This 100-Year-Old, 450-Square-Foot San Francisco Studio Feels Like a Dreamy Treehouse

published Jul 8, 2025

This 100-Year-Old, 450-Square-Foot San Francisco Studio Feels Like a Dreamy Treehouse

published Jul 8, 2025

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About this tour

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Home Type

Studio Apartment

Location

Lower Nob, San Francisco, California

Style

Eclectic

Bedrooms

Square feet

450

Sq ft

450

Sarah Elsner has been renting this 450-square-foot studio in San Francisco’s Lower Nob neighborhood for nine months. She describes the 100-year-old apartment as a “complete blank canvas with plastic pull-down blinds,” before she moved in. But after adding her personality, it’s warm and invitingly eclectic. “It’s a mixture of found and gifted pieces along with thrifted and some new pieces,” Sarah begins.

Credit: Sarah Elsner

For 20-plus years, Sarah has created the floral motif above her bed by bounding the bouquets and hanging them by twine on the picture rail," Sarah describes. "It quite literally feels like I’m in a treehouse."

“My home is an urban oasis and a retreat from the noise of the world. Outside of my windows are two large avocado trees. These produce avocados, provide shade, and add to the ambiance of the overall space. I share this studio with my three-legged dog, Darwin. I’ve hung shelves to feature nostalgic pictures of friends, family, and treasures I’ve collected along my journey,” Sarah explains.

Credit: Sarah Elsner

"I painted the apartment by myself. The color drenching has an antique vibe to it. I don’t like perfect and cold spaces, so the paint is splotchy and uneven in places to give it a vintage, antique vibes," writes Sarah.

“I wanted my studio to have definitive spaces so I outfitted a shelving unit to act as a wall to separate the living space from the bed space. Two French doors provide separation of the eat-in kitchen. I replaced the old chandelier with a paper lantern for diffused lighting and switched out the cabinet knobs with wooden ones to soften the harshness of the white kitchen.

Credit: Sarah Elsner

"I recently purchased this couch from West Elm because I wanted more seating for my guests," describes Sarah. The coffee table is an old wooden spool that used to house cover wiring. I’ve sanded it down and draped it with a felted badger. The mid-century walnut chair was purchased from a senior named Irma."

Sarah color-drenched the walls with a playful peach hue — a “soft and delicate color that most resonates with me,” Sarah writes. “I don’t follow trends, but rather focus on things that feel exciting and emotional to me.” She suggests tuning into the “feeling of your heart when you touch a piece. If it excites you or in some way elicits a response, add it to your place!”

Credit: Sarah Elsner

"I hung fresh eucalyptus above the shower head and purchased the shower curtain from Target," Sarah describes. "The bathroom is mostly stark white with pink stone tiles in the shower. I wanted more diffused and warm light to soften the cold white so I selected a pink-purple shower curtain."

Resources

Entryway Frames and Shelves — Amazon
Couch — West Elm
Mid-Century Walnut Chair — From a Senior Named Irma
Bed Frame — Blu Dot
Hanging Star Lamp — Narrative Oakland
Rattan Shelf — DIY
Shower Curtain — Target

Thanks, Sarah!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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