San Rafael, CA

When Virginia Anawalt got off the train in Oakland and transferred to the ferry to San Francisco in 1951, she knew her life had changed and her career was beginning. She had moved with her family frequently in her young life, but this was different. This was her decision, and she was ready for it. Her father had tried to convince her she could have a career in interior design in Eugene, Oregon, but her response was, "I'm not going to spend my life doing lampshades for little old ladies in Quackenbush's Department Store! I need to go to a real city. I need to go to San Francisco.”

She quickly found a job at J. H. Thorp Fabrics showroom where she could learn about fabrics, the business of interior design, and who the most interesting designers were. In her time off, she explored San Francisco and took her portfolio of work from her time at the University of Oregon to job interviews at design firms. She eventually found a position at Robert Kasper's on Sutter Street where she thrived, being allowed to custom design furniture and work with the best suppliers and craftspeople. By 1956, she had built up a clientele, many of whom would become lifelong clients and friends. In some cases, she worked with a second generation.

In 1962, she was chosen by Sunset Magazine to be the interior designer for their “Discovery House" near Folsom, California. Henrik Bull was the skeptical architect for the project but was soon won over because of Virginia’s knowledge and understanding of architecture. Many architects, such as Warren Callister, enjoyed working with her and recommended her to their clients because they knew their designs would be respected and enhanced by her skills, knowledge of finishes and materials, and her superb color sense.

She married Daniel Mardesich in 1964 and they soon welcomed two sons into the family. Dan was working as a draftsman for an architect, and when one of her clients planned a remodel, she suggested him. Thus began a lifelong collaboration. They worked together in interior design until their retirement and the closing of Virginia Anawalt Interiors in 2019.

Virginia was born to Bruce and Marzelle Anawalt (Greer) on July 22, 1925, in Glendale, California. In 1928, Bruce left his family's lumber business and moved his family to an 800-acre sheep ranch in Oregon. He later lost the ranch during the Great Depression, and Virginia, with her three brothers, was raised in various places in the Northwest, ending up for her final high school days and college in Eugene, Oregon. She had her first horse at the age of six and loved horses and riding all her life, continuing to ride into her eighties.

Virginia was about love. She loved her family and friends, of course, but she also loved what she did. She expressed love to her clients, colleagues, the artisans, and the workmen she worked with. And that love was returned. She loved travel, music, art, and surrounded herself with beautiful things.

She passed on peacefully on January 28, 2024, near her home of fifty-five years in San Rafael. She is survived by Daniel J. Mardesich, her husband of nearly sixty years, her two sons and two grandchildren, her brother Don Anawalt, and many nieces and nephews. A celebration of her life is planned in the Spring.