FEATURES

Text by Kendra Boutell
Photography by Matthew Millman

In his poem “Cat and The Moon,” Irish poet William Butler Yeats writes of the creeping cat and the sacred moon dancing to a new tune. Yet the cat fears the changeable moon until he wisely accepts that his own pupils change, as do the phases of the moon. The poem is a metaphor for the necessity to embrace transformation in our lives even when we find it challenging.

Paul Vincent Wiseman has welcomed a new phase both professionally and personally. The internationally known interior designer and his partner, attorney Richard Neil Snyder along with their Tabby, “Butler,” named for Yeats, have returned to their Belvedere villa after an extensive two year restoration. Wiseman's labor of love melds his passion for art and architecture with his dedication to the environment and sustainability. Although he modestly has said about interior design, “We’re not saving lives; it’s only decorating,” the design of his own home speaks to the spirit as well as the physical self.

Dr. Florence Nightingale Ward built the magical villa with magnificent views of Corinthian and Angel Islands. Belvedere and Tiburon, Mount Tamalpais, Sausalito, and the Golden Gate in 1912. She was not typical of the matrons who summered on Belvedere Island during the 1910s. While they were managing their households, this single mother was overseeing her private hospital for women with an all female staff. The surgeon, homeopath, and traveler was a close friend of famed architect Julia Morgan, and a rough sketch rendered by this legendary architect may have inspired her Mediterranean style residence atop the ridge.

More photos of Belvedere Villa

For more on Paul Wiseman’s Historic Villa, pick up a copy of the September/October 2009 issue.

FEATURES