California is often cited as the bellwether for the country's new design trends. Yet the Golden State's two premier cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles, could not be more dissimilar. The deep divide in climate, topography, architecture, and lifestyle makes it hard to believe they exist in the same time zone, let alone the same state. Like two siblings vying for parental attention, these cities have been locked in a long-term rivalry and battle for supremacy.

Los Angeles has a suburban quality inspired by the network of sprawling, disconnected neighborhoods. Its neighbor to the north, San Francisco, is smaller and boasts stunning vistas shrouded in persistent fog. Anchoring West Hollywood, where many of LA's showrooms and design boutiques are located, is the Pacific Design Center, an architectural showpiece designed by Cesar Pelli. In sharp contrast is the sedate San Francisco Design Center, a comprehensive facility tucked away in an obscure area of the city.

The Los Angeles landscape abounds with midcentury and modernist homes created by renowned architects Richard Neutra, Frank Gehry, Tom Maine, Rudolph Schindler, and Frank Lloyd Wright. San Francisco's architecture is characterized by classical references, from the Beaux Arts City Hall and old churches in Jackson Square, to the glorious turn-of-the-century mansions and Victorian row houses in Pacific Heights.

MARTHA ANGUS
When designer Martha Angus moved from the East Coast to Northern California, she found it difficult to adjust. "I had to reinvent myself," she recalls. "My Neoclassic style was out of place in an environment driven by trends. There is little sense of history, and clients are willing to throw away the rules." Angus was unaccustomed to the midcentury architecture, differences in color palettes, and scale of the interiors. "The spaces and furniture pieces are larger," she says. "People frequently entertain at home, and comfort is a key factor in the lifestyle."

Eight years ago, Angus moved her family and business to San Francisco, where she has found a compatible home for her design concepts. "The city is urbane and has a sense of history," she says. Many New Yorkers have moved here permanently, and brought an East Coast sensibility to the area. Though San Francisco is well known for its political liberalism, the homes tend to be traditional, with the exception of younger clients, who are comfortable with modern interiors.

Angus enjoys the myriad selection of fine antique shops that the city offers. One of her favorites is Therien, located near the Design District. She lives in an elegant 1,200-square-foot condo with impressive views of the Golden Gate Bridge. The apartment contains an eclectic mixture of traditional furniture and contemporary art from Chuck Close, Andy Warhol, and Roy Liechtenstein. She and her husband recently purchased a home in Napa Valley. "The weather is beautiful and the travel time from the city is only an hour and fifteen minutes," says Angus. "We are enjoying an excellent quality of life."

JAY JEFFERS
As a designer with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Jay Jeffers is uniquely qualified to address the differences between the two cities: "In San Francisco the focus is on classic Victorian and Edwardian architecture. The rainy climate is conducive to warmer palettes and richer colors," he says. "Los Angeles design is fueled by the entertainment industry. Homes are designed as showpieces. There is a creative energy and the atmosphere is youthful and fresh. Clients are more apt to take risks."

Jeffers has noticed a sea change, especially among his younger clients in San Francisco who are beginning to push the design envelope. "All the media attention on design has produced a savvy audience, who are receptive to new ideas," he says. This is good news for Jeffers, whose specialty is creating sophisticated, fun environments, with bold applications of color, graphic patterns, and touches of unexpected whimsy.

JAMES SWAN
Although James Swan has been overseeing a successful design company in Los Angeles for many years, he was raised in Northern California and worked as a senior designer at a San Francisco design firm. His experience as a resident of both cities gives him a unique perspective. Swan agrees with Angus and Jeffers regarding the conservative nature of San Francisco: "This is an old-money town, and one of the few cities outside New York and Chicago with an active ‘society' population," he says. "Residents of Los Angeles have an adventurous spirit and are willing to step outside the design box."

Indoor-outdoor rooms are popular requests from Swan's clients. He is acutely aware of color-palette selection in both locations. "The light in Los Angeles is intense, and certain colors, especially bright yellow, can be a disaster. In San Francisco it would be an excellent choice," he says. Swan's style straddles the bridge between traditional and contemporary design. "My approach is classical and I'm not a great fan of modern architecture," he admits. "These homes can be unforgiving spaces in which to live, and comfort is often sacrificed for the concept." Swan's prejudice has not precluded him from working on numerous midcentury home projects. "I bring an added layer of warmth and structure to these residences that clients respond to."

PHILLIP NIMMO
Designer Philip Nimmo embodies quintessential Southern California style. Nimmo, who was born in Los Angeles, was raised in the sun-drenched community of Laguna Beach. Since the early 1990s, he has been designing homes for an elite clientele that includes Jaclyn Smith, Anthony Hopkins, and musician Randy Newman. "Many of my clients travel frequently for business and pleasure," says Nimmo. "They want to incorporate hotel-style amenities into their own home." Nimmo is accustomed to installing in-home spas combined with gracious master suites. He favors neutral color palettes with splashes of grass-green and lemon-yellow.

He is currently renovating a midcentury ranch-style home for a client. "I admire architect Rudolph Schindler's concept of outdoor living," says Nimmo, who utilized Schindler's concept of glass-panel doors to open up the house to the outside elements. Two years ago Nimmo, purchased his 2,600-square-foot West Hollywood residence. "When I first saw the house, it was painted in dark colors and had heavy drapery concealing the windows," he recalls. "But the gardens were beautiful and I saw the potential for indoor/outdoor living."

Nimmo stripped the interior, replaced it with bright colors, and allowed the natural light to stream through. The garden is outfitted with five sitting areas that allow guests to find a perfect perch. "The climate in Los Angeles is mild, and 90% of the year I have my meals outside," he says. Although he is surrounded by an array of resources, Nimmo occasionally travels to San Francisco, where he shops at the Design Center and scouts for unusual finds at Edward Hardy Antiques, one of the city's premier antique resources.

The tale of these two cities is a story of diversity. Although the competitive wrangling between them will always exist, it may be more productive to celebrate the differences and respect their unique characteristics. Nature bestowed upon these West Coast destinations a bountiful backdrop of mountain, desert, and seaside vistas. Those creative individuals who are fortunate to live and work here are presented with a vast canvas of infinite design options, which will accommodate an array of personalities and lifestyles. FFI