Old warehouse converted into fabulous urban home

This sensational warehouse home is located in the Mission district of San Francisco in an industrial building, built in the 1930′s. The building has had many lives, first as a Lucky Strike warehouse, later an auto repair shop, and then in the 80′s it belonged to an organization known for its experimental art installations. During the dot com era it was dolled up as a software company. Clive McCarthy bought the 10,000 square foot building in 2006 for his art factory and residence. He hired designer Stanley Saitowitz and architecture firm Natoma Architects for the renovation of the industrial warehouse.

Here is a description of the project from the designers, “the scope of project was to restore the original industrial warehouse and remove the ugly mid 90′s additions and to install contained set elements of the entry, powder room, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, fireplace, and laundry to create a domestic landscape. These set pieces are smooth and refined, and contrast sharply with the rustic original building. To quiet the existing jagged backdrop, gray stain and paint were used as a camouflage which synthesizes the disparate materials and elements.

The main studio is contained in a secluded space at the rear of the first level. Sometimes works spills out and occupies the lower level and central two-story volume. A series of spaces on the upper floor form a circuit around this volume. The living room is above the garage, at the street front, and flanked by a study and guestroom. A long dining room table continues to become the kitchen island. Across the void are the laundry and another guestroom. The master suite occupies the rear of the building, with a sparkling white tub and sink area, and a shortcut to the studio below. A new central stair hangs in the void and links the work level to the living level above, and a rooftop garden at the top.” Via

The bright-red Lack bookcases in the library are from Ikea.

A 39-foot-long kitchen counter, made of honed granite, doubles as a workstation and dining table.

The black leather LC4 Chaise Lounge in the master bedroom is by Le Corbusier.

The green wall was created by Plants on Walls, a San Francisco-based company.

The painting in the bathroom is “Patricia Susan Bell,” a portrait of Dr. Bell by Mr. McCarthy, who wrote computer code to produce the digital intaglio ink-jet on canvas.

White edge tiles, by Dal Tile, line the room. The long vanity and sink were custom-cut from Corian solid surface. The spa-like water feature is a RainSky by Dornbracht.

Stanley Saitowitz, the designer, introduced a spiral stair that hangs from the roof, without touching the floor, to avoid cutting into the concrete.

Mr. Saitowitz covered a graffiti-style mural on the facade in gray paint to bring out the building’s clean lines and details.

Photos: Rien van Rijthoven and Matthew Millman