Designer Heidi Caillier Returns to San Francisco to Create a Vibrant Victorian Family Home
After years in the Pacific Northwest, AD100 designer Heidi Caillier and her family have settled into a San Francisco Victorian, marking a long-awaited sense of rootedness. The interior features a striking red kitchen, floral upholstery, and a mix of vintage and custom pieces, including a Cox London chandelier and a Tess Morley shellwork lamp. Caillier, who once felt owning such a home was out of reach, now lives in the city that inspired her design career.
Caillier's path to San Francisco was shaped by a transient childhood as a military dependent and graduate studies in public health. After settling in the Bay Area in 2005, she initially launched her interior practice through the now-defunct Homepolish platform, while feeling that owning a grand residence was an impossible dream.
A 2015 relocation to Tacoma, prompted by family proximity and her husband's bar venture, proved pivotal. The region's overcast climate refined her signature cozy aesthetic, and the couple discovered they were expecting twins during the move. Her sons' early years exploring tide pools preceded the family's eventual return to a redesigned Victorian in San Francisco.
This narrative of a designer returning to a city she once deemed financially out of reach could resonate with professionals navigating career pivots and geographic relocations. It may inspire readers to view regional moves as aesthetic catalysts rather than career setbacks. Additionally, the story's emphasis on integrating vintage pieces and bold colors into a historic home could influence consumer trends in interior design, potentially boosting demand for bespoke craftsmanship and heritage architecture, while also highlighting the emotional value of establishing permanent roots.