San Francisco Examiner

August 2008

At Home: Jane Weil's SoMa high-rise

By Karen Palmer, Special to The Examiner

Keeping it bright: Jane Weil's living room's design scheme is centered on brightly accented hues against a neutral background. Above, the red-flecked coffee table in the living room was furnished by her son.

Mike Koozmin/Special to The Examiner

SAN FRANCISCO - When a visitor walks into Jane Weil's corner apartment in the new SoMa Grand luxury high-rise apartment building, she knows exactly how she wants them to feel. "I want people to walk in here and smile," she says.

With one look around, it appears that she's accomplished her mission. Weil, an early retiree who serves as a board member of Teach with Africa and the South of Market Child Care Center, has created a cheery living space by pairing a neutral palette with bold red accents and pop art. "I want the space to be a backdrop for the art and the view," she says.

Perched up on the 21st floor of the building, Weil's flat boasts spectacular vistas of downtown and the East Bay, as well as an up-close-and-personal vantage point of the new Federal Building. "I love how you can see how the building changes and moves," she says. "A lot of times, you can also see boats lined up in the Bay, which is beautiful."

Weil's whimsical, vibrant outlook was honed, she says, after working for graphic and interior designers in her professional life. "It's been a fun pursuit to find things that fit the aesthetic," she says. "I'm always looking for the perfect shape, color and texture."

Drawn to geometric shapes and primary colors, she says, "Simplicity can be very complex and sophisticated." Red provides the pop of color throughout the house: A red toaster oven and refrigerator enhance a mostly black kitchen, while neutral larger pieces allow for red pillows and arm chairs in the living room to shine.

Her art is also a focal point; she has one original by Keith Haring, her favorite artist, as well as works by Andy Warhol, Tim Horn and Roy Lichtenstein on display. Weil's son Eric, who creates furniture with his company, Oso Industries, contributed paintings as well as her modern slate-gray coffee table flecked with bits of - you guessed it - red.

Despite having lived in houses her entire life, Weil loves the ease of downtown urban living. "The services here are fantastic, and it just fits with where I am right now in my life," Weil says. "It frees me up more to travel - and I love reading the paper on my bench looking at this view. It's just mesmerizing."