A Queen Anne House Was Slowly Designed Over Four Years—the End Result Was Worth the Wait
It was a labor love for the owner, who just so happens to be an interior designer.
Joy Coakley
I would assume that if you’re an interior designer, you’re always sort of zhuzhing up your own space from time to time. When you’re your own designer, you don’t really have to meet hard and fast deadlines with renovating and remodeling. Can we call it a good kind of occupational hazard, or is it the perks of the job? Whatever it is, that’s what designer Danielle Novy did with her 1905 Queen Anne home in San Francisco that she shares with her husband and 3-year-old twins.
Photo by Joy Coakley; Prop styling by Leigh Noe
Instead of leaving San Francisco during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic like many were doing, Danielle and her husband “kind of doubled-down and put down more roots in San Francisco” by buying the three-bedroom, three-bathroom home. They felt a strong pull to the house when visiting it—the beautiful yard and natural light filling the main floor were big pros—and could immediately imagine themselves raising their kids there.
Photo by Joy Coakley; Prop styling by Leigh Noe
“We worked on the house bit by bit over the past three years, which was great because we got to feel out how we’re using the space in practice as we made design decisions,” she says.
The three-story home is a very vertical space with lots of stairs. And even though Danielle and her husband loved its charm, history, backyard, and all the natural light, the home did need some improvements.
Photo by Joy Coakley; Prop styling by Leigh Noe
“As for the problem areas, one major challenge was the basement—it’s over a third of the total square footage, but it was mostly this big open room with visible support beams, so it wasn’t very functional or inviting,” she explains. “I knew immediately we were going to need to use that square footage, and I wanted to make it as nice as the rest of the house. I also knew I wanted to make the kitchen brighter.” Additionally, the primary bedroom was small, dark, and felt like a bit of an afterthought.
Photo by Joy Coakley; Prop styling by Leigh Noe
Their biggest goal was to preserve the character of the home, while also creating a space that’s comfortable and inviting for a young family. “I love San Francisco’s Victorian and Edwardian architecture, so if I’m lucky enough to live in this beautiful 1905 house, the last thing I wanted to do was scrub the inside of its classic features and do something generic,” Danielle says. “I wanted to play up the beautiful bones and keep some traditional details, but pull it into 2024 so our family can make the most of the space today. For us that meant adding home offices and dedicated areas for the kids to play, plus making everything brighter.”
Photo by Joy Coakley; Prop styling by Leigh Noe
Danielle came up with a design plan that was rooted in the house’s Queen Anne architecture. She pulled in traditional, classic, and vintage pieces. “Overall, my style is a bit eclectic: I love to mix different eras, mix old with new, mix patterns, and mix colors,” she explains. “Most of my all-time favorite homes are like this: great mixes of colors and styles. Embracing this collected-across-generations aesthetic is so much fun, especially because it was a meaningful departure from the style of our last house, which was pretty modern and simple.”
Danielle and team kept the kitchen’s cabinets and appliances since they were in good shape. But since the room felt dark and dated, they painted the cabinets Benjamin Moore’s River Blue, replaced the countertops and backsplash with honed Caesarstone that looks like marble, and added a vibrant yellow wallpaper.
Photo by Joy Coakley; Prop styling by Leigh Noe
To turn the primary bedroom from an “afterthought” to a main character, they removed the chair rails, added box molding, and painted the room a peaceful smokey green color.
Photo by Joy Coakley; Prop styling by Leigh Noe
To tackle the biggest problem area—the basement—Danielle decided to turn it into several completely usable spaces since it was a third of the home’s total square footage. “We added walls to conceal the support beams and turn a vast open space into an office for my husband, who works from home, and a playroom with a built-in bench and toy storage for our kids,” she says. “Both of these spaces get used every single day, so I think we nailed the functionality objective.”
Photo by Joy Coakley; Prop styling by Leigh Noe
Throughout the home, you’ll find plenty of vintage furniture, which Danielle is passionate about. “I also absolutely love everything about vintage furniture: I appreciate the quality, the sustainability of vintage versus buying new, and I love getting something really unique from another era,” she explains. “Because of this, I’d say upwards of 70% of what we own is vintage, and I think this makes the house feel warmer and more comfortable. It’s also very livable with two young kids: I don’t stress too much when the kids move furniture around the house to build forts because most of our pieces already have a little patina.”
Photo by Joy Coakley; Prop styling by Leigh Noe
After four years of hard work, Danielle turned the home into a space that’s warm, inviting, and filled with so much personality. “We all love it! I constantly feel really lucky to live here,” she adds.
