The staircases were gone. For weeks, the only way to reach the upper floors of 2315 Broadway St. — an approximately 9,300-square-foot Queen Anne built in 1897 — was through the back of the building, via a narrow corridor. Inside the home, more than 20 design teams worked tirelessly, simultaneously plastering, papering and painting, trying to meet an impossible deadline.
This is the San Francisco Decorator Showcase, a dream project pressure cooker. Annually since 1977, a standout home has been selected and handed over, room by room, to some of the city’s most talented designers to transform in a matter of weeks. For 2026, the chosen house is a Pacific Heights Victorian with panoramic bay views and inherent magnetism that must have made any designer want to use it as their canvas. It also had enough awkward spaces and logistical issues to make industry vets think twice.
For Alexander Nikban of Studio Alexander, and Matt Bissinger and Briana Tunison of Maker & Moss Design, this year’s Showcase was a first. The way they describe it makes it clear that nothing really prepares you for the experience.
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L’Arrivée by Kendall Wilkinson Design at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Ishara by Peruri Design Co. at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Well played: The Game Room by Aly Gay Design at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
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Getting in
The application process moves fast. Each year the selected home is opened for a walk-through, typically in December, though this round it happened in January. Anyone who received an invite and is interested in applying shows up, notebook in hand, often while the previous owner is still moving out.
The brief is simple yet big: Pick a room and come back in two weeks with a fully fleshed-out proposal. Not just mood boards or sketches — prospective designers are expected to produce fabrics, renderings and material samples, meaning a complete vision.
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Nikban’s team arrived with three different concepts for three different rooms. “We were given limited information on the house,” he wrote in an email to SFGATE, “but by walking through, we knew it held a lot of history and charm.” Bissinger described a similar experience: an email, a walk-through and a scramble to put a plan together.
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The staircase of 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
La Chambre Bleue by Jeanne Renee at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Both teams heard back within days.
“We were, needless to say, really excited, maybe a little bit in shock,” said Bissinger during a phone call with SFGATE. “… You always hope for the best, but psych yourself out of it a little bit.”
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Choosing a room
For first-time designers, picking a room is part instinct, part strategy. Both Nikban and Bissinger got the same informal advice from the Showcase: Don’t expect to land the kitchen, living room or primary suite. Aim for something more manageable.
Nikban’s team had a clear first choice — a second-floor bedroom — but was ultimately given a third-floor bedroom with an en-suite bathroom so the house would feel more cohesive. (Longtime Showcase attendees have commented on the exceptional continuity of this year’s house compared with prior years.)
The switch-up meant more planning. “We had to re-shift our design and make changes to fit the third-floor bedroom,” said Nikban. However, he said, “We love the room we ended up with and feel it’s stronger than any of the original designs we proposed.”
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The before picture of the room redesigned by Maker & Moss at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Study Abroad by Maker & Moss at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Bissinger’s team landed a divided attic closet space with an A-frame roofline that wasn’t exactly a designer’s dream. That was part of the appeal, said Bissinger. Tunison, his colleague, saw the room as an opportunity. To her, it evoked a tent and gave safari vibes. With that vision as a jumping-off point, the rest — wallpaper, window treatments and the whole atmosphere — grew from that. Bissinger said the yellow shades, a pop of color in a mostly earth-toned palette, are what caught the showcase committee’s attention.
It was “the selling point,” Bissinger said. “As I understand, I think that was a key element for them when they were making their decision.”
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Off to the races
After designers are accepted, the work begins immediately. Bissinger described the first few weeks as a flurry of emails and phone calls, trying to line up contractors willing to commit to the very ambitious timeline. Nikban’s firm had the same checklist: sourcing materials, booking fabricators and coordinating deliveries into a building that was half-renovated, all while juggling existing projects and clients.
The staircase situation affected everyone in the beginning. The home’s contractor had torn out two staircases and was rebuilding them into a single, unified well through the house. “For a number of weeks you just couldn’t go up the stairs,” said Bissinger. “You had to go through the back of the building. There was scaffolding up … you didn’t know what to expect from day to day.” Some days the front door was blocked off by construction.
La Salle de Sérénité by Lizette Marie Interior Design at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
The Pheasantry by Tineke Triggs Interiors at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
The Bakehouse by Tineke Triggs Interiors at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
More than 20 teams, each with their own contractors and vendors, had to navigate this chaos. “You have people climbing over each other,” said Bissinger of the scene.
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“It felt like being part of a theatre in a way,” said Nikban. “Everyone working towards a common goal of getting the house done and open to the public.” What pleasantly surprised both of them was the camaraderie. On a typical job, there is some control over the site. Here, they were sharing it with dozens of people.
“Everyone was really very, I thought, very thoughtful,” said Bissinger. In a project of this scope, snags are unavoidable, and he mentioned people stepping in to help each other. “So, you know … that’s fantastic,” he said.
Designers often use sponsorships, loans and trades to offset project costs. Bissinger and Tunison used marble donated by Pietra Fina for the surface of the bookcase, lighting on loan from MMclay and furniture borrowed from dealers and artists to transform the stark space into the cozy office they named “Study Abroad.”
West | Red Bedroom by Castellanos Interiors at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
The Chapel by AubreyMaxwell with Perez Construction at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
A New York Minute by Studio Alexander at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Nikban also partnered with vendors and his general contractor to help pull off the room. For him, the end result was a modern and moody space with custom walnut, grey marble and reeded glass — evocative of a swanky Manhattan hotel room — aptly named “A New York Minute.” The en suite, also featuring marble and artisan tiles from McIntyre Tile, is titled “A Bay View Retreat.”
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The payoff
Both designers were careful in not overselling what the Showcase has delivered so far in terms of concrete business terms — it’s early. Bissinger talked about many business cards being exchanged and social traffic ticking up, but said the real return will reveal itself over the next six or 12 months. “People may not call us tomorrow,” he said, “but you never know when the phone rings and it’s September and someone says we’re moving back … we want to do X, Y and Z.”
Nikban said the intangible aspect of the event is the most rewarding.
Birds of a Feather Bedroom by Sonoma Interiors at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
The deck of La Chambre Bleue by Jeanne Renee at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
The Rear Garden by Martinelli Design at 2315 Broadway St., a Queen Anne Victorian that was selected for the 2026 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, in San Francisco, on April 22, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
“To have people walk through and actually experience the space, ask questions and be able to get to know me — is the best marketing tool there is,” he said.
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Neither would recommend completely doing such a massive undertaking in such a short amount of time, but this proved that it can be done.
“I’ve known Decorator Showcase pretty much all my life, as long as I can remember … to me, it’s very much, just, an institution,” said Bissinger.
The San Francisco Decorator Showcase runs through May 25. General admission tickets are $50 online in advance plus $3.03 processing fee or $10 more at the door, with all proceeds benefiting the Financial Aid Program at University High School.
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