Holiday Decor Tips From San Francisco's S16 Home

Tucked away in the Castro, on Sanchez at 16th, San Francisco's S16 Home is a furniture and design shop not quite like any other. The aesthetic is clean, sophisticated, and sharply stylish but decidedly unpretentious, blending vintage industrial and modern pieces with whimsical found objects and posh designer consignments. Where else on Earth can you find Montis Windy Easy Chairs alongside a taxidermied red raccoon? Or Art Deco horse bookends circa 1930 sharing the same space with a Room and Board cowhide ottoman?

The store, which opened in April, is the brainchild of Brian Allen, a former home stager in the city's high-end real estate market for more than a decade. "I'm self-taught at designing, but I've collected all my life," Allen explains. "I grew up in a really small town in Indiana. My Dad took me to farm auctions when I was a kid and my mother took me to yard sales, so that's how it all really started, basically."

Baubles and Beads

Not surprisingly, Allen, who lives with his boyfriend a few blocks away from S16, peppers his personal space with plenty of alluring antiques no matter what the season. In particular, holiday d�cor, he advises, can really dazzle with a few well-selected vintage artifacts. "Use something from your childhood to decorate your home," Allen recommends. "It brings back those warm memories from when Christmas was really magical. I still have my stockings from when I was a kid, and I have a friend - he has 15 Christmas gnomes that were his grandmother's and he puts those out every year!"

Or, consider placing vintage Christmas tree toppers under an antique bell jar for a gorgeous table centerpiece. For a simple twist on decorating without the throw-back flair, Allen also suggests playing with color: try color blocking your ornaments or decorations by sticking to two or three hues. Think also about flocking your tree a different color other than white, for example pink or bright red. "It's unexpected," Allen explains. "It gives you a pop of color and it can reflect your personality."

But most stunning of all might be a tree draped in antique baubles; their old-world charm and craftsmanship lend great character to Christmas d�cor. According to Allen, sought-after vintage ornaments like those made in Poland and Czechoslovakia in the 1940s can usually be located in flea markets beginning in November. Those with less time to search for treasures will find Allen has a wide selection available now at S16.

For Allen, the hunt for unique vintage pieces is a big part of the fun of his new venture. "I go all over the Bay Area looking," he notes. "I go to flea markets and estate sales. Every Sunday, I get up at seven in the morning and head on down to the flea market. But it's what I love to do! You never know what you're going to find. Though I admit I do have a little bit of a hard time parting with the pieces. It makes me sad when they leave, because I genuinely love everything I find, but I know I have to send them out into the world."