Designers Benni Amadi and Courtney Coy aimed to impact the environment as little as possible while working on this project. Using vintage pieces throughout, like the Turkish rug and the client’s own Womb chair—reupholstered in a new Knoll fabric—seen here, helped do so. A BassamFellows sofa from Coup D’Etat and District Eight stacking bench from Nuevo Living complete the living room.
Benni Amadi and Courtney Coy transform an uninspired Mission District condo into a warm, welcoming modern home that’s ripe for entertaining.
Hung over a credenza by L.A.- based Croft House, “Over Seas” by British painter Sarah Bold commands attention in the living room.
Independently, Benni Amadi (benniamadiinteriors.com) and Courtney Coy (courtneycoy.com) have thriving Bay Area design practices. But when the opportunity to work together arose, they enthusiastically joined forces. After being contacted by the clients—a young couple that work in finance and tech—about the project, Amadi, who was nine months pregnant at the time, reached out to Coy to collaborate. “We had already partnered on one project together, and we shared an office at that time,” Coy explains. “And we’re good friends, so it seemed like a natural fit.”
Textural sculptures add whimsy and draw the eye in.
The duo were tasked to bring a dated, builder-grade condo up to date. Purchased in 2009, the Mission District condo had some good attributes like an open plan and great light, but overall the finishes seemed cheap and some aspects of the layout were not ideal. “The builder who did the project started, I think, in 2007,” says Coy. “Then the market crashed. So the bones of the actual building were great. But once they got to the interior finishes, they really started to skip because things were declining and they were throwing in whatever cheap stuff they could get their hands on to finish the project.”
In the dining room, Amadi and Coy paired the clients’ own De La Espada table, new Wishbone chairs and a chandelier by Park Studio.
Amadi and Coy’s mission—to create a clean, contemporary and warm home with entertaining at the center—took center stage. “We wanted to make sure the design was appropriate to the home, which is really contemporary, but also wanted to mix in elements that would bring warmth, character and depth,” Amadi says.
Like the rest of the home, the kitchen contains a mix of black and white elements mixed with earthy textures. The Ikea cabinets are equipped with Semihandmade doors in Supermatte Black Slab, while the counters and backsplash are by Concrete Interiors.
The first task at hand was tweaking the layout, a major undertaking. In addition to overhauling the kitchen layout to take advantage of the space—while adding an 11-foot-long, party-ready island—redoing the bathrooms, moving doors and walls to create more closet space in the primary suite, the designers also updated the millwork, interior doors and windows to make everything more cohesive. With sustainability and budget in mind, instead of replacing the floors, they were restained, which turned out to be one of the project’s biggest challenges, causing a six-week delay. “The wood had so much natural oil in it and did not want to absorb the stain,” says Coy. “Even the flooring company we worked with didn’t anticipate this at all.”
Located right off the dining room, the office, decked out with a custom desk and shelving by Bermosk Woodworks, is decidedly dramatic.
Sustainability and reducing waste were important factors when making design decisions throughout the project. “We focused on using products made in the U.S. and as local as possible, as well as reusing a few lovely pieces the clients already owned and then mixing in select vintage pieces,” Amadi explains. That can be seen in the living room, where the designers incorporated a vintage Turkish rug and the clients’ own classic Womb chair, reupholstered in a black boucle fabric from Knoll. In the dining room, the clients’ De La Espada table was paired with new Wishbone chairs and lighting from Allied Maker and L.A.-based Park Studio. Based locally, Concrete Interiors created the custom counters and backsplash in the kitchen, while tile was sourced from Bay Area favorites Cle and Fireclay.
Wooden slats separate the stairs from the kitchen while providing a visually interesting architectural element.
One room that ended up being an unexpected favorite is the office. Located right off the dining room, it started as a tiny white box without much character. “It was actually one of the last rooms we designed in the house, and because we established a really good rapport with the clients, we were able to push them a bit father than they might have gone at the beginning,” Coy says. “There was a lot of trust established at that point. Done up in dark, fluted walls and equipped with a custom desk and shelving by Mike Bermosk of Bermosk Woodworks, the dramatic space stands out against the rest of the home’s light and bright aesthetic. “Even before the pandemic, at least one of the clients was working from home all day,” Coy adds. ”So we felt that if you have to sit in this small room for eight to 10 hours a day, it has to be special and beautiful.”
The Matera bed in walnut by DWR and pendant lights by Allied Maker reside in the primary bedroom.
Comfortable seating and lots of pillows provide a perfect perch on the patio.
All in all, Amadi and Coy accomplished everything they set out to do, letting their own aesthetics (clean Scandi style with texture for Amadi; California casual for Coy) align to create a modern, organic and eclectic space for their clients. “It was a really great experience for us,” says Coy. “We were really thrilled with the way this one came out.”
The primary bathroom has an aura of calm, with matte black fixtures by Brizo, brick tiles in Black Hills by Fireclay and vessel sinks by Nameeks. A vintage dresser sourced from Chairish serves as the vanity.
Photography by: Bess Friday
