Designer Anu Jain’s 100-year-old San Francisco home is an archive of collectible design

Every detail in the living room of Anu Jain’s San Francisco home is hand-picked to complement its piece de resistance—a centenarian fireplace, dark brown and stone-washed with intricate carvings. The walls are coated in rosy beige Phillip Jeffries wallpaper, textured to resemble fabric. The ceiling is painted in a taupe-y brown ‘Whipped Mocha’ by Benjamin Moore. Upholstery and furniture echo the colour scheme, adding to its old-world appeal. In contrast, the lighting stands out – a matte-black single-tiered chandelier designed by Philippe Malouin for the New York design label Matter. “It is the story of the whole house, where elements and eras come together, where a Tudor fireplace and a minimal chandelier go together,” says Jain.

The living room is designed around its stone-carved fireplace, an original feature of the 100-year-old Tudor home.

Brad Knipstein

Brad Knipstein

Jain eschewed paint in her living room for a textured Phillip Jeffries wallpaper.

Brad Knipstein

An interior designer, Jain grew up in Delhi and moved to the United States 17 years ago and studied law. Initially working in tech, with stints at Gartner and LinkedIn, she eventually switched careers to pursue design. Cut to seven years later, the 34-year-old designer helms her own firm, Atelier Oleana, and lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children. Jain and her husband acquired the San Francisco home four years earlier. “I love Tudor architecture, and this is a 100-year-old home. I felt the richness of the architecture–in the dark hardwood floors, the tall ceiling, the brass fixtures, the tall casement window,” she says, adding that it took her less than 10 minutes to decide to buy the house. Jain undertook the renovation and design herself, juggling it with professional projects and bringing up her children, now aged four and one.

Colour Theory

The dining room is minimally decorated, with Fornasetti plates and a suede chandelier by Apparatus.

Brad Knipstein

Shades of green dominate the dining room, on the walls, floor, and furniture.

Brad Knipstein

The home is designed to celebrate the historical details that allured Jain when she first saw the home. “The hardware, all the Cremone bolts, the railings on the staircase are all native to the original homes,” she says. “I juxtaposed it with other contemporary things, but in a similar colour palette.” For the living room shades of brown, caramel, camel and taupe acted as foil to the fireplace while Jain leaned on textiles and textures to add depth and intimacy. A vintage trunk coffee table rests in the centre, crafted from rattan and accented with patina. The couch is covered in Pierre Frey’s Teddy Mohair, a material Jain highlights for “its really lush pile.” Offsetting it is a custom-made chair upholstered in a dusty rose velvet by F. Schumacher & Co. The designer’s favourite seat in the room is the Hadar Lounge Chair, crafted from leather and timber by De La Espada leather chair and recognisable by its wavy, reclining form. “This is where I have my chai every morning,” she says.