Krzysztof’s Modern Deco-Inspired Home

Name: Krzysztof Palacz
Location: Buena Vista, San Francisco
Size: 880 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years; Owned

House tour veteran Christopher Reynolds tipped me off about his friend Krzysztof’s San Francisco apartment. Since I trust Christopher’s eye, I didn’t ask for many details, and showed up site unseen with tripod in tow. Krzysztof first had me at the Cherner chairs, a modern classic I’ve been coveting since design school. The camel leather sofa, vintage brass accessories, and geometric patterns (not to mention the flamingo and Dolly Parton prints) had me swooning at every turn.

Krzysztof perfectly mixes what he calls a 70s interpretation of Art Deco with mid-century minimalism (perfect for a smaller apartment). He explains his inspirations way better than I could below. Inspiring, for sure, and worth a read and peek inside. Enjoy the tour, and please thank him for letting us into his beautiful Edwardian home.

My Style: Studio 54. A reinterpretation of the late 70’s reinterpretation of Art Deco. I didn’t invent this description, but it fits. Actually my style is more eclectic — larger pieces are mid-century in character, while decorative and accent items are almost exclusively Deco-inspired. The color palette and choice of materials (brass, smoked glass, walnut and teak) unify the space.

Inspiration: My sensibilities are definitely modern, but not at all minimal. I love the richness and extravagance of Art Deco and Art Nouveau, and initially I wanted to adhere rather strictly to one of these styles, but I felt that I had to scale down my grand plans to match the size of a two-bedroom apartment in a San Francisco Edwardian. It turned out that the larger Deco furniture items I liked were likely to overwhelm the available space. So instead I incorporated lighter, less imposing mid-century pieces, and I’m happy with the result.

Favorite Element: The terrariums. One day I’ll get into plants and learn the names of all the ones I have. For now, I’m very glad to have them around.

Biggest Challenge: The entertainment center in the living room. I wanted to utilize the space along the long wall that runs the length of the apartment, and I think the Cado wall unit is exactly what I needed, but it took a long time to figure it out.

What Friends Say: “Did you hire a interior designer?” I’m pretty sure some of them expected me to limit my decorating efforts to arranging a giant flat screen TV, a black leather recliner and a computer desk. Not so. I do have a giant flat screen TV, though.

Biggest Embarrassment: The bedroom? It looks good from certain angles, but I’m still waiting for inspiration.

Proudest DIY: Nah. One day.

Biggest Indulgence: The Cherner chairs in the dining area. I deliberately avoided easily recognizable classic modern designs, but couldn’t help but splurge on these.

Best Advice: Start with the space, consider its scale and natural aesthetic, and then take it where it where you want it to be.

Dream Sources: Movies from the 70’s set in New York City. Also, at some point I developed a small Etsy habit.

• Room and Board Wells leather sofa and chair
• BDI Xela coffee table
• Vintage walnut and smoked glass side table (The Other Shop, SF)
• Vintage glass and brass tubes side table (Past Perfect, SF)
• Cado wall unit (vintage Danish modern, referral from Another Time, SF)
• Vintage stepped mirror (The Other Shop, SF)
• Momeni rugs

• Cherner dining chairs
• Round rosewood vintage dining table (Another Time, SF)
• BDI Xela console table
• Neiman Marcus knot mirror
• Vintage pendant light over kitchen counter (the Other Shop, SF)
• Terrariums – rectangular vases: Z Gallerie, other vases: vintage, arrangement: Reynolds-Sebastiani Design, SF
• CB2 leaning mirrors

• Room and Board Anders bed
• West Elm nightstand
• Chiasso night lamp
• Vintage sideboard (The Other Shop SF)

• Jesper Office walnut desk
• Vintage office chair (The Touch, SF)
• Room and Board walnut bookshelf, office armoire
• Room and Board Encore convertible sofa
• CB2 hexagonal storage (white)
• Hexagonal storage (walnut, Module R)
• Vintage desk accessories (The Other Shop, SF)
• Crate and Barrel chevron pattern sisal rug

Thanks, Krzysztof!

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