Move Over Coastal Grandmother – This San Francisco Home Proves 'Cali Wabi-Sabi' Is the Relaxed Design Trend to Know

The light in San Francisco is never quite the same. Softened by the city's ever-changing fog and marine layer, it shaped almost every design decision made in this late-1940s Sea Cliff home. Over the course of a three-and-a-half-year renovation, designer Kara Piepmeyer of Studio Kosma transformed a once-disjointed 1940s house into a light-filled sanctuary that feels, in her words, 'restrained yet soulful' – balancing sculptural architecture with warmth, craftsmanship, and a wabi-sabi sensibility. 'The most beautiful homes aren't perfect,' Kara says. 'They're deeply considered but fully lived in.'

The result is a home that's every bit as calming as it is considered, embodying the relaxed and blended 'Cali wabi-sabi' aesthetic with effortless ease. Vaulted ceilings, sweeping curves, richly grained oak, and tactile plaster create a warm, layered backdrop, while views of the Golden Gate Bridge steal the show from almost every room.

For many clients, the view would have been enough. Perched in San Francisco's coveted Sea Cliff neighborhood, this home enjoys sweeping vistas across the Bay. But for Kara, the landscape offered more than just a beautiful backdrop – it became the starting point for the entire renovation.

'Unlike Southern California, where the light tends to be bright and consistent, the light here is constantly changing,' Kara explains. 'The fog rolls in, the marine layer softens everything, and the quality of light can shift dramatically throughout the day.' Rather than trying to compete with that ever-changing light, Kara chose to embrace it. 'We were very intentional about creating a home that always felt warm and luminous,' Kara continues. 'We selected materials and finishes that would hold their richness even on the grayest days – the home never feels drab or dark. In many ways, the soft cloud cover makes it feel like the house is glowing from within.'

The renovation completely reworked the home's previously fragmented floor plan, replacing a maze of small rooms with stronger sightlines and larger openings to create a seamless connection between indoors and out. Steel-framed doors, expansive windows, and carefully framed views ensure your eye is constantly drawn outwards. 'The lack of intact original features gave us tremendous freedom to rethink the architecture and create a floor plan that better celebrated the views, natural light, and the way this family lives today,' Kara adds.

One thing is immediately apparent with this project: nothing feels overdesigned. Despite its high ceilings and architecture, there's an ease to every room that makes it feel warm, welcoming, and wonderfully lived in. That was no accident. 'I believe soul comes from the tension between refinement and real life,' says Kara. Rather than relying on bold colors and pattern, Kara looked to craftsmanship and materiality to create spaces with lasting warmth and character.

Throughout the home, oak, stone, bronze, plaster, wool, and linen create a layered palette, chosen not because they feel new, but because they will continue to age beautifully over time. 'We were less interested in materials that felt new than materials that felt timeless,' Kara explains. 'They are materials that carry memory, reveal craftsmanship, and become more beautiful through use – qualities that help a house feel grounded and lived-in from the very beginning.' Furnishings in deep indigos, earthy greens, warm brown, and soft neutrals were all chosen to ground the architecture, while sculptural lighting, vintage finds, and handcrafted pieces were brought in to introduce 'warmth, personality, and a sense of history that keeps the spaces from feeling overly polished.'

Designing for one client is challenging enough. Designing for two with completely different tastes? That's where the real challenge begins. 'He gravitates toward clean lines, simplicity, and a more monolithic architectural presence, while she loves warmth, character, and thoughtful detail,' Kara explains of the client's differing interior design styles.

Fortunately, they shared one important goal: creating a home that felt light-filled, welcoming, and deeply connected to its surroundings. Rather than choosing one aesthetic over the other, Kara looked for ways the two could strengthen each other. 'The most successful homes don't feel like two competing visions forced together,' she says. 'They feel like a shared story.'

'Throughout the home, you'll see that balance play out repeatedly,' Kara continues. 'Expansive volumes are softened by arched openings and textural materials, clean architectural lines are paired with heavily grained wood, honed stone, and hand-forged metalwork. Ultimately, the goal wasn't compromise – it was to create a home where both perspectives could exist in conversation with one another,' she adds.

'The architecture feels expansive and sculptural, but we worked hard to ensure it never felt cold or austere. Instead, it balances openness with intimacy, restraint with warmth,' Kara explains of the 'comfortable and unpretentious' mood of the home. Curves became one of the defining motifs, appearing in the arched openings, staircase, range hood, built-ins, and even the subtle half-round detailing integrated into the cabinetry of the home. 'We were very intentional about creating a consistent architectural language throughout,' Kara explains. 'That repetition creates a sense of rhythm and softness throughout the house,' she adds.

As Kara explains, there isn't one defining feature that makes this home so memorable. 'The conversation between the architecture and furnishings is what gives the home its sense of soul. Neither is complete without the other,' she continues. 'Those repeated gestures became the thread that ties the entire project together.'

Relocating the kitchen to the rear of the home transformed it into the true heart of family life, creating a seamless connection to both the garden and adjoining living spaces. 'Now, light just pours in through steel-framed doors and continuous windows,' says Kara. It encapsulates everything we were trying to achieve throughout the project. 'It combines the home's expansive architecture and connection to natural light with the warmth and richness of deeply textured materials.'

A dark-stained oak island contrasts beautifully with the lighter custom cabinetry, while marble surfaces, plaster finishes, and bronze accents bring richness without competing with the stillness. Look closely, and you'll notice the subtle half-round detailing on the cabinetry. Just beyond, the breakfast nook offers a softer, more intimate moment. 'This nook is all about comfort and connection,' Kara explains. Designed with a built-in banquette and a bespoke table that echoes the cabinetry, it's an inviting spot for everything from family dinners to homework sessions.

The formal living room sets the tone for the rest of the home. Framed by a vaulted ceiling, arched built-ins, and a plaster fireplace, the room is intended to feel 'calm, balanced, and full of warmth' with a symmetrical layout that grounds all those curves. A rich oak coffee table, vintage side tables, and layered textiles bring warmth and texture, while a deep navy rug adds a punch of color underfoot. 'It’s all polished yet relaxed – it's meant to be lived in,' says Kara.

More than any other space, the family room is where this young, social family comes to gather. 'This is where life unfolds,' says Kara. Flooded with natural light through steel-framed doors, it was designed as a relaxed space where comfort takes center stage. 'The deep indigo and soft neutral palette create a casual sense of calm, while the plaster fireplace and custom oak cabinetry bring architectural presence, and the walnut coffee table adds a beautifully imperfect nod to Northern California’s natural richness,' she continues. 'Nothing feels overly precious – it’s layered, comfortable, and quietly sophisticated.'

Designed as a place to unwind, the primary bedroom embraces the same quiet material palette seen throughout the home, with warm woods, soft neutrals, and a deep indigo headboard creating a sense of calm. 'This room is designed to exhale,' says Kara. 'It's serene but never sterile; the materials bring it to life, and the light shifts beautifully throughout the day.' A hidden TV, built subtly underneath the window, is the home's most unexpected design moment. 'It's the kind of detail no one notices when it's successful – which is exactly the point.' The adjoining bathroom continues the same refined approach. Honed marble, oak cabinetry, and burnished brass detailing create what Kara describes as 'a daily retreat' – luxurious without feeling overdone.

While the home's larger spaces embrace a soft, understated palette, the two equally bold powder rooms offer moments of surprise. In the first, a striking Viola marble vanity takes center stage. 'The moment we saw the slab, we knew it was non-negotiable,' says Kara. Paired with stained oak millwork and aged brass accents, it proves that even the smallest rooms can make a good impression. The second powder room brings a more playful energy, with hand-glazed checkerboard tiles. 'This bathroom has a little wink to it – playful but grounded,' Kara explains.

It would have been easy for the wine cellar and sauna to feel like disjointed luxuries, but Kara approached them with the same thoughtful restraint as the rest of the home. 'These spaces were some of the most enjoyable to design because they allowed us to introduce moments of surprise and personality within the home,' says Kara. 'The challenge was ensuring they felt like natural extensions of the home's design language rather than standalone features,' she explains. In the wine cellar, natural oak millwork and carefully considered proportions create a space that celebrates craftsmanship, while the cedar-lined sauna is beautifully simple.

The idea of 'connection' is the red thread that runs throughout this project. 'For me, great design is fundamentally about connection – the connection between rooms, between a home and its surroundings, and ultimately between the people who live there and the spaces they inhabit,' Kara explains. Sometimes, that's something tangible you can see, but other times it's more of a feeling that a home inspires. 'That idea guided every decision in this project, from carefully reworking the floor plan to the final layers of materials, furniture, and styling.' As the Northern California light shifts from morning sunshine to moody fog, every carefully considered detail comes into its own in this home, proving that good design simply gets better with time.

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