A home should be a reflection of its inhabitants, showcasing who they are and what they value. Christy Allen’s latest project designing the public living spaces of a San Francisco home accomplishes exactly that. A corporate law professor from Iran and an economist who grew up in Peru and Costa Ricca, the homeowners love collecting art and textiles from their travels around the world. Plus, with two young boys in the home, Christy says, “There were a few things we wanted to achieve with this design—creating enough seating and space for family and friends to gather comfortably, as well as making sure that the designs were livable and kid friendly while still feeling polished and well put together.”

Both the living room and dining room are visible as soon as you walk in the front door. Wanting the two spaces to feel connected, Christy used a uniform wall color but anchored each room with distinctively different rugs. Then she painted the ceiling of the dining room a bold green. She says, “The rest of the actual furnishings in the dining room are fairly neutral—black chairs and hutch, walnut table and credenza, which is very different than what is happening in the living room with its blue velvet sofa, leopard settee and mostly pink rug.” The rugs were chosen from the family’s collection and Christy is thankful that her first choice for the living room fit the space so perfectly. “Once I chose the rugs, the rest of the design really fell into place fairly quickly. I knew that both of them loved color and even though I was aware of that, I still wasn’t sure how they would react to a bright green dining room ceiling. They took pause for a moment, but luckily, they trusted me and although they never would have thought of doing it before, it is now one of the most loved aspects of both spaces.”

See the whole space in the slideshow!