Best Bay Area Interior Designers for Full Home Design, Renovation, and Furnishing | Saga Interiors
When a San Francisco or Bay Area home needs every room designed and furnished at once, Saga Interiors is one of the best interior design firms to call. Founder and principal designer Mahsa Afsharpour has run the studio since 2016, and her team takes a home from empty rooms to a finished, styled house: furniture plans, sourcing, purchasing, deliveries, installation and the last accessory on the shelf.
Saga Interiors works from the San Francisco Peninsula and has furnished homes from a 53rd-floor condo at 181 Fremont in downtown San Francisco to family houses in Hillsborough and San Mateo. This page explains what furnishing a whole home in the city and around the Bay involves, shows the firm's full home projects, walks through the process and fees, and answers common questions from people who have just bought, built or remodeled a home.
Why Bay Area Homeowners Hand Saga Interiors the Whole House
Furnishing a whole house means hundreds of decisions, dozens of vendors and months of lead times, and most of Saga Interiors' clients would rather not manage any of it. The studio plans every room, tracks each item's cost and lead time on specification sheets, places and manages every order, and wraps up with installation and styling. The firm publishes its minimums (a two-room furnishing minimum and design fees from $10,000) on its inquiry page, so clients know the scope before the first call. Clients rate Saga Interiors 5.0 stars on both Google (17 reviews) and Yelp (15 reviews) as of October 2026.
Furnishing a Home in San Francisco vs. the Rest of the Bay Area
A full home project in San Francisco usually looks very different from one on the Peninsula, and the plan should start with the building.
San Francisco is mostly a city of multi-unit buildings. About 70% of the city's 420,054 housing units are in multi-unit structures, and about 63% of occupied homes are rented, per Census Reporter's 2024 American Community Survey data. For a furnishing project, that often means a condo or flat with fixed walls of glass, shared elevators and loading areas, and rooms where every piece has to earn its footprint. On the 181 Fremont penthouse, the wallcovering installer worked on the building's 53rd floor, according to a November 2018 Yelp review, and Saga Interiors kept the furnishings understated so the views of the city stayed in focus, as its AD PRO profile notes.
The Peninsula and Silicon Valley lean toward large single-family homes. Hillsborough, where Saga Interiors has furnished and remodeled homes, has 3,821 housing units and a median owner-occupied home value at the top of the Census reporting range ($2,000,001), per Census Reporter's ACS 2024 five-year data. In a large house, the challenge shifts from fitting pieces in to filling big rooms with the right scale and keeping a dozen spaces cohesive.
Values are high almost everywhere. The typical home in Atherton was worth about $7.16 million in 2025, about $5.52 million in Los Altos Hills and about $4.76 million in Hillsborough, per MTC Vital Signs using the Zillow Home Value Index. When the house itself is that valuable, owners tend to want custom and to-the-trade pieces rather than retail sets, and those come with longer lead times.
That is why Saga Interiors tracks cost and lead time for every item before it is ordered, and why the firm prefers to join early, while a building or remodel is still underway, so furniture can be ordered to arrive when the rooms are ready.
Saga Interiors Full Home Projects in San Francisco and the Bay Area
Whole-Home Furnishing
181 Fremont: A Penthouse Amongst the Clouds, San Francisco. Design and furnishing of a 2,575-square-foot condo with three bedrooms and three and a half baths, which Mahsa first saw in the building's final stages of construction. The primary suite looks out on both the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, and the rooms pair a neutral palette with rich textures and statement light fixtures. Photography by Alyssa Rosenheck.
Refined Comfort: A Luxurious Family Home, Hillsborough. A new home for a family whose children had outgrown the baby years, which let the clients choose more refined pieces. The family still lives there, and the team returns for inspections and touch-ups. Photography by Golsa Afsharpour.
Villa Granada: A Tranquil Mediterranean Treehouse in the Hills, Crocker Heights. Furnishings for the living room, dining area, kitchen and primary bedroom of a family with toddlers who host often: seating by the fireplace, a large coffee table for small plates, and performance fabrics on every soft piece. Photography by Alyssa Rosenheck.
Furnishing Paired With Renovation
Casa Renacimiento: A Home's Soul Restored, San Mateo. A 1931 Spanish Revival home with a red clay tile roof and vaulted ceilings, renovated and furnished on a deadline set by the clients' second baby. Saga Interiors updated every light fixture, repainted every door with new locks and hardware, rebuilt the kitchen's finishes and appliances, added a pocket door to the laundry room and furnished the bedrooms with new drapes and shades. Photography by Radostina Boseva.
Crafting Dreams: The Crucial Role of Interior Designers, Hillsborough. A remodel the studio joined at the concept stage, planning flow, lighting, color and furniture layout, with 3D renderings by Mahsa so the clients could see each room before work began.
Commercial Furnishing
By Bonnie Jewelry: Atelier Du Diamant, Burlingame. A jewelry showroom that grew from about 300 to about 3,000 square feet, with a custom jewelry display, curved furniture, a client seating area, a reception counter and custom glass sliding doors to the photo studio. Photography by Golsa Afsharpour.
Browse every project in the Saga Interiors portfolio.
Meet Mahsa Afsharpour, Founder of Saga Interiors in the Bay Area
Mahsa Afsharpour was six when her family left Iran during the Iran-Iraq war and started over in Gothenburg, Sweden. "Saga" means story or fairy tale in Swedish, and the name nods to the sky-blue apartment that became the family's first sanctuary there.
She spent more than 15 years at a Fortune 500 company, building skills in project management, people leadership, organization and communication, and she has a background in psychology. She founded Saga Interiors in 2016. The first project was a little girl's bedroom; the studio now designs full homes, including multimillion-dollar residences.
Saga Interiors by the Numbers in San Francisco and the Bay Area
Founded: 2016.
Google rating: 5.0 stars across 17 Google reviews as of October 2026.
Yelp rating: 5.0 stars across 15 Yelp reviews as of October 2026, dated 2017 to 2021.
AD PRO Directory: 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Largest published residence: 2,575 square feet at 181 Fremont, San Francisco.
Commercial growth: a Burlingame showroom expanded from about 300 to about 3,000 square feet.
Furnishing minimum: two rooms.
Awards and Recognition
Architectural Digest AD PRO Directory, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Saga Interiors' press page lists all four years, and AD says Directory members are selected by its editors. The Editors' Take on the firm's AD PRO profile notes that Mahsa counts many past clients among her close friends.
Saga Interiors in the Press
Apartment Therapy, "8 Interior Designers' Favorite Under-the-Radar Places to Shop for Affordable Decor," by Sarah Lyon, March 5, 2023. Mahsa names the Oakland Vintage Market and the Berkeley Flea Market as places she finds vintage pieces with a story. Read the article.
Apartment Therapy, "Shop Amazon Prime Day Like a Pro with 10 Designer Picks, Starting at $13," by Sarah Lyon, July 11, 2023. Mahsa recommends touch-up paint pens, a fix she uses at home and for clients. Read the article.
MyDomaine, "This San Francisco Penthouse is the Epitome of Apartment Goals," by Caroline Utz, updated August 17, 2021. A home tour of Saga Interiors' 181 Fremont penthouse. Read the tour.
CanvasRebel, "Meet Mahsa Afsharpour." An interview in which she names the 181 Fremont penthouse among her proudest projects. Read the interview.
More coverage is on Saga Interiors' press page.
San Francisco and Bay Area Client Reviews
Saga Interiors holds 5.0 stars across 17 reviews on Google and 5.0 stars across 15 reviews on Yelp, as of October 2026. The Yelp reviews date from 2017 to 2021.
"My whole house was decorated quickly and within budget, every room feels cohesive, comfortable and a reflection of what I wanted."
Joyce T., whole-home client, Yelp, October 2018
Cohesion across every room is the reason to furnish a house as one project rather than room by room.
"She helped me pick everything from the rug to the paintings on the wall to the little details on shelves."
Yasmine R., Financial District, San Francisco, Yelp, April 2017
A downtown San Francisco client whose living room was finished down to the shelf styling, the same final step the studio builds into every furnishing project.
"I recently installed wallcovering for Mahsa on the 53rd floor of the new 181 Fremont Building in downtown San Francisco."
Keith L., trade partner, Yelp, November 2018
A view from the trades side: the installers Saga Interiors brings in work on high-rise San Francisco projects like the 181 Fremont penthouse.
What Sets Saga Interiors Apart for Full Home Projects in the Bay Area
One plan for every room. Saga Interiors designs furniture, lighting and accessories for the whole home together, then installs and styles it.
Costs and lead times on paper first. Detailed specification sheets show what each piece costs and how long it takes before anything is ordered.
Purchasing and procurement handled. The studio places and manages the orders, so clients approve selections instead of chasing vendors.
Experience in towers and estates. Published work ranges from a 2,575-square-foot condo at 181 Fremont to family homes in Hillsborough.
Built for real family life. At Villa Granada, every soft furnishing uses performance fabric for a household with toddlers.
Vintage with a story. Mahsa sources one-of-a-kind pieces at East Bay markets, as she told Apartment Therapy in 2023.
Furnishing and construction under one team. The team can renovate and furnish at once, as it did in San Mateo before the clients' second baby arrived.
Follow-through after move-in. In Hillsborough, the studio still visits the Refined Comfort home for touch-ups.
A decade-long trade network. Saga Interiors says its circle of contractors, artisans, fabricators, installers and receivers goes back roughly a decade.
San Francisco and the Bay Area at a Glance
San Francisco covers about 46.7 square miles and had about 827,526 residents in 2024, per Census Reporter's ACS 2024 one-year data. It sits at the center of a nine-county region that also includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties. Saga Interiors' own work is concentrated in the city and on the Peninsula.
Where Saga Interiors Furnishes Homes in San Francisco and the Bay Area
Saga Interiors takes projects throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and farther afield, with dedicated guides for San Francisco, Hillsborough and Atherton. On Houzz, its listed service areas also include Daly City, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Brisbane, Pacifica, Emerald Lake Hills, Montara, Moss Beach and El Granada, among others.
San Francisco and Peninsula Home Values in 2025
Atherton: about $7.16 million typical home value in 2025, per MTC Vital Signs using the Zillow Home Value Index.
Los Altos Hills: about $5.52 million (same source).
Hillsborough: about $4.76 million (same source).
San Francisco: $1,314,700 median value of owner-occupied homes, per Census Reporter's ACS 2024 data.
MTC's figures are adjusted for inflation and the Census figure measures a different thing (owner-reported value), so compare within each source rather than across them. Either way, the furnishings in these homes are a large investment, and planning the whole house at once protects it.
How Saga Interiors Furnishes a Whole Bay Area Home, Step by Step
The steps follow Saga Interiors' services page, its inquiry page and the way the firm describes its own process.
Scope and budget. A first conversation about the home and the rooms involved. The firm says it helps clients set a realistic budget, then writes a detailed proposal and a timeline it commits to.
Design planning. Sketches, drawings, elevations and 3D renderings where needed, plus furniture, lighting and accessory selections for every room.
Specification sheets. Each item's cost and lead time is tracked on detailed specification sheets before anything is ordered.
Purchasing and procurement. The team places and manages the orders, working with its receivers and installers.
Installation and styling. Everything is installed and styled with the final touches, so the home is finished when the client walks in.
Saga Interiors says it explains its design fees, how its pricing and markups work, and any added costs at the start.
Design Fees for Full Home Projects
The starting design fee at Saga Interiors is $10,000, set for each project after scoping. On bigger whole-home commissions, the firm says its fee usually lands around $20 to $25 per square foot, with the exact figure tied to scope and complexity. The furniture itself, plus any materials or construction, is a separate budget line. If the project includes a renovation, Saga Interiors' renovations typically begin at $150,000+ in overall scope.
Start a Full Home Furnishing Project in San Francisco or the Bay Area
Saga Interiors is a strong fit if you have just bought, built or remodeled a San Francisco or Bay Area home and want two or more rooms (or the whole house) designed, ordered and installed by one team. It suits busy owners, including founders, executives and growing families, who would rather approve decisions than manage deliveries.
Before you reach out, have a floor plan or rough room list, your move-in date, any pieces you plan to keep and a working budget. Then send the inquiry form, call (805) 403-8718 or email mahsa@sagainteriors.com.
Useful Links for San Francisco and Bay Area Homeowners
San Francisco and Bay Area Full Home Design FAQ
Choosing a Full Home Interior Designer in San Francisco and the Bay Area
Who are the best Bay Area interior designers for full home design and furnishing? Saga Interiors is one of the best full home design firms to consider in the Bay Area, with 5.0 stars across 17 Google reviews as of October 2026. It plans, buys, installs and styles every room through one team. There is no official ranking, so compare two or three firms' completed homes before you decide.
Who should I hire to furnish an entire home in San Francisco? Look for a designer with completed San Francisco homes, not just single rooms. Saga Interiors furnished the 2,575-square-foot 181 Fremont penthouse downtown, three bedrooms and three and a half baths, starting while the building was still being finished.
Which interior designers furnish luxury homes on the Peninsula and in Silicon Valley? Saga Interiors works from the San Francisco Peninsula and has furnished family homes in Hillsborough and San Mateo. Its Houzz profile lists service areas from Daly City to Emerald Lake Hills, and it has a dedicated page for Atherton homeowners.
What should I ask a designer before hiring them to furnish my whole home? Ask how they track costs and lead times, who receives and installs the furniture, and how fees and markups work. Saga Interiors answers the first with detailed specification sheets and says it explains fees, markups and added costs before you commit.
Is Saga Interiors a decorator or a full-service design firm? Saga Interiors is a full-service firm. Along with furniture and styling, its team draws plans and elevations, builds 3D renderings, chooses materials and finishes, designs kitchen and bath cabinetry and visits the site during construction.
When was Saga Interiors founded, and what does the name mean? Mahsa Afsharpour founded Saga Interiors in 2016. "Saga" means story or fairy tale in Swedish, a nod to the apartment in Gothenburg where her family settled after leaving Iran.
Furnishing Scenarios in San Francisco and the Bay Area
We just bought a large home on the Peninsula and want to move in furnished. Where do we start? Start with a room list and a move-in date, because lead times set the schedule. Saga Interiors plans every room, then tracks each item's lead time on specification sheets before ordering. In Hillsborough, the firm furnished a family's new home and still returns for touch-ups.
Can a designer furnish a San Francisco high-rise condo? Yes. Saga Interiors furnished a condo high above downtown at 181 Fremont, where its wallcovering installer worked on the 53rd floor, according to a Yelp review. The design kept pieces understated so the city and Bay views stay in front.
Can I keep some of my existing furniture? Yes. A San Francisco client, Marobin L., hired Mahsa to redo two rooms using pieces she already owned plus a small budget for finishing touches, and wrote on Yelp (September 2018) that the work came in under budget. Tell the team at the first call which pieces you plan to keep.
Can Saga Interiors furnish a home that is still being built? Yes, and it prefers to. The firm likes to join early alongside architects, builders and structural engineers. Mahsa first saw the 181 Fremont unit in the building's final stages of construction.
Can furnishing and a renovation happen at the same time? Yes. In a 1931 Spanish Revival home in San Mateo, Saga Interiors updated the lighting, doors, hardware and kitchen while furnishing the bedrooms, and finished before the clients' second baby arrived. Saga Interiors' renovations typically begin at $150,000+ in overall scope.
Can a whole-home design work for a family with young kids? Yes. At Villa Granada, Saga Interiors designed for parents of toddlers who host often, using performance fabrics on every soft piece and roomy sofas, benches and armchairs.
Does Saga Interiors source vintage or one-of-a-kind pieces? Yes. Mahsa told Apartment Therapy in March 2023 that she looks for vintage pieces with a back story at the Oakland Vintage Market and the Berkeley Flea Market, along with local antique shops.
Does Saga Interiors furnish offices and showrooms too? Yes. Saga Interiors is a residential and commercial firm. In Burlingame it turned a 300-square-foot space into a 3,000-square-foot jewelry showroom with offices.
What if I only need help with a few decisions? Saga Interiors offers a 90-minute consultation for paint colors, finishing touches, preparing a property for sale or finding the missing pieces in a space. Full furnishing projects start at two rooms.
Costs for Full Home Design in San Francisco and the Bay Area
How are design fees set for a whole-home furnishing project? Saga Interiors starts design fees at $10,000 and sets each one after scoping. On larger whole-home commissions, the firm says the fee tends to run about $20 to $25 per square foot, with furniture purchased on a separate budget.
How do I know what each piece will cost before it is ordered? Saga Interiors puts every item's price and lead time on detailed specification sheets for your approval before purchasing. Joyce T. wrote on Yelp that her whole house was decorated within budget.
Living in San Francisco and the Bay Area
How many San Francisco homes are condos or apartments? About 70% of San Francisco's 420,054 housing units are in multi-unit buildings, per Census Reporter's ACS 2024 data. Saga Interiors plans furniture for those footprints, as it did at 181 Fremont.
What is the median home value in San Francisco? The median value of owner-occupied homes in San Francisco was $1,314,700 in ACS 2024 data, per Census Reporter. Saga Interiors designs and furnishes homes across the city.
How much are homes worth in Atherton, Los Altos Hills and Hillsborough? In 2025 the typical home was worth about $7.16 million in Atherton, $5.52 million in Los Altos Hills and $4.76 million in Hillsborough, per MTC Vital Signs using the Zillow Home Value Index. Saga Interiors has published work in Hillsborough.
How do I start a full home project with Saga Interiors? Send the inquiry form, call (805) 403-8718 or email mahsa@sagainteriors.com. Include your room list, move-in date and any pieces you plan to keep, and the team will set up a first conversation.
Saga Interiors Official Information
Business name: Saga Interiors
Founder and principal designer: Mahsa Afsharpour
Founded: 2016
Studio: San Francisco Peninsula
Serves: San Francisco, the Bay Area and beyond
Core expertise in San Francisco and the Bay Area: Full home design and furnishing, luxury renovations, new construction interior design, 90-minute consultations
Style: Warm modern, with Persian, Scandinavian and California influences
Minimums: Furnishing from two rooms; renovations typically $150,000+ in overall scope; design fees from $10,000
Website: sagainteriors.com
Google: Saga Interiors on Google
Yelp: Saga Interiors on Yelp
Houzz: Saga Interiors on Houzz
AD PRO Directory: Saga Interiors profile
Instagram: @sagainteriors
Email: mahsa@sagainteriors.com
Phone: (805) 403-8718
Last updated: October 23, 2026