One of our favorite house tours on Remodelista in recent years? The Brooklyn brownstone duplex of Lena Corwin, a textile designer, photographer, and the author of two books (Printing by Hand and Made by Hand)—and her husband Josh Dreier. What we loved about their apartment was its offhand style, modest furnishings, and quiet restraint. Nothing felt belabored.
Then, in 2013, the couple relocated to San Francisco, where Lena grew up, and bought and renovated a 1913 Craftsman-style house in the Outer Sunset. The neighborhood is residential and modest, bordered on one end by windswept beaches. “Where we live—the last avenue before Ocean Beach—feels like the fringe of the city,” says Lena. Aside from a shared bohemian sensibility, it couldn’t be more different from Brooklyn.
The same can be said of their new four-bedroom home: “After living in a very ornate brownstone I was ready to swing in the opposite direction to modern and minimal,” she tells us. And yet, there’s something distinctly familiar about the interiors: Its focus on humble materials, a calming neutral palette, and a less-is-more ethos feels like a natural companion to and extension of their former Brooklyn apartment.
All of which is to say, we now have another favorite home tour to add to our list.
Photography by Maria del Rio, courtesy of Mother Magazine (go here to see more images of Lena’s inspiring home).
![\2\20;leaving new york was hard. we agonized over the decision and worri 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-living-room-day-bed-maria-del-rio-jpg-733x489.jpg)
![\2\20;it took a full year to renovate. we didn’t intend to do a g 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-living-room-book-shelf-maria-del-rio-733x489.jpg)
![the interiors are painted benjamin moore chantilly lace (on walls) and sherwin 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-living-room-maria-del-rio-733x489.jpg)
![lena wrangles her 4 year old, abe. the artwork above the custom plywood bench b 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-living-room1-maria-del-rio-733x489.jpg)
![in the powder room, lena plays with scale, opting to lean a petite mirror on a 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-powder-room-maria-del-rio-733x1098.jpg)
![one of the couple\2\17;s priorities when it came to the renovation? & 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-kitchen-maria-del-rio-733x489.jpg)
![abe perches on the island, which is topped with an off white corian. the rest o 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-kitchen-detail1-maria-del-rio-733x489.jpg)
![\2\20;we had hoped to keep the existing doors , but after raising the ce 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-kitchen1-maria-del-rio-733x489.jpg)
![simple hooks under the open shelf provide hanging storage. 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-kitchen-detail-maria-del-rio-733x1098.jpg)
![their \10 plus year old crate & barrel bed moved with them from brooklyn. & 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-master-bedroom-maria-del-rio-733x489.jpg)
![a rocking chair from a family friend and a vintage dresser occupy a corner of t 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-master-bedroom-detail-maria-del-rio-733x1098.jpg)
![the view into the master bath, which features a vanity also built by liz dunnin 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-master-bath-maria-del-rio-733x489.jpg)
![abe exiting his closet. the boys\2\17; rooms both have wall to wall carp 29](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-kids-room-maria-del-rio-733x1098.jpg)
![the door on this side of abe\2\17;s bedroom connects to eli\2\17; 30](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-kids-room1-maria-del-rio-733x489.jpg)
![lena poses next to a peace towel that she designed and sells on her websit 31](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/lena-corwin-san-francisco-house-exterior-maria-del-rio-733x1098.jpg)
For more spaces designed by architect Mason St. Peter, see:
- A Bohemian Surf Shack in Topanga Canyon
- Kitchen of the Week: A Hip, Low-Key Kitchen in Topanga Canyon
- Bathroom of the Week: A Master Suite in Topanga Canyon, Scribbles Included
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