A chance encounter involving a periwinkle jumpsuit led to one of the most spectacular home transformations in San Francisco's design scene. When Kimberly Saper Sanner first met interior designer Summer Thornton to discuss renovating her Tudor Revival home, she wore a vintage Lanvin jumpsuit in the exact shade of pale purplish blue found in a de Gournay scenic wallpaper sample. "We're wallpaper soulmates," Sanner recalls, describing how she held her leg next to the swatch and declared, "We match!" This serendipitous meeting marked the beginning of an extraordinary three-and-a-half-year collaboration that would result in six different de Gournay patterns throughout the home.
The 1912 Tudor Revival house, purchased by Sanner and her finance executive husband in early 2021, maintains its traditional exterior appearance while hiding a stunning interior transformation. Located beside the Presidio, the former military base turned national park, the property offered what Sanner describes as "a bucolic oasis in the city." The couple enlisted architect Stephen Sutro to renovate key areas including the kitchen, dining room, and primary suite, while preserving most of the home's original architectural character.
Sanner's vision for the renovation was deeply personal, drawing inspiration from her late grandmother Charlotte Saper's Upper East Side apartment in New York. An artist and decorator herself, Charlotte had filled her home with marble orbs, crystal obelisks, and malachite inlay boxes, creating what her granddaughter describes as "elegant maximalism." This aesthetic philosophy would become the driving force behind every design decision in the San Francisco home, extending what Sanner calls "really good old lady energy" into a contemporary context.
Summer Thornton, the Chicago-based ELLE Decor A-List designer who founded her firm in 2007, proved to be the perfect collaborator for this ambitious project. Known as a "card-carrying maximalist" who serves clients "who don't care what the neighbors think," Thornton has built a reputation for fearless design across cities from Chicago to Miami, New York City to Aspen. "I'm not afraid to go too far," she explains, a philosophy that would prove essential for her first San Francisco project.
The home's dramatic transformation reveals itself immediately upon entry, where a cove ceiling shimmers with aluminum leaf accented by hand-painted ribbon details. The foyer features one of Annie Morris's iconic Stack sculptures, consisting of eight candy-colored spheres arranged in a vertical column. A pale pink lacquered stairwell amplifies the theatrical atmosphere, catching and reflecting light at the heart of the home while serving as a preview of the bold color choices throughout.
The color palette, which both Sanner and Thornton delightfully describe as "weird," centers on rich jewel tones applied with remarkable confidence. Thornton embraces these hues boldly throughout the space: periwinkle de Gournay walls grace the family room, amethyst upholstery defines the primary suite, and deep purple velvet drapes worthy of the Grateful Dead create drama in the game room. "No color is off-limits," Thornton declares, a principle evident in every room.
The living room showcases Thornton's mastery of calculated color clashing, where mauve lacquer walls meet cinnamon trim in a sophisticated juxtaposition. A moss-green sofa snakes through the space, specifically designed to facilitate salon-style gatherings. Silk damask curtains and a Sheila Hicks tapestry contribute to the overall aesthetic that Sanner describes as channeling her grandmother's elegant maximalist spirit. "The house really feels like a memoir," she reflects.
Green, a signature color in Thornton's design vocabulary, finds its most opulent expression in the primary bathroom, which is completely wrapped in dark green Italian stone. This choice particularly resonates with Sanner, as it reminds her of her grandmother's cherished malachite boxes, creating a tangible connection between past and present. The stone's rich surface adds both luxury and emotional significance to this private retreat.
The game room represents perhaps the most whimsical expression of the home's maximalist philosophy, featuring tiger prints and midnight-blue forest murals that create an fantastical environment. This playful space emerged from a specific request by the couple's 10-year-old son, who simply asked them to "make it more fun, please!" The result is a room that perfectly balances sophisticated design with child-friendly wonder, embodying the home's overall approach to fearless creativity.
