San Francisco Chronicle (Sunday)
Fulk’s famed Magic Factory listed for $7M
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The San Francisco headquarters of celebrated designer Ken Fulk, known as the Magic Factory, is now on the market for a listing price of $7 million.
The live-work space, located at 308-310 Seventh St. in the heart of the city’s SoMa neighborhood, is described as Fulk’s “trophy property” by listing agent Hanne Vastveit of Avenue 8.
The Magic Factory has garnered widespread acclaim through features in prestigious publications and has hosted an array of dignitaries and celebrities. Meticulously transformed from a historic furniture factory into its current grandeur, the space exemplifies Fulk’s unique stylistic vision — one that has left an indelible mark on some of San Francisco’s most distinctive venues.
Fulk’s portfolio includes the design of The Battery, a five-level private social club in the Financial District, the renovated Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill, and Tosca Cafe in North Beach.
The Magic Factory features an event space and garage on the lower level, two floors of offices with a mezzanine, and a skyloft penthouse. The penthouse offers a roof deck that provides sweeping views of the San Francisco skyline.
“It really blurs the line between work and play,” Fulk said the apartment to Architectural Digest. “I never really wait for the weekend.”
The property is highlighted in Fulk’s book “Magical World,” which showcases some of the opulent homes he has designed for Bay Area tech moguls and society figures.
The penthouse boasts a chef ’s kitchen outfitted with state-of-the-art appliances, enhanced by multiple skylights and oversize windows. The adjoining dining area flows into the living room, while the bedroom suite includes a dedicated dressing area, a spa-like ensuite bathroom and a sitting area with a woodburning fireplace.
Additional amenities include an adjoining lot capable of parking up to 11 vehicles and a freight elevator servicing all floors.
Fulk’s distinctive style permeates every corner of the Magic Factory. The designer, known for his Edwardian suits and bow ties, has no formal interior design training but conceptualizes his projects as films, envisioning each detail from the opening credits to the concluding scene.
“He is the Ziegfeld of San Francisco,” socialite Denise Hale once told the Chronicle, likening Fulk to the legendary Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld. “Ziegfeld was the biggest, most legendary producer ever on Broadway, with his Follies, and I really feel that Ken is the same, with his extravagance and elegance.”
Over the past two decades, Fulk has been the go-to designer for Bay Area billionaires. His high-profile projects include Sean Parker’s woodland “Hobbit” themed wedding and a Lake Tahoe retreat for Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom.
Fulk also has worked with notable clients such as Pharrell Williams and Gigi Hadid, and designs the ultra-VIP Golden Gate Club section at the annual Outside Lands festival.
“The Magic Factory is San Francisco’s most distinctive boutique building,” Vastveit said. “It’s a stunning architectural masterpiece, full of character and sophistication.”