I may have drawn a bit of blood when biting my lip in response to these images of the grand living room at this year’s San Francisco Decorator Showcase. Designed by Catherine Kwong, the decadent, rock ‘n’ roll lounge is filled with custom furnishings and finishes with a decidedly luxe aesthetic. Known for her signature elegance and modern point of view, Catherine Kwong‘s space is positively moan-worthy.

“The design was inspired by Mick and Bianca Jagger in the 1970’s – the young and wild, traipsing-to-Saint Tropez years,” said Catherine Kwong. “I was doing research for a client and discovered all of these beautiful old photos of Mick and Bianca that depicted a wild romance. They were impossibly stylish and full of excitement, with a bit of scandal, of course. So I designed this room for them; a place for late-night parties with rock royalty and the jet-set. I wanted the room to be just like Mick and Bianca: luxe and decadent, but with a rock ‘n roll edge.”

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The star of the room is the dramatic painted floor, which serves as a rich canvas for the room’s artful mix of luxurious textures, details and lines. Inspired by the iconic paintings of Cy Twombly, the floor was hand-painted in exuberant brushstrokes by decorative painting firm, Stancil Studios.

The ornate, gilded plaster ceiling that crowns the room provides a rich and detailed contrast to the dramatic and sweeping gestures of the edgy painted floor, casting a golden glow on an array of textures below. Kwong knew right away that she would keep the room’s original ceilings. “I loved the intricate detail of the original ceiling,” says Kwong. “It’s very traditional, which is not usually my style, but gorgeous, and really deserved a room that let it shine. The ceiling presented an interesting challenge: how do you design a room around such a classical and stately element, while still making the space feel fresh and modern?”

Kwong met the challenge with jaw-dropping style with her unexpected, fresh and beautiful mix of materials: Lacquered parchment with brass hardware. Polished stone with silk taffeta. Vintage Italian fringe light fixtures by Mario Yagi. Oversized doors punctuated with pyramid studs for total rock ‘n’ roll glam. A large black and white photograph by Henry Leutwyler {taken behind the scenes at the New York City Ballet and custom printed to fit the large wall}, the perfect homage to the energy of life backstage. The combined effect is stunning, sophisticated and outrageously glamorous.

“Last year was a game changer for Catherine. She launched her own design firm after apprenticing with New York designer Bill Sofield and San Francisco’s Paul Wiseman,” said Diane Dorrans Saeks, on her influential blog, The Style Saloniste. “I admire Catherine’s highly intelligent design–that is informed by her in-depth knowledge of design history, and her vibrant energy and sense of delight and fun.”

Catherine Kwong

“Last April, her dazzlingly stylish ‘Fashion Blogger Studio’ was a much-discussed room of the San Francisco Decorator Showcase,” continued Dorrans Saeks. “The living room she’s designed for this year’s Showcase is even more glamorous and undoubtedly lends an edge to the 2013 Showcase House.”

About the Decorator’s Showcase: Since 1977, the annual San Francisco Decorator Showcase has benefited San Francisco University High School’s financial aid program, and garnered a reputation as the West Coast’s premiere design show house event, renowned for featuring the work of the region’s top interior designers.

The canvas for this year’s event is a magnificent Georgian Pacific Heights mansion built in 1899 by Ernest Coxhead. The 8,000 square foot, historically significant home features a grand floor plan including spacious formal rooms, a dramatic stairway and sparkling 360-degree San Francisco Bay views. If you are in the area, I highly recommend making this a design excursion with friends. For more information, visit: www.decoratorshowcase.org.

{photo: Michael David Rose}