At Home: Bernal Heights home tells stories

SAN FRANCISCO — Rebekah Cholak likes to create interior spaces that tell stories. That’s something that comes naturally, given her background — Cholak became an interior architect after an acting career in Los Angeles.

“The thing I liked most about acting was the ability to make a story for someone else,” she said. “And I started thinking that part of what really made stories was where the story was taking place.”

Cholak owns and operates RC Design Studio, a design company that specializes in interior design and renovations. She recently turned her hand to her own Bernal Heights home, creating a spacious two-story, three-bedroom, two-bath home out of a one-story 1940s fixer.

Wood and earthen colors dominate the home. Alongside walnut cabinetry, the star of the kitchen is a single slab of striking green-veined granite. In the living room, the fireplace is faced with limestone, and built-in walnut cabinets are fitted with quirky brass color latches Cholak bought at Anthropologie. Throughout the interior, oak floors are tinted with a touch of coffee color that gives them a golden glow.

Cholak says the typical homebuyer in Bernal Heights influenced her decision to bring clean, modern lines into the house.
That said, “my aesthetic though is not as modern or stark ... it has a little more lusciousness to it,” she says.

A case in point is the sleek master bedroom that includes a wall of rich olive green velvet drapes.

The renovation completely reconfigured the upstairs of the apartment, which is now an open living area, switching around the kitchen, living and dining spaces and an upstairs bedroom.

“I encourage spaces to have communal feelings,” Cholak explained. “It colors pretty much everything [I do], from color to material.”

The reconstruction also opened up a whole lot more space. With the addition of an interior stairwell, what was once a basement became a fully finished floor with a palatial master bedroom and bathroom as well as two small plus spaces and a cheerfully decorated foyer.

For clients, Cholak said she combines high-end and less expensive items. In her own home, she chose the more cost effective option in some instances, such as facing a shower stall with large pieces of smooth stone rather than pricier tile.

Cholak found other ways to optimize her budget, too: she sold most of her furniture when she renovated and replaced everything with purchases from Craigslist.

STYLE KEYS
Favorite color: Green, blue, orange ... not red!
Favorite rooms: Kitchen; master bedroom
Favorite piece: Red stripe upholstered chair and a bold framed print from her childhood that now hangs in the master bedroom
Favorite secondhand/antique store: SF Antique Mall, stores on Valencia Street