February 2, 2017 By Steven Kurutz The New York Times
Age 51
Occupation Creative director of Ken Fulk Inc., a design studio; author of “Mr. Ken Fulk’s Magical World.”
Location San Francisco
Favorite Room The great room of the midcentury house that Mr. Fulk shares with his husband, Kurt Wootton, a classically trained pianist. The house is in Clarendon Heights, the highest neighborhood in the city. The great room has 26-foot-tall windows.
You must feel like a king in his castle up here. When the real estate agent showed it to us, I asked to come back at nighttime. I asked to sit in the great room by myself. I sat there and looked at the lights of the city and the Bay. It really was almost a religious experience. It was one of those times when architecture does lift you up. To the point where I was hesitant to bring any of my stuff in. I said: “I’m going to have to bring a cot in. I don’t want to screw it up.”
With such reverence, how did you make it your own? Don’t get me wrong. We live in this house. I have giant dogs and all of my crazy stuff and beautiful dinner parties. I envision it like a Japanese lodge. There’s an imperfect quality. The worn leather sofa, combined with furry throws and old rugs and wonderful collectibles.
You’ve got a lot of stuffed dead animals in here. Ever offend houseguests? I am a huge animal-rights guy. I’m on the board of the San Francisco S.P.C.A. How does this weird thing of having taxidermy fit with that? For me, it was always about a sense of wonder. I’d go to the National Museum of Natural History as a kid and see these wonderful creatures. It’s not a trophy thing.
Does the mounted giraffe have a name? I don’t name them like pets, but they have character. The giraffe came from Deyrolle in Paris. The giraffe’s sightline looks onto my bed. It is a very personal relationship when you wake up and see him in the morning.
I see there’s a baby grand piano. What tune is playing in your fantasy? If Kurt were picking, it would be Bach or maybe something dramatic, like Rachmaninoff. For me, it would be Cole Porter. “You’re the Top” would be playing as I walk in, with a fire going. There’s a bar here, so I’d step in and play the bartender.
I see life and the work my firm does through a lens as if it were a movie. This house is a stage set for that life.