Blissful: The 2024 San Francisco Decorator Showcase
2024 San Francisco Decorator Showcase. Rendering: Clay Siebert
If you are of a certain age, you might have a sense of déjà vu when you see the 2024 San Francisco Decorator Showcase announcement. The magnificent Dutch Colonial Revival five-level brick mansion on Pacific Heights' Gold Coast hosted the 1989 Showcase. Lumber and railroad baron Duane L. Bliss commissioned his son, the architect Walter D. Bliss, to design the Gilded Age estate in 1899. The Bliss family were California and Nevada pioneers; the elder Bliss established Lake Tahoe as an elite resort destination, and the younger Bliss, with his architectural partner William Baker Faville, designed many Bay Area landmarks, including the St. Francis Hotel.
2898 Broadway Ave, San Francisco. Photo: R. Brad Knipstein
The family home may have been Bliss's first project after receiving his architectural education from MIT and working at McKim, Mead & White as a draftsman. Influenced by his stay in New York City and the American Renaissance movement, he designed a residence reminiscent of wealthy New Amsterdam abodes with a modified gambrel roof, red brick sheathing laid out in a Flemish bond pattern, corner embellishments, and white marble trim. Entering the dramatic portico, flanked by double pairs of fluted Doric columns, the massive mahogany doors lead to the classically proportioned public rooms, terminating in spectacular views of San Francisco Bay.
Room with a View, the Living Room and Solarium now. Photo: R. Brad Knipstein
Pursuing the floor plan from the 1989 catalog for the Bliss Residence is like a time capsule of the San Francisco design community. Thomas Bartlett created an English-styled salon in the Living Room, which features a marble fireplace and ornate coffered ceiling. Suzanne Tucker of Tucker & Marks designed the formal Dining Room with exposed oak beams and an intricately carved oak fireplace. Upstairs, Agnes Bourne's Primary Bedroom boasts a fireplace and bay views. Who will be the designers for 2024? The San Francisco Decorator Showcase committee is announcing their selection this week; find out on their Showcase press page or follow them on Instagram.
Visit the 2024 Decorator Showcase – April 27 to May 27, 2024, at 2898 Broadway Street, San Francisco. Tickets will be available for purchase on February 1. Since 1977, the San Francisco Decorator Showcase has benefited the San Francisco University High School financial aid program.