Just north of San Francisco, Belvedere Island originally emerged as a planned summer retreat for affluent San Franciscans in the late 1800s.

As its name suggests–derived from the Italian term meaning “beautiful view”–nearly every part of the small, affluent enclave overlooks pristine waters, with exclusive waterfront residences commanding panoramic vistas of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, and the San Francisco skyline.

Since its development in the 1890s, the waterside community has evolved into a surprisingly eclectic mix of Victorian and Mediterranean villas, alongside mid-century modern and contemporary minimalist estates–some designed by prominent architects such as Julia Morgan and Willis Polk.

Paul Wiseman, founder and president of The Wiseman Group

One of these estates once belonged to Dr Florence Nightingale Ward–the country’s first female surgeon, obstetrician, and gynaecologist–who was also a close friend of Morgan.

While the home has not been definitively attributed to Morgan, the current homeowner, Paul Wiseman, has uncovered rough sketches believed to have informed the original 1912 design.

Rather than driving directly up to the residence, visitors must walk along a nature-lined path

The home reveals itself slowly through the lush garden that surrounds the property

The founder and president of The Wiseman Group shares that when he purchased the home, “it was barely standing and held together by structural paint and termites.”

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“The house had real issues: no insulation, terrible drainage, lots of decay–so it needed extensive work,” he recalls, referring to the last gut renovation completed in 2009, which restored the residence to its original grandeur.

“We kept the original footprint and layout and focused on sustainable materials that would age quietly,” he adds. “The idea was that, over time, everything would feel as though it had always been there.”

The home drew inspiration from the Bosphorus, where there’s a culture of sitting, reclining, and conversing

The home exercises restraint, employing a palette of soft whites and warm neutrals

A sense of quietude as ample light pours in through the panelled glass doors

The original layout was retained, focusing on materials that would age quietly

The Italianate Mediterranean Arts and Crafts-style residence served, first and foremost, as the inspiration for Wiseman’s restored summer home, which spans 2,000 sq ft.

“It’s also about the idea of lounging–of taking your time,” he says. “I’ve always been drawn to places like the Bosphorus, where there’s a culture of sitting, reclining, and conversing.

“That’s why there are so many daybeds and window seats,” he continues. “It’s almost as if the house is telling you to slow down.”

Wiseman’s avid display of objects ranging from crystals to pottery in the dining area

A calm, restorative ambiance permeates the home

The bright kitchen was formerly a storage closet

It is this sense of quietude that begins the moment one arrives at the estate. Rather than driving directly up to the residence, visitors must walk along a nature-lined path, pass through a gate, ascend a flight of stairs, and turn a corner before the view gradually reveals itself.

The house unfolds slowly, its exterior composed of materials selected specifically for the way they patinate over time.

“Bronze windows, limestone walls, and a zinc roof–they were all selected to act as a backdrop to the view, because it has such a strong presence within the house,” Wiseman explains.

The primary bedroom suite on the upper floor

A designated office space next to the bedroom

Within the split-level residence, the interior designer exercises restraint, employing a palette of soft whites and warm neutrals paired with natural materials and abundant light–allowing the surrounding landscape to take centre stage.

“I work with a lot of colour professionally, so at home I wanted neutrality and quiet,” he shares.

Comfort, too, remains essential to the home, with intimate nooks designed for reclining, reading, conversation, and spending time with friends and family.

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A room filled with paraphernalia

The calm, restorative, and welcoming atmosphere permeates throughout the holiday home, which Wiseman shares with his partner of 35 years, Richard Snyder.

The main level comprises the living room, dining room, and kitchen–formerly a storage closet–which now accommodates a refrigerator, stovetop, oven, dishwasher, and washer-dryer. Meanwhile, the upper level houses the primary bedroom, complete with a dressing area and bath, alongside an office.

“The spa is made from recycled granite from the Yangtze and sits very quietly within the landscape,” Wiseman shares of one of his favourite elements of the project.

“Early in the morning, watching the sun rise from there, everything feels very still,” he muses. “It captures what the house represents for me–timelessness, restoration, and daily ritual.”

The custom desk designed by Wiseman anchors the home office on the lower level

His favourite acquisition–a drabware collection by Bill Blass–informed the palette

Wiseman is also an avid collector, amassing objects ranging from crystals to pottery. His favourite acquisition–a 300-piece drabware collection by Bill Blass purchased at auction–informed the palette of the lower level.

“At that time, Zoom backgrounds were very important, and we developed a custom colour, applied in lacquer across the office walls and ceiling, before matching it with alpaca textile from Sandra Jordan on the fabric walls of the guest bedroom,” Wiseman elaborates.

The guestroom on the lower floor

A kitchenette neatly tucked away

Alongside a guest bedroom and bathroom, laundry area, secondary kitchen, home office was repurposed from a guest suite into a meeting space during the pandemic.

Here, a custom desk of his own design anchors the office, functioning both as a sit-stand workstation and conference table, allowing him to host meetings with up to six colleagues from the bustling San Francisco office and collaborate on projects remotely.

Comfortable seating areas are spread out throughout the garden

The expansive greenery evokes the romance of the Italian seaside

While the most recent restoration took two and a half years to complete, Wiseman has lived on the property for 25 years–and it is the garden that has occupied most of his attention, evolving gradually over the decades.

The winding paths leading to the water weave through a herb garden, cypress, aeonium, jasmine, aloe, creeping fig, and boxwood. The star of spring, however, is the Japanese wisteria that blooms across the loggia, evoking the romance of the Italian seaside.

The garden has occupied most of Wiseman’s attention, evolving gradually overtime

Overgrown oaks shaped to frame the magical vistas across the San Francisco Bay

“The overgrown oaks had blocked much of the view, and I methodically shaped them to frame the magical vistas across the San Francisco Bay,” he concludes. “Most of the effort was devoted to converting the planting palette to succulents, which require very little water to maintain.”

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