Ken Fulk Sells Tree House for $9.995 Million
Interior designer Ken Fulk sold his San Francisco home at 176 Palo Alto Ave. for roughly 26% above its asking price.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Interior Decorating
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Interior designer Ken Fulk sold his San Francisco Tree House at 176 Palo Alto Ave. for $9.995 million, well above its $7.9 million asking price. The sale closed less than two weeks after the property was listed.
Why it matters
The price reflects strong demand for a distinctive, architect-designed midcentury home in San Francisco's Clarendon Heights neighborhood. The sale also marks the departure of a home that Fulk and his partner Kurt Wootton renovated over 16 years of ownership.
The house is roughly 3,200 square feet on a 6,250-square-foot lot, and its living room features a 26-foot-high window wall. The sale was represented by Neil Bassi of Sotheby's International Realty for the sellers, and Venisa Portillo and Lance King of King Realty Group represented the buyer.
The players
Ken Fulk
Ken Fulk is a San Francisco interior designer known for high-profile residential and hospitality projects.
Sotheby's International Realty
Sotheby's International Realty is a global luxury real estate brokerage that represented the sellers in this transaction.
The details
The house was commissioned in 1959 by psychiatrist Cloyce Duncan and designed by Charles Warren Callister, with construction completed in 1963. Fulk remodeled the kitchen and bathrooms and replaced the electrical, plumbing and heating systems before the sale.
Timeline
1959: Psychiatrist Cloyce Duncan commissioned the house.
1963: Construction of the house was completed.
2010: Fulk and Wootton bought the house.
October 2026: Fulk announced on Instagram that the couple would leave the house.
2027: Fulk is expected to open a new studio in Jackson Square.
Design Market Signal
The sale shows that buyers in San Francisco continue to pay premiums for distinctive midcentury architecture that has been professionally renovated. It indicates that well-documented design provenance can drive prices well beyond listing expectations in the Bay Area's upper-tier housing market.
For San Francisco homeowners, the sale highlights how renovated midcentury properties can command strong prices in the city's current market. Buyers and sellers in Clarendon Heights and similar neighborhoods may use such results to gauge the value of distinctive architecture.
The takeaway
Distinctive architecture and thoughtful renovation can add significant value to a home, particularly in competitive markets like San Francisco. Homeowners considering a sale may benefit from documenting design work and updated systems.
Further reading
For more on residential design in the Bay Area, explore Interior Decorating.
Source note: This article includes information reported by San Francisco Chronicle.
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