Noz Design

Since founding her studio nine years ago, Noz Nozawa has earned a reputation for buzzy maximalist interiors, including those of her own San Francisco apartment. But she prides herself on being more nuanced than that. Her strength, she says, is “in the mixing and layering of materials and forms.” This San Francisco living room exemplifies that approach. The clients have familial connections to Japan and wanted a residence that reflected that heritage. Nozawa says she responded by interpreting “traditional Japanese home design in ways that celebrated local California materials” — and the landscape. Struck by the great Monterey cypress tree outside the window, with its “wild, stormy posture and rich colors,” Nozawa decided “to keep the other colors in the room hazier,” focusing instead on organic forms, like the Achille side tables by Elli Design she found on 1stDibs. Not only are these “visually beautiful,” she observes, “but they are light enough to move easily.” And that versatility was essential for a room designed with business entertainment in mind.