An apartment by Aubrey Maxwell blurs the line between art and design.
When interior design firm AubreyMaxwell was invited to design a model apartment in San Francisco’s 181 Fremont, co-founders Robbie McMillan and Marcus Keller chose to home in on two distinct themes to create interiors that would be as special as the building itself.
One of San Francisco’s tallest mixed-use buildings, 181 Fremont has garnered the most engineering awards of any building in the U.S. and is as well-known for its art collection curated by art advisor Holly Baxter as it is for its sweeping views of the city, its sparkling bay, and the bridges that span it.
The designers used a single design house —B&B Italia — to outfit the entire three-bedroom apartment and filled the space with artwork solely from artists of color.
“We loved the problem-solving challenge of using only one design house’s furniture throughout to execute a full vision,” says McMillan. The company chose B&B Italia because of its deft use of industrial engineering in its designs.
The result encourages discourse and introspection in an environment that’s as functional as it is visually stunning. An Antonio Citterio-designed wool-and-linen sectional sofa sits in front of a pair of large-scale silhouette portraits of Black women created by Erica Deeman. A minimalist kitchen is energized by a work by Isaac Julien. And in the bedroom, a bed from B&B Italia’s sister brand, Maxalto, is dressed in soothing blue bedding that offsets black-and-white photography by Chanell Stone.
The stunning views from the floor-to-ceiling windows are taken into consideration, too. Case in point: The designers playfully set Jean-Marie Massaud’s Terminal 1 Chaise Longue before a view of the Bay Bridge and its similarly undulating lines.
But while the views are commanding, the collection of art is just as much of a conversation starter, particularly at a time when America is healing from its racial divide. A hallway is lined with works by Moffat Takadiwa, Tavares Strachan, and Shaina McCoy, and the focal point in the dining room is a colorful piece by Ghanian artists Serge Attukwei Clottey.
Bringing together this singular collection of artists of color in such a beautiful space, says McMillan, “was one of my proudest moments in design.”
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