On the night the 2010 San Francisco Giants won the World Series, Alison and Bruce Damonte went to see a house that was for sale. As potential first-time owners, they were still getting a feel for the market but were excited to find a home they both loved in Bernal Heights. “The city exploded with celebration that night,” says Alison, an interior designer. (Bruce is an architectural photographer.) “I remember we were in the basement and you could hear fireworks and car horns. We felt like we were paying close attention at the time because everyone else was totally distracted by the World Series!”
Two couples and four friends brought the house to life.
The couple, attracted by the house’s layout, original wood and character, bought it a week later. They were thrilled to have found a home in their price range that they could move into immediately and planned to tackle much-needed renovations over time. “It had the charm of an older house but didn’t feel as claustrophobic,” Alison recalls. “We knew it was a great home.”
The Damontes eventually hired Casper and Lexie Mork-Ulnes of Mork-Ulnes Architects, who are their close friends, to do the remodeling. Seven years later, in 2017, they were finally ready to get the ball rolling. “We had submitted our final plans to the city for a complete renovation,” says Alison. But on Christmas morning that year, the smell of smoke roused the Damontes. Her house was on fire.
“One of [the neighbor’s] Motorcycles exploded and caught fire,” explains Bruce. “It was very traumatic, but we feel really lucky [it wasn’t even worse].” At the time, Casper recalls, “We were about to get the permits, which in big cities can take a year or more. Lexie and I were in Italy over Christmas and I got this text message from them about the fire. We felt terrible. We worked with them on the project for many years, through budgets and changes in their careers. It [had already been] a long process.”
Art: Gallery Cody Hoyt/Patrick Parrish
“We really used this stairwell to bring light through all the floors,” says Casper. “Use the stairs, and [its] Mirror elements allowed us to reflect light into the building.” Lexi adds: “We had designed a staircase, but Bruce wanted it to be more sculptural. So we overdid it – not only is it curved, but it’s also finished with mirrored chrome trim.”
And yet positive things emerged from the ashes. “We like to call it The Silver Lining House,” says Alison. “Not only because of the silver references throughout the house, in chrome and metallics, but also because we couldn’t have landed better during this horrible thing [position].”
In a way, the brand also offered new opportunities to rethink their initial efforts. “We invaded a new version of the house,” Lexie recalls. Although dealing with the insurance claims and permits got stressful at times, the city worked to move things forward because of the situation.
In terms of design, Alison’s philosophy is “maximum minimalism,” as she puts it, or a warmer approach to modernity that strikes the balance between capturing clean lines and avoiding a sense of sterility. Thanks in large part to their professions, both members of the couple had strong ideas about what their home should look like. The Damontes are avid collectors and buyers who love to travel to view design projects. For example, while they were in Milan, they were inspired by postmodern elements that influenced some of the thinking behind their own furnishings. “Aesthetically…things have room to breathe,” Bruce says of her home. “It is very clean and the details are very neat. But then we have these monumental, brightly colored things.”
Not afraid of saturation, the couple often opts for bold, vibrant hues in unexpected places. Filled with carefully curated artwork and unique patterns, the home has been designed with intention, care and most importantly, joy. There is a meaning behind almost every piece. “It’s very personal from the standpoint of our own passions, but also [in terms of us] want to include experiences, friendships and memories,” explains Bruce. “We don’t want a table that we just found in a catalogue. We want something that we discovered in a cool way together, or something a friend made.” Otherwise, Bruce adds, it feels like “a missed opportunity.”
