For Ashley Drost and Marie Trohman, their Los Angeles-based studio Proem means each project is the beginning of a new story.

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But in one San Francisco project, they started smack dab in the middle. “The clients renovated and created a big addition to the house with an architecture firm,” shares Ashley. “They bought some temporary furniture to move in and live with for a while, but it was pretty cold and impersonal. We added any bit of personality you see.”

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To develop that sense of character without resulting in a hodgepodge of styles, the duo took cues from the existing finishes. “There's an Art Deco tile mosaic floor in the entryway,” Marie describes. “Between that and the facade’s ironwork, we were getting a little French vibe, which ultimately informed the direction we took.” Blue-black wood paneled walls and a mounted console complete the moody entrance.

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The nearby office is equally dramatic, with a deep emerald, bird-covered grasscloth wallpaper, a veiny Verde Alpi marble built-in desk, and a rounded, rust-colored sofa. “It’s a dark space,” says Ashley. “It only has one smallish window that doesn't get direct light, so we went extra moody. To try and brighten it would have only made it feel dingy.”

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Just one level above, however, everything is airy and white. A hint of Parisian bistro can be detected in the kitchen, where the clients had already chosen bistro-like globe pendants. “I don't think they leaned into the French thing intentionally—it just ended up being a language they gravitated toward,” Marie notes, so she and Ashley opted for pencil-edged cabinetry and Carrara marble counters to bring it all together. The racetrack-shaped island facilitates circulation around the space.

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For coffee and remote work, a cozy breakfast nook is equipped with a built-in bench upholstered in floral fabric and Delft tiles featuring icons meaningful to the homeowners. Meanwhile, family meals occur in the adjacent dining room. “When you walk up the stairs, you see the table’s base, so we needed to make sure that all of the hardware and joinery underneath was clean and pretty and not meant to be hidden,” explains Ashley. A swagged brass saucer pendant dangles above.

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Just like there are two dining areas, there are also two living zones. The more formal, which includes a built-in walnut bar for entertaining, is anchored by a custom sofa with a perforated oak frame and leafy Lee Jofa upholstery. “We couldn't find anything that would work for this little space because it needed to be the right size, so we just ended up making it custom, and it turned out perfectly,” Marie says. The more casual seating section, with its navy sofa and jute rug that mimics the foyer tile pattern, is dedicated to TV watching.

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Each of the three bedrooms has its own personality and palette. The primary is dark and sexy, helmed by an Art Deco-influenced custom burl wood bed with integrated nightstands—“one of my favorite things we've ever done,” notes Ashley. And the accompanying ensuite combines Farrow & Ball Red Earth cupboards with Fort Standard knobs. The girl’s room is a maximalist garden, with a floral print on the walls, ceilings, and drapery, while the boy’s room is playful and geometric, with an interactive, storage-filled bunk bed. It’s hard to imagine the home was ever devoid of identity.

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