This Artistic Northern California Home Celebrates the Unexpected

Analog devices, one-of-a-kind furniture, and Robert Rauschenberg artworks populate rooms with views of the San Francisco BayIn the Hillsborough, California house designed by Luke Foss, a mix of sharp lines, deep earth tones, and expressive textures paired with vibrant colors, organic shapes, and understated patterns bring warmth and heart to a new build with stellar views. Here, a custom music desk by Andrew Luck of Luck Carpentry sits against walls painted in Portola Paint’s In the Navy. “The beautiful oak and redwood trees surrounding the perimeter [of the house], and the spectacular view of the San Francisco Bay skyline—you can even see Mt. Diablo in the distance—are the real heroines of the property,” says the homeowner's creative director, Jenni Witt. Construction is by Pete Moffat and Nicolás Colón was the art advisor.Like a person, a house goes through phases. Take the nearly 8,000-square-foot home in Hillsborough, California. It began life as a bare new build: just clean lines and wide views of the San Francisco Bay skyline, with Mount Diablo in the distance. The house was “basically a white box,” says the homeowner’s own creative director, Jenni Witt.In the living room, between the Living Divani sofa (pillows are saddlebag pillows from Amadi Rugs), is a silver coffee table by Max Lamb. “I was debating on colors,” says Foss. “Originally I was going to pick a more muted, earthy color, but I ended up going with something a little shinier and a little bolder. I think it acts as a really nice reflective centerpiece and throws the room off in just the right way that keeps it feeling alive.” Gae Aulenti Oracle Floor Lamp for ArtemideZabihi Collection Tribal Persian Rug PillowTo bring warmth and character to the space, Witt and the homeowner tapped Los Angeles–based designer Luke Foss. The job, explained Witt, needed someone nimble. The homeowner wanted to be part of the process too. He was already living in the house. He had two kids—a teen and a preteen—and had chosen the home because it was close to their schools. Therefore, the work would need to happen in phases. Foss’s job would require swooping in during the summer, when the homeowner and kids were away, to transform the place room by room. “Because the client was used to creating things iteratively in his own career, he asked us to take a similar approach,” says Witt. “He did not mind living in a work-in-progress, because he understood it would get better and better over time.”The pool table was for the kids, says Foss. The custom bookcase made from old-growth cherry wood was for the client, who loves books. Sconces by Green River Project flank artwork by Robert Rauschenberg. A custom DJ booth is next to A the Giant III (2024) by Michail Pirgelis. ART: © 2026 Robert Rauschenberg Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. © Michail Pirgelis / Sprüth Magers.Louis Poulsen PH 80 Portable LampNifemi Marcus-Bello TM BenchAn Addison Woolsey ceramic vessel tops a walnut and rosewood table by George Nakashima. On the bluestone tile floor is a ceramic stool by Jane Yang-D’Haene. “Luke believes that what a person experiences as they step over the threshold sets their mood, deeply affecting the rest of their experience throughout the home,” says Witt. “He was adamant about protecting the entry composition and putting extra time into some key artisanal touches, and he was right to do so.” To start, says Foss, they “created a hierarchy,” evaluating which areas were most important to begin with: “We did his primary and the living room spaces downstairs first. That was one summer. Then the next summer we did the upper living room, a kitchen, and his office. And the last summer was the accessories and bathrooms. It was ongoing, but the big pushes were always in the summer.”The house itself represented a phase too. The homeowner was newly single, and he needed spaces to entertain and explore an interest in music and art, as well as a place that was comfortable for the kids. He wanted everything analog, and he wanted the flow and function of the house optimized. Working closely with Witt, the client, art consultant Nicolás Colón (founder of the contemporary art gallery in San Francisco called Climate Control), and contractors from Pete Moffatt Construction, the team leaned into a “loose, comfortable, casual” aesthetic, says Foss. Think Northern California: “Nothing too formal—always somewhere where people could sit on the floor or pull up a floor pillow and cram next to someone and have a conversation.”The vintage rosewood armchair and ottoman are by Sergio Rodrigues. The drapery is washed canvas and the walls are painted in Cherokee from Portola Paints. On the shelves, colorful objects add intrigue while reflecting the room’s contrasting palette. Ceramica Partenon Spanish Ceramic VesselPK33 Stool by Poul Khaerholm for Kold ChristensenWall panels were added to bring warmth into the new construction, and it adds “a little bit of like a Midwest basement vibe,” says Foss. The Sengu sofa is by Cassina, designed by Patricia Urquiola and upholstered in Herald velvet from Kvadrat. The artwork is by Robert Rauschenberg. “When we began the process,” says Colón, “Luke told me not to think too much about matching the art to the larger design. This gave me freedom to focus solely on finding quality pieces for the client that will stand the test of time.” ART: © 2026 Robert Rauschenberg Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NYApplique À Volet Pivotant Plie Wall Sconce by Charlotte PerriandNickey Kehoe Round Coffee TableIn the entry, rough-edge bluestone tile flooring supports the first of many curated conversations between evocative art, organic shapes, and expressive forms. An elegant George Nakashima table in walnut and rosewood (that looks as though it’s balanced impossibly on a single leg) holds a polka-dot ceramic vessel by Addison Woolsey. From a cement pedestal, the eight-foot limb of a schefflera bonsai reaches across the table. What had once been an oversized pit of rocks, says Witt, was transformed by Luke into this “beautifully asymmetrical composition.”A stained glass pendant by Fabien Cappello hangs over custom stools made with saddle leather. Because Foss lived in San Francisco before moving to Los Angeles in 2018, he was deeply familiar with local artisans and millworkers. “I wasn’t a fish out of water in the Bay,” he says. Addison Woolsey River Glass Vessel 02Oval Liquid Table by Florris WubbenThe pendant light in the kitchen area is by Ruemmler. The cabinets are deep-stained plywood. The dining chairs are by Mario Bellini for Cassina, and the floors are white oak. ART: A History of Frogs / Marta Los AngelesIn the living room, a modular chocolate-brown suede sofa from Living Divani, by Piero Lissoni, sets the tone. Pulled together, it’s perfect for quiet conversations. Pushed to the sides of the room, there’s plenty of space to dance on the gold mohair rug. Above, a giant vintage Noguchi lamp is fitted with a bulb that changes colors. “It’s a way of having party lights without it feeling, you know, too on the nose,” says Foss. The idea being that the space can go “from day to night and still feel tasteful.”In the primary bedroom, a sound system with custom aluminum speakers was built into a custom cork bed by Doug McCollough. “I’ve always loved Doug’s work,” says Foss. “We were like, ‘What if we made the bed almost like one of those ’70s Elvis beds that had the weird switches and toggles?’” McCollough, working with a sound engineer, synced the system to the rest of the house. “Basically you can click and toggle buttons to turn on certain playlists. You don’t ever have to get on your phone. It’s manual, which is cool.” Hanging on the wall is Suki SeoYoung Kang’s Mat 120 × 165 #21-24 (2021). ART: Ian Collings. SeoYoung Kang.Shogun Wall Lamp by Mario Botta for ArtemideMario Bellini "CAB 412” Chair for CassinaColor and comfort were key for the kids’ spaces. The panda sculpture is by Jasmin Anoschkin, and the multimedia painting is by Strauss Bourque-LaFrance. The client wanted to be inspired by the art throughout the house, says Foss. “The artists in the collection range from international blue-chip to local and emerging,” says art consultant Colón. “While some of the artists are definitely having their moments, we didn’t chase trends.” ART: Strauss Bourque-LaFrance. © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / KUVASTO, Helsinki.Lampampe Table Lamp by Ingo MaurerEttore Sottsass Studio Westside Lounge ChairIn one of the kids’ rooms, a Papa Bear chair by Pierre Yovanovitch sits on a Nodi rug. Caviar sconces by Chen Chen and Kai Williams add soft texture and welcoming shapes to the space. The kids got to choose their rooms’ color schemes, says Foss. “We put lots of love into this project, and I think it shows,” says Witt. “Our client and his kids are really happy.” “When it comes to [art] placement, the home does have rooms that Luke created to feel more grounded and earthy,” says Colón, “and others that are more light and ethereal. I would keep this in mind when installing new work in the home, and I believe to great effect.” The painting by Autumn Ramsey hangs on the wall painted in Farrow & Ball’s Dorset Cream. The chair is from The Future Perfect, and the lamp is by Ingo Mauer. In the bathroom, art and objects work to soften crisp lines and neutral tones. The stool by Reinaldo Sanguino, from The Future Perfect, pops against a vintage Beni rug. The vintage ’60s sconces by Vico Magistretti play off glass objects by Jonah Takagi, from the Marta Gallery. “I knew Luke understood how to take this Northern California sensibility, relate it to the area’s unique history of craft, and add some funny twists to appeal to our client's sense of humor,” says Witt. One of Foss’s favorite moments is the staircase, which, fittingly, came together in stages—and a series of creative adjustments. “Luke and I noticed that the light felt cool and green on the lower floor, then opened up to a warm golden sky on the upper floor,” says Witt. “We imagined the journey up the stairwell from the lower level to the upper could feel like climbing from a forest floor up to the tops of the trees.” The original railing, all glass (“that always feels like a mall to me,” says Foss), was removed and replaced by a custom aluminum rail. Only it didn’t let light through, so Foss thought of cutouts at spaced intervals and commissioned John Hogan to make glass inserts. “We spent an entire day composing which panel went where,” says Witt, “checking the light as the sun passed over the house to capture the mood change as you traverse up the stairs.” The result looks “like little melted pieces of candy,” says Foss.The bright, tiled table by Fabien Cappello, from Ago Projects, draws the party outside. James Perse chairs are lit by patinated copper sconces. “The goal was to really warm up this new build,” says Foss. “So rather than slick finishes—shiny lacquers and blacks—it was more browns and earth tones and wood paneling.” It’s the art, and a handful of standout vintage pieces, that really make the house a home. “It was important for me that the artwork in the home reflected the wisdom of a life well lived,” says Colón. “A home especially should feel like a unique reflection of a client’s personal style created over time.” Find it in the geometry of Shannon Rogers’s Myriad (2023). And the photonegative on stainless steel in Robert Rauschenberg’s Seminole Host / ROCI USA (Wax Fire Works) (1990; Edition 3/22). “I come from the furniture world,” says Foss, “so that’s always the most exciting part to me, sourcing the furniture.” Like a bright orange Flos Snoopy table lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and a space-age vintage armchair by Ettore Sottsass; pieces with provenance and elevated craftsmanship that imbue a space with meaning. “If you’re not in this world, and you don’t know all these pieces by heart, you might not totally see it initially,” says Foss. But you feel it. “You can tell it’s well designed. There’s a history, there’s a beauty, there’s a soul.”Outside, a staggered arrangement of Cassina Sail outdoor sofas are interspersed with vintage planters from Orange and Inner Gardens. “A lot of it was built around entertaining and socializing,” says Foss. “And also for the kids. [The homeowner] wanted them to feel comfortable.” Not a subscriber? 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