This San Francisco Apartment Home Blends a Love For Jazz and Design

Name: Eric Skyta
Location: Nob Hill — San Francisco California
Type of home: Apartment
Size: 950 square feet
Years lived in: 2.5 years, renting

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I recently completed the furnishing of my apartment in San Francisco and thought you might enjoy the fairytale COVID apartment story. It all started during the mass exodus of young working professionals out of San Francisco in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. People were breaking leases, abandoning apartments, and moving home with their parents causing a complete panic in the rental market here in San Francisco. At the same time I was working for a general contractor as a project manager and did not have the luxury to head to the suburbs so I had to stick it out in the desolate city. (A blessing in disguise)

My housing situation was pretty good in the pre-pandemic era where I got to be featured for my before and after but as a part-time property manager I always kept my eye on the market in case of a great deal. One day I noticed an ad for a unit a block away from my studio in this gorgeous building on the top of Nob Hill.

I immediately scheduled a showing but the unit was still out of my budget at $2,750. Keep in mind that this was renting out for about $3,500 pre-Covid. As soon as I stepped into the foyer I knew I had to have it! The bones on this one-bedroom were incredible for a rental so I wrote a nice letter to the landlord and offered $2,425 a month not thinking they would accept but two hours later they accepted!

I signed on the dotted line and my decor journey began. I walked around non stop with my painters tape playing with different layout ideas until I locked it in. I was finally going to be able to have dinner parties with a WORKING FIREPLACE, which is unheard of in SF.

I am a huge believer of Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, so almost all of my furniture is used. Over the following year I put together a bachelor pad with classic bones, modern touches, and patterns that I will be in until I can buy a building. I am the guy that loves black coffee, bourbon, blues, jazz, architecture, and interior design. I think that this is reflected in my pattern and color choices.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Classic bones with modern touches

What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room is my living room. It is because it is extremely comfortable. My couch is a Craigslist find that is the absolute best spot for napping.

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? The last thing I found for my home was a beautiful chair that must be 100 years old!

Any advice for creating a home you love? My advice is to find a single piece of art or furniture and use that as your room inspiration. Sometimes designing a room can be overwhelming and picking a certain piece to build off of is a great foundation that can give you a bit of clarity.

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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