Take 10 With Stacey Caen and Joseph Lucier
If you dream of a Broadway mansion or an Art Deco penthouse to celebrate the Roaring 2020's, boutique real estate agency, CAENLUCIER is the place to go. Stacey Caen and Joe Lucier, both San Francisco natives, understand the city's history, culture, and architecture. The twenty-two-year-old firm has deep connections with the interior design, architecture, and construction communities in San Francisco, providing exceptional services for their clients. Stacey and Joe graciously took some time out of their busy schedule to let COUPAR interview them for a Take 10.
CC: You and your partner Stacey Caen founded CAENLUCIER twenty-two years ago, how have you seen the San Francisco Real Estate market change during that time?
CL: Our first week in the business in 1999 saw the multiple listing service go from a weekly printed book to the internet, which coincided with the formative years of the staging business and the importance of visual property presentation on the web. From this moment, the quality of our marketing through professional photography and videos has given the consumer a much higher quality online experience when assessing purchase opportunities. The most significant change was the iPhone and DocuSign. It changed the industry forever. The speed and mobility this technology offered us and our clients was an important step forward. Still, one thing will never change: the importance for buyers to physically experience the home and how it makes them feel.
CC: As a native San Franciscan, how have you seen the city change?
CL: An old socialite once quipped, "San Francisco is a fishing village run by interior designers." That is certainly not the case anymore, at least not entirely! The ubiquitous growth of the tech industry in the city over the last twenty-five years has turned our village into a world capital. The revitalization of the Embarcadero and Ferry Building after the post-quake destruction of the freeway brought a remarkable change to the waterfront. Hayes Valley caught on and gentrified for the better with excellent boutique shopping and restaurants. And now we will see the city morph into something anew after the civic reorganization from the pandemic. It's exciting times ahead for true San Franciscans to see what we can do to leave our mark on the city's history.
CC: Your firm partners with the Bay Area’s top interior designers, architects, and builders, how does that elevate the homebuyer’s experience?
CL: We are at our best when sourcing a new home for buyers committed to a large-scale renovation. Defining the neighborhood, size of the target property, and the overall budget allows us to proactively harness our network and inventory expertise to identify houses to consider. One of the steps that most buyers fail to do is establish a design/build team before the search. We work as a liaison between our clients and our professional contacts to recommend and interview architects, builders, and interior designers to establish a team to assess opportunities as they come along. By building trust early on, our clients can make informed decisions when they find the right home and negotiate the best offer with confidence. It's a process that encourages the passion and excitement of building your dream home.
CC: CAENLUCIER sells properties in the most prestigious areas of San Francisco, which is your favorite neighborhood?
CL: We both have a soft spot for Telegraph Hill with its picturesque views and intimate moments along dead-end streets and the wooden steps leading down to Levi’s Plaza. Nob Hill is another timeless favorite of ours with the beauty of the grand architecture surrounding Huntington Park with the sound of the bells from Grace Cathedral and the cable cars clanking by. A favorite locale that we labeled ‘Hollow Heights” going west from Divisadero to the Presidio is charming with its views of the bay from historic homes. In the end, we love all of the city, the neighborhoods weaving together to create a multi-cultural coexistence for all of us San Franciscans.
Roos House Presentation elevation, Bernard Maybeck, ca. 1909
CC: Which past San Francisco architects do you admire the most?
CL: A beautiful architectural heritage blesses our city. For classicism, Arthur Brown Jr. and Willis Polk have left us with the Beaux-Arts style City Hall and the beautiful mansions in Pacific Heights. Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan always come to mind; in fact, the Maybeck-designed Roos House at 3500 Jackson is currently undergoing a renovation for the new owners. The California modernist designs of William Wurster and Joseph Esherick were forward-looking regional styles at the time that we now enjoy looking back on with affection.
CC: Who is your ideal client?
CL: We have found that a client’s willingness to engage in a trusting partnership always leads to a fulfilling process and meaningful results. Because our work can be so involved in the intimacy of how people want to live or the process of letting go of a long-held home, we find that open and honest communication leads to a very human and rewarding experience.
CC: Favorite place in the world to view art?
CL: The second floor at the Neue Galerie New York to view Gustave Klimt's Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. It is one of the most magnificent works of art in America, and there is quite a story about its journey to the walls of this boutique museum.
CC: If you made a documentary, what would it be about?
CL: We would love to produce a documentary film on creating the highest quality home renovation with interviews of all of the designers, builders, and creative crafts professionals responsible for the transformative experience of an inspired dream that becomes a physical reality.
CC: The best compliment you’ve ever received?
CL: These kind words came in last fall from a West Clay Park client selling their family home: “When we were selecting agents, we looked for a team that could understand the unique features of a home and the unique characteristics of the neighborhood. We saw the value of the home as wrapped up in both of these attributes. Joe and Stacey took the time to find the right partners to present and celebrate the house. Our parents taught us that if something is worth doing, do it well and with style. Joe and Stacey gave this to the sale of the home we grew up in; we are very grateful to them.”
CC: What is the first thing you plan to do once social distancing ends?
CL: Travel, travel, travel!!! And hugs.
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, Gustave Klimt
