Katie Monkhouse’s Verdant Garden Apartment
Design by Katie Monkhouse Interior Design. Photo by Stephanie Russo.
Every spring, the San Francisco Decorator Showcase transforms an iconic home into a living gallery of design, where visitors can wander through rooms positively bursting with inspiration. And this year’s Showcase? It’s as bold, beautiful, and boundary-pushing as ever. Since 2016, Revitaliste has had the joy of partnering with some of the Bay Area’s most creative minds to breathe new life into old furniture for this much-loved event.
This year, we were honored to collaborate with five visionary design firms—John K Anderson, Katie Monkhouse, Julie Rootes Interiors, HKB Interior Design, and TRG Architects—to weave revitalized pieces into their thoughtfully curated rooms. From sculptural seating to soulful vintage finds, each piece was transformed with intention and artistry.
Read on to discover the stories behind each space—and the revitalized gems that helped bring them to life.
Katie Monkhouse
The Garden Apartment
Subtly echoing the rhythm of life in the garden, Katie Monkhouse Interior Design’s spacious garden apartment at this year’s San Francisco Decorator Showcase is a beautiful homage to nature’s lush abundance. We were thrilled to collaborate with her to reupholster this vintage serpentine sofa in Dedar’s sumptuous tapestry-like fabric, Schwarzwald—named after the dense, evergreen Black Forest of southwest Germany.
We sat down with Katie to learn more about the story behind the fresh space she designed.
What inspired your decision to reupholster a vintage sofa for this space, rather than sourcing something new or going custom?
A few factors led us to reupholster a vintage piece, but at the core, we always try to go vintage when possible. There’s something deeply satisfying about giving new life to an existing piece rather than sourcing something new—it just feels more thoughtful and sustainable. Plus, we were on a tight timeline, and when it comes to lead times, nothing beats the immediacy of vintage.
What do you think a revitalized piece brings to a space that a brand-new piece might not?
Soul! That’s truly the magic of vintage. Revitalized pieces carry a sense of history and character that brand-new furniture simply can’t replicate. There’s a depth and personality that comes from having lived a prior life—or several—and that spirit adds something undeniably special to a space.
Katie Monkhouse’s vintage sofa before reupholstery
Do you have any favorite sources or strategies when it comes to finding vintage pieces?
Online, we love Chairish, 1stDibs, and occasionally Facebook Marketplace. In person, some of our favorite spots include Mid-Century LA, Orange Furniture, Vintage On Point, Antique Society, and Rick Petteford in Sebastopol.
What made this Dedar fabric the right choice for the piece—and the room?
With our garden theme, we wanted something that felt lush and leafy—but not too on-the-nose. Dedar’s “Schwarzwald” fabric has long been a favorite of ours, and it just felt perfectly suited to both the piece and the space.
What was your experience like collaborating with Revitaliste on this project?
Truly seamless (no pun intended). Revitaliste coordinated everything—from picking up the sofa from the vendor to getting it to the upholsterer—while keeping all communication neatly organized on their platform and even sending progress photos along the way. It was an absolute dream!
Interested in reupholstering (or otherwise revitalizing) your own furniture?