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At Home with Photographer Leslie Williamson in SF

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At Home with Photographer Leslie Williamson in SF

October 14, 2015

San Francisco photographer Leslie Williamson specializes in capturing the nuanced homes of midcentury artists, architects, and designers; her two books, Handcrafted Modern: At Home with Midcentury Designers and Modern Originals: At Home with Midcentury European Designers, are instant classics. So it’s not surprising that she lives in a nostalgia-laden 1960s Joseph Eichler house in SF, unseen until now. When our friends at Freunde von Freunden approached her about photographing the interiors, she called on Brian Ferry, a Brooklyn photographer known for his artfully intimate work.

“I’ve admired Leslie’s work for a long time and she’s had a big impact on my own photography,” Brian says. “No one has photographed her home for a feature before so I was honored that she had chosen to let me do it. I felt a responsibility to capture Leslie and her interior with sensitivity and emotion, in a way she has done so many times in her career.”

See the full feature on Freunde von Freunden, with photography by Brian Ferry and writing by Laura Spencer King.

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Above: Slanting sunlight in the paneled dining room. “The day was bright and sunny, a rarity in the area of San Francisco where Leslie lives, so I took that as a good sign,” Brian says.

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Above: “The things I collect all have stories and are from my family, both my genetic and chosen families,” Leslie tells FvF. “These things are deeply rooted in telling the story of my life.”

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Above: A fiber art wall hanging above a midcentury sofa. “The house is a Joseph Eichler, and it was built in the 1960s,” Leslie tells FvF. “I have been living here for about 10 years. Believe it or not, I found it on Craigslist.” Eichlers are known for their open plans, signature interior wood paneling, and modest scale (for a revamped example, go to Reader Rehab: A Respectful Eichler Remodel in Marin).

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Above: A Marimekko wall hanging.

leslie williamson brian ferry hallway

Above: Leslie captured in a quiet moment. “I always feel a bit nervous before a shoot no matter who I’m shooting,” Brian says. “For this one, you can imagine how I felt. I was shooting an interior portrait of one of my photography heroes, a woman who has made iconic photographs of the exact subject matter.”

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Above: A single dark wall sets off a collection of found and inherited objects in the bedroom.

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Above: An artful bedside tableau: a wall-mounted table, framed feathers, and a beveled mirror.

leslie williamson guest bedroom

Above: In a guest room with a daybed, a piece of leather serves as a table covering.

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Above: Williamson’s work area includes a chalkboard for lists and a vintage coat rack.

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Above: A pair of wicker chairs and potted plants define the outdoor space.

Interested in learning more about Leslie’s books? See our post Modern Originals: At Home with Midcentury European Designers and Handcrafted Modern: At Home with Midcentury Designers. To see a Brooklyn interior photographed by Brian Ferry, go to Designer Lena Corwin at Home in Fort Greene.

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