[credit: katherine macDonald]
is it possible, i wonder, to become so mesmerized by an image that a slight obsession begins to transpire? take, for example, this richly bedecked foyer in san francisco interior designer caitlin moran’s cow hollow apartment. the metallic osborne & little wallpaper is practically hypnotic and the menagerie of framed glamour shots of her and her new husband’s friends and family—not to mention the original Lichtenstein (thrown in for good measure, bien sur)—is clearly a ploy to stir one’s inner voyeur: who are those people? where are they now? (or, my own insecure twist: do i know enough people to make such a wall equally as captivating?)
while the color palette of teal and chocolate and rose is sumptuous (caitlin is a fearless color theorist) and the patterns on the rug and the wallpaper are spellbinding and the family photos inspire that warm, fuzzy feeling otherwise known as nostalgia, to me, the most intriguing element of this moroccan-inspired setting is the pairing of the gleaming gold screen—traditionally used, as we all know, to ensure modesty—with an un-pedigreed painting of a mysterious, shoulder-baring woman in the corner, a vision of coyness in her own right. “it hung in my grandmother’s hallway forever,” caitlin explains. “it’s very dark and a little creepy. i love it.”
[credit: aya brackett]
caitlin custom designed her headboard as a tribute to another venerable piece of furniture—the wingback chair. “flattened like a pancake,” she explains. in keeping with the palette, the board is upholstered in rose tweed with chocolate piping. while i also appreciate its unusual shape—which, in its own way, is vaguely moorish—i really admire its humble size, a refreshing foil to the ostentatious headboard she could have designed, given the room’s moroccan theme and dramatically high ceilings (typical for turn-of-the-century san francisco edwardians). -leilani labong*
*leilani is joining us as a guest writer on the main site this week
