the “stick style” san francisco victorians were built in the late 19th century and served as an architectural transition from gothic to queen anne victorians. stick houses utilized the most innovative design concepts and building technologies of the era. the style defining “stickwork” or decorative trims were created by the first steam-powered wood-working tools and were arranged in elaborate, repeating, geometric patterns. other hallmarks of the style include heightened gables and squared off bay windows. unlike the gothic and queen anne victorian genres, stick style architecture was wholly american, both fresh and modern for the time.

this stick style divisadero street apartment is laid out in a “railroad” format with the various rooms branching off of one long hallway that carries throughout the length of the apartment. 

there are two smaller “fainting rooms” located at the front and rear of the flat. rather than sniffing smelling salts or recuperating in these rooms, today’s occupants might use them as offices, reading rooms or pantries. 

the living room and dining space can be connected by opening the wide pocket doors. there are three original marble fireplaces located in the living room and both bedrooms. 

we renovated the bathroom with clean, simple, white subway tile and dark gray slate flooring. the carrara countertop complements the existing marble fireplaces from the original build. the cupboards are flat, white, thermafoil panels.

in the kitchen, we incorporated the same cupboards as the bathroom. the cupboards take advantage of the twelve foot ceilings with extra vertical storage.

i love the dichotomy of the pared-down, modern kitchen within this thoroughly victorian flat. the original details of the apartment: intricate molding framing doors and windows, ceiling fixtures and the archway; the hallway skylight; marble fireplaces; elaborate brass hinges, handles, pulls and lighting fixtures; and the high ceilings and elongated windows are showcased, while the white and gray palate provides continuity throughout the space. it’s intriguing to imagine the parade of occupants over the many decades… the corseted victorian ladies and top-hatted gentlemen, the exuberant flappers of the twenties, the bohemians who arrived in the sixties and today’s entrepreneurs and dot commers… all scaling the same staircase to enter the apartment.

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