in finding furniture that will fit. One trick we used was having more than one armless chair so sometimes, on special occasions like movie watching, we could put them together and make a sofa.
I LOVE that leather bedframe(?), where did you get it? I NEED it.
wow! big style for such a small space. can't believe how small & narrow the space actually is as it appears so much larger thanks to your bold style. love seeing these kinds of small spaces!!
LOVE the colors!
This is joyous.
THANK YOU FOR THE FLOOR PLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The mirrored closet doors may not match the vintage of the home, but I'm sure they do make the small space feel larger.
I love the bold color and the great personal touches throughout.
WOW! These photos are SOOOOOOO much better than the contest photos. What a difference!!!!
Jess, what kind of camera did you use? I think your photos are fantastic.
I agree about the cohesion of all the colors. :) Wondering if she did the kitchen floor tile herself or was it already there? I'm digging that kitchen.
One thing that strikes me in these montages is the big-ass T.V. sets everybody owns. You're scrolling through looking at wonderful pieces of the apartment and then you come upon the photo with the 30-inch screen. It always sort of jostles me out of my dreamy state of taking in the eye candy. :) But I don't own a T.V., so ...
Nice work! These colors really flow together well.
Sexeh colors, and that bed is to die for.
stunning!!!
It's a bit too thematic for my tastes, but it's really lovely! And I want to just melt into that bed...
bepsf and creative license, thanks so much for you photo comments!
creative license, I use a Canon EOS Rebel xTi...just an entry level DSLR. The key though is that I use a tripod which allows me to get longer exposures when needed and I try to use natural light whenever possible. I shoot most of the house tours with a wide angle lens, but the vignettes are almost all done with a 50 mm fixed lens (best lens ever at under $100). Hope that helps!
I think the idea is there but it's 'poorly' executed -- not cohesive and a little too tacky. If you are to stripe a wall, do it on the whole wall and not just part of it. And the stripes in the kitchen don't work either by the way. Also, dead flowers are...well...dead.
Architecturally, i think the hallway is a waste of space.
The rich reds in the living room and bathroom are nice though. If you can work around this theme, I think you'd be better off. Save the green&brown in areas and see if you like it.
Wow! Just loved it! The colors are so bold and inviting. Very cool. This seems insignificant, but I love the clear tv stand. In a small space it is important to have some clear furniture, it brings less visual busy-ness.
Sorry another comment, just took a closer look. I really love the bedroom, I love the brown walls! And the bathroom is huge for 550 sq! Kudos!
Cosy and a great view. Thanks for the tour.
FABULOUS IN EVERY SINGLE WAY. I WOULD LIVE HERE FOR SURE:) GREAT JOB!!!!!
I love the bedroom, too, newyorklady. It's not my taste, but I respect anyone that uses color that liberally. I only have two questions:
Where on earth did you find a red TV?
Do you have to stand up to get toilet paper every time you use the facilities?
Otherwise-LOVE the historical details!
It looks good and I see how your bedroom would be a relaxation area from the stimulation of the colors of the rest your home. One thing that stood out to me was the blank arched wall area in the kitchen with the "Good food...good wine..." sign. If it's not a door, I would make that into a chalkboard wall. It looks a little awkward so naked. Maybe you could put shelving on it? I'm not sure if there is space for that though.
I love how that door slides open to reveal the rich bedroom. All that red is a bit much for my taste, but you can tell she put a lot of thought into her space, which is awesome!
Jess - Thanks! Yes, it does help (I hope).
Thanks to everyone for your sweet and constructive comments! I was bracing myself b/c I know my style is a bit "out there"; I am delighted to receive such nice feedback!
To answer a few of the questions and comments, re the mirrored closet doors, I agree completely, doesnt match the vintage of the home, they were already installed when I moved in and they wouldn't have been my first choice, but on the other hand, I'm torn, b/c as dmstudio pointed out, it does help give the illusion of bigger space and really open up what would otherwise be a very claustrophobic bedroom. So, I left them and have grown to really love them.
bdig, the table came from Pier One, it's not that expensive, and they may still have it!
Cassis, I agree, Jess did a phenomenal job with the photography, esp the bedroom. My mom helped me pick out the bedding; since everything else is so dramatic, including the bed, I wanted something just understated and feminine. We got it from Bed Bath & Beyond.
homebody, GREAT idea re armless chairs for a small space that you can push together to watch a movie, I'm gonna have to try that! Functionality and seating space for my tiny living room is still something I wrestle with, so that's a great tip.
rowrr, your comment made me smile. To you and others asking about the leather bed, I got it from a furniture store in SF. I will try to find out the model/manufacturer.
To all who commented on the bedroom, this is the power of apartmenttherapy. When I entered the small space contest a few months ago, I received a lot of comments that my bedroom did not look cohesive and seemed "sad", like it was not part of the rest of the house. The first part of my problem was the shoddy photography from my contest pictures (done by yours truly!) I was really lucky to have Jess for this round of photos: Jess' fantastic eye really did a lot to bring out the architectural beauty of the bedroom and the vintage elements with the wainscoting and boxed ceilings. The second part of my problem with the bedroom was the decor itself. Everyone from the site said I held back too much. So, I darkened the walls in my fav choc brown, rearranged the furniture, and added a lush rug, lamp, and other accents. Thanks to the apartmenttherapy readers for telling me to "step it up" in the bedroom! Now it's the best looking room in the house!
What?, agree with your comments about the kitchen wall, have been racking my brain trying to come up w ideas for it. Not much space for shelving, and the fridge door would whack into it when I opened it, but great idea to do a chalkboard! I've also been thinking about maybe doing a fold down table top of some sort since Im extremely low on counterspace, but I'd have to really get my MacGyver on for that one!
Big Tab, red TV came from none other than Target, and I don't have to stand up to reach the TP in the bathroom, but it's quite a stretch, LOL!
JLCarpe3, your comment was my fav, you really get me.
Thanks so much apartmenttherapy readers! Keep the comments and suggestions coming!
OK Hope you are not busy this weekend I need you to overhaul my space planing. I also have a 550 square foot condo and my space does not feel near this big.
Cannot stand the chartreuse kitchen. However, chartreuse as an accent to raspberry is remarkably unexpected and lovely. Nice alternative to wine red accented by similarly darker shades of green. Bravo!
Wow! When I first saw the pict of the living room, I thought it was your bedroom,I mean there's a big bed in there. So I thought,"Man, that's a sexy bedroom!"I mean, why a bed in the living room when you have a separate bedroom? A chaise lounge maybe? But when I saw the brown sliding door and all the other green & brown, well, it lost the magic. The little alcove would be so lovely in red, and the hall table would be great for holding the tv. I mean with all the stuff thats in there, why bother with just that little piece of lucite. Defeats the purpose. Maybe the nesting tables would work in the hall since they are more narrow. Flowers and pillows are gorgeous, beautiful stool, but I see no purpose for it in that room. Cool media cabinet. Love your windows, wish I had that many. Great idea not dressing them up.
The bedroom just squeezes by not being too brown. I probably would have painted that whole wall pink and just the molding in brown. The pink looks soft, its lovely. Love the picts on the ledge idea. The swag curtains are going a little "old ladyish". The frills they add are out of character with everything else, a plain shade would work. Don't like the red cabinet,and this room also needs a more modern chandelier.
Hated the coats hanging in the hall, messes up the clean line of the hallway. And the swag curtain at the end of the hall is totally too old fashioned looking, adds no style, again a plain (or colored) shade would continue the clean lines effect,like the mirror does. Please paint the door white, keeps the consistency of the hallway, makes it one unit,lets one focus on the artwork.
Ok, hope you don't hate me, it just what I would do with all that lovely space, sure seems like much,much larger.
Cheers!
Soft pink and chocolate brown and leather = divine bedroom.
Like others, I could not live with that much colour but you have obviously poured your heart and personality into your space with a wonderful result. There is so much love in there. I enjoyed hearing about your decorating soundtrack - fun!
I also thought the blank kitchen wall would suit a chalkboard but maybe the black paint wouldn't work with the brown of the stripes? You can get chalkboard paint in old schoolroom green.....or maybe change the brown stripes and trim to black? That would then blend with the black and white floor better.
It must be lovely waking up to such a happy, bright space each day!
I mean, it's "cool" but I don't love it. It's a little down-the-rabbit-hole for me.
Ummmm....a little too bordello-meets-TJ MaxHomeGoods for my taste. And the shag rug and teddy bear on the toilet make me sad.
thank God some one else noticed the teddy bear....I had to get to the bottom of all these posts...I was thinking "could I be the only one really bothered by this" Besides the fact that I don't care for stuffed animals on display....the toilet?? Really? Yuck
Sorry to just be negative....I also really like your chaise
What great pictures ... it really allowed me to see details that I had overlooked before! The bedroom was awesome. The subtleness of the pale pinks, rose, reds and browns made me think of taking an excursion on the orient express. From the moment that you walk through the front door, this apartment transports us to a step back in time. However, the boldness of the skyline and the beautiful views of the majestic bay from Ginger's living room reminds us that we are clearly here, enjoying every moment of the present. Thank you Ginger for sharing your gem with us !