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Text by Kendra Boutell
photography by David Duncan Livingston

Mirrors in Baroque Europe were regarded as precious and magical. Produced by skilled artisans they were a marriage of plate glass backed by an amalgam of tin and mercury. The result was a surface that was reflective, fluid, and changeable. In seventeenth century France a hallway of mirrors created a space where one could pause, engage, or transit to another room.

In the entry hall of Dr. Terry Gross’ apartment on Nob Hill, we find another hall of mirrors. Comprised of eighteenth century French mirrors fixed between Régence plaster palm boiserie, it is accented with rock crystal and mother of pearl objets d’art. The passageway opens to an enfilade of three public rooms that highlight over thirty years of study, travel, and acquisitions.

Dr. Gross» career has been as mercurial as a hall of mirrors. Originally a nuclear physicist she went on to found Urban Chateau, a San Francisco antiques gallery. The business was an extension of her passion for private collecting, as evidenced by the residence she shares with her husband Scott Gross and their golden retriever, Luca. The champagne tones of the entry hall are continued into the living room, which features a period Italian Impero salon suite in an ivory paint with parcel gilt. Counter balancing the formality of this grouping are a pair of Schiaparelli sofas from Michael Taylor Designs that are perfect for an extended family that includes two young grandsons.

More photos of Magic on Nob Hill

For more on Dr. Terry Gross’ apartment, please pick up a copy of the November 2010 issue of California Homes Magazine.

FEATURES