Real Plants, Real People: Julia & Her Valencia Street Pad

Julia lived in her perch above Valencia Street for seven years before taking off to London for a new adventure. Just before the big move, she remembers what inspired her to make this place her home.

How did you know this home was for you?

I remember I had to dash out of a mid-afternoon meeting to view the apartment. The main building was still under construction, so I had to duck under a tarp to get in. Needless to say it wasn’t a perfect start! But when I entered the apartment and took one look at the huge windows and the view of Sutro Tower overlooking Valencia Street, I knew it needed to be my new home. Having just ended a 9-year relationship, this was my first-ever “big girl” apartment - living on my own, completely free to do things exactly as I wanted. It was luxuriously freeing.

Julia’s plant care motto: leave them alone.

What inspires you when you decorate?

So many things inspire my taste! The record that’s on at my local coffee shop, Four Barrell, in the morning. A stack of old books at the barber shop I pass on my way to work. In the case of my living room interior, I was very inspired by a version of the Life Aquatic movie poster and mimicked the colors and tone when painting and decorating. Plus I’m a bit of a globe freak and have a small collection of antique ones in various shades and versions of the USSR.