A Room with a View by Dead Flat®

Walls & Ceiling: Clunch No.2009 in Dead Flat® | Photography: Ekaterina Izmestieva

High on one of the city’s iconic hills, sits a beautiful 1920s building overlooking the San Francisco Bay — it’s hard not to envy that view. The challenge was making the inside of this penthouse suite live up to the impressive scenery outside. Although, it was no challenge at all for the design aficionados at Studio AHEAD. Using our Dead Flat® finish, they colour drenched the space in shades that feel both historic and contemporary at the same time. We sat down with the designers to find out all about the project, their colour choices and how they found Dead Flat®.

Our client reached out to us to help with her penthouse in Nob Hill, which has stunning panoramic views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. We wanted to translate this view into a relaxed atmosphere that stayed true to the rhythms and topography of the city. The building itself is an art deco masterpiece from 1927. So, we also wanted to be sensitive to this architectural history while remaining forward-thinking. Our mix of old and new is exemplified in the living room. The centrepiece is a vintage, art deco, mirrored console, which we’ve paired with a custom bar mirror made by a local company.

We cocooned the house in white, then in the living and dining rooms, we used the blues, yellows and blacks of the 1920s for rugs, art and upholstery. This gives the space a killer, graphic effect and infused the space with a vivacious, contemporary feel. In stark contrast, the bedroom features whites, silvers and pearl. We cocooned the media room in black, to create the perfect setting to relax and watch movies.

The penthouse is perched on top of one the highest hills in San Francisco. When you're that high, the sun is really powerful. So, we love that Dead Flat® is so very matt and can be applied to all surfaces: ceiling, walls and woodwork! We didn't want a finish with a reflective quality, as that would make the sun bounce off the walls harshly.

The house has this amazing, original, interior architecture. In settings like these, we like to use one colour for the ceiling, walls and woodwork because it creates a cocoon-like setting so you can focus on the details. Before Dead Flat®, this would’ve been a challenge because the matt finish we wanted to use wasn't durable enough for woodwork. Dead Flat® has solved this problem for us, thanks to its multi-surface capabilities and durability.

Walls & Ceiling: Clunch No.2009 in Dead Flat® | Photography: Ekaterina Izmestieva