Sabrina Buell, Matt Cohler, Alison Pincus, Eric Cohler

I recently had the pleasure of meeting designer Eric Cohler at the signing for his first book, “Cohler on Design,” a beautiful monograph that features some of his best projects, and where he shares insights on how to collect pieces over time and integrate them into your home.

The book party was held at Hudson Grace, the new Pacific Heights boutique that carries the most perfectly curated assortment of home, tabletop and entertaining accessories.  Since opening in 2012 it has quickly become one of the most popular destination for design enthusiasts in San Francisco.

Trevor Traina, Allison Speer – Priscilla Chan, Matt Cohler and Arielle Zuckerberg

Store owners Monelle Totah and Gary McNatton, with Cohler’s friends Alison Pincus, Sabrina Buell and Allison Speer, along with his brother, Matt Cohler (a general partner at Benchmark), brought together a fabulous group of people, ranging from interior design fans to fashionistas to tech entrepreneurs.

Among those who came to see Cohler was Dr. Priscilla Chan, who may be looking for design ideas after purchasing a home in San Francisco’s charming Dolores Heights last year with husband Mark Zuckerberg (a fact that kept neighbors, bloggers, realtors, designers and other gossip-bees buzzing for weeks.) I also spotted Jeremy Stoppelman and girlfriend Zoey Stafford, Nextdoor.com founder Nirav Tolia, IfOnly.com founder Trevor Traina, healthy living expert Sloan Barnett (in one of the most chic cocktail dresses ever), art expert Dorka Keehn, media consultant and investor Nina Stanford (who told me about the exciting new fashion site, Vaunte.com),  filmmaker Tiffany Shlain, commercial interior designer Michael Bodziner, real estate developer Regina Callan, and a TRI triumvirate of Malin Giddings, Max Armour and Joel Goodrich.

Brothers Eric Cohler and Matt Cohler – Eric signs his book for Priscilla Chan

Though based in New York, Cohler has developed an impressive clientele in the Bay Area, largely comprised of Silicon Valley business leaders and tastemakers — names you’d undoubtedly recognize were he to disclose them (a model of discretion and professionalism, he doesn’t name names.)  But I first began hearing about him in September 2011, around the time he was opening his West Coast office, and working on a project  for a prominent family, one of many to follow.  The great thing about his book, however, is that it provides ideas that work just as well for the general reader as for the tech elite.

Alison Pincus with Nextdoor.com Founders Sarah Leary and Nirav Tolia

Alison Pincus, co-founder of One Kings Lane, has long been a fan of his work. In fact, her site recently recommended “Cohler on Design” to its readers, noting that “the book, and Cohler’s philosophy, is less about conforming to design tenets and more about finding a process that works for you and creating a space that you are proud to call home.”

Cohler created this room in 2008 in honor of his dad, calling it “an ode to him and his strength.” Photo: Peter Margonelli

With the sort of tips and tricks that make a design book a joy read, and the lush photography that makes it indispensable, “Cohler on Design” is a volume you really should add to your library soon.

Zoey Stafford, Jeremy Stoppelman, Allison Speer, Alison Pincus

Jeremy Stoppelman, Zoey Stafford – Monelle Totah, Barbara Brown

Monelle Totah, Scot Meacham Wood, Drew Poling – Sloan Barnett, Dorka Keehn

George Revel, Rebecca Miller – Store Designer Michael Bodziner, Damion Matthews

Sabrina Buell, Katie Traina – Jocelyn Sandler, Amy Fierstein, Nina Stanford

Max Armour, Belind Getler – Susan Greenleaf, Claudia Ceniceros

Kristen Evans, Susan Greenleaf – Allison Bloom, Tiffany Shlain, Emily Mughannam

Eva Modena, Joy Rebling – Maura Lasater, Erin Grody

Monelle Totah, Lee Gregory – Sara Ledterman, Eric Cohler, Gene Ogden

Further Information
Buy the Book: “Cohler on Design” [amazon.com]
Shop at Hudson Grace: 3350 Sacramento Street, San Francisco [hudsongracesf.com]

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After dipping their espresso spoons into San Francisco’s coffee culture with a small boutique in Bloomingdales Nespresso has gone full force with their first large boutique in California.  The 7,400 square foot two-level space on Grant Street was designed by Italian architect Aldo Parisotto and Futurebrand Paris.  The generous and open space with jewel-like pods in rainbow colors and stylish machines displayed like pieces of art exudes the kind of luxury that is both inviting and sensuous.  Videos of Nespresso’s captivating commercials featuring Penelope Cruz play on large screens, and the product itself becomes video art along the staircase connecting the two levels.

Coffee bar on ground floor

The interactive ground floor boasts a welcome area, a coffee bar and lounge, info centers like the N Pad Bar with iPads loaded with brand information and the Discovery Ring, a sort of Nespresso library.

The lower level contains the stores shopping area with a tasting bar that allows customers to test the machines and sample the various coffees and the self-selection room for serious club members who know what they want and need to get in and out quickly when running out of their most coveted pods. It is fast and easy: pull your favorite flavors from display walls that look like colorful cosmetic displays, place them in bag and take them to the self-check-out, scan your Club Member N Pass Card, your selections are recorded and your account is charged. Here customers can also return empty capsules for recycling.

Whether you want to linger in the lounge and nibble on a gourmet menu and try all their various Grand Crus selections, made from only the top 20% of the finest single origin gourmet coffee, or restock on your favorites as quickly as you sip a ristretto, Nespresso has got you covered.

Lounge area

Coffee station on lower level

Although open since November Nespresso only recently hosted their grand opening party. Nespresso’s chairman Patrice Bula and Nespresso USA President Frederic Levy served up a variety of coffees long past dinner time, Champagne cocktails with deliciously crunchy espresso caviar thanks to molecular gastronomy, and an elegant buffet spread provided by Paula LeDuc Fine Catering.

The combination made for a lively crowd discussing the local coffee culture, debating over preferred flavor profiles, comparing brands of machines, and even sparking some serious challenges between coffee aficionados.  That is what coffee-spiked Champagne and espresso can do after 8:00 PM. Among the guests were American’s Cup CEO Stephen Barclay, former Mayor Willie Brown and Sonya Molodetskaya, Lisa and John Grotts, Dr. Clara Shayevich, Bahya Murad, Jorge Maumer, Karen Caldwell, Dr. Jordan Deschamps-Braly, Marybeth La Motte, Beth Schnitzer, Ellian Raffoul and Michael Tal.

Nespresso sales associate explaining the use of a machine

Oakland Interfaith Choir performing “Black Coffee in Bed”

Nespresso also beat out Starbucks and Pete’s as the sponsor for the America’s Cup, the perfect partner for San Francisco’s upcoming premiere sporting event driven by speed and built on style.

“We are proud to be supporting such a prestigious and exciting event,” said Patrice Bula, “Like the teams competing with cutting-edge technology in this ultimate sailing challenge, we strive for excellence.  This partnership gives us the perfect opportunity to showcase Nespresso on a global stage.”

Frederic Levy, Stephen Barclay, Patrice Bula with the America’s Cup trophy

No doubt Nespresso is the chicest and sexiest coffee brand around, and it is finding a welcoming home in San Francisco.  In a city that really knows about coffee there may be purists who even at home aim at being their own barista, but for those who are looking for a cup of superior coffee that is easy to make with stylish and space-saving machines requiring little cleaning and maintenance, this is the brand for them.

I am certain the opening has won Nespresso many new beyond Union Square.  Jeweler Michael Tal confided that the lounge has become his office away from his office. I am sure I will cross paths with other familiar faces when returning for a grilled cheese sandwich or to replenish pods for my chartreuse space-saving Pixie.

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Woodside Estate, Front Elevation, Designed by Allan Greenberg
Photo Credit: Jay Graham | www.jaygraham.com

We can exclusively report that a Woodside estate has just sold for the record-breaking price of $117,500,000, making it the most expensive private residence in California, and the second-highest price paid for a home in the United States.

According to public records, the transaction took place on November 27, 2012. It had not been publicly listed for sale. Previously owned by Tully Friedman, founder of San Francisco-based investment firm, Friedman Fleischer and Lowe LLC, the residence at Mountain Home Road is a masterpiece of Neoclassical design, and takes advantage of its location with 360-degree views of the nearby Woodside Mountains.

Pool and Pool House
Photo Credit: Michael Biondo | www.michaelbiondo.com

Created by Virginia-based architect Allan Greenberg, it was featured in “Extraordinary Homes California: An Exclusive Showcase of the Finest Architects, Designers and Builders in California,” in 2009.

Greenberg, who is a member of the Architectural Digest 100, described the house as sitting in “an elaborate hilltop garden”, and noted that, in the Palladian tradition, “it is planned around hyphens and dependencies and features a double volume, elliptical garden room.”

Meticulous Attention to Detail.
Photo Credit: Jay Graham | www.jaygraham.com

We are unable to divulge information about the new owner, but this section of Woodside is a Who’s Who of Silicon Valley tech and finance, so it’s a name with which you’re undoubtedly familiar.

Incidentally, this home is just 10 miles away from the third highest priced home in the United States, belonging to Yuri Milner in Los Altos Hills. The record for the highest price was set last year by Stan Kroenke, who purchased a ranch in Montana listed for $132.5 million.

Woodside Estate, Front Elevation, Designed by Allan Greenberg
Photo Credit: Jay Graham | www.jaygraham.com

With sales figures these high, to say that the Peninsula real estate market is “hot” is an understatement. We wouldn’t be surprised to see other showcase properties such as the Tobin Clark Estate in Hillsborough or the $85,000,000 Flood Estate in Woodside to sell this year as well!

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Sweeping City and Bay Views from a wonderful Russian Hill block. Excellent Natural Light. Exceptional Renovation. 7 bedrooms, 5 baths, 2 half-baths, 2-car attached garage with interior access. Formal Living Room, Dining Room, Eat-in kitchen, 4 decks, Family/Media room, indoor gas barbecue, Miele appliances, radiant floors, low voc paint, wine cellar, security system, fireplace. South facing garden with mature landscape.

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“All Night Long He Sailed Upon It” by Ron Pippin at Obsolete

The pride of bringing the America’s Cup to San Francisco inspired this year’s theme for the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show at Fort Mason.

Andrew Skurman’s giant waves, in the style of early 19th century Japanese painter Katsushika Hokusai, framed the entry pavilion, which showcased the special exhibit “Sea Worthy: The Best of Nautical Art and Antiques,” curated by Holland Lynch of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.  Models dressed in blue and white gowns designed by Karen Caldwell showed off stunning diamond jewelry by Graff.  And the giant gleaming 33-pound sterling America’s Cup trophy expressed the city’s honor of hosting the prestigious race.

A nautical theme was represented throughout the show as well, with various antiques and works of art inspired by aquatic and maritime themes. Obsolete’s installation of 120 ships on scaffolding, created by artist Ron Pippin over a period of five years, was sold as one single piece of art for $250,000.

Michelle Goss, Adrianna Pope Sullivan Jonny and Malia Moseley

The America’s Cup – Karen Caldwell and Andrew Skurman

A 1950s painting by Roy De Forest and 17th century Italian cabinet at Foster Gwyn

Yurie Pascarella and Carl Pascarella – Dede Wilsey and Trevor Traina

“Ideas and Studies for Open Hearth Furnace” by Graham Sutherland O.M. and “Rock-Face (Pink, White & Blue) by John Piper C.H. at Lucy Johnson

Galerie Steinitz

The show drew 60 dealers from around the United and Europe to exhibit some of the best and rarest of antiques, art and artifacts available. They also strongly reflected how most collectors live today by mixing very ornate, formal and traditional, as well as rustic antiques, with sleek modern and contemporary furnishings and art.

The purveyors this year included Therien & Co., Foster-Gwin, Epoca, and Xanadu Gallery from San Francisco, American Garage and Habite from Los Angeles, R.M. Barokh Antiques from Beverly Hills, Joel Cooner Gallery from Dallas, Finnegan Gallery from Chicago, Arader Galleries, Beauvais Carpets, Carlton Hobbs, Nicholas Brawer Gallery and Kentshire from New York, Janice Paull from Portmao, Portugal, Lucy Johnson and Susan Ollemans Oriental Art from London, England, Danish Silver from Copenhagen, Denmark and Galerie Steinitz from Paris, France who always anchors the very back of the show with an exquisite boiserie room.

From Therien & Co, 18th century Italianate Regence Fauteuils, Italian Baroque giltwood mirror, red sheet metal prototype table by Alfred Burzler and Thomas Exner for Copa, Austria and a Roman limestone fragment Therien & Co

Jennifer Biederbeck, Maria dela Pezuela, Paul Weaver and Carrie Zaldastani

Contemporary Chinese art and antique Asian pottery and sculpture at J. R. Richards

Caviar station

Indian period jewelry at Suzan Ollemans

Dagmar Dolby and Ray Dolby

Kathryn Lasater, Alison Pincus, Dr. Carolyn Chang, Allison Speer, Carol Bonnie

Weathered antiques and contemporary art at Obsolete

Jenna Hunt, Mary Shimmon, Suzanne Levit

A contemporary painting above a collection of 1960s – 1970s Mdina glass vessels from Malta at Yew Tree House Antiques

Michelle Curtis Harris, Antonia Cohen, Michael Cohen, Wheeler Griffith

A collection of hand-woven and resist-dyed indigo textiles from the Dogon and Bambara people of Mali at Kathleen Taylor – The Lotus Collection

Contemporary sterling silver crab by Hamish Mackie at Mallett

Michele Goss and Adrianna Pope Sullivan chaired the preview gala benefitting Enterprise for Highschool Students, and Malia Moseley and her husband, Olympic gold medal skier Jonny Moseley served as Honorary Chairs.

Among the guests who came out for one of the Fall’s favorite social events were seasoned collectors Yurie and Carl Pascarella, Lucy Jewett, Dagmar and Ray Dolby, John Bergruen, Dorothy and Kenneth Paige, Helen Hilton Raiser, Dede Wilsey, Sally Debenham, Therese Post, Adrianna Pope Sullivan and Bob Sullivan, Pamela, and Ted Deikel, OJ and Gary Shansby, and young aficionados Alison Pincus, Trevor Traina, Christopher Bently, Jenna Hunt, Darren Bechtel and Samantha DuVall.

There were joined by Karen and Oliver Caldwell, Sobia and Nadir Shaikh, Wendy and Charlie Bolton, Theo Schwabacher, Melissa and Patrick Barber, Jennifer Biederbeck, Tatiana Sorokko, Letitia and Michael Kim, Holly Baxter, Marybeth and Rich LaMotte, Jennifer Raiser, Olivia Hsu Decker, Joel Goodrich, Ricky Serbin, Lisa and John Grotts, Lily Samii, Allison Speer, Azadeh Riaz, Andra and Dietrich von Behren, Claudia Ross, Kathryn Lasater, and Elisabeth Laurence.

Design and architecture journalist Wendy Moonan and design author Emily Eerdmans flew in from New York. Film icon Diane Keaton and interior and furniture designer Madeline Stuart came in from Los Angeles for the occasion. Diane was signing books the next day, and everyone was raving about how wonderful she was.

Architectural cabinet ebony and gilt bronze cabinet inlaid with lapis lazuli, onyx, red porphyry, agates and other semi-precious stones by Viennese cabinet maker Franz Kroger for Emperor Franz Joseph I, ca. 1850, at R.M. Barokh Antiques.

Ken Fulk, Diane Keaton and Ray Azoulay – Benjamin Mitchell and Ricky Serbin

Pamela Deikel and Ted Deikel – Joel Goodrich and Claudia Juestel

Early 20th century “Chi-wara” by the Bamana people of Mali at Joel Cooner Gallery

Samantha DuVall and Darren Bechtel – Merla Zellerbach and Helen Hilton Raiser

Suzanne Levit and Mary Beth Shimmon – Wendy and Charlie Bolton

Mirror made from Rolls Royce Spey MK 101 engine fan blades and Japanese Naval binoculars at Nicholas Brawer Gallery

Letitia and Michael Kim – Erin Ross and Claudia Ross

Sobia and Nadir Shaikh – Azadeh Riaz and Ladan Mozafar

A 20th century Japanese screen covered in postage stamps at Galen Lowe Art & Antiques

Merrill Randol and Heide Betz – Paul Weaver and Tatiana Sorokko

Karen Caldwell and Oliver Caldwell – Ken Fulk, Jay Jeffers, Michael Purdy

Industrial lamps and furniture and Wunderkammer objects at Il Segno del Tempo

Also the architecture and interior design community was in high attendance with John Ike, in from New York, and fellow architects Lewis Butler, Stephen Sutro, and Maurice Lombardo, landscape architects Stephen Suzman and Tod Cole, as well as interior designers Suzanne Tucker, Douglas Durkin, Barbara Scavullo, Jay Jeffers, Ken Fulk, Myra Hoefer, Matthew MacCaul Turner, Antonio Martins, George Brazil, Laurie Ghielmetti, Cecilia Sagrera, Candace Barnes, Maria Quiros, Tineke Triggs, Kathleen Navarra, Kathy Geissler Best, and Benjamin Dhong.

A late 19th century German carousel leaping stag at Yew Tree House Antiques

Olivia Hsu Decker and Emily Eerdmans – Pat and Susie McBaine

Suzanne Tucker and O.J. Shansby – Eche Martinez and Kathleen Navarra

Contemporary ceramics by James Haggerty below “Tic, Tac, Toe” a contemporary painting by Martha Mayer Erlebacher at Sullivan Goss

Teresa Rodriguez and Maria Quiros – Amy Millman and Robert Atkinson

Carol Bonnie and Kathryn Lasater – Adrianna Pope Sullivan, Elisabeth Laurence

A collection of Ethiopian Dorze caps, Talavera pottery, Mexican horse bridles, Guatamalan Torit masks and an early Spanish credenza at Colonial Arts

Jonny Moseley and Malia Moseley – Brenda Mickel and Ned Mobley

Rich and Marybeth LaMotte – Emilie Munroe, Jay Jeffers and Kelly Hohla

Some of the presentations at the lecture series concentrated on the “Romance of the Sea” and featured Dennita Sewell, Curator of Fashion Design at the Phoenix Museum of Art, who shared stories about the fashions of and around the sea over the centuries. Marianna Lamonaca, Special Exhibitions Curator at The Bard Graduate Center in New York, presented the high style of the luxury transatlantic ocean liners of the 1920s and 1930s.

The other lectures covered architecture and design in a more general fashion. Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill traced 300 years in interiors, author and editor Jeffrey Simpson gave us insight into the life and design of Rose Cummings, and noted interior designer Suzanne Tucker moderated a panel discussion with Andrew Skurman and Ann Getty about designing with antiques and art.

A rosewood parquetry and bronze buffet by Paolo Buffa, a contemporary abstract painting by Paul Maxwell, a late 19th century French gilt bronze warrior figure and a French 18th century Palisander wood coffer box at Habite.

Pair of Louis XV ormolu chenets cast as a trophy of Turkish arms at Mallett

Rich Hanif, Elba McIntosh and Mira Veda

Janice Zakin, Lily Samii, Betsy Linder

Mechanical cow from the 1920-1930s at Obsolete

Lewis Sykes and Ray Azoulay

“Carina” marble dining table by Klauser and Carpenter for Meta at Mallett

An elegant gala, exquisite antiques and art, wonderful learning opportunities for anyone who appreciates the finest, and money raised to provide opportunities for teenagers, once again the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show was a great success!

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Built in 1894 for Captain Hermann L.E. Meyer (a German-born seaman), wife Annie, and their eight children, the Queen Anne style home at 2724 Pacific Avenue is one of San Francisco’s largest. While the home itself is approximately 13,500 square feet, it is situated on three lots totaling approximately 26,000 square feet (more than 0.6 acre), in a prime area of San Francisco luxury real estate.

The house, which served as the 1984 Decorator’s Showcase, was purchased by the current owners in 1983 from the estate of the Verdier family. It was the Verdier family that gave the home its most illustrious history.

Paul Verdier and his sister, Countess Suzanne de Tessan, moved into 2724 Pacific Avenue in 1944, after Suzanne had fled Nazi-occupied France (her husband, Count Francois de Tessan, a well known author and diplomat, died at the Buchenwald concentration camp that same year.)

If you’ve ever walked into Neiman Marcus and admired the beautiful rotunda with its 105 year-old elliptical dome, you have the Verdiers to thank, for the Verdiers founded and managed the legendary “City of Paris” department store that stood at that site from 1907 to 1981.  The magnificent rotunda and dome were saved from demolition thanks to the San Francisco Board of Permit Appeals, which required architect Philip Johnson to integrate it into his plans for the Neiman Marcus store, which opened in 1983.

Most ironically, as Dale Carlson of Carlson Advisors has pointed out to us, the current owner of 2724 Pacific was on the Board of Permit Appeals at the time,  and “it was at his insistence that retention of the rotunda was made a condition of approval.”  So while one owner of the home had the City of Paris dome created, a completely different owner had it preserved!

Because the Verdiers were such notable representatives of the French community in San Francisco, the home was considered a base for any diplomatic visits for the next 40 years! As Dale Carlson noted, it was even “used as a home for the Free French delegation during the 1945 United Nations Conference attended by President Charles de Gaulle.”

Did de Gaulle himself spend a night at the home? Hopefully a reader can let us know!

Wall St. Journal video of the property (starting at 2:50 mark)

Built by architect E.A. Hermann, the four-level house has views of the San Francisco Bay, Angel Island and Alcatraz. It has seven bedrooms, a four-car garage, a caretaker’s apartment, a gym and spa. According to the Wall Street Journal, “The owners converted a dipping pool in the home’s solarium into a koi pond.”

It also has “a formal sunken garden that the family used as a volleyball court when their children were young, a carriage house that doubles as a game room and a gazebo.” Steve Gothelf and Lynn Moore of Pacific Union International, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, share the listing.

[Interior photos, Vince Valdes via Wall Street Journal.]

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Twelve grand rooms with flexible floor plan and unique see-through elevator. Large double 1/5 acre lot (66 X 137.5 ft.) with huge landscaped south yard and detached 2+ car garage entering from Leavenworth Street. All main level rooms and foyer have exceptional ornate glass chandeliers and rich hardwood floors patterned to accent the structure’s unique flow of rooms. Can be used as a 3 level sophisticated entertainment oriented city residence (5,267 Sq. Ft. per tax records) or a 2 level owner residence with independent entrance guest suite on its lower level.

This is a truly unique, one-of-a-kind, never to be replicated property!

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Prime block in coveted family neighborhood accessible to all parts of the city and close to shops, parks, schools, transportation. There is nothing like it in San Francisco! Elevator access to all four levels. Flat access to sheltered, east garden. Long private drive way parks many cars and leads to detached garage behind electric gate. Grand scale public rooms. Family Room on lower level with room to expand behind that.

The house has been carefully maintained. The space is there to create a contemporary dream kitchen.

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It boasts 4 large bedrooms (3 on upper level including a grand master suite with adjacent deck and walk-in closet). Two additional bedrooms sharing a full bath and walk-out deck and a laundry unit complete this level. The main level includes a state-of-the art eat-in kitchen that opens to a family room and formal dining room. An elegant powder room and spacious living room with wood-burning fireplace is off the grand entry foyer.

The lower level is a substantial guest suite with full bathroom, built-in office, additional laundry room and direct access to the landscaped rear yard and massive 2 car garage. Abundant storage. Don’t miss!

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Tucked behind a brick wall & wrought iron gates, the ultimate in elegance and casual living can be yours with this beautiful home. Minutes from the hustle and bustle of Burlingame’s finest dining and shopping, this custom built European inspired Villa residence.

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Immediately you’ll notice trimless walls & black parquet floors. The main floor has the living room w/ floor to ceiling glass, a large dining area overlooking a garden terrace. Tons of light. The kitchen is remodeled and stainless steel. Additionally there is a den, wet bar & full bath. Upstairs is the bedroom level. Master Suite features large windows & peek-a-boo views of the Golden Gate Bridge. The lower entertainment level opens onto private Zen-like yard + has guest BR & bath.

Located steps away from the Presidio Park, this home has access to the best of San Francisco’s parks, restaurants and shops.

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The incredible 4BR/3BA Belvedere Lagoon home features the perfect blend of classic and modern finishes throughout, featuring the best of indoor/outdoor living, expansive lawn and adjacent dock, great room with vaulted 2 story ceilings, and sweeping views across the lagoon to the south and gorgeous views of Richardson Bay and Mt Tam to the north.

Attention to detail and quality finishes are prevalent throughout this fabulously remodeled home, including Portuguese pavers, exposed beams, oversized doors, reclaimed barn oak floors, skylights

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Upon returning to San Francisco after the Summer, our first stop was at Cavalier, created by interior designer Jay Jeffers and creative director Michael Purdy. The fabulous new boutique at 1035 Post Street offers exclusive Alex & Lee jewelry, Libero Ferrero limited-edition duffels, and a collection of items perfect for decorating, entertaining and weekend getaways.

A special collection of items can even be purchased online through Cavalier’s partnership with Deringhall.com

Check it out!

NECKLACE BY ALEX + LEE THE CAMEL DUFFEL BAG MICHELLE HATCH PILLOWS

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The “Pavona” room, a gentleman’s study by Geoffrey De Sousa (Photo: Matthew Millman)

For its 35th anniversary the San Francisco Decorator Showcase returned to the Classic Revival mansion on 2020 Jackson Street, which had also been the home of the 1991 showcase.  The honey-colored brick structure overlooking the Bay was designed in 1902 by German-born architect Julius E. Krafft (1855-1937), and is being offered for $17.5 million (as of June 2012.)

His work also included the James C. Flood Mansion on 2120 Broadway, residences on 2555 Webster Street and 2109 Broadway, the Gothic Revival St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at the corner of Eddy and Gough (sadly destroyed by a fire in 1995), the Bullock & Jones building on 60 Kearny Street, and the Captain Charles Boudrow House in Berkeley.

Philanthropist and president of Wells Fargo Bank, I. W. Hellman commissioned the estate on Jackson Street as a wedding gift for his daughter Mrs. Emanuel Heller.  The elegant interior with extensive mahogany paneling and classical details boasts 11,500 square feet, perfectly suited for thirty plus designers to express their creativity while paying tribute to the history of this elegant home.

Sandra Eggers, Sue Cunningham and Mindy Henderson - Carol Bonnie, Summer Tompkins Walker and Jennifer Raiser

We attended the private patron preview event and the grand opening party, and both nights the house was filled to the brim with supporters and industry professionals and design enthusiasts alike.

In attendance were Restoration Hardware’s CEO Gary Friedman, who came to check out his friend Michael Polenske’s first showcase room, Summer Tompkins Walker, Jennifer Raiser, Kimberly Bakker, Maryam Muduroglu, Lorraine and Thomas Hennessy, Holly Baxter, architect Andrew Skurman and interior designers Suzanne Tucker, Candace Barnes, Jay Jeffers, Cecilia Sagrera Hill, George Brazil, Michael Friedes, as well as landscape architect Stephen Suzman and artist Katherine Jacobus.

Brad Huntzinger, Jay Jeffers and Kate McIntyre - Tineke Triggs in her bathroom

Let’s start with the exterior.  Davis Dalbok of Living Green transformed the entry garden and portico into a gracious passage with a modern approach.  Dalbok is known for mixing unique artifacts into his landscape design, and here he took inspiration from Maharaja’s palaces and the “Kasbah Tamadot” in Morocco, the former home of the late interior designer and antique dealer Luciano Tempo.

Sir Richard Branson turned it into a hotel in 1998.  Dalbok separated the home from its neighbors with colorful vertical gardens reaching up to and woven in between the groupings of Corinthian columns lining the border of the portico.  A contemporary white marble statue of a Buddhist monk, a strong contrast against the lush foliage, and the antique marble elephants found by Luciano Tempo add an exotic touch.  The fantastical Moroccan copper repousse torchieres and chandelier were designed by maestro Tempo, further evoking the spirit of faraway places.

Portico by Living Green (Photo: courtesy of Living Green)

Sayareh Farsio, Ali Mozaffari and Setareh Farsio

Vertical garden by Living Green (Photo: courtesy of Living Green)

Jen Pray, Carl Conway, Kathleen Lawlar and Michael Goodsmith

Peter West, Sarah Puos, Kathleen Navarra and Jefferey Holt

The generously proportioned great entry hall serves multiple functions, and Dara Rosenfeld turned it into an inviting gathering space in deep tones of green and teal, accenting the original mahogany paneling.  She made the most of the fireplace, a perhaps uncommon, but perfectly suited feature for an entry hall, by creating a comfortable seating group around it, inviting us to linger.

Andrew Skurman, Dara Rosenfeld and Suzanne Tucker

It is not always the largest rooms that leave the strongest impression.  Geoffrey De Sousa and Robin Sussillo of Geoffrey De Sousa Interior Design transformed a small room with vaulted ceilings off the entry hall from a red-silk-lined 1980s scheme to a refined gentleman’s study, which effortlessly blended traditional and modern elements.  They took inspiration from “The Cult of Beauty” exhibition at the Legion of Honor, which explores the avant-garde talents of the British Aesthetic Movement.  Their muse was “Pavonia”, the intriguing portrait by Lord Frederic Leighton, whose sensuality and colors formed an elegant base for the room.

Paying homage to another icon of the era, William Morris, the designers covered the walls in a burnt orange hand-printed botanical print by Timorous Beasties, known for their surreal and experimental approach to textiles and wall coverings.

One of my favorite aspects were the meticulously hand-cut spikes of the pineapples reaching into the ceiling.  The reflection of the mosaic cowhide rug, reminiscent of peacock-feathers and designed by Geoffrey for Kyle Bunting, in the faceted brass “Popova” desk by Sylvan Fiss was another poetic surprise in a space where juxtaposition was the avenue for success.  De Sousa and Sussillo achieved true perfection in all details!

Desk area in the gentleman’s study by Geoffrey De Sousa (Photo: Matthew Millman)

Vignette in the gentleman’s study by Geoffrey De Sousa (Photo: Matthew Millman)

Kriste Michelini in her dressing room - Maryam Muduroglu and Sheila Nahi

As customary during the time the home was built, the kitchen was located on the lower floor along with the servants’ dining room, laundry, houseman’s quarters and two wine cellars.  Food was sent to the ground floor’s butler’s pantry located next to the formal dining room via a dumb waiter.  Most homes of this vintage have had their kitchens moved to the ground floor since.

However, each owner of the Heller mansion has retained the original set-up, with the kitchen downstairs, while changing the servants’ rooms into living spaces since all rooms open to a wonderful private terrace with bay views.  Tray and Jeff Schlarb of Green Couch transformed the kitchen into a relaxing living and entertaining space with the cooking area wide open to a family room complete with fireplace.

Kitchen by Green Couch (Photo: Peter Medelik)

Family room by Green Couch (Photo: Peter Medelik)

Jeff Schlarb and Tray Schlarb - Paul Riehle, Lorraine and Tom Hennessy

Back on the ground floor, Tinsley Hutson-Wiley of Tinsley Hutson-Wiley Interior Design and Allison Bloom of Dehn Bloom Design put a modern British spin on a good old butler’s pantry meant for a contemporary butler-less home.  They brightened up the dark and narrow space with neutral tones and surfaces that reflect light and selected over-sized “subway” tile, wide shelving and large pendants to play up the room’s scale.

Butler’s pantry by Tinsley Hutson-Wiley Interior Design and Dehn Bloom Design (photo: John Merkl)

Tinsley Hutson-Wiley and Allison Bloom

Butler’s pantry by Tinsley Hutson-Wiley Interior Design and Dehn Bloom Design (photo: John Merkl)

Gaetan Caron and Rob Delamater in their top floor gallery - Brian Kwong, Davis Dalbok and Tim O’Shea

The second floor library provided the perfect opportunity for Jonathan Rachman to express one his passions, collecting.  Against a backdrop of charcoal gray lacquer a vast array of objects, acquired on his travels around the globe, told stories of wanderlust, time and beauty.  French antiques and European and American artifacts mixed with apothecaries and exotic treasures, utilitarian and primitive objects from around Asia, as well as industrial tools and lighting.  In his showcase debut Rachman created a chamber of curiosities that truly captivated the hearts of visitors by also giving everyone an intimate view into his soul.

Library by Jonathan Rachman (Photo: John Merkl)

Library by Jonathan Rachman (Photo: John Merkl)

Jonathan Rachman - Library by Jonathan Rachman (Photo: John Merkl)

Kathleen and Fred Taylor - Monica Pauli and Kimberly Bakker

As most homes of this size, this grand residence is also not short on bedrooms.  Matthew MacCaul Turner of MacCaul Turner Design decided to give one of the second floor bedrooms another purpose.  He conjured up the “Listening Room,” a modern music room for enjoying melodies of live instruments or recorded music with friends or in solitude.  He took aesthetic references from around the world, not only in sound but also in a visual fashion.  As 21st century musicians from all cultures have collaborated on new musical creations, fusing eras and styles, Matthew took the same global and eclectic approach in his design.

Grounded by a neutral, but high contrast palette, he combined Anglo-Indian, Greek, Roman, Spanish and Italian antiques with Chinese pottery, a Japanese screen, Moroccan poufs and mid-century art furniture with some of his custom pieces including a chandelier made from found glass vases.  Just like in fusion music he found a perfect balance between harmony and tension.

Matthew MacCaul Turner

Listening room by MacCaul Turner Design (Photo: Marcelo Canut de Bon)

Listening room by MacCaul Turner Design (Photo: Marcelo Canut de Bon)

Matt Murphy loves sense of escapism when staying in a beautiful hotel, and he designed a luxurious guest room with all the appointments of lavish hotel room.  He accented a light and monochromatic palette with pops of orchid, while mixing lacquer and cerused wood with warm brass and leather.  Fabrics are made from luscious silks, wools, linens and cashmere, and furnishings, in addition to the obligatory bed and nightstands, include a vanity/desk, a library cabinet, a bar cart, a chaise lounge and two comfortable lounge chairs flanking the fire place.

Once again, as in last year’s master bedroom, many of the pieces came from Matt’s extensive collection of furniture by the amazing Tommi Parzinger (1903-1981) who is known for tailored design with characteristic details and exquisite craftsmanship.  Matt used that inspiration for some of his own designs interspersed throughout.  Vintage pieces blend harmoniously with 21st century creations in this inviting guest retreat.

Guest bedroom by Matt Murphy (Photo: John Bedell)

Matt Murphy

Guest bedroom by Matt Murphy (Photo: John Bedell)

“The only problem with this room and is that you made it too comfortable…guests would never leave.” Guest at the opening night gala

Amy Weaver in her media room

Catherine Kwong in her dressing room

Sally Shapiro, Ellie Price and Chris Towt

Laura Martin Bovard, Michael Friedes

Brian Dittmar’s bedroom was inspired by a recent trip to London, and specifically his time spent on Savile Row dreaming of having a bespoke suit made there one day.  So when the Showcase came around he decided to express the concept of a tailor made suit, which is very similar to what we do as interior designers when creating an interiors that fits a client as perfectly as a bespoke suit or footwear.

Tailor Made Suit(e) by Brian Dittmar (Photo: David Duncan Livingston)

In his Tailor Made Suit(e) for the 21st entury dandy he employed the same principles of fine materials, fitted silhouettes, thoughtful details, unexpected adornments and expert hand-sewing.  The floor was covered in a wool herringbone carpet, and the walls were dressed in mink-colored chenille wallpaper, and admittedly the very first walls I have ever hugged.

His furniture choices centered around a striking bespoke metal bed by Paul Benson were decidedly masculine and toned down, accented here and there by injections of luscious chartreuse and aubergine, reminiscent of a bright pocket handkerchief adorning an understated well tailored suit.

Tailor Made Suit(e) by Brian Dittmar (Photo: David Duncan Livingston)

Claudia Juestel, Brian Dittmar and Stephen Suzman - Malin Giddings, Max Armour, Anne Johnson

“Brian Dittmar’s room was a smashing success on all counts.  What a unique and layered room.  And the custom bed designed by Paul Benson was a tour de force!”

Michael Friedes, interior designer

“I absolutely loved Brian’s attention to detail, such as the sartorial trim on the valances.”

Cecilia Sagrera Hill

The term “man cave” can have some designers shiver at the shear mention of the words.  But I am not the only one who has designed a man cave or two, and if done well they can be exceptional rooms specifically for the man of the house.  If teenage boys’ rooms anything look like Kathy Geissler Best’s ”boy cave,” young men would habitually have grown up with a great sense of design, and we will no longer have to worry about “man cave” being a dirty idiom.  The palette and textiles are empathetically male, and the art and objects are sophisticated but playful.  Here Geissler Best achieved a great balance between good design and reflecting a sense of youth.

“Boy Cave” by Kathy Geissler Best

“Boy Cave” by Kathy Geissler Best

Kathy Geissler Best - Roberto Tiscareno and Cynthia Harb

The two smallest rooms were the first floor telephone room, which Robert Brill gave a 21st century spin with wireless communication via iPad on upholstered walls and lit by color-changing LEDs, and the elevator.

One of Lawanna Cathleen Endonino’s favorite novel is “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,”, written in 1865 by author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the nome de plume Lewis Carroll.  In her design “Through the Looking Glass” for the home’s elevator she conjured up a 19th century inspired fairy tale reflecting the elegance of the time and the whimsy of the famous children’s story.

Elevator by Lawanna Cathleen Design (Photo: Michael David Rose)

Lawanna Cathleen Endonino

Since the bathrooms of the home had been renovated in recent years there was not much the designers could do in those rooms.  But Michael Polenske and Carissa Duncan of Ma(i)sonry saw that as the perfect basis for an art installation, turning their first showcase room into a gallery.  They embraced the Japanese aesthetic view of Wabi-sabi, which is based on transience, and they centered their design on works by artist Michele Pred and Marcel Duchamp, accenting them with repurposed industrial fixtures and petrified wood.  Pred works with items confiscated from airports, and she filled the old-fashioned clawfoot tub with thousands of scissors while suspending more scissors from an umbrella in front of the window.

In an ode to Duchamp’s urinal they handwrote one of his quotes one the wall above the toilet.  “I like living, breathing better than working…my art is that of living.  Each second, each breath is a work which is inscribed nowhere, which is neither visual nor cerebral, it’s a sort of constant euphoria.”  Marcel Duchamp  That sums it up, perhaps for the entire San Francisco Decorator Showcase.

Bathroom by Ma(i)sonry

Carissa Duncan

Bathroom by Ma(i)sonry

If you missed the San Francisco Decorator Showcase this year make sure to mark your calendars for 2013 from mid April, 2013.

The post San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2012 appeared first on SFLuxe.

Geoffrey Bradfield and Claudia Juestel (Photo: Gabriel Everett)

During a visit to New York City I had the opportunity to interview renowned interior designer Geoffrey Bradfield, who was just honored by the American Cancer Society with the “Man of Achievement” Award this week.  We met over tea at the “Bar Seine” in the Hotel Plaza Athenee.  His impeccable reputation preceded the award-winning designer, who is not only known for his ultra luxurious art-focused interiors that cover the globe, but also for being most debonair gentleman and a host extraordinaire.  Iris Apfel so poignantly described Geoffrey Bradfield as “a fantasy of that perfect Edwardian gentleman: exquisitely mannered, impeccably tailored, well spoken, conversationally witty, politically savvy.”

Iris Apfel with the designer at his 30 years in America celebration – Great room at the “Ultimate Bachelor Pad” for Esquire magazine
(Photos: Neil Rasmus for Patrick McMullan / Kyle Bunting)

As elegant and welcoming as his interiors, my distinguished guest was dressed to the nines and came bearing a gift.  He had me at hello!  Geoffrey so very kindly presented me with his book “Ex Arte” the moment he arrived.  We got a chance to leaf through it as we shared a leisurely yet enlightening conversation over Harney & Sons tea, old-fashioned tea sandwiches, scones, miniature pastries and chocolate-covered strawberries.

Now that is how I like to spend an afternoon in New York! — Claudia

Claudia Juestel:  I would like to begin with your upbringing and the beginning of your career in South Africa.  I understand that you spent your childhood on your parents’ farm and that you had already established a practice in Johannesburg before you moved to New York in the ‘70s.  What was like to grow up in South Africa, and how did you get your start as an interior designer?

Geoffrey Bradfield: Well indeed I am from the Transkei, which was a farming area, and I was raised at my parents’ farm.  Both my maternal and paternal grandparents were farmers, and my forbearers settled in the Eastern Cape in 1820.  They are of English background, and they were given land grants by the Crown to encourage them to settle in South Africa.  In fact my dad was born on that farm that was a land grant from the Crown.

It was called “Hopewell.”  The farm that I grew up on was called “Athlone,” and it was an incredible childhood because my parents’ farm bordered the Indian Ocean.  So you could literally go from our stables and right onto the beach, which was very magical.  The farmhouse itself was built on the highest promontory in the area, not a hill or anything but it was just raised, and you looked down the avenue at the ocean in front of you.

So it was really idyllic in many ways; a bit of an Eden.  It is not that way anymore of course.  But it was an incredible childhood.  When you got home from school and you would be barefoot on the beach.  It was a barefoot childhood in a way up to a certain age, I guess about until I was 10 years old, and then of course you were expected to look grown up.

CJ: Ten is the cut-off age?

GB: I think it was before puberty kicks in.  We were fairly formal with school.  We always had to wear blazers and ties and school uniforms.  So that was the more formal side of our lives.

“New Oriental Tibetan” rug from the Geoffrey Bradfield Collection for Stark Carpets (Photo: courtesy of Stark Carpets)

CJ: Did you ride horses as well?  You mentioned stables.

GB: Absolutely.  We had our own horses on the farm.  It was a working farm.  This was not some luxurious Safari lodge or anything, but we all had our own horses, and I loved riding.  I wasn’t a fine horseman as my brother and sister, but I loved hunting, and I hunted until I was almost 50.  I broke a collarbone when I was thrown from a horse.  I had never broken a bone in 50 years and on my 50th  year I broke my collarbone.  You girls are amazing because you can deal with pain.  My gender, the male gender, we don’t like pain.  So I stopped riding.

CJ:  It is a shame you stopped.  But since I also have broken my color bone I know that is very painful because it is hard to stabilize it to heal properly.  How did you go from this simple rural life to a very formal and luxurious life being surrounded by the best of what the world of design has to offer?

GB: You are right.  The life I lead today is the antithesis of the way I was raised.  My parents were perfectly civilized people; but the priorities were different, and interestingly enough we never had television in South Africa.  Television was not introduced to the country until 1978, and I left in ’77.  So we had a radio, and we had our imaginations, and we were extremely creative in that sense.

I was the oldest of four children.  I have two brothers and a sister younger than I, and I was never short of ideas.  It was just extraordinary the way one did not miss anything.  We read books, we entertained each other, especially being outside the city.  I always loved entertaining.  So even from a very young age we were giving countless parties, and as a teenagers it was exactly the same.  We had a swimming pool, and it was a shipwreck party, and when I got out of the Army it was a “farewell to arms” theme, bon voyage parties, etc.  They always had themes, and I drove everyone crazy of course.  You can imagine that my family was not always thrilled about it, but they indulged me to a point.

CJ: And did you have any ideas about interior design at that time?  You liked entertaining, but did you have a sense of what you were going to do later on?

GB:  Well yes, I have always been very motivated by beauty, and one was surrounded by glorious nature.  Mother nature is incomparable!  There is nothing quite like it!  But no, I never had a conversion on the road to tosses.  I always knew what I wanted to do.  From a very young age I always felt that I would either do set designs for movies or interiors, it was always related to interiors.  I feel extremely fortunate that I always knew exactly what I wanted to do and I love what I do.  I know so many people who are miserable in their careers.  They never really knew what they wanted to do. They have tried this; they have tried that.  It was never a problem for me.

CJ: Isn’t that a blessing even when we work very hard?

GB: Yes it’s extraordinary.  I know what I do satisfies me, and it’s very fulfilling.  I love it!

A younger Geoffrey Bradfield with a friend in South Africa (Photo: courtesy of Geoffrey Bradfield)

GB:  I did, but first I went around the world.  Once I got out of the Army I spent two years to go around the world.  In 1966 I went to London first where I was getting a diploma.  I went to school during the day, and I did windows in the evening at Fenwick’s on Bond Street.  I had a ball!  You are talking about Carnaby Street, King’s Road, the Beatles; it was just swinging London, and it was a remarkable period.

I met amazing people like Anthony Redmile, Baron Alessandro Albrizzi, and Ossie Clark.  I was on the periphery of all of this because I was very young.  But it was very exciting, and when you are young it is a blank canvas to everything that is novel.  Everything was exciting, but as I say I worked for a couple of hours every night.  My parents were very generous to me, but to a point.  It didn’t include clothes from Carnaby Street.

A younger Geoffrey Bradfield (Photo: courtesy of Geoffrey Bradfield)

Lucite ice bucket designed by Baron Alessandro Albrizzi

Linda Keith, Chrissie Shrimpton, Suki Poiter and Annie Abroux in Ossie Clark (Photo: courtesy of Getty Images)

Dining room in a Moroccan-inspired apartment in Palm Beach, FL featuring a table and chairs from the Millennium Modern collection (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ: You are known for being very stylish, and you must have been then as well.

GB:  Well, I loved that particular period.  It was wonderful!  Ossie Clark was my favorite, the short tight jackets, which we are actually seeing a resurgence of.  Of course you have to be very thin to wear them, and the girls with those micro-mini skirts.  Oh, it was such a gorgeous period!  At the end of ‘68 I went back to South Africa, almost immediately to Johannesburg because there was nothing for me in Transkei.  I went to see my folks and spent a month there.  I had not seen them for two years, and I knew I was going to live in Johannesburg if I was going to have a profession.

CJ: Did you go to work for an interior design firm there?

GB:  I did initially, and then I became an associate, and the three of us were really successful.  We were very big fish in a little pond, and we were working almost immediately.  South Africans were always very international; they always had homes in London, or in Tel-Aviv, or in America, and there were always homes we were doing on a global stage, but not to the extent that we do today.  But in the ‘70s it was a golden period in South Africa, absolutely golden, and I was there seven years.

CJ: You had a wonderful opportunity at such a young age.

GB: I did, and it was amazing even with this hair down to my shoulders people took me seriously enough to employee me, and I actually had a really amazing break when I was twenty three.  I did a project for an impresario in South Africa called Pieter Toerien, and it garnered me a lot of attention at a very young age.  People like to do things that are fashionable, and I was flavor of the month, so it helped my business expand.  I had two wonderful partners, and it is sad that they are no longer alive, but we built up this company from nothing until I left in ‘77.

CJ:  So what was the point where you said ‘I love New York.  I have always dreamed about living there.  I have a successful business, but I’m leaving.’?

GB:  I hate being bored, I hate it, but I love a challenge.  Johannesburg was a wonderful challenge for me coming back, having been around the world and seeing it all.  I was in Japan when kids my age never went to Japan.  I know it may be commonplace now, but we are talking about 1967.  I was like a Martian there in those days.  They would walk over to me, and they literally would say ‘Is your hair blonde?’, and they would feel it in the middle of the street.

While back in South Africa I came to New York almost every year for those seven years to visit for a few days.  I was very friendly with the South African Consul General, and I wasn’t supposed to stay.  Only every time I came to visit I knew with more certainty that I would one day live in New York.  I pulled the rug from under myself when I was 29.  I realized if I didn’t move then I never would.  I had an incredible life, I had my beautiful home and my dogs, and I had my horses in Johannesburg, and I belonged to clubs.   It was a very beautiful lifestyle.

CJ: But you had achieved your goals and had no more challenges.

GB: I was running out of challenges.  I was working on three projects in Tel Aviv, and I was with my two associates on New Year’s Eve in Tel Aviv at a club called Mandy’s.  You remember the Profumo scandal and Mandy Rice Davis?  It was her club.  And when it struck midnight I turned to my two associates, and I said ‘I’m telling you I’m leaving in six months.’  And they laughed, and they didn’t take me seriously.

We got back to South Africa, and at Easter time that year I began putting my real estate on the market, I sold my horses, I found a home for my dogs and I planned to move, and I did. I moved in July that year.

CJ: With little suitcase or lots of stuff?

GB: Well that’s the biggest mistake I made, and I really remind myself of that every time I move.  I’m very nomadic.  I’m always buying and selling properties and houses.  I’ve had five houses in Tuxedo Park, I must’ve moved at least ten times in New York buying and selling.  I love it!

And in Palm Beach I must have had at least six different addresses, and again buy them, doing them up and selling them.  It’s just something I enjoy.  To answer your question, I owned beautiful furniture that I designed, paintings and things that were the height of fashion in Johannesburg at the time, all white.  It was very white.  I containerized everything, and I thought when I have an apartment I’ll ship it all to New York, which was all prearranged.

I was one of the first residents on 800 Fifth Avenue, which was a new building that had gone up on the former Dodge estate.  It was an incredible spanking new building overlooking Central Park.  I was on the 25th floor with lovely views, and again I did it all and I got it where I wanted it.  Then six months later this container arrived.  They brought it into my apartment, and I started unpacking it.  I thought, ‘what did I do?  This is absurd!’  They were perfectly lovely pieces, but so inappropriate for where I was already, one mentally and two physically.

It has always been a very good lesson that when I leave I sell a house furnished.  I take some photo frames and a couple of things that have meaning for me; but I’m attached to very little.  I’m not attached to anything other than my dog, a wonderful dog.

The designer with Mr. Willoughby at an ASPCA event (Photo: Billy Farrell for Patrick McMullan)

CJ: What kind of dog?

GB: He is so cute!  His name is Mr. Willoughby.  I have always had Yorkies.  I had a dog called Mr. Darcy.  I always name them after Jane Austen characters.  He died tragically, and it broke my heart.  So I waited two years for this young fellow, and I thought I’m going to name him after a cad.  So I named him after Mr. Willoughby.  Remember how he broke everyone’s hearts in “Sense and Sensibility”?

CJ: And this Mr. Willoughby probably does do.  He’s so photogenic!

GB: He is a real heartbreaker.

Picture frames in Geoffrey Bradfield’s NYC townhouse (Photo: courtesy of Geoffrey Bradfield)

CJ: So when you moved to New York you initially worked for McMillen.  Was that your first position here in the US?

GB: It was.

CJ: And how did that happen?

GB: It was actually through a girl I met at a party at Studio 54.  We got on very well, and I told her that I had been only here for a week and that I was looking for a job.  And she said, ‘Oh my school friend’s mother is the president of a company.’  It turned out to be McMillen.  And I was working in two weeks of being in America.

CJ: That must have been exciting!  Studio 54 was the place to be in those days, but I had no idea that you could find a job there.

GB: Well there you are; and I did.  So based on that recommendation I went to this very grand apartment, and the mother checked me out; and then I had to meet the vice president, and they hired me.

CJ: Did you still have the long hair?

GB: It was still quite long, but more Beatle, if you know what I’m saying.  I’ve cut it respectively, but I always had clean hair.  I lived in what would have been considered a quasi commune when I first lived in Johannesburg, but I had my own telephone and my own staff.

CJ: Your own staff at the commune?

GB: I am making it sound terribly grand.  I don’t mean to, but there were little apartments that went with staff.  They didn’t polish my silver, but they cleaned the bathrooms and the windows.

CJ: I didn’t have that for my first apartment, so that sounds pretty grand to me.

GB: I think it was just South Africa.  I don’t want to upset anyone.

CJ: It’s just like that in Asia as well.  It’s cultural, and it provides jobs for people.

GB: Absolutely!

Entry hall on the top floor of the Ritz Carlton Residences in Key Biscayne, FL (Photo: Durston Saylor)

Living room, with paintings by Barbara Rae, in a water front home in Mumbai, India  (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ:  So back to New York, McMillen is a very prominent firm.  Albert Hadley, Mark Hampton, and Kevin McNamara, they all trained there.

GB: All alumni.

CJ: And you were one of them.

GB: I was.

CJ: What was that like in those days?

GB: It was wonderful because Mrs. Eleanor Brown was still there.  She was very frail of course, but she came in everyday, with little white gloves.  People really still dressed like that back then.  We’re talking about 1977-78, and Betty Sherrill, who was the president, was amazing.  Actually I don’t know if I can tell these stories, but I don’t think she’d mind.  I learned so much!  Well, I learn all the time.

CJ: It is the gift of a curious person.

GB: It is, and you pick up things, and some things impress you and some things don’t.  But she was very impressive on several levels.  I was to some extent her assistant.  I had to start at the bottom.  I knew that, and I was actually working under the vice president Luis Rey, but for some reason she liked me around.  I would follow her around to projects.  She would ask me to meet her at Elizabeth Arden in the morning, because she would have her hair combed out every day, not done, but combed out every day.

So I would meet her there at nine.  I had to be at work early and then shoot over to pick her up and go to wherever she wanted.  I called her Miss Sherrill, and I asked once I had gotten to know her, ‘what is this everyday?  Your hair looks perfectly nice.’  She pat me on the knee and said, ‘I hear who is getting divorced, who is changing apartments, and who is doing this and who is doing that.’  And I thought, ‘Wow.’  She had her ear to the ground in the best place ever because all the socialites went there, and she was from a very prominent family.  She wasn’t an accident.  She was a grand lady from the South who married extremely well.  So she knew all of these people anyway.  But if you wanted to tap the trends and the maneuverings, that was the place to be.

CJ: Well, divorce means move and often means projects.

GB: Exactly, and the other thing, that she did I thought was so cool: whenever we had a major interview with clients she would wear this massive, yellow diamond ring, and I mean serious.

She would put her hand in the middle of the table like, ‘don’t play with me boys.  We’re expensive, and you better know that.’  Nothing was said, but this diamond would just say it all.  And I loved it, and I always thought that was very amusing.

CJ: A smart woman!

GB:  They are the oldest decorating company in the country, and when they had their 100-year anniversary it was a big event.  They called me and asked me for a photograph to be part of the alumni, which I thought was very nice.  And I’m very fond of her.  She’s a lovely, lovely lady!

CJ: And she’s still around?

GB: She is, but she is very frail.  Her daughter now runs the company, and Mrs. Brown of course is long gone.  But what was also very amusing was, if a client got a little bit rattled about something or wasn’t happy, then they would bring out the heavy artillery, and poor Mrs. Brown would be put in the car and driven over.  She would sit there with her white gloves and then she would say, ‘We’ll change that fabric for this one.’  And everything would be calm, and it was Mrs. Brown, the heavy artillery.  And no one ever questioned her.  But they were such gracious people.  To work for them was being in a civilized world.

CJ: What did you think you learned the most being there?

GB: I learned that I didn’t want to be in traditional interiors, that I had to be true to my self.  I am a modernist, and I wanted to do modern interiors.  I love antiques, and I love beautiful paintings from any period, but I like my interiors to represent our moment in time.  I really like it to look like 21st century.  I don’t like to create period rooms; it has no appeal to me.

CJ: Like museum rooms.

GB: Yes, I love going to look at them.  I am an avid visitor of museums all around the world.  I love seeing period rooms, but not in interiors.  There are too many people that do that so well.  Why should I?

CJ: We have to be passionate about what you do.

GB: Exactly!

CJ: And so after that you went to a partnership with the late Jay Spectre.  How did that come about?

GB: That was a really extraordinary 14 years for me because I knew that I wanted to be in a company with modern ideas.  I had heard through one of the kids at McMillen that there was a job opening at Jay Spectre.  I never heard of his name, only after I met him.  Well, you couldn’t Google people in those days.  Today you’d know exactly when you went to an interview, but I honestly didn’t know who he was.  I went over to his office, and his staff there was really snooty and unfriendly to me.

Anyway, I had my portfolio that I had made in South Africa with me.  We talked for an hour, and then it was very embarrassing because he asked me where I lived.  I didn’t want to tell him that I was living in the smartest building on 5th Avenue because then he’d think that I didn’t need money.  So I said, ‘Oh, I live on the East Side.’  And he said, ‘Oh, where on the East Side?’  I said, ‘Well I live in 60s.’  ‘Oh, where in the 60s?’  And then finally I had to tell him.  And he looked at me wondering what was going on.  This kid has just arrived apparently, and he is living in the newest building on 5th Avenue.  He didn’t realize I was sharing it with someone.

CJ: But maybe it was the same approach your former boss Betty Sherrill had.  You put out the big diamond and they say, ‘Oh he’s expensive.  I want him.‘

GB: You might be right, I don’t know.  I never thought of it that way.  I was very timorous about saying where I live because he didn’t live in anything like that.  During our partnership, which was strictly professional, he had two apartments on 57th Street, and one was the office.  So I moved him to 5th Avenue because I couldn’t take it.  It was ridiculous!  So it was something that I encouraged him to do.

But really we had a very productive and great partnership.  We were the forerunners.  We had 15 licenses for home furnishings and thousands of SKUs.  We did china, we did sheets, we did furniture, we did wall paper and carpeting.  It went on and on and on.  We did coffee, we did biscuits.  There was only one other designer, Angelo Dhongia, who was doing the same thing with the licensing.  We won many awards.  It was very exciting, and we worked all over the world.

CJ: Am I correct in the assumption that you know own all these?

GB: Well, I did then.  Jay died of AIDS in ’92.  He was far too young, and his boyfriend had died two years before him.  It was just before the cocktails and all that kicked in.  Everyone is alive today, thank God, but at the time people were dropping like flies.  And the country also went into a massive recession then.  And it was terrible, and all of the licensees were running scared, and once the licenses expired they weren’t renewed.  So, yes I did inherit all that; he left me the company as well, not his estate; that went to his family.

Desk by Jay Spectre (Photo: courtesy of Bond & Bowery)

“Medici” desk from Geoffrey Bradfield’s Millennium Modern collection (Photo: courtesy of Geoffrey Bradfield)

CJ: So how much product is still being produced?

GB: Well I have none of it.  You’re always only good as your current collection.  I have my own collections now.  I have acrylic, a huge range of carpets, textiles, and wallpapers.

“New Oriental Tibetan” rug from the Geoffrey Bradfield Collection for Stark Carpets (Photo: courtesy of Stark Carpets)

“Coco” chair from Geoffrey Bradfield’s Millennium Modern collection (Photo: courtesy of Geoffrey Bradfield)

“Coco” rug from the Geoffrey Bradfield Collection for Stark Carpets (Photo: courtesy of Stark Carpets)

CJ: And you also did some work with Kyle Bunting.  He was one of my guests for tea.

GB: Yes, in fact he wants me to sign another contract with him to really expand the furniture line.  He is very, very charming.

“Louis in Extremis” chairs designed Geoffrey Bradfield for Kyle Bunting (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

CJ: Actually, the “Louis in Extremis” chairs you designed were my two of my favorites.  I know they were a tribute to Alexander McQueen.  I loved the contradiction of the skull and the butterflies and the pink.

GB:  Well, you’re talking to a devotee here; I love fashion, especially women’s fashion.  I love it!  I have many friends who are in the design field, and I only go to their shows.  I can’t possibly do all the others.  You need to be a girl who’s just lounging everyday, because it’s impossible.  But I do go to these four shows every season.

But with McQueen I went to the Butterfly one.  I came out of there practically crying, it was so beautiful!  I was emotional.  It was so dazzling, and alas I wasn’t invited to others, it was just a fluke that I happened to be in London and I was invited to the show.  It was so riveting!  I’ve never seen the likes, and I’ve been to a lot of shows in Paris, and they’re extraordinary and extravagant and very innovative, but McQueen was just for me one of the greatest fashion designers of my lifetime.  He was daring.  He never played it safe.  He was a genius, an absolute genius!

Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2010 runway show

CJ:  Yes, his passing was an incredible loss.  It is hard to imagine what he could have still achieved.

GB: Yes, but he was unhappy, and maybe it was the unhappiness that spurred his imagination.  His escape was creating something beyond himself, something so glorious, and you cannot sustain this.  You do know that.  Even in our field, it’s one thing if you are someone who is cautious, has exquisite taste, but you’re not pushing the envelope.  I don’t want to do that; I don’t want to do safe interiors.  I hope that my interiors are perceived in good taste, but I like to challenge my clients, I like it to be daring, I like to use materials that are new.  I don’t want to be using the same old materials like a cookie cutter every time I do an interior.  It’s not what I’m about!

McQueen was a man who stood out from everyone else.  The others were taking an idea from one here and then an idea from another there, and they were making it work on more pedestrian level.  But he stuck his neck out over and over again.  He’s my kind of man!  I want to be part of this vanguard, this amazing embrace of our period.  We’re so lucky!

I think people don’t realize how amazing it is for us to be living on the cusp of a millennium, which hasn’t happened since the Dark Ages.  This is not a century we’re talking about; the millennium was unbelievable; a 1000 years prior to that wasn’t even the Renaissance, it was the Crusades.  And for us to be living at that moment in time, we are the most privileged people alive.  Plus what is happening with technology is spinning us into something so exciting.  Just think of Googling someone.

CJ: You can find out so much about people before you think about going on a date or interview.

GB: I know.  Before you’d have to go to the library.

CJ: We talked about you not having television as a child, and compare it to today.

GB: Yes, just think of the flat TV screen today.  I always advocate and say, ‘don’t hide it; it’s so chic. Don’t conceal it anymore; it’s beautiful.’

Library in Geoffrey Bradfield’s NYC townhouse (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ: But back then you grew up you expressed your creativity because you did not have a TV or a computer.  I wonder the effect technology has on the creativity of the next generation of fashion designers, architects and interior designers.

GB: I believe that we are on the cusp of such change.  It won’t be for me, because I’ve already made to some extent my mark, for what it’s worth.  Not that I don’t embrace new things every day in my field, but I think that with the younger generation, we are going to see what happened in the ‘20s, ninety years ago.

If you actually do any research, which I have to some extent, I think that during the ‘20s and ‘30s design was completely revolutionized with the Art Deco period and the Art Moderne that followed, and then of course almost every decade since.  I think that it really takes at least 15 years into a new century for these ideas to really become fertile and to start to work, accelerated today by technology.  But I think we’re about to see such a radical change in interiors in the next five to ten years, it is going to be unrecognizable.

CJ: But when you look at interiors compared to fashion where you have two seasons a year, we want them to last, especially considering the amount of money invested.

GB:  I think that if you really approach an interior with objectivity, it has to be about quality and the best you can possibly afford, then it has a chance at longevity.  Not everyone can afford to spend a million dollars on a chair, but get the best you can afford in art or whatever, then it should last.  The research says that people move four times in their life today on average.

CJ: Not you, more like four times a year.

GB: Close. No, but I know this because I have designed furniture.  Companies like Century, that I worked for, did massive research on their market: who was buying it, how many times do they buy it, what age they were, all of it.  So I was privy to a lot of this when I was doing the licensing program on that scale.  When you think about that, you think that it is the first young man and his bachelor pad, then he is married and has a bigger apartment, then the kids come, and then it is retirement.  But by and large I think the average is about right.  In a lifetime the average person moves about four times.

CJ: It will be interesting to see what will happen in the next 20 years.  We shall have tea again in 20 years.

GB: Okay!

Entry hall in Geoffrey Bradfield’s NYC townhouse (Photo: Durston Saylor)

Custom chair designed by Geoffrey Bradfield in a home in Anguilla (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ:  You did mention earlier that you mentioned new and cutting edge materials.  Do you have a favorite or two that you can share?

GB: Well there are.  I love transparency; I really love it.  I love mirrors!  I’ve used mirrors with economy, but there’s almost never an interior that I do without some mirror. I love the sense of infinity, and I love reflection.  I love texture and contrast.  So I love glass; I like experimenting with it.  There are so many beautiful new products on the market.  I love using pony hide, it’s terrific.  For a large entrance hall in a place on Madison Avenue I am designing a floor in a combination of wood and marble, almost in a Renaissance design, it’s so beautiful.

Entry hall of Hudson River estate (Photo: Durston Saylor)

Dining Area in Geoffrey Bradfield’s NYC townhouse (Photo: Durston Saylor)

Dining room in a Palm Beach residence (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ: Well that’s the wonderful thing about design, even though you do it all the time, when we see something so beautiful were are still mesmerized by it.

GB: Yes, that’s exciting!  I always say this that as designers we’re only as good as our clients allow us to be.

CJ: Very true!

GB: Because I can bring an idea to someone, and they can really squelch the idea and go for something simpler.  Often it is not even about money.  These clients could have gone for a beautiful marble entrance hall, I’ve done many of those and they are very lovely, but this is much more.  The marble is taupe and quarried in Italy, and the wood is a color that I call driftwood.  It is really beautiful!

CJ: It sounds really beautiful!  I feel that clients should hire designers to push them a little bit further than they would go on their own.

GB: That’s what I like to do.  I’m sure you feel the same way.  Or you’re not being creative to your full potential.  They don’t come to me for a generic interior.

CJ: So what do you do when clients are afraid?  Do you have a certain strategy?

GB: I always have two alternatives.  I always do, because if they are unhappy, it’s their home after all, then I immediately revert to something that’s more palatable to them.

CJ: But if you feel really strongly about something that would make a huge difference?

GB: I know how to choose my wars, and I am not without persuasiveness or some charm, I hope.  Usually the tides will turn to me having said ‘Oh that’s standard.’  And then they would consider it and turn toward me and say, ‘Well, which would you choose?’  I always say, ‘I’d never show you anything I don’t believe in.  So you’re looking at two choices and one is a challenge and the other one I know you can live with.  You must choose.’  It’s a shared process; you create a team when you work for clients.  It’s a team: the architect works with the designer, and whoever else is involved, the landscape architect; we all row the same boat.  We want it to look beautiful.  We want it to represent us in our best possible way.  It’s very important.

Rendering of the drawing room in Emilio Jimenez’s NYC townhouse (Rendering: Alberto Cordoneda)

Master suite in Emilio Jimenez’s NYC townhouse (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ: I think that the most important thing for our clients is to pick the best team early, because often the designers come in too late.

GB: Too true, and then you find that there’s resentment from the architect.  Creating the team at the beginning is the only way to go.  The other thing that I always and truly do believe in, and I’m absolutely sure you’re in agreement, is that the one thing that will not change is, that human beings need comfort.  I preach comfort!

People don’t want to be in a museum even if it’s very high tech, which is not what I do as a modernist.  They want comfort; they want to be able to feel that it’s their home.  I really believe in that, and I always take that approach with all clients, even when they are ultra-sophisticated, and they want it to look really sleek.  They’ve got to pull up a chair and be able to sit down.

CJ: When you watch a movie you don’t want to be in some stiff low-back Italian sofa.

GB: You’ve got it!

CJ:  You have also talked about serenity in your interiors.  How do you achieve that?

GB: You know, I really think it’s innate; I really do.  The reason I have to answer that question is that many times people have come to interview me at home or in an apartment that they wanted to see in particular.

I recently finished Oliver Stone’s apartment, which was very masculine.  They always say the same thing, ‘Yes it’s very modern, and it’s challenging, but there’s a sense of serenity.’  I really think it’s an innate ability of mine to create that feeling of being on a cloud.  I also think art can play a lot in that.  Not all art: you can have violent art; but I think art can bring good energy to a room; it can bring serenity to a room.

Drawing room in a NYC apartment with “Crete” painting by Helen Frankenthaler and “Dan” sculpture by Boaz Vaadia (Photo: Durston Saylor)

Living room in a Palm Beach penthouse with a painting by Gerhard Richter (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ: I know art is really important to you in your interiors.

GB: It is.

CJ: How do you select art?

GB: Well, I have to preface this by saying that art is so crucial to my interiors.  My interiors are predicated by the use of contemporary art.  There’s almost not an interior that I do that hasn’t got some form of art in it.  How do I choose art?

CJ: Do you work with an art advisor, or do you choose all the art yourself?

GB: I don’t really.  I like to choose it myself, but if clients are really looking to buy $20 million paintings of course I’d be very foolhardy not to bring in an art consultant.  There are very fine consultants available.  Sometimes when clients are very important collectors to begin with, they will have their own consultant.  I will find something and their consultant will vet it.

CJ: And if they’re serious collectors does their taste usually match your taste in art?

GB: I think it does, with one exception.  Many years ago, thank God, I was doing an apartment on Madison Avenue, ironically for a couple who were moving to the city, and they kept talking about sculptures.  So I thought, how lovely, perhaps Alexander Archipenko, or this kind of thing.  And I did these beautiful renderings of this bathroom with a gorgeous Archipenko on it.  It was big enough to feature a piece of sculpture.  They came back from Las Vegas, and they produced a picture of this little cupid putto.  I said, ‘you know what Mrs. So and So, this isn’t going to work.  Let’s bring this to a head right now.’  And we did.

CJ: That probably sent a message for the project not just the art.  Sometimes it’s best to say no.

GB: I don’t like saying no, but sometimes you have to.

A monumental Enrique Mancini head in the garden of a Mediterranean villa in Palm Beach (Photo: Durston Saylor)

A dress sculpture by Sophie de Francesca and “Ghost” wall piece by Katy Stone in a NYC apartment (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ:  Speaking of art, let’s talk about your book “Ex Arte”.

GB: I love the book.  The title is important because Ex Arte is Latin for working within the principles of art, beauty through art.  So it’s key that the definition of the title is in the foreword to the book.  It is a cross-section of work all over the world, and it’s also a very good calling card for me.  People will call, and they’ll just go on my website, but sending them a book that’s in their hands and they’re paging through, it is different.  In fact I did Oliver Stone’s project through this book.

The designer with Oliver Stone (Photo: courtesy of Geoffrey Bradfield)

Living room in Oliver Stone’s NYC apartment (Photo: courtesy of Architectural Digest)

CJ: A great calling card indeed.  Do you think with the changes in technology books will ever lose their importance?

GB: I hope they don’t.  I’m an anachronism  in so many ways.  I read two or three books a month.  I devour magazines, I surf through them, and when I see something I stop.  But because they are so heavy before I get on the plane I would just earmark them for my office, and then they take out the story that I want to read.  So it’s a fraction of the weight when I get on the plane, and I can just read the one article.

CJ: Speaking of travel, you mentioned that you have moved many times, and you also said how you made a mistake bringing your furniture over here.  So you probably decorated each home in a very different way.  Are your own home places for experimentation?  Do you have signature designs other than mirrors that you implement in each home?

GB: I think, yes and no.  There is no question that my work has a signature.  There are certain elements that are very relevant, such as texture, contrast, and modernist in approach.  I love designing carpets.  I love beautiful carpets that are very signature Geoffrey Bradfield.  I love mirrors, but with economy.  I’m not recreating MGM bathrooms.  I also think that a very important thing is location.

I don’t believe in doing a Tudor house in a city high rise, or vice versa doing a high-tech New York apartment in a Tudor house in the country.  It doesn’t make sense.  So I think that you’ve got to respect location and architecture to some extent.  Several of my houses in Tuxedo Park were 19th century houses, built between 1860 and 1865.  And I didn’t make them ultramodern.  The kitchens and the bathrooms were certainly, but the drawing room and the bedrooms in that were country, but very modernist, no traditional anything.  My townhouse is 1865, and again it’s a very clean and modern interior.

Library in Geoffrey Bradfield’s NYC townhouse with Yves Klein coffee table and Louise Nevelson sculpture (Photo: Durston Saylor)

Master bedroom in Geoffrey Bradfield’s NYC townhouse (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ: And how do you work in Palm Beach versus New York?  You have a different climate, different light.

GB: Oh yes, light of course.   Although, I could never live in a dark room, it’s not my taste. I don’t mind a dark library if you have a big house, which I’ve had before, but I like light.  I’m from the southern hemisphere.  I like light colors around me.  So if I use a dark color it is always an accent, and it’s not a primary color.  Also, it’s very interesting, every time I’ve moved, I’ve wanted less: less furniture, less, not to the extent of compromising comfort of course.

CJ: But the art probably always comes with you?

GB: Only now and again. But I would rather sell two paintings from that apartment and upgrade, buy new paintings, with a new point of view.

CJ: So no attachment to the art either?  I understand that you also that you have also designed yachts and planes, and hotels.  Do you have a different approach for those kinds of projects?

GB: Well yes, I think they’re enforced.  In a jet the materials have to be fireproof and light, and you’re limited.  You have a color scheme, and you can design the rugs and things like that.  But you really want them to be very simple and clean.  Yachts are another story.  Because it’s more like a house, but everything is built-in.  And I’ve always worked on both the jets and yachts with professionals.  I’m the designer, but there are professionals who know.

When you’re doing a yacht you really have to listen to someone whose career it is, but you can bring a personality to it because they would just do the same veneers.  But one can make a yacht exciting without overdesigning it.  I hate overdesign!  So with hotels you’re doing 200 rooms and you give them three schemes.  Then the fun parts of hotels are the ballroom, the reception, that kind of thing.  I love it, actually.  In my experience, it’s been very positive.

Rendering for an airplane interior (Image: courtesy of Geoffrey Bradfield)

Bar at the Equinox Resort in Manchester, VT (Photo: Peter Rymwid)

CJ: Are you going to do another one?

GB: I’d love to.  I’m doing only residential work at the moment in Asia.  I’d love to break into hotels there.

CJ: How did you get into the Asian market?

GB: It actually happened through Tokyo.  I was on a short list there.  I think that they hired me because of the art angle.  They wanted to form a collection.  And I believe that exactly the same is happening with a Chinese project we are working on.  The art gallery is so enormous.  It has a 40 foot ceiling, double volume; and that’s just one room for art.  And they were very keen to collect art, and I think that the book again helped sway the decision.

CJ:  Where do you find the most inspiration besides art?

GB: That’s a good question.  At the risk of really being boring, I am so visual and I may be walking on the sidewalk and I may be seeing an ornament on a building.  I would send my office back to photograph it because I don’t know how to take picture on my iPhone.  Wherever I go I am admiring something and I have collected a massive amount of materials and sources.

When I did a project on Eaton Square in London I had already done so much research on London through the years, on the period homes in London, and I wanted to reinterpret them in a way.  There were so many great ideas that I already had stored, having secured these ideas whilst I was growing up and spending time in them.  So I think that it’s been that every minute of my life has been a visual experience.

CJ: And again it is about quality.  It doesn’t matter if the time period ended.  You probably can interpret it in a more modern way.

GB: Absolutely.

Rendering for the study designed around an enormous Jean-Michel Basquiat in art collector Dick Cooper’s penthouse in Chicago (Rendering: Alberto Cordoneda)

Dining area and living room at the Kips Bay Show House (Photo: Peter Rymwid)

CJ: What are your most favorite things to do for leisure?

GB: I have very few holidays.  I don’t consider going to see my family a holiday.  I grab a few days here and there.  When we were in China for a project an associate of mine said ‘so let’s just go and have two days.  I wanted to see the new hotel in Singapore, the one with three columns and a boat on top.’  I said, ‘Let’s go and see that.’   So we scooted down; I guess that’s a break.

But once a year, I have a proper holiday, which is only ten days and with the same group of friends that I play host to.  All they have to do is get there, and then they are my guests.  I’ve taken a beautiful chateau in France, I’ve taken a palace in the Medina of Marrakesh, I’ve had a beautiful, beautiful castle in Limerick, Ireland, and this beautiful bishop’s palace in Umbria.  And last year I charted one of these beautiful boats on the Nile, and we sailed from Luxor to Aswan Lake.

CJ: What an exciting thing to do with good friends!

GB: It is.

CJ: Does it include friends from way back in South Africa?

GB: Well, one actually.  One is Swiss, but he lives in Thailand.  Several are fashion designers from here.  I always take my young associate with me.  There are ten of us.  It’s wonderful!  It’s always around the Fourth of July.  So we’d always have a Fourth of July party wherever we are.

CJ: And that’s the only time off during the year, other than adding on a day here or there? That’s not a lot; it’s so American.

GB: What’s wrong with this picture?  I always feel — what’s wrong with this picture, I’m working my tail off!  But I like it, so it is fine.

CJ: But on a regular basis, when you are not on vacation, what do you do for fun?

GB: Well I go to Palm Beach for work and, I also enjoy just getting away.  And I love walking on the beach there.

CJ: You also mentioned earlier that you loved to entertain from an early age on.

GB: I really enjoy it.  I give probably two major parties a year, usually one in the spring and one in the fall.  And there is always a reason; it’s for a friend, or a launch of a fragrance, or for an important visitor.  I gave a party for Prince Edward, when he was here.  He came to my home, which I think was a great honor.  I love to do things like that.

The designer with guests at the Ball at Milbank House (Photo: courtesy of Geoffrey Bradfield)

The designer with Douglas Hannant at a Persian dinner (Photo: courtesy of Geoffrey Bradfield)

 CJ: Wonderful!  Do you still do themes like back in the 60′s?

GB: They are staged.  Yes, they have themes.

CJ: So you do the flowers and everything yourself?

GB: I hire professionals to execute the party.  I’m not a party planner; I’m a decorator with very definite ideas.  I know how to stage something to please ME.  Then I hire professionals who are very, very efficient; and they put it together for me.

The designer with Merrill Stern and Zev Eisenberg at the book launch party for “EX ARTE” (Photo: Nick Hunt for Patrick McMullen

Fern Mallis at the book launch party for “EX ARTE” (Photo: Nick Hunt for Patrick McMullen)

A model posing as a blackamoor at a ball and a model dressed as a Native American costumes at Geoffrey Bradfield’s 30 years in America celebration (Photos: courtesy of NYC Social Diary)

Opening night party for the designer’s exhibition “The Quick & The Dead” at Sebastian + Barquet (Photo: courtesy of Melissa C. Morris)

CJ: If you weren’t doing design, which you loved from a very young age, what might you have done instead?  I know you also love fashion and you’re known to be quite debonair. 

GB: That’s a very good question.  Why I say that is, when I was in London, the course that I was doing was nothing academic or anything, but it was a very sound course, which was called basic design.  And it was about fashion and interiors.  One lecture would be this, and one would be that. And then I was doing the windows in Fenwick’s on Bond Street, which again I must preface this by saying that I was an assistant doing the windows; there were professionals doing the windows.  But it was so much about fashion because Fenwick’s is all about a fashion.  It is beautiful and very young sort of young.  So we would be doing windows that were about fashion.

CJ: So could you see yourself being a fashion designer?

GB: I actually was very involved in fashion for about three years in South Africa, but suddenly it occurred to me, quite sensibly, that you can’t serve two masters.  You had to make a choice, and there was no question that I wanted to do interior design.  But I used to actually have two collections a year in South Africa, very young, sort of trendy, they would have been called unisex in those days, you know, that kind of thing.

CJ: And so you designed them, and somebody made them for you?

GB: Yes, we had a little workshop.  Some Polish ladies were sewing shirts.  They were fun young collections.

CJ: So after your experience on London’s Bond and Carnaby Streets and designing your own collections, do you have all your suits custom made?

GB: Well most of them actually.

CJ: Makes the difference, doesn’t it?

GB: It is impossible for me to shop in America; it doesn’t matter what the brand is.  The only one who fits me is Calvin Klein.  The jackets fit the shoulders perfectly.  If I shop in Europe off the peg, it’s very easy because the French, the Englishmen and the Italians are my size; they may be taller, but their jackets are exactly my size.  So not all of my suits are tailor-made, but most of them are.

CJ: How about your shoes?

GB: Some are.  John Lobb does some of my shoes.  But I’m wearing Gucci right now; they are my slippers.

Bed in Geoffrey Bradfield’s master bedroom with painting by Kenneth Noland and “Magic Bird” sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle (Photo: Durston Saylor)

The designer out and about in NYC (Photos: courtesy of NY Social Diary)

Geoffrey Bradfield always looking the part (Photos: courtesy of Chic Index)

 CJ: I think there is something about having lived in London as a young man, being surrounded by all these amazing bespoke tailors and cobblers.  That must rub off on you a little bit.

GB: It does, I think so.  Actually I have never worn clothes that didn’t fit, never.  Even growing up on the farm I drove everyone crazy with the school plays and school uniforms.  I would drive my parents mad by doing this, and having this altered and that altered.  I always wanted to be probably, properly turned out.

CJ: I think some people are just born with good taste, attention to detail and a sense of perfection. 

GB: And if you can seek it, why not.  I am sure I speak for you as well when I say that we seek perfection.  We seek to improve ourselves.  It’s a daily chore of really refining ourselves over time.  But I have never hidden my roots of coming from farming stock, and I’ll give you an example of the way I was raised.  I call my mom and I say ‘Mom, it’s so exciting, Archbishop Tutu is giving me an award from South Africa, and he is coming to New York to give me this award’.  And she would say, ‘that’s nice dear.  Do you know that your niece just got all A’s?’

CJ: She puts it in perspective.

GB: And my brother and I laugh about this, because he will call and say ‘Mom do you know that Stephanie just got all A’s.’  ‘Very nice dear, do you know that your brother is getting an award from Archbishop Tutu?’  And that’s the way we were raised.

The designer with Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Phelophepa Award for Excellence ceremony (Photo: courtesy of Geoffrey Bradfield)

A rendering of a living room in an apartment at the Icon in NYC (Rendering: Alberto Cordoneda)

Great room featuring “Signature Wingback” chairs at the “Ultimate Bachelor Pad” for Esquire magazine (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

CJ: I think that’s wonderful!  That could be one of the reasons why you are so charming and down to earth while being elegant and glamorous at the same time.  What may people surprise to learn about you?

GB: I actually think my tastes are very simple, which has to do with my background.  I am quite shy, which I think people would find surprising.  If I’m at a party I never push myself forward, people have to come to me, and that’s not superior of me.  I’m just not someone who would walk over and introduce myself to everyone.

CJ:  Well they certainly come to you, don’t they?

GB: I have my fair share.  I’ve had an incredible life!  There have been hills and valleys, but it’s been charmed in so many ways when I think of the extraordinary incidents of fate, when I think of the trains and planes I’ve missed, and the people that have changed my life, and I think that’s magical.  I don’t want to live forever, but I can tell you I’m not ready to go.

CJ: So what’s next?

GB: Well, I think that what’s happening for me at the moment is very exciting with the global expansion in Russia, in China, in Japan and in England where I have worked.  I worked in India recently, in Mumbai.  I love the expansion, not being limited, that is very important.

I am also working on a new book, which is going to be interesting book about one project.  The premise of the book is working for a modern day Medici, as if you were in Florence working for Lorenzo Medici where the client can have anything, and his taste is so refined that it’s just exhilarating.

I was able to design an entire bathroom of white crystal.  We’re talking money now.  The hand basins were $200,000 each.  We are looking at huge, huge budgets, and the refinement is so extraordinary, and the art collection is so amazing, from beautiful French Impressionists to the best of the best of the best.  A $5 million dining table, I commissioned François-Xavier Lalanne to design.  The chairs are the Ruhlmann-inspired “Lady Mendl” chairs from my Millennium Collection.  It is so glorious that I really believe it deserves to be in its own book.

“Lady Mendl” chair from Geoffrey Bradfield’s Millennium Modern collection (Photo: courtesy of Geoffrey Bradfield)

CJ: And really it’s not about the price.  It’s about the fact that somebody can actually afford whatever it costs to do the best.

GB: To hire the best, to hire the best artists of our time to design and execute a piece of furniture, to choose from the best collections available, and the quality of the furnishings, and then to be in a position to design such furnishings and carpets and everything it is extraordinary.  It is 8,000 ft.

CJ: Quite humble for someone of such means.

GB: Yes.  It is about perfection.

CJ: So, when you think about the exquisiteness of everything, despite the price points you have mentioned, this is really not an ostentatious person.

GB: I have worked for these are clients for 30 years.  They’re my age.  They have homes all over, but this is their principal residence in Mexico City, and it is so ravishing.  All the children are grown up, so they moved from a mansion into this really beautiful duplex.

CJ: Is it finished now?

GB: Oh yes.  I photographed most of it, but I had to go back because we’ve been refining things.  In the drawing room we have an incredible Lautrec in the middle, and then we have a Picasso on the right, a 1932 Marie-Therèse, and we had a Braque on the right.  So I said ‘You know, it would be so nice if we could find another 1932 Marie-Therèse Picasso.’  Phone call: ‘Just tell Mr. Bradfield to go to the Gagosian Gallery, there is a picture that I’m thinking about buying.  See if he feels it is what he had in mind.’  $13 million!  So I have to re-photograph it.  I’m not photographing a Braque when I can have a Marie-Therèse.  Am I insane?  We’ll use the Braque somewhere else.

CJ: But it is obviously also a testament to the trust these clients have in you.

GB: Yes, and it’s over many years.

CJ: Well, sounds like a wonderful book, and I very much look forward to seeing it.  It’s been so wonderful talking to you. Thank you so much Geoffrey.

GB: And I would love to ask you for a drink in my house if it pleases you while you are in town.  I make very mean Martinis. 

CJ: Thank you, that would be absolutely wonderful!

Unfortunately we could not align our schedules during that visit to New York, but Geoffrey generously offered a rain check.  And I very much look forward to accepting this most generous invitation, Martinis and all.

Since our interview the Mr. Bradfield’s newest book “A 21st Century Palace” has been released, which along with  “Defining Millennium Modern” and “EX ARTE” are  available on Amazon.

The post Tea With Claudia: Geoffrey Bradfield appeared first on SFLuxe.

View from Four Seasons Residences, San Francisco

The Four Seasons Residences has been one of our favorite high rise condominium towers since it opened in 2001, a sentiment shared by several friends who’ve lived there for years. Because people tend to stay there for a long time, it’s rare for a Four Seasons condo to go on the market.

Living space with Brazilian cherry hardwood parquet floors

A two-bedroom recently became available for $2,185,000, featuring some of the best views in downtown San Francisco. Located on the 36th floor, it’s high enough that you can see all the way across the City to the Golden Gate Bridge — a rare vantage point only available to a dozen or so condos in the area, all of them at or near penthouse level.

Aside from the luxurious interior, views, and excellent location, the great thing about living at the Four Seasons Residences is the Four Seasons itself.  According to the listing agent, Joel Goodrich, the extraordinary amenities and world-class services available at the Four Seasons Residences include 24-hour room service, laundry and housekeeping services, concierge service, dining at the highly-rated Seasons Restaurant or in the private Windows Dining Room, and direct access to the 127,000 square foot Sports Club/LA.

Union Square shopping mere blocks away

The superb location of the Four seasons residences includes close proximity to the world-famous shopping of Union Square, rated by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the “World’s Top Five Shopping Destinations.”  There are five major department stores within a few blocks – Macys, SAKS, Neiman Marcus, Barneys, Bloomingdales and Nordstroms – and some of the world’s greatest luxury boutiques, such as Chanel, Graff, Gucci, Prada, Cartier, Tiffanys, Bulgari, Mont Blanc, Jimmy Choo, Giorgio Armani, Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, and many others!

It’s also close to the fabulous cultural amenities of SOMA and Civic Center, such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Contemporary Jewish Museum, Museum of Craft and Folk Art, Museum of the African Diaspora, the Asian Art Museum, The San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet and San Francisco Symphony.

You can easily enjoy the entertainment attractions of downtown and SOMA, like the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) and the many other theaters of Theater District and the Mid-Market Arts and Entertainment District, the year round live performances at the Yerba Buena Center, and the fabulous nightclubs offering dancing and entertainment such as SupperClub, the Starlight Room and many others.

Ranked by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the World’s Top Restaurant Cities, world-class dining is minutes away, including Hubert Keller’s Fleur de Lys, Michael Minna’s RN74, Quince, Marlowe, Scalas and many, many more!

Finally, the condo is strategically close to the important international business and technology centers of the Financial District and SOMA.  Some of the world’s biggest companies in the booming technology sector are nearby, including Google, Salesforce, Zynga, Twitter, Yelp and Yammer – and there is easy access to freeways leading to Silicon Valley!

You can see more photos and get more information at www.fourseasons-36e.com

The post Dazzling Views from new Four Seasons Offering appeared first on SFLuxe.

View from living room by Tucker & Marks (Photo: Matthew Millman)

After looking at over 50 homes the board of the Marin Designers Showcase finally settled on a grand newly built waterfront home on Belvedere island for its 41st annual fundraiser, which benefits the Center for Volunteer Nonprofit Leadership of Marin.  The 14,000 square-foot tri-level contemporary “Villa Belvedere” was developed by Jeff Paster and designed by Sandy Walker of the San Francisco architectural firm Walker & Moody.  It is perfectly positioned on a cliff to capture sweeping views extending all the way from Treasure Island to the Sausalito.

Villa Belvedere from driveway (Photo: Matt McCourtney)

View of pool and cabana: landscaping by Stephen Suzman, design of swim terrace by Katherine Hill (Photo: Matt McCourtney)

Almost every room in the house takes advantage of the spectacular views, and only one of the seven bedrooms faces the beautiful garden, which centers around a 50-foot Bisazza glass-tiled pool and spa, anchored along the back by a wall fountain that becomes a vertical focal point against the steep hillside.  Stephen Suzman designed the landscaping with a palette evocative of plants in neighboring gardens and an emphasis on foliage rather than flowers.  They become intriguing sculptural elements in the evening, influenced by the ever-changing color of the pool, which glows from within with LED lights.

Ladies’ dressing room in cabana by Katherine Hill (Photo: Matt McCourtney)

Men’s dressing room in cabana by Katherine Hill (Photo: Matt McCourtney)

Katherine Hill decorated the swim terrace and cabana, complete with two dressing rooms, WC and shower in shades of coral, blue and cream.

Sonja Jacobs-Burkin and Mark Manning

Twenty two design firms from around the Bay Area were invited to complete the interior designed for entertaining hundreds of guests while still offering comfortable and livable scale.  This was put to the test during the sold-out opening night gala when 500 guests toured the home with ease.

Designers, supporters and admirers crossed four bridges and braved shuttle busses up the narrow Belvedere roads to reach this exclusive residence.  Among them were Joel Goodrich, Levon Sarkissian, Angela and Thomas Chen, Didier Perez, international art advisor Holly Baxter, fashion designer Una Malan and photographer Marlene Blum, both in from Los Angeles for the occasion, as well as interior designers Ruth Livingston, Matthew MacCaul Turner, Lawanna Endonino, Jona Collins, and Julie Exley.

David Grega and Alexandra Ray

Stephen Suzman, Jeff Paster, Ruth Livingston

Linda Davis and Olivia Hsu Decker

They all got a first-hand view of the painstaking work the developer, architect and interior designers have put into this project, which did not go off without a hitch.  Construction delays postponed the opening gala originally scheduled for New Year’s Eve.  But no fireworks were necessary to impress the guests on this crisp and clear winter night.

Living room designed by Tucker & Marks (Photo: Matthew Millman)

View from living room designed by Tucker & Marks (Photo: Matthew Millman)

The large-scale living room with its soaring ceilings and the and the adjacent study were designed by Tucker & Marks who combined a stunning blend of traditional and modern elements.  Suzanne Tucker and her team pictured an iconoclast who seeks a balance in life, career and personal fulfillment as the client to conceive stylish yet informal spaces that took inspirations from such diverse elements as the homes of Yves Saint Laurent and the natural surroundings.  Most designers know that starting with “good bones” is everything, and Suzanne, who expressed that she really felt both the location and architecture, once told me about the high standards she has when picking a room for a showcase.  Her expert execution is a clear compliment to the architect and developer.

Honey and Stephen Schwartz, Suzanne Tucker, Carol Solomon

Rissa Watson, Tom Ryan, Amanda Ahlgren

Study designed by Tucker & Marks (Photo: Matthew Millman)

One of my other favorite rooms was the dining room by Candace Barnes who drew inspiration from the Bay and its connections to the rest of the world through the sea trade.  She highlighted classical, mid-century and contemporary designs with Middle Eastern accents and contemporary art in colors and finishes reminiscent of the sun shimmering on the Bay.

Dining room by Candace Barnes (Photo: Matt McCourtney)

Dining room by Candace Barnes (Photo: Matt McCourtney)

Angela and Thomas Chen, Candace Barnes

Kriste and Dan Michelini

The master bedroom by Gioi Tran of Applegate Tran was bathed in shades of grays, cream and aubergine, accented with warm woods.  A number of pieces were custom-designed by Gioi.  In a very tactile approach he emphasized texture and feel, which can be best appreciated in person.  Everything provoked an invitation to be touched, from the lacquer finish on the console and the cool metal on the side tables to the heavy wool felt on the drapery, and luscious cashmere, alpaca and faux Persian lamb on the bed.  Even the cottony felt balls on the wall called out to me temptingly.

Master bedroom suite by Applegate Tran (Photo: Matt McCourtney))

Master bedroom suite by Applegate Tran with view of Golden Gate Bridge (Photo: Matt McCourtney)

Heather Kearsley Wolf, Erin Richey, Steve Wolf

Claudia Juestel and Matthew MacCaul Turner

With the Bay beyond the French doors of one of the guest suites Sacramento designer and popular blogger Katie Denham could also not avoid creatively submitting to the magic of the waters.  Her design evoked a traditional nautical feel with slight ethnic touches.  Warm mahogany and leather, cool steel, nickel and aluminum were accentuated with navy and red in her “modern stateroom”.  Intriguing artistic touches were provided by Stuart Allen’s wall sculpture of sails, a bespoke accent table by Paul Benson and a large scale sepia-toned photograph by James Bleecker.  Now that would be the room to watch the America’s Cup Race from!

Guest suite by Katie Denham (Photo: Peter Medilek)

Desk area in guest suite by Katie Denham (Photo: Peter Medilek)

Located on 1.14 prime waterfront acres this spectacular property is listed by Olivia Hsu Decker.  In addition to a living room, office, 7 bedrooms, and 8 full plus 2 half baths “Villa Belvedere” also boasts a temperature-controlled wine cellar, a home theater, a private health club with sauna, a pool and spa with cabana, and over 6,000 square feet of terraces.   One of Marin’s most remarkable new homes could be yours for $45,000,000.00.  If your main residence happens to be overseas you still have full control of the entire home from your iPad or iPhone anywhere in the world via a Savant automated system.  Now this is a home and technology designed for a cosmopolitan lifestyle!

Una Malan, Lawanna Endonino, Holly Baxter

Dino Vannoni, Leslie and Michael Cello

Heni Miller and Jeremy Bitter

The post 2012 Marin Designers Showcase in Belvedere appeared first on SFLuxe.

Gensler

DIFFA’s (Design Industry Foundation Fighting AIDS) Dining by Design returned to the Galleria at the San Francisco Design Center for the 11thyear. Once again the most exciting dining environments in town drew support for the Positive Health Program of the UCSF AIDS Research Institute. The event also marked the 30thanniversary of the first formal report of the AIDS virus, and although no cure has been found, local supporters commemorated the milestones in research and treatments since.

Gary Hutton for the San Francisco Design Center

Kravet

Aaron Silverstein for Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein

Mondo Guerra in collaboration with interior design students from San Francisco State University for Merck’s Living Positive by Design

Event co-chairs were the acclaimed interior and furniture designer Gary Hutton and Interior Design Hall of Fame member Ronette King of Gensler who each designed highly contemporary settings. Joining them were Bay Area and national talents from the fields of architecture, landscape, interior, and furniture design, as well as event planning and fashion. They conjured up fabulous vignettes that ranged from modern and minimal to traditional, whimsical and highly detailed.

New York fashion designer Tracy Reese took inspiration from her 2011 Fall collection in her installation for Effen Vodka, and Denver-based designer Mondo Guerra, who can currently be seen on “Project Runway All-Stars, collaborated with interior design students from San Francisco State University. Together they created a community table called “Phoenix”, which was inspired by Mondo’s emotional journey since his public acknowledgment of being HIV-positive, as well as his experience with the Living Positive By Design campaign with the pharmaceutical giant Merck.

Another successful student collaboration returned this year: the School of Interior Architecture at the Academy of Art University with the leadership of Ernie Mariotto created a minimal and high contrast concept inspired by love. Their table “one heART” perfectly represented the essence of Dining by Design.

Rhonette King and Gary Hutton

Room Service for 7×7 and California Home + Design

Samantha Duvall and Carolyn Chandler

Paul Benson

Hartmann Studios

Melanie Coddington, Candace Barnes, Spencer Moran

Gene Ogden and Marta Benson

Tracy Reese for Effen Vodka

Chris Dale, Kathryn Lovell, Sarah Bashford, Lang McHardy(Photo: Andrea Narins)

Lauren Shelby, Athena Charis and Diane Nicolson for IFDA

The two-night event started out with the Table Hop & Taste preview, followed by the Gala Dinner the next evening. The first night was a cocktail party sponsored by Effen Vodka and catered by a number of San Francisco’s finest restaurants and chefs, including 25 Lusk, Fifth Floor, Bisou, Limon and Chef Tyler Stone. More then 700 guests were dazzled by the over-the-top table installations while enjoying special cocktails and delectable bites.

In attendance were Scott Heldfond, Holly Baxter, Carolyn Chandler, Samantha Duvall, Andre de Baubigny, Andrew Lam, Marta Benson, restaurateur Bob Puccini, chef James Stolich, interior designers Melanie Coddington, Michael Friedes, Dining by Design alumni Candace Barnes, Steven Miller, Brian Dittmar, David Hansen, Barbara Ashfield, Jay Jeffers, Paul Benson and Lawanna Endonino. They were joined by antique dealer Eric Petsinger and accessory designer Jennifer Bennet and hundreds of other design aficionados.

Alexandra Torre

Michael Purdy and Jay Jeffers

Michael Friedes, Jennifer Bennet, Halley Box, Kimber Frankel

Academy of Art University

At the Gala Dinner guests previewed the tables during the cocktail reception while eagerly awaiting dinner served by Taste Catering in San Francisco’s most unique dining environments. Among them were Rita Moreno, Tim Wu, Wilkes Bashford, Dr. Diane Havlir, Dr. C. Bradley Hare, Barbara Waldman, Dennis L. Winger,Tim and Carol Treadway, Rue Magazine’s co-founder Crystal Gentilello, as well as interior designers Irene Turner, Scot Meacham Wood, Antonio Martins, Gino Castano, and Stuart Gilchrist. I had the pleasure of being a guest at the Academy of Art University’s table, and I treasure the Zen heart bell I received as a token to remember the evening.

Guests dining at the table of 7×7 and California Home + Design (Photo: Adri Krisnadi)

Guests dining at the table of Gensler (Photo: Adri Krisnadi)

Guests dining at the table of Alexandra Torre (Photo: Adri Krisnadi)

Applegate Tran Interiors for Climb Real Estate

Chris Lim

Tim Wu, Chanda Seymour, Rita Moreno and friend (Photo: Andrea Narins)

Eric Murphy, Annie Su, Tim Wu

J. Hettinger Design for Barbara Waldman and Dennis Winger

Beryl Sosnick, Wilkes Bashford, Louise Spinelli

Aldea and Lab Experiment

Crystal Gentilello, Mondo Guerra, Claudia Juestel

Randy Shields and Peggy Bellar

Brian Dittmar and Dr. Paul Silvestre

Anu Paul Design for Friends of SFDC

Agustin Sanders, Andrew Boepple, Irene Turner (Photo: Adri Krisnadi)

Scot Meacham Wood and Rhonda Hirata

John Whitmarsh for Drs. Diane Havlir, Art Martinez, and Brad Hare

Ravi Arora, Anu Arora, Greg McIntyre, Steve Coulter

Shades of Green Landscape Architecture

Dining by Design has no jury and very little creative restrictions. As a result the unusual implementation of materials and objects captivates guests each year. Hostesses and avid entertainers, chefs and gourmets, house wives and house husbands, design professionals and enthusiasts all marvel at the details each table so exquisitely displays. Applegate Tran had rubber duckies floating in the center of the table, Bashford & Dale mixed flowers with lab glass, Kathleen Monroe floated fighting fish in large goblets, Mikki Bourne used vintage collars and bowties for place mats.

Custom table with rubber ducky pool by Applegate Tran Interiors

Centerpieces by Bashford & Dale Interiors

Detail of table by Kathleen Monroe with Stitch

Place settings by Mikki Bourne with Stitch

Place setting by Shades of Green Landscape Architecture

Place setting with pomegranates by Hartmann Studios

Coconut bowl with shells at IFDA

Succulent centerpiece by John Whitmarsh

Dog mask at Aldea and Lab Experiment

Bowls, plates, goblets, chairs and table designed by Aaron Silverstein

Preparation for the next Dining by Design in San Francisco are in high gear, and organizers are already starting to take reservations from sponsors for the most coveted table locations. For more please visit DIFFA San Francisco.

The post Always a Feast for the Eyes: DIFFA’s Dining by Design appeared first on SFLuxe.

Gorgeous & Green at the Bently Reserve

Gorgeous & Green, Global Green’sannual gala in San Francisco has been the most stylish proof of a sustainable lifestyle being easily compatible with high fashion and fine living. In its 7th year it once again drew San Francisco’s eco jet set to the gorgeous LEED-certified Bently Reserve for a “Moulin Rouge” themed evening aimed at raising funds for Global Green’s program in collaboration with the San Francisco Unified School Districtto incorporate green building features in their new construction projects.

Zem Joaquin, Mathew Petersen, Nadine Weil

Christopher Bently and Amber Marie Bently

Donovan Friedman and Selin Sintac

Sarah Bell, Wymond Miles, Andrea Larson

Mathew Petersen and Heidi Pettit

The eco stylish co-chairs once again were San Francisco’s foremost green living expert Zem Joaquin, whose EcoFabulous has been the go to source for sustainable living, and Nadine Weil, founder of Heart of Green. The building’s generous proprietors Amber Marie and Christopher Bently served as vice-chairs. Honorary hosts included actress Rosario Dawson, who shared her support via video from London, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Angela Lindval and Peter Mensah.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Gavin Newson

Zem Joaquin and James Joaquin

Rochelle Osterbauer and Diana Sasoletti

Patrick Baker and Tanya Baker

Claudia Juestel and Carolyn Gerin

Kudra Kalema and Betsabe Bocaitis

The guest list was comprised of a combination of the chic and the fashion-forward, among them Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom who accompanied his wife, CSI: Miami star Omar Miller, Gina and Dave Pell, Tanya and Patrick Baker, Narry Singh, Board Director or Architecture for Humanity, Gary Friedman, CEO of Restoration Hardware, eBay’s trend expert Karen Bard, and the most versatile Carolyn Gerin, co-founder GreenGlamGo and president of Anti-Bride Productions.

Omar Miller and Michelle Branch

Gina Pell and Dave Pell

Suzanne Agasi and Michael Mina

Chelsea Giudice and Hooman Khalili

Claudia Ross and Jennifer Siebel Newsom

In the spirit of Global Green’s motto of being “truly sustainable without sacrificing style” guests enjoyed, organic and biodynamic cocktails, farm-to-table hors d’ oeuvres by Taste Catering, and a formal dinner comprised of dishes made with locally-grown and sustainable ingredients prepared by Michael Mina, Joseph Humphrey of Dixie and Bill Corbett of Absinthe. Dinner was accompanied by the soulful stylings of Michelle Branch’swho has been longtime supporter of environmental causes.

Michelle Branch performing

Narry Singh enjoying the show

The much anticipated eco fashion show that followed was curated and produced by fashion designer Lily Achatz and GreenGlamGo’s co-founder Clarissa Nicosia to be a celebration of color.

Karen Caldwell, one of San Francisco’s most glamorous women, returned with stunning jewel-toned cocktail and evening dresses, including a slim red one-shoulder gown with a fuchsia belt. Since her label’s launch in 2009 she has dressed many of the city’s socialites and Hollywood actresses, such as Holly Robinson Peete, Amanda Seyfried, Viola Davis, Anne Dudeck, and Daphne Zunega.

Mina Yazdi and Olya Dzhilikhova of Mina + Olya also most successfully expressed the glamorous side of organic design, and Sara Shepherdintroduced her new collection, which included dresses in textured sustainable silks.

Lily Achatz and Clarissa Nicosia

Karen Caldwell, Oliver Tolentino, Sara Shepherd

Olga Dzilikhova and Mina Yazdi

Design by Sara Shepherd

Design by Sara Shepherd

Design by Sara Shepherd

Design by Mina + Olya

Design by Mina + Olya

Design by Karen Caldwell

Design by Karen Caldwell

A wonderful ending to the show was provided by the Philippines native and Los Angeles based designer Oliver Tolentino, whose couture gowns are made from some rather humble and unusual textiles such as hemp, as well as pineapple and water lily fibers mixed with sustainable silks, which he fashions into the most exquisite masterpieces. I had the opportunity to get a private back-stage tour and was amazed at the meticulous handcrafted elements of Oliver’s work that would impress any seasoned couturier, especially the use of such unconventional materials. I observed the same attention to detail in his menswear, sported by the designer himself and his partner Andrew Caruthers, and as a result I was even more impressed by Oliver’s versatility.

Margaret Gardiner, former Miss Universe and Hollywood Foreign Press Association member, wore an am off-white beaded French lace gown by Oliver to the 2012 Golden Globes. Among the many admirers of the dress were George Clooney and Angelina Jolie,who said, “You look stunning”.

Design by Oliver Tolentino

Design by Oliver Tolentino

Design by Oliver Tolentino

Design by Oliver Tolentino

Every year manufacturer’s are coming up with new innovations that make stylish green living more and more attainable, without denying ourselves the creature comforts and beauty we have become accustomed to, and every year Gorgeous & Green sets for higher goal for green fashion. My hat off to the talented and innovative designers and the passionate event team for raising $250K for green causes and for making a convincing statement in shifting everyone’s view of green design. I very much look forward to what the next event will have to offer.

The post Gorgeous and Green in Living Color appeared first on SFLuxe.

The chic penthouse that was showcased at the SOMA Grand ShowRise event in 2010, and has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, has recently been put on the market for just under $2 million.

Perched high atop the new SOMA Grand, one of South of Market’s premier full-service buildings, the Soma Grand Penthouse enjoys a strategic location close to the City’s booming technology center (the new Twitter headquarters is just a block away), as well as the world-class cultural, shopping, dining and entertainment amenities for which San Francisco is well-renowned.

City Hall Views (photo via somagrandpenthouse.com)

“French Chic meets SOMA Hip!” is how TRI Coldwell Banker’s Joel Goodrich describes the property, noting that the “ultra luxurious, Phillipe Starck-style corner Penthouse features an exquisite level of finishes and design, and enjoys breathtaking sunrise to sunset views of the San Francisco Skyline, City Hall, Historic Landmarks and the Bay.”

Skyline Views (photo via somagrandpenthouse.com)

The master bedroom, with sustainable and eco-friendly white Alaskan Maple hardwood floors, features beautiful custom French doors, wood paneling, baseboards and crown moldings made by Pascal French Wood Designs.  There are crown moldings to soften the metal edges of the window frames, and add sophistication to the modern highrise design.  A handcrafted invisible paneled French door leads to a “Sex in the City” closet, adorned by handmade French Bouvet hardware and European crystal door knobs.

Other features of this superbly-designed custom home include a generously proportioned open living space, state-of-the-art gourmet kitchen, a dual office, custom wine closet, elegant guest bathroom and ample storage space. Two underground parking spaces with unit.

For more photos or further information, visit SomaGrandPenthouse.com or go to JoelGoodrich.com

The post SOMA Grand Penthouse On The Market appeared first on SFLuxe.

Boiserie room at the Galerie Steinitz

The San Francisco Fall Antiques Show celebrated its 30th annual event in 2011 with a most appropriate theme, “Hidden Treasures,” inspired by the traditional 30th anniversary gift, the pearl.

For three decades dealers from around the United and Europe have shared some of the most unique and often rather obscure antiques with collectors and admirers alike.  Therien & Co. from San Francisco and Thomas Livingston Antiques from Berkeley have been part of the very first show in 1981, Foster-Gwin and Montgomery Gallery have participated since 1982.

Il Segno del Tempo

The 2011 exhibitors focused on objects with elements of surprise.  Among them were Almond Hartzog Gallery, Epoca, Hackett | Mill, John Bergruen Gallery, and Xanadu Gallery from San Francisco, American Garage and Habite from Los Angeles, Anderson Galleries and R.M. Barokh Antiques from Beverly Hills, Joel Cooner Gallery from Dallas, Finnegan Gallery from Chicago, Arader Galleries, Beauvais Carpets, Carlton Hobbs, and Kentshire from New York, Janice Paull from Algarve, Portugal, Antoine Chenevière Fine Arts Ltd. and Susan Ollemans Oriental Art from London, England, Danish Silver from Copenhagen, Denmark and Galerie Steinitz from Paris, France.

Yurie and Carl Pascarella

Lisa Grotts and John Grotts with Joan Nitis

Helen Hilton Raiser and Victoria Raiser

Dorothy and Kenneth Paige, Lucy Buchanan

Suzanne Tucker and Tim Marks

The preview gala benefitting Enterprise for Highschool Students was chaired by Michele Goss.  Chef Tyler Florence, known for his timeless cuisine, a strong love for good design and a passion for youth education, served as Honorary Chair.  They were supported by O.J. and Gary Shansby, Laura King Pfaff, Elizabeth and Paul Touw, Lisa and John Grotts, Jenna Hunt, Jennifer Raiser, Michelle Elizabeth Curtis, Wheeler S. Griffith, Suzanne Tucker, Kathryn Lasater, Shirley Robinson von Karl, Kendall Wilkinson Robinson, Toni Wolfson, Robert Federighi, Stacey and Ted Dobos and Amanda Wallis.

Galerie Levebre

Stacy Dobos

Gary Shansby, O.J. Shansby, Kay Woods, Frank Woods

Katie Traina, Todd Traina, Dede Wilsey, Trevor Traina

Once again everyone turned out for one of San Francisco’s favorite social events.  Collectors Yurie and Carl Pascarella, Dorothy and Kenneth Paige, Helen Hilton Raiser, Dede Wilsey, Trevor Traina, Katie and Todd Traina, Therese Post, Karen and Oliver Caldwell, Claudia Ceniceros, Alison Pincus, Paula Carano, Angelique Griepp, Norah and Norman Stone, Dagmar and Ray Dolby, Sobia and Nadir Shaikh, Lindsay Bolton, Kate Harbin, Sarah and Austin Hills, Melissa and Patrick Barber, Letitia and Michael Kim, Adrianna Pope Sullivan and Bob Sullivan, Regina Callan, Alan Malouf, Ricky Serbin, Mitchell Benjamin were in attendance.

Owl with diamond eyes, gilt sterling silver seal by Leslie Durin, 1972 at Spencer Marks, Ltd. (Photo: Alain Garcia von Borstel)

Also enjoying the event were architects Andrew Skurman who designed the whimsical Alice in Wonderland’ installation at the entrance, and Stephen Sutro, as well as my fellow interior designers Edward Lobrano, Pamela Babey, Matthew MacCaul Turner, Elizabeth Martin, Melanie Coddington, Jay Jeffers, Ken Fulk, Steven Miller, George Brazil, Cecilia Sagrera, Candace Barnes, Benjamin Dhong, Will Wick, Brian Dittmar and Lawanna Endonino.  Jeffrey Alan Marks, Ross Cassidy flew in from Los Angeles for the occasion.

Patrick Barber and Melissa Barber

Robert Girard and Phoebe Cowles

Lisa Kieu, Karen Caldwell, Charlot Malin

Mexican wood marriage chest with iron nailheads and lockplate, 18^th century at Engs-Dimitri Works of Art (Photo: Alain Garcia von Borstel)

Painting on underside of lid of Mexican wood marriage chest, 18^th century at Engs-Dimitri Works of Art (Photo: Alain Garcia von Borstel)

Lisa Podos, Jenna Hunt, Jennifer Raiser

Paula Carano, John Capizzi, Angelique Griepp

Terje Arnesen, Jorge Maumer, Bob Federighi

Therien & Co.

“Dodocanique” mechanical box in boxwood, ebony, brass and glass by David Beck, 2009 at Hackett | Mill (Photo: Alain Garcia von Borstel)

Fred Hirth and Dr. Clara Shayevich

Norman Stone and Norah Stone

Bobby Sullivan and Adrianna Pope Sullivan

Dede Wilsey at Antoine Chenevière

Northern Italian writing commode, Bargamo, 17th century at Engs-Dimitri Works of Art (Photo: Alain Garcia von Borstel)

Hidden desk in Northern Italian writing commode, Bargamo, 17th century at Engs-Dimitri Works of Art (Photo: Alain Garcia von Borstel)

Sobia and Nadir Shaikh

Katherine Jacobus and Ed Lobrano

Claudia Ceniceros, Jeffrey Alan Marks, Alison Pincus

Hidden keyhole in French cabinet, ca. 1935 at Carlton Hobbs (Photo: Alain Garcia von Borstel)

Francoise and Andrew Skurman

Mark Calvano and Samantha Duvall

Mahogany, holly and boxwood work box in the form of a peacock, Berlin ca. 1830 at Carlton Hobbs (Photo: Alain Garcia von Borstel)

Claudia Juestel and Jay Jeffers

Tolan and Tyler Florence

Gary Friedman and Claudia Ross

Pamely Babey and David Wing

Dorrit Egli and Elizabeth Martin

Anglo-Indian ivory miniature bureau Vizagapatam, ca. 1800 at Ronnie M. Barokh Antiques (Photo: Alain Garcia von Borstel)

Marcy Carmack and Tim Scherer

Mary Beth Shimmon and Alan Malouf

Ken Fulk and James Rogers

Kelly Grimes, Gina Milano, Kirsten Strobel

James Hunter, Suzanna Allen, friend, Brenda Mickel

Regina Callan, Will Wick, Jennifer Kelly, Steven Miller and friend

The lectures throughout the weekend ranged from celebrated women who wore pearls to designing with art and antiques today.  My personal favorite was Dr. Geza von Habsburg’s presentation on art chambers and the collections of the royal house of Habsburg.

Dr. Geza von Habsburg introducing his family’s original castle 

We are blessed to have had such an exquisite antique show here in San Francisco for thirty years, and connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike are eagerly anticipating the 2012 show.  I certainly am.

The post The San Francisco Fall Antiques Show’s 30th Anniversary appeared first on SFLuxe.

The magnificent 20,000 square foot penthouse atop the St. Regis in San Francisco, which was listed for $35 million, recently closed escrow for $28 million.

Created by international award-winning interior design firm Orlando Diaz-Azcuy Design Associates, the two-story penthouse on the 39th and 40th floors has never before been lived in, and is truly one of the great trophy properties in the United States, with 21 foot floor-to-ceiling windows, 2,900 square feet of terraces, a master suite larger than many American homes, 12.5 bathrooms, a private Keith Yates screening room,  a two-story foyer with a cascading waterfall and a private fitness suite among some of the attractions.

The residence was marketed by agents Gregg Lynn, Louis Silcox, and Bernadette Lamothe of Sotheby’s International Realty. Information about the new owner has not been made available.

The post $28 Million San Francisco Penthouse Sold appeared first on SFLuxe.

The January 2012 issue of Architectural Digest features the magazine’s selection of “today’s greatest talents in architecture and design” – what they call, annually, the AD100.

We’re delighted to see that not only are five of the designers are based in San Francisco, but another four were interviewed for San Francisco Luxury Living by our very own Claudia Juestel, of Adeeni Design Group, for her “Tea With Claudia” series.

Our sincerest congratulations to the five San Francisco firms appearing on the AD100: Backen, Gillam & Groeger Architects, Ike Kligerman Barkley Architects, Steven Volpe Design, Tucker & Marks, and The Wiseman Group.

Several others on the list have done special projects in San Francisco — like Peter Marino, Thomas Britt, Michael S. Smith, — but there are four who may be well-known to readers of SFluxe thanks to Claudia’s interviews, which you can access below.

DAVID EASTON

JAMIE DRAKE

BUNNY WILLIAMS

JOHN SALADINO

The post Architectural Digest AD100 in San Francisco appeared first on SFLuxe.

David Easton and Claudia Juestel at the St. Regis Hotel (Photo: Moanalani Jeffrey)

One of America’s preeminent interior designers and architects, David Easton not only designs stunning homes, he also creates furniture, wall coverings and fabrics for a variety of manufacturers.  He has won numerous awards, and most recently received the Honorary Award for Interior Design from Showboats International.

David is known for creating classical, balanced and comfortable interiors as well as beautiful home furnishings; but until I met him I had no idea about the extent of his mischievous sense of humor and charm.  I joined him for tea at the St. Regis where he was staying, and we shared ITO EN “Earl Grey Black” tea and Brut Rose, accompanied by an assortment of Artisan cheeses, brown butter financiers with Huckleberry compote and Meyer lemon fool.  But David also added his customary glass of red wine.

While thoroughly enjoying our extensive selections I learned more about his upbringing between Pennsylvania and Chicago, his early design influences, his education at Pratt and abroad, as well as with some iconic designers, and his approach to design, life and the future.  Meet David Easton your not so archetypical visionary.

Cockpit of sailing super yacht “Marie” built by Vitters Shipyard (Photo: Thierry Amelier)

Master bedroom of sailing super yacht “Marie” built by Vitters Shipyard (Photo: Thierry Amelier)

Claudia Juestel:  I am going to start at the very beginning.  What shaped David Easton, the renowned designer and architect we know today?  What were your family and upbringing like?

David Easton:  Stoid.

CJ: Stoid?

DE:  Very stoid.  The way we grew up then, and the way we grow up now are two different things.  It was 1947 before we had a television in our living room.

Entry hall in an alpine-inspired house in Aspen, CO (Photo: David Marlow)

CJ:  Well, growing up in Austria I didn’t have not until I was nine years old, which was a bit later.  You were way ahead of the game then.

DE:  It does affect you, but it affects you today much more obviously than it did then.  The real issue must be the subtext of the 21st century.  The end of this 21st century is speed of change: it is incremental, it is obvious to us today, but in 1947 a television screen was a miracle for you!  It was not obvious, and nor did it ever lead you to understand where you would be going with Google!

The internet alone is so astounding, and it is just the very beginning!  It is amazing, and frankly it has just begun.  I believe in science fiction 110%.  I think that people who have dreamt of the future have understood in their dreams and their imagination a world that is totally different than the one we live in today, and that is very exciting.

David at age 5 with his first car (Photo: courtesy of David Easton)

CJ:  Did you read science fiction when you were a kid?

DE:  No, I only came on science fiction maybe 15 or 20 years ago.  I am 185 years old, so when I made an in-depth discovery of it, I realized why I believe in science fiction today.  It is Leonardo’s drawing of a helicopter in the 15th century, which transformed into what Sikorsky developed in 1949, and Jules Verne’s “From the Earth to the Moon” in 1865.  And today we have landed on the moon.

CJ:  And that is now old news now.

DE:  It is old news!  But we still don’t know all of what all else is out there.  They just discovered a new Earth not too long ago.  Intelligence, science and technology have developed the ability to inform us of things like that.  So you come back to the world we live in, houses, and wonder what they are going to be.  I don’t think they are going to be the same.

CJ:  What was your house like in the forties?

DE:  It was a typical American home near Philadelphia.  It was a colonial Georgian house with porches on both sides, a hall in the middle with stairs, a living room over here, a dining room over there, just the way people lived then.  The world has changed so incredibly.  It is astounding, and it is already affecting the way we live and will live; and we have only seen the very beginning of it.

David Easton’s childhood home in York, Pennsylvania (Photo: courtesy of David Easton)

CJ:  We will need to adjust as we are designing people’s environments.

DE:  We will have to.  The houses we have built at my firm have been houses that have been very classically oriented.  There are also two very modern houses in my book, and there is some other modern work that we have done.  But it will change because I think people are not going live in any one place anymore in their mind and in their body.  Science fiction talks about people floating around the world.  They are in Tokyo one day, and they are in Naples the next.

CJ:  It sounds like you are talking about theories like astral travel.  However, with the technology that we have right now we can travel to places through videos and pictures on the internet.  So many more people are now seeing places they may never be able to afford to go.

DE:  And I keep repeating: it has just begun.

Library in David’s first Georgian-style home he built for Ralph Falk in Lake Forest, IL (Photo; Realites magazine)

Master bathroom in home in Lake Forest, IL (Photo; Realites magazine)

CJ:  I agree.  So, let us go back to when you were a child.  You said you didn’t even have a TV until 1947.  I assume your exposure in the middle of Pennsylvania probably was pretty limited.  Again, how did you get from there to where you are now, and what was your family life like?  What were your parents like?

DE:  Well, we traveled to a certain extent.  My parents went to Europe once in their lifetime.  And guess where?  London!

CJ: London?

DE:  London!  Yes, they spoke English!  They stayed at the old Connaught, and it was a wonderful thing!  But that was a world that was so different from today.  The changes in the way we will live, the architecture and interiors that we will live with, the way we will live our everyday lives, and all the science that surrounds our bodies and souls are going to be different.  I wish I could live that long!  And that’s why I drink red wine.

CJ:  Whatever you can do to stick around as long as possible!  Well I still want to go back to your childhood, because it was a long time ago, it was a different world, and you decided to become an architect.  So how did that come about?

DE:  Well, I did grow up in an attractive house; but the major thing that happened to me was something very different.  My mother’s family was from Oak Park, Illinois.  So on Christmas and Easter my mother would take us on a train to Chicago, and some times my father would join us.  What was an enormous influence on me, and I only realized this in looking back over the last 10 or 15 years, was trips to Marshall Field & Company in Chicago.  You could go up in those escalators or elevators.  We would get out on the 4th floor and go to the toy department, which I loved.  And we would go up to the 7th floor to the Walnut Room and have lunch, and then up to the 8th floor where Marshall Field’s had four houses that you could walk into.  You literally walked in to the space and looked across this room, and there would be a hedge.  You would walk through it to an entry porch, and you would walk through a house.  It really affected me in a way because I knew my own family’s house, which was very attractive; but here I saw four of them.  And I saw this in a fantasy situation, and it made me love design in the terms of a home.

Walnut Room at Marshall Field’s in a rendering by Diana Weber (Image: courtesy of the Chicago Postcard Museum)

Georgian Room on the 9th floor of Marshall Field’s (Photo: courtesy of Remembering Marshall Field’s)

Living room in the home in Lake Forest, IL (Photo; Realites magazine)

CJ:  How old were you then?

DE:  Six, seven, eight.

CJ:  So you went there multiple times?

DE:  Oh yes, a lot!  My mother left home quite often.  My parents’ relationship was somewhat difficult, probably like all families.  We got into Pennsylvania Railroad Delivery Limited, and we went off to Chicago to stay with my grandmother.

CJ:  And so every time you went there you would go to Marshall Field’s?

DE:  Oh yes, we always went to Marshall Field’s.  My mother and her sisters, and my grandmother when she was still well, and we would all march off to Marshall Field’s, and as I said, go to the Walnut Room for lunch.  So it was a wonderful experience growing up in a very safe world.  But certainly Marshall Field’s had a huge impact on me.  But there were also two other things.  The second was the Thorne Rooms of the Chicago Art Institute, which are miniature rooms.  They go from moderne ‘30s all the way back to colonial interiors.  That affected me too, and I would say to a very minor extent also my mother’s interest in what the house looked like.  We had a brown living room before Billy Baldwin ever did one, for whatever reason.

Thorne miniature room of the dining room at Wentworth Gardner House

Dining room in a home in Lake Forest, IL (Photo; Realites magazine)

CJ:  Did you like it when you were a child?  Did you think it was beautiful?  Did you pay attention?

DE:  I don’t know that I thought it was beautiful.  I thought it was unusual.  Because between my parents’ relationship and my mother’s willfulness in terms of the way she was going to do what she wanted to do, it was amazing to see.  I remember people coming over and not knowing what to say.  I was sensitive to what was there on the walls in terms of being dark.

CJ:  So your living room was perhaps for visitors a bit unusual?

DE:  Well it was not ordinary in my purview of the world that I grew up with in Pennsylvania. No!  Things were very simple, no one flashed with color.  My mother dressed in some kind of Davidow suits.  I didn’t know what they were, but I remember the name Davidow.  She had a certain style to her.  It was not what would be recognized as style today.  It was much quieter, but nevertheless there was a certain style and a certain direction about the way you lived.  I remember when wine started to be served at dinner.

CJ:  Was it not being served before?

DE:  No!  There was a book about food that came up in America.  There was also Gourmet magazine that had just come out, and that is what led my parents to go to London, because there was an article about the Connaught Restaurant.  My mother loved food, and she enjoyed cooking.  So she was the one who was really driving something in my mind of looking for something different than the people around me did.   All of those things were part of the focus.

CJ:  It wasn’t just the design.  It was the lifestyle.  It was entertaining and everything that you witnessed.

DE:  Yes, it was reading in Gourmet magazine about restaurants.  I loved it!  It was travel.  I have Wanderlust.  You understand that, right?

CJ:  Yes I do.

DE:  I have Wanderlust, and my next trip, which I have been planning for about two years is doing the Silk Route from Upper Mongolia all the way to Venice, and hitting Istanbul on the way.  The point is, I was very lucky to grow up being curious.

CJ: I think that is a really important point.  It is curiosity that makes us creative, and that makes us good at what we are doing.  I am sure in those days in Pennsylvania you didn’t get to see as much and know as much until you came across Gourmet magazine.

DE:  And National Geographic.  My grandfather had National Geographic going.  He had these cabinets down in the basement that had National Geographic probably going back to the beginning.  As a kid I would go down there and pull those magazines out and go and sit on the porch of my grandmother’s house, which is something I still believe in.  Porches were a wonderful part of life with them all sitting there, in the evening after dinner sitting there chit-chatting and talking.  It was a wonderful part of life.

CJ:  So you started dreaming reading Gourmet and National Geographic, and that made you dream of traveling the world?

DE:  Yes, and I still dream of traveling the world.  This may sound like a bit of bravado, but I have more than 6,000 books, and I bet a quarter of those are travel books.

CJ:  Oh that’s wonderful.  Have you read them all?

DE:  Most of them.  I read voraciously, everyday, every night.

Study in David’s apartment in the Flatiron district of New York (Photo: Durston Saylor)

Vignette in living room in the home in Lake Forest, IL (Photo; Realites magazine)

CJ:  I wish I would be able to find the time to read all of mine.  So when you were a child you got inspired.  When did you decide to become an architect?

DE:  It came about because I was always interested in it, and it came about because my father got me a job, and subsequently my aunt in Chicago got me a job.  But my first job was in an architect’s tiny office in York where I grew up.  They knew I was interested because I always drew.

CJ:  And what did you draw?

DE:  I drew houses; I drew cars.  I just always liked drawing, and I can draw very well relatively speaking.  So that led to a job in Chicago.  But what led me on to architecture was really a series of things.  I went back to Marshall Field’s, and I’d go back and I’d go back, and one of the most important things that ever happened to me was discovering David Adler who was a classicist architect in Chicago.  We have built four houses in Chicago; we are actually now working in two jobs in Chicago.  There I had a passion for houses and the concept of houses.  My parents’ house was wonderful!  I still draw the plans from my grandmother’s house.

CJ:  Did it have such a perfect plan?

DE:  Well, it did not have a perfect plan.  But, I am not saying that I am a magician, but I can walk into a space and go away from it, and if it has made a big impression I can draw it.

CJ:  That is an amazing gift!  It also has always been natural to me to visualize a finished room, but I don’t think it is for everybody.

DE:  I think a lot of people in our profession are businessmen.  It is just the way it is.  If you can go to bed, go to sleep and dream and walk through a space, you understand the movement through a space, and therefore you can draw it.  I think that helps you.  I can even remember where my grandmother had a Victrola in a hidden panel where you can store stuff in under the stairs.  Even today I can remember it.  You are born with some of that.

Entry hall in an alpine-inspired house in Aspen

Living room in an alpine-inspired house in Aspen

CJ:  Well you must have an amazing memory though too.

DE:  What did you say?

CJ:  Speaking of memory, how old were you when you worked at that architect’s office, your first job?  A teenager?

DE:  I am trying to be accurate, and it is difficult.  Well it was so long ago. I’m 185 years old.  It was probably 1955.

CJ:  So after that you decided to go college.  You studied at Pratt under Sibyl Moholy-Nagy, and you graduated in 1963.  How did that influenced you? The modern movement had come over from Europe.  You grew up in a Georgian home, and now you were introduced to a more minimal view on architecture.

DE:  I could cry.

CJ:  Really?  Why?

DE:  It stretched you.  She was a wonderful teacher, a strong lady.  It was the kind of force of a preacher who dragged you from what you might have thought into a new realm.  She explained intelligently because she had been there, and not only been there in the middle of it, but standing beside it and watching it, watching what went into quote modern architecture.  It was a wonderful opportunity.  She was a very articulate lady, a very large lady, I don’t mean fat, big and was very, very strong with strong opinions.  I loved it!  It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about another world, which I had not really ever understood.  It was not in my purview growing up.

Dining room in a modern house in Aspen (Photo: David Marlow)

CJ:  It wasn’t in the miniature rooms, it wasn’t in the architecture you had seen?

DE:  It was like someone came down and spoke to you about this world that I am still trying to understand.  Even today I look back at classicism, and I find it so satisfying, and yet there is what makes up modern architecture, and why it has happened, the simplification, the logic and the intelligence of the order, just like in classical architecture.  But this is a structural order, not a visual aesthetic.  It is a structural order, and it is wonderful.  I was very lucky!

CJ:  So you entered school with classical roots, you walked away with your mind opened to something new, and then you went to Europe on a scholarship.  Please tell me about that.

DE:  That is a wonderful story in itself.  I was chosen, I don’t know out of how many people.  So I went to an interview for a scholarship, and there were students from all over New York City.  Previous to that I had designed a pyramid at the back of the Metropolitan Museum for the Egyptian collection.  Mr. Lee, the chairman of the school, had made arrangements for me to meet with Mr. James Rorimer at the Metropolitan Museum.  I came up with my thesis, and they approved.  I love Egypt; I could be an Egyptologist!

Living room in a Greenwich Village apartment in New York (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ:  Perhaps that started with reading the National Geographic as a child?

DE:   I had not thought of that.  But I have been to Egypt three times, and have loved every trip; one of them was up to Alexandria.  So I conceived a pyramid in the back of this wing that had the Egyptian collection, to which they were thinking of adding.  So I took this lawn area out behind the main part of the wing facing 5th Avenue, and I designed a pyramid that went down into the ground with about a quarter of it as a pyramid up above, so light came down into it.  You went in and down under into it, and then walked down towards the Egyptian collection.

CJ:  I am thinking about the Louvre Pyramid in Paris.  So someone else I just learned had done something like that way before.

DE:  Yes, mine was underground, which was more Egyptian.  So Mr. Rorimer was very excited about it and thought it was a great idea.  So I drew up my thesis idea, and they found that there was a tough rock formation there.  So unfortunately it was never built.  But I was asked to go to that scholarship interview, and I showed other works, everything but my thesis.  And then we had to line up our work, and the decision makers walked through and then came back and said ‘Put your work together’.  So we all went back and packed up, and a man by the name of Edward Wormley who designed for Dunbar came back to me and said, ‘Call me’.  I still get goose pimples from it.  It was such a strange chance, but he said ‘Call me when you come back’.

CJ:  That’s wonderful!

DE:  It was, it was really neat!

CJ:  We will get back to Edward Wormley in a little bit.  But first I would like to talk to you about your trip to Europe first.  So you received the Fontainebleau Scholarship from the Yale School of Architecture.  That gave you additional exposure to different architecture.  Did you get to travel around?

DE:  We traveled all over Hell’s Half Acre.  We saw everything from walking through Versailles to the Maison du Verre in Paris.  We went down to the South of France and saw some of the big modernist work down there, and we saw chapels, and we saw very traditional work.  We really saw a great amount.
The thing that impressed me most was Maison du Verre in Paris.  I still think that it is one of the most marvelous houses in the world with a modernist aesthetic. Then at the end the scholarship my parents gave me some money, and I traveled to Italy and to England.  Then when I came back I called Edward Wormley, and I ended up working for him for three years.  We got into interiors and designing furniture, which I still do.  There I learned how to draw full-scale furniture, and I learned how to put furniture together from an aesthetic viewpoint.  He was moving from the past to the future, and his work was still handsome, still very beautiful.  When I look at it I feel in many ways it was a lot nicer to look at than a lot of modern work, and it is a lot more comfortable to sit in.

Page from a Dunbar catalogue in the 1950s

Chair, sofa and ottoman from the “Viscaya” collection for Walter’s Wicker

“Hillsborough” sofa for Lee Jofa

CJ:  A lot of interior designers obviously design furniture, but not everyone has a lot of actual experience of constructing furniture.  You actually had very hands-on experience at a young age.

DE:  Yes.  We had a Dunbar factory in Berne, Indiana.  We would go there by train, not even by plane.  They would greet us at the train, they were so nice, and we could watch the furniture in production.  It was a wonderful opportunity for me because of Edward’s comfort as a human being, the chances that he gave me to spend a weekend at Philip Johnson’s house up in the country and a weekend in Falling Water. Because he knew Edgar Kauffman who was the Director of the Industrial Design department of the Museum of Modern Art.  So those were also eye-opening experiences.

To be in Philip Johnson’s house at night with the trees around it lit and the interior fairly dark, the walls became tapestries.  It was just beautiful, and Falling Water of course is still the greatest house built in the 20th century.  Having had these experiences was sheer luck.  You can’t describe it with anything else.

CJ: Well, you need a little luck in life; hard work is not always enough.  But after that you totally switched gears once again by working for Parish-Hadley.  

DE: I met Albert at a lunch up at David Wickham’s up in Hudson, New York.  It was a wonderful mill he and his wife owned.  He was a decorator.  So Albert was up there, and we I talked at lunch, and Albert said ‘Why don’t you call me when you get back in New York.’  I was still working at Edward’s at that time.  I didn’t know who Parish-Hadley were. I really had no idea; I just liked Albert.  I am happy that he is still alive and still well.

David Easton with Albert Hadley

CJ: He just finally retired last year.

DE:  Yes.  He is a wonderful person!  My father said that it is as important to know when to get off stage as it is to get on.  Albert has known that with great style and logic in terms of the way he has done everything with his life

CJ: So tell me a little bit about Parish-Hadley.  Obviously that must have been a very different experience from working with Ed Wormley.  What did you learn there, and was that where you got an interest in interior design?

DE:  It was, and it was a learning process.  There were many lessons I learned there, but one of them was a sense of comfort, a sense of placement of furniture so that it was logical in a room.  It melded, it moved like bodies do.  I certainly learned about things that I had never dreamt of before, like textiles and all that went into that.  I learned about a certain lifestyle, about a way a dining room was set up, and all what was part of the Parish milieu and the people they worked for at that time.

So I did learn an enormous amount about a lot of things that go into making a house comfortable.  Night tables, lamps, reading, the whole organizations of bedrooms and bathrooms, and all those kinds of things came into play because that was their focus.  The architecture was already there, and so they were clearly defined.  In a large room I still try to do three seating groups.

CJ:  Based on that?

DE:  Yes, just based on that experience.  Because if there were four or five, it is one thing, but if there are six or eight that is something else.  It is about how to make a room grow with people.  I am reflecting on a certain society of course.  But I believe in one-room-living.  So the house that we had in the country, and the apartment that I have now in the city, both have one big room: living room, dining room, library, it is all there in one.  I don’t believe in different rooms, I really don’t.

CJ:  You like having a center table, and you like having all that together.

DE:  The center table is critical to the focus, but the real issue is why do people need a living room, a dining room and a library?  It’s just wasteful!

CJ:  And a family room.

DE:  And a family room, and a breakfast room, and a “this” room and a “that” room, God only knows.  We are still doing it, but I don’t believe in it myself personally, nor is the house I am building up in Canada going to be that.  It is going to be one big room.  It will have two fireplaces and the comfort of being able to seat at least two groups of people comfortably.

Loggia with fireplace at “Balderbrae”, David’s weekend home in Suffern, NY

Rendering of loggia at “Balderbrae” by Jimmy Steinmeyer (Image: courtesy of David Easton)

CJ:  So that practicality came from Parish-Hadley.  Then you started your own firm, and actually for most designers quite early.  I think I counted nine years after graduation or something like that.  So what made you to take that step, and what was it like going out on your own after having worked for really prominent design firms?

DE:  In truth I was probably being a pompous ass, a know-it-all.  I felt I had earned all I needed and I was bored with it.

CJ:  You felt you were ready.

DE:  Well I just felt that, but also a gentleman who had just been married had bought an apartment, and he asked me to work on it.

Living room in David’s apartment in the Flatiron district of New York (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ:  So you also had an opportunity.

DE:  There was that, and he was the head of the Marlborough Gallery, which was a very important modernist gallery in New York City and in London.  I had known him for a couple of years.  He and I would go to lunch, and he was an interesting character.

CJ:  Clearly a great opportunity.  But with that also surely came the responsibilities of running a business.  That could be challenging for someone so young.  All of a sudden you had staff.  Did you have staff?

DE:  Yes, I had staff.  I was very lucky.  The second project was our first big house we built out in Lake Forest, IL, for clients I had worked for at the Parish-Hadley office.  The man had divorced and wanted to build a house there.  That opportunity was just given to me, and it was a big house.  There was David Adler at my right and left side, and there I was back in Chicago in my old stomping grounds.  So the combination of those two jobs gave me a start.

I was very lucky to have a contractor in New York City suggest a man by the name of Joe Marino would be wonderful in our office.  Apparently he had had a history with several of the big classical architects in New York.  Joe was an older man and a classically trained architect.  That confidence in having someone like that work for me gave me the ability to go head with these things.  I couldn’t have done it on my own.  But nevertheless luck came into play again.  I loved him!  He died about 15 years ago.  He had worked on all the houses on Long Island and this town house in New York City, and he came along and he gave a grid and an educational course to me about, not how to build a house in terms of planning, but how to put a house together, the detail that went into it.

Façade of the home in Lake Forest, IL (Photo; Realites magazine)

Entry hall to the home in Lake Forest, IL (Photo; Realites magazine)

Living room of the home in Lake Forest, IL (Photo; Realites magazine)

CJ:  Because before in school it was all theory.

DE:  It was all theory.  One of the things I believe about the change from the past to the future is that it instills such a convoluted process.  Even when you look at modern work it is over- developed in terms of its design; it is still a 19th century process with a new look in the 21st century.  Real simplification means you don’t need all that.

CJ:  How can we change that?

DE:  We are going to be forced to.  With 10 billion people and such and such, the changing demographics of America, the value systems and the tautness of a future life with people living differently than they did, is not going to enhance architecture as we knew it.  It is going be totally different.  In science fiction people don’t live in one place anymore.  They are constantly in movement; they constantly change.

About ten years ago someone who was working for the chairman of Sony and his wife had bought an apartment in Museum Towers.  I was trying to figure out how to put the apartment together, and he told two tech men from Sony to talk to me about the systems that were going into the apartment; and that is important today.  It was important even then.

CJ:  What is important to us is that it is hidden.

DE:  Yes, but also that it works.  They came over, and we talked about the systems, and I took them out to lunch, and I was thinking about an exhibit I was working on for the National Trust in New York City.  There was always a money issue on how you did it, and so I asked them, ‘Well what tip or help can you give me?  How can we make this happen?  What could we do?’  And they were very helpful in the process.

But the real knowledge that came out of that was that they said that in the future we are going to be able to walk into a blank space, and that space will sense what we need and want emotionally and physically, and that the space would become that.  I believe that is true, and I think that is going to affect everything we do, including what we eat and drink.

Kitchen in a home in Aspen, CO (Photo: David Marlow)

Dining Area in a Greenwich Village apartment in New York (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ:  Surely there is much to come we still cannot seem to fathom.  But back then when you started your firm you were still learning how to physically build a house.  For a long time now you have been doing both architecture and interiors.  Could you give up one up?

DE:  I believe that a great house, a great piece of art, a great piece of sculpture, and a great novel are all done by one person.  But to then have people come in and do different things to it I think is negative.  If you play music, you play music.  If you paint a painting, you paint it.  You don’t have someone else do it.  Well obviously Michelangelo did, and I understand that.

CJ:  But he was always still the creator of the idea and the leader.

DE:  Yes.  The closest I can come to describing this is with some of the hospitality work we have done.  There are so many people making decisions.  So we just walked away from that.  It is not the same thing.  This hotel, the St. Regis, I think is beautifully done.  But I tell you, there can be too many cooks in the kitchen.

The bar at the Little Nell in Aspen, CO (Photo: David Marlow)

The lobby at the Little Nell in Aspen, CO (Photo: David Marlow)

CJ:  Let’s talk about something more fun.  You said that you love to travel.  Please tell me about some of the most fascinating places you have been to and what experiences you have taken away with you, not only personally, but also what may have inspired your design.

DE: Well, certainly Europe, seeing the houses and the gardens of England.  I went back again a second time to see Sissinghurst Garden.  Those are all extraordinary!  Seeing the Arts and Crafts houses was very important for me to see because of the blend of serious architecture and a rational view of the way architecture should be moving forward.  It preceded the Bauhaus.

A lot of it has been very architecturally oriented.  But also one of the greatest pleasures is having an idea of where you want to go, reading about the history, and preparing the way with a map.  Like with the Silk Route, reading Marco Polo’s trip was just a wonderful thing, although some of it is fantasy.  Reading about the Chinese Empire during that period was a fascinating thing.  I have been to China three times.

CJ: Did you get a chance to see those places you read about in the story?

DE:  Well I certainly saw Beijing.  I have never been up to Mongolia, and I have never been down that route, which is very difficult travel.  A lot of it is by bus and train, and you have to change all the time.  There is no route because it is 3,600 miles long.

CJ:  Can’t you have a driver?

DE:  You could — I never thought about that.  The background of every other trip though, other than that of Marco Polo, has been in a more contemporary way.  I have not gotten into it except for reading at this point.  But it is a minimum of a 3-week trip.  And then Venice and Istanbul are those cities that are mysteriously and wonderfully complicated and wonderful places to dream, read and learn about, and even more fun to be in.

David in Morocco (Photo: courtesy of David Easton)

“Westmount Wall” fabric for Lee Jofa (Photo: courtesy of David Easton)

CJ:  And do you come back with new ideas that you then implement?

DE:  Oh yes, Venice less so, but certainly Istanbul.  One of the things that is interesting to watch is textiles, furniture, art, and lighting being made; a lot of it is being influenced by Asia.  Forget neoclassical architecture, forget Georgian houses, forget Bauhaus, it is going to be a fusion of styles that will be global.  It will be a global style.  I am sure people have said that, but that is what it is going to be.

“Kyoto” rug for Safavieh (Photo: courtesy of Safavieh)

“Durban Diamond” rug in the living room of David’s apartment in the Flatiron district of New York (Photo: Durston Saylor)

“Paro Grid” rug for Safavieh (Photo: courtesy of Safavieh)

“Paro Grid” rug for Safavieh (Photo: courtesy of Safavieh)

CJ: We are certainly seeing that.  On another note I learned that you absolutely love symmetry. So whatever the design style may be, tell me a little more about that.

DE:  It is so difficult for me to break the classical form.  And I always think about Leonardo’s drawing of man and the great houses that I have seen.  Obviously Falling Water is an extraordinary asymmetrical house influenced by Japan.  No one can deny that.  I could live in it, I wish I could draw it up.  I don’t know that I could because I would be displeased.  I never had a site to work with like that.  I guess that would make a difference.

But I like classical architecture.  How that transmits itself to modernism, I don’t know. The modular house that I am building up in Canada is definitely a house that is symmetrical. But that works with modular architecture, the principle of manufacturing, packaging, shipping, and putting it up.  So that works there.  I’m not sure if it works the other way.

CJ:  I am always disturbed when I see these floor plans of these huge MacMansions.  It sort of looks like three generations went crazy adding additions on weird angles.  I don’t get it.

DE:  Yes, and we see it outside of every city.  But the real thing is that it proves that the style of classicism no longer really works.  The aesthetic that is created is historical, but at the same time a state of mind, of clarity, of peace, and order does not exist.  These mansions are really disgusting.

Entry hall at Albemarle House built for Patricia Kluge in Charlottesville, VA (Photo: Philip Beaurline)

Library at Albemarle House built for Patricia Kluge in Charlottesville, VA (Photo: Philip Beaurline)

CJ: I think it is so important how you feel in a space.  And if you get lost in your house, there is something wrong with that.

DE: There was this guy that came up to me to sign his book recently.   He was building a 40,000 square foot house someplace.  I just said, ‘What are you doing?’  He said, ‘That’s what they want’.

CJ:  Another much needed mega mansion.  You are known as a classicist, but I heard you are not averse to using stuff from IKEA, for example?

DE:  No, not at all.  I think one of the curious subtext to merchandising of home product has been Williams Sonoma Home, etc. etc. etc.  They have done a wonderful job of bringing good quality design to the people that is acceptable in design and is logical cost-wise.  It is Ford Motor furniture.  I mean that as a compliment.

CJ:  On the other hand Restoration Hardware has ventured into a more high-end market, also now carrying antiques.  I found that really interesting, because while everything is getting faster and cheaper they are going the opposite direction.  You now have to order everything like in a showroom, which is a whole different concept for retail.

DE:  Well, they were very clever in adapting the Belgian look.  Here is to Axel Vervoordt!  They just copied it right down the line.  But it does look very beautiful, by the way.  And I guess it sells very well.  So it is a trademark of the Belgian look brought to America successfully.

Dining room in an alpine-inspired house in Aspen, CO (Photo: David Marlow)

Living room in an alpine-inspired house in Aspen, CO (Photo: David Marlow)

Master bedroom in an alpine-inspired house in Aspen, CO (Photo: David Marlow)

CJ: And I have seen Axel’s fingerprints in lots of homes.  We talked a little bit about your outlook on the future, but what are some of the old-fashioned things that you couldn’t live without?  What do you hope wouldn’t change, with the world changing so much?

DE:  I would hope that a sense of comfort, both visual and physical comfort, did not leave us. Science fiction teaches me that in fact, comfort is not a fact, or that in fact no one stays and lives in one place anymore, either physically or in their minds.  That is the thing that I think should exist along with logic, about the way we design and build.  Logic is a very ephemeral word to place on a response to you.  But I think we are going to learn that out of necessity, because we can no longer afford to be luxuriously wasteful.

CJ:  So how do you apply that knowledge and belief to your product design?  Not being wasteful, an emphasis on comfort, thinking about the future?  You design textiles, wall coverings, lighting, and furniture.

I think the brain, the mind, and the soul are going to become enriched by technology, and we are going to dream and feel things that we used to have to feel like physically.  I think that the impact of a space including its furnishings, its covering, and its flooring are going to become simpler, simply because the richness of life is going to come from this.  We are going to imagine the feel.  The mind is something we barely understand.

CJ:  But think about yourself: you were intrigued by beautiful things since you were a child.  So if we are looking at the future the way you describe it how would you feel about that?  I am thinking about touching the softest cashmere or seeing the gorgeous figuring of an exotic wood.  I cannot imagine not experiencing that anymore.

DE:  We have not reached that stage.  We are still manufacturing by products by hand; we still look at the wood, and say how beautiful it is finished.  And I don’t know how quickly that will disappear.

CJ: As designers we are increasingly building a younger client base, many of whom come from a technology background.  These people are very cerebral, and I feel that many want more simplicity in design.  Perhaps they are looking for a more Zen feel because their minds are so busy at all times.

DE:  It makes sense in the world.  I don’t think there has ever been this much chaos in the world as there is today, because everyone senses everything across the globe.  You are not isolated.  When I grew up in America there were Mexico and Canada, and two oceans.  We were completely isolated.  Even the war in Europe was in another place, and it felt that it was not part of us.  Today every war is part of us.  So I think maybe the mind will overcome that, and we will live a more Zen life.

Entry hall in a modern home in Aspen, CO (Photo: David Marlow)

Living room in Frances Dittmer’s house in Aspen (Photo: David Marlow)

CJ:  We are all over-stimulated.  So the home is probably needed more as a refuge, not just physically, but also emotionally.

DE:  And technology will make that easier also, because technology will create atmospheres within a space that will make you feel calm.

CJ: How about objects and clutter?  You mentioned that you have 6,000 books.  Now that could all be on Kindle.

DE:  I am sure that you totally understand that I could never give up the possession of a book.  I have a Kindle.  I have tried to use it, but I don’t want to.  I want to turn the pages, and I want to make notes, and I want to feel the binding, and I want to carry it with me.  A Kindle is a wall between you and the sensibility of the page, that is my problem

CJ:  How about online magazines versus print magazines?  We have had so many shelter publications die, but we have had the births of many online magazines since.  Do you read online?

DE:  Not at all!

CJ:  But you flip through Elle Decor, Architectural Digest and all that?

DE:  In truth, I do.  I still like the pieces of paper. They are just like books.  It is the physicalness of it.

David with Lizzie at Balthazar (Photo: Andrew French)

CJ:  But future technology is taking some of that away from us.  There are certain physical pleasures, like enjoying a glass of wine that you could never do viral.  In that context, I know that you love to entertain.  I was wondering if you can share a little bit about how you like to entertain, maybe some of the interesting dinner parties you have had.

DE:   Well first of all, a lot of it takes place in and around New York, in favorite restaurants, and with a group of people that I know.  Some of them take place in the apartment because of people who I know are interested in certain things.  It could be a book party.  If I am traveling with people we will have several dinners prior, discussing where we are going and charting the course, and putting the map up, and looking at that.  One of the things I very seldom do as a New Yorker is to ever eat at home.

CJ:  So you don’t entertain a lot at home.

DE:  Very seldomly, it is mostly in restaurants.

CJ:  Who cooks at home?

DE:  Jimmy does. Jimmy Steinmeyer and I have lived together for 35 years now.  He does these beautiful drawings you have seen, and he has been a major part in my life, a major comfort in my life, and a major influence in terms of adopting the kind of lifestyle I lead, to one that is more logical, because he has good friends.  We have good friends, but we go out to Antonucci or Gramercy Tavern.  And we have a wonderful time, and we don’t have to wash dishes.

Rendering of David’s design by James Steinmeyer for “Rooms with a View”

Rendering of David’s design of an office space for “Rooms with a View” (Photo: courtesy of Stylebeat)

CJ:  Good point.

DE:  It is nice to just sit and talk and drink.  We both work; everybody works today.  To stop long enough to shop, then cook, then put it on the table, and then clean up afterwards; I think there is a more convivial atmosphere when you are just free to drink and eat.

CJ:  Who do you wish you would have had at one of your dinner parties that you can’t anymore?

DE:  Oh God, I could go through history.  I would love to have dinner with Leonardo.

CJ:  He is on my list too.

DE:  Leonardo, number one certainly, or George Washington, I would love to sit down and talk with.  There are so many people: Einstein, Freud; I would love to have a conversation with Freud.  The people aforementioned are people who really made extraordinary change.  They changed the whole ethos of the world.  And those are the kind of people that I would be interested to have to dinner.  I’d like to have Marie Antoinette to dinner, frankly.

CJ:  My fellow Austrian.  She was so young and naive.

DE:  I would still like to hear what her values were, if she understood them.

CJ: I am not sure, but I think her mother would have been very interesting, Empress Maria Theresa.  She and her husband were very curious to learn about their citizens, and they actually were responsible for the education of the masses.  And she was a patron of Mozart.

DE:  Speaking of that — musicians.  If there is anything that reaches into the soul more than the written word, it is music.  It is so unbelievable!

CJ:  I agree.  Even though I am such a visual person nothing hits my soul more than music.

DE:  It is a true massage; it really is.  It just brings tears to my eyes.  There is nothing that has ever reached into my mind and soul and heart like music.  It is almost like a massage of the heart and brain listening to Brahms’ Requiem or any of those great historic pieces that reach deep into you.  The Mona Lisa doesn’t attract me the way music does.

CJ:  What is your favorite music?

DE:  Certainly it is chamber music.  And I just love Brahms, because of the lilt and the whirlwind quality of his music, and the sensibility about peace and harmony, and of course Bach.  That’s music!  One is love, and the other is science and mathematics.

“Soan” table lamp for Robert Abbey (Photo: courtesy of David Easton)

“Uppark” chandelier for Robert Abbey (Photo: courtesy of David Easton)

CJ:  Do you listen to music when you work?

DE:  Yes.  Well I turn on WQXR, which is the only and last classical radio station in New York.  I just enjoy the harmony, the peace, and the sense of history that is involved in classical music.

CJ:  What are some other things you enjoy most in life?

DE:  Travel, knowledge, reading, gardens.

CJ:  Do you do gardens as well for clients?  Or do you have someone else for that?

DE:  Generally we do the basic planning, because great architecture is architecture, interior, and landscape. They are music.

Front of a home in Dallas, TX (Photo: David Marlow)

U-shaped back of a home in Dallas, TX (Photo: David Marlow)

CJ:  You talked earlier about one person designing everything.  So in this case do you design the landscaping, and then you work with someone who has the technical know-how?

DE:  Yes, there is one orchestra leader.  But the specialists some times offer things that I never dreamt of, and I am accepting of it.   The basic plan of a house is the house, the furniture, and the landscape, basically planned out.  So you know what your distances are, where you are dining, where the porch is, how you drive in and service the house, how that is hidden from view as you drive in the main entrance, views from upstairs and the master bedroom et cetera, if it is so; it is all part of the totality of a picture.

CJ:  And how it feels.  You are an award-winning architect and designer.  What do you see next in terms of accomplishments for yourself?  Do you set goals or just let it happen?

DE:  I am going to repeat what my father said to Ray Reed on the side porch of the house.  It is as important to know how to get off stage than it is to get on.  My point is to get my next book completed, to build a house in Montreal, and to try to veer the work that we are doing into a more contemporary and sensible way in terms of the future.

CJ:  So you want to really incorporate the ideas you mentioned into your practice?

DE:  I want to incorporate them into something that moves forward, and make some slight change.  Unfortunately, not for me but generally, I think that change is going to be forced on us, also from an aesthetics standpoint of how people live.  How can we convince clients to keep it simple?  But people are learning that already.

CJ:  I agree. I talked to Paul Wiseman about that.

DE:  I know Paul, and I like him a lot.  He has both feet on the floor.

CJ:  Yes, I respect him very much.  His house in Belvedere is on a gorgeous site with a beautiful vista; but it is not big.  And he told me that he has entertained his clients there many times just to show them that they don’t need a huge house to entertain.  It is a very beautiful home, but very understated.  So I think that it is a great showplace to show to his clients.  To your point.

DE:  Good for him. That is true.

CJ:  What keeps you still passionate about your work?

DE:  I love the journey.  I love the planning of a project and making it happen, the organization that has to go into it and the people you meet.  You are kind of a conductor. You have to have someone who is playing the violin, and someone who is playing the piano, and someone who is playing the harp, and whatever other instruments there are.  And you have to create something that pulls everyone together into a piece of music. It is the same thing with painting, only paintings are usually painted by one person. Design requires dozens and dozens of people to make it happen, and I find that a great challenge.

Entry to David’s apartment in the Flatiron district of New York (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ:  Designers and architects are indeed like conductors.  And we do need the best contractors, craftsmen and artisans to realize our vision.  But there has to be the one who directs everything.

DE:  And it has to be done with intelligence.  That is why I believe in the future houses can become simpler, smaller, and intelligently manufactured.

CJ:  Let’s talk about your books.  What was the impetus for your first book?  Tell me about what got you started on the idea, and what is it all about.

DE:  In truth, it happened because people in my office wanted to do it.  I concurred, and it was a wonderful thing to put together because it was reminiscing about the past.  But I have another book in the works.

CJ:  What is it about, and when is that coming out?

DE:  It is about Americans at home in the 21st century.  It is about everything I have been talking about today.  I want to write a book that takes everything that I have learned in the past and puts it into the future in a way that will make sense in the future.  Comfort!

CJ:   And how are you going to visually illustrate a book that is about theory?

DE:  I will have to do digital imaging.  I will create houses and interiors, show the process and talk about what the future will be by using all that statistics that I have been reading for years.   The statistics will support the reader’s understanding of what housing was like in America during the various centuries and what it will be for the 21st century. Going back in history was the thing I was most interested in.  For the 21st century I want to use the house up in Canada to show how intelligence and aesthetics are important. Intelligence is the most important thing of the future.  It will be survival of the fittest, Darwin one-on-one.  To know the future you have to look to the past.  What did the house look like then and how did it work?  And then you have to understand what the elements of the future are and take and incorporate that.  But I think one picture is worth a thousand words.

CJ:  I can’t wait to see it.  What would you consider your signature elements that are recognizably David Easton.  I would think symmetry would be one of them.

DE:  Yes, also sense of comfort, which I think that is critical, both visual and physical comfort.  Also logic in planning is key.  What makes sense, how do rooms work?  How do you go from one space to the other?

CJ:  Logic in planning, symmetry, and comfort.  I think that should be the basis of any design.

DE:  Thank you, thank you for holding me to that one.

Entry hall in a home in Montreal, Canada (Photo: David Marlow)

Vignette in living room of the home in Lake Forest, IL (Photo; Realites magazine)

CJ:  I also would like to know what may be surprising to people to learn about you.

DE:  I think the most astounding thing is a search through life.  The God in this world is in each of us.  I sound like a preacher, but I really mean that.  I also think that the future is going to create a world where the divergence between intelligence and stupidity will increase because of the world population growth.  There are going to be intelligent people, but there are going to be many more unintelligent people.

CJ:  Even amongst the educated people there always were unintelligent people and smart ones.  So how to apply that to your life?

DE:  Basically we hope we are talking about sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll.

Master bedroom in Frances Dittmer’s house in Aspen (Photo: David Marlow)

Living room in a Park Avenue apartment in New York (Photo: Durston Saylor)

CJ:  Now that’s a subject!  We could go on, but I see you are being summoned.  Thank you David for all your time and insight.

DE:  My pleasure!

David Easton’s book “Timeless Elegance: The Houses of David Easton” is available at William Stout Architectural Books.

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On the market for $20 million in the affluent San Francisco, California neighborhood of Pacific Heights is a historical mansion by renowned Bay Area architect Julius E. Krafft. Amidst the city’s High Victorian renaissance, Krafft was commissioned in 1902 by prominent lawyer Emanuel S. Heller, who paid more than $45,000 (ten times the average construction cost at the time and the equivalent of roughly $1.18 million today) to build what is known today as the Heller Mansion on Jefferson St. Of the tidy sum that went into the building of the home, a good deal went towards appealing interior features such as imported exotic woods and the intricate ceiling molding and painted mural in the formal bayside dining room. These features remain intact to this day and, in fact, much of the property has been restored to reflect on and maintain Krafft’s original vision.

A little architectural background: After emigrating to the U.S. from Germany in 1872, Krafft spent two years in Chicago before making his way to San Francisco 1874. He would spend twelve years working for architect T.J. Welsh before opening his own firm. Today, Krafft’s Classical Revival imprint can be seen scattered throughout Pacific Heights and the greater part of San Francisco. His body of work includes the James C. Flood Mansion, Hamlin School mansion, Captain Charles Boudrow House, Allen Hotel, Rosslyn Hotel, Hotel Verona, St. George Apartments at Tenderloin and the St. Paulus Evangelical Lutheran Church, to name just a few.

The Hellman-Heller Mansion, in particular, is one of Krafft’s more interesting designs as it borrows from not only the neoclassical attributes of Louis XVI Style, but also the radical architectural influence of Cesar Daly. The model of the home is simple, yet intricate. There is a meticulous nature and symmetrical balance of Krafft’s that can be seen throughout the property; however, the home’s more finite details add a certain level of Old World charm, such as the terracotta columns that line the entrance way and the exquisite iron work that adorns the second-floor windows.

Inside, the Hellman-Heller Mansion expands to over 11,500-square-feet, spread across four floors. A grand main level includes a lavish reception hall that opens to a living room, dining room, service kitchen and terrace foyer. A double-curved mahogany staircase leads to a third-level master suite, complete with an office, sitting room and his and her baths, and further on to four guest bedrooms, three full baths and a media room located on the fourth floor. The home’s lower level features not only a gourmet kitchen, but also a baking kitchen, along with an au pair suite, wine cellar, family room and garage.

This listing is presented by Dona Crowder of TRI Coldwell Banker.

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Read the rest here:

Own a Piece of San Francisco History: Julius Krafft’s Heller Mansion (PHOTOS)

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3636 Washington, on the market for $15 million

The beautiful Presidio Heights home located at 3636 Washington Street has recently gone on the market for $15,000,000, listed by Susan McBride and Lisa J Wolfe of TRI Coldwell Banker.

This distinguished and historically significant house was commissioned by Adolph Coors (founder of The Coors Brewing Company) as a gift to his daughter, Louise “Lulu” Coors, upon her marriage to Dr. Henry Berent Albert Kugeler in 1903.  The couple lived at 2210 Baker Street until 1910 when, according to tax records, the Washington Street home was completed under the direction of architect T. Paterson Ross.

The Kugelers, who lived at the home with their daughter and two sons, were a socially prominent couple. They held a grand dinner and dance at the home in 1913 that was covered by the San Francisco Chronicle, and even Mrs. Kuegler’s teas and luncheons there were considered socially notable.

Following Dr. Krueger’s death, the house was sold in 1916 to Frederick W. Dohrmann Jr. for $60,000. Since then, it has continued to be occupied by an interesting variety of people. At one point it housed the Miss Wilkins Private School, and until the 1980s the International Insititute for the Translation of Buddhist Texts.  The current owner, Brook Byers, is a senior partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

In 1985-1986, the house underwent upgrades to its structural, electrical and plumbing systems. “A majority of the interior surfaces were completely refinished,” according to the selling agents, who noted that “Many of the home’s unique turn-of-the-century architectural details were restored to their prior glory.”

According to the agents, the 8-bedroom residence, reportedly just under 10,000 square feet, is “situated from north to south, which allows incredible light from all sides throughout the day, and it is perfectly positioned to provide extraordinary views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay and the Presidio.”

No doubt the wonderful Presidio Heights locations is what originally drew the Kugeler family to 3636 Washington over 100 years ago, and will continue to delight its new residents in the near future.

The post Washington Street Home on Market for $15 Million appeared first on SFLuxe.

Detail of Hedge Gallery

Only in its forth year, the 2011 SF20/21, held at the Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason, has had a big impact on the modern design scene, and it has continued to grow its repertoire.

Sponsored by Gucci and Christies this year, the San Francisco Art and Design Show & Sale expanded its 21POP Atelier, the collection of pop-up shops curated by Stanlee Gatti, which showcased more contemporary and cutting-edge designers, artists and artisans.  This year’s selection included Anandamayi Arnold, Matt Dick, Angelina DeAntonis, Wendy MacNaughton, The Popular Workshop and Town Cutler.

Stanlee Gatti and Frish Brandt

Matt Dick in his 21POP Atelier

Joy Bianchi trying on a ring

Town Cutler’s 21POP Atelier

Stephanie Tuttle, Angelique Griepp, Jacqueline Sacks, Elizabeth Touw, Susan Dunlevy

Wendy MacNaughton in her 21POP Atelier

For the main show co-chairs Katie Schwab Paige, Allison Speer and Stanlee Gatti and honorary co-chairs Gina and Stuart Peterson collaborated with Elaine McKeon, the SFMOMA’s trustee advisor, and Designer Forum Chair Douglas Durkin.  They brought together 40 of the most prominent 20th century decorative and fine arts dealers from around the country and Europe.  Returning exhibitors were R20th Century Gallery and Hostler Burrows from New York, Hedge Gallery, Fraenkel Gallery, Monument, and Silverman Gallery from San Francisco, Ma(i)sonry from Yountville, Reform Gallery from Los Angeles, and The Silver Fund from London.  New to the show were Almond Hartzog and Anthony Meier Fine Arts of San Francisco, Gray Gallery of Los Angeles and Paris, and Daniel Blau of London and Munich.

Beauvais Carpets

Battersea

Nirav Tolia, Stuart Peterson, Megha Tolia

Hostler Burrows

Jenna Hunt, Emily Martin

Amarcord Fine Decorative Arts

Marilyn Garrow Fine Textile Art

Again serious collectors, SFMOMA patrons, interiors designers and architects, as well as social A-list, all turned out to admire and procure some of the 20th and 21st centuries finest examples of high design and art.  Ample sized Grey Goose cocktails, delicacies by McCall and a hot DJ kept the 700+ guests joyous and generous, including many gentlemen bestowing a modern jewel or two on blessed ladies or procuring coveted treasures for themselves.

Guests included politicians Willie L. Brown Jr. with Sonja Moledetskaya, and Matthew Goudeau, as well as collectors and design enthusiasts such as Randi and Bob Fisher, Dorothy and Ken Paige, Sara and Austin Hills, Alison and Mark Pincus, Alexis and Trevor Traina, Kathryn and Bo Lasater, Kate Harbin and Adam Clammer, Cathy and Ned Topham, Merla Zellerbach, Barbara and Larry Sonsini, Marissa Mayer and Zach Bogue, Helen Hilton Raiser, Jennifer Raiser, Jenna and Brian Hunt, Nion McEvoy, Summer and Brooks Walker III, Concepción and Irwin Federman, Angelique and Troy Griepp, Dolly and George Chammas, Bobbie and Mike Wilsey, Susan Swig, Pat and Bill Wilson, Diane Morris, Danielle Boutros, and Mitchell Benjamin and Ricky Serbin.

Darrin Schnabel, Bill Brady, Allison Speer

Manizeh Rimer and Alison Pincus – Zach Bogue, Alexis Traina, Marissa Mayer

Dede Wilsey and John Buchanan – Suzanne Tucker and Timothy Marks

Anandamayi Arnold’s 21POP Atelier

Karen Caldwell – Claudia Juestel and Matthew MacCaul Turner

Also in attendance were architects Ronald Rael, Virginia San Fratello, Richard Beard, and Gregg de Meza, interior designers; among them, Suzanne Tucker, Jay Jeffers, Ken Fulk, Geoffrey de Sousa, Candace Barnes, Matthew Leverone, Will Wick, Cecilia Sagrera, George Brazil, Matthew MacCaul Turner, Benjamin Dhong, landscape architects Stephen Suzman and Todd Cole, and lighting designer Jonathan Browning.

Christopher Anthony Ltd.

Michael Purdy, Ken Fulk, Jay Jeffers, Glenn De Mattia

Fraenkel Gallery

Monument

George Brazil, Jennifer Gustafson, Cecilia Sagrera-Hill, Greg de Meza

Ma(i)sonry

From furniture, lighting, jewelry, and objets d’art to paintings and photography, once again the show had it all.  This year many more contemporary designers and artist were in the mix.  Wunderkind David Wiseman was at hand at R20th Century, showing some of his latest creations in glass, bronze and porcelain.

Silverman Gallery exhibited an international range of current artists, such as Canadian multi-media artist Scott Treleaven, local conceptual artist Ginger Wolfe-Suarez, California photographer and sculptor Matt Lips, and Argentine multi-media artist Lucas Michael.  Interior and furniture designer Charles de Lisle introduced his collection of furniture and lighting to a larger audience, and Antoinette Faragallah captivated with her ceramic pieces at Gray Gallery.

Lisa Alexander and Lindsay Bolton

Douglas Durkin – Alex Chases and Maria Manetti Farrow

Kate Watson and Eoin Harrington – Kate Harbin and Will Harbin

R20th Century Gallery

Jennifer Raiser and Mitchell Benjamin – Serena and Alec Perkins

Alicia Cheung, Sarah Lynch – Lillian Goodwin, Liza Cannata, Alex Turner, Ali Sonsini Turner

Amy Schoew and Sergie Azzolino – Candace Barnes, Janelle Loedner, Andrea Suarez

I am very much looking forward to what next year’s show will bring, as more 20th century treasures will see the light and new artists and designers will be discovered.

The post SF20/21: Reaching into the 21st Century appeared first on SFLuxe.

Willie L. Brown Jr., Malia Cohen, Kofi Bonner

Since its inception in 2005 the MoAD (Museum of African Diaspora) has become an important cultural institution in San Francisco, showcasing the art, culture and history of a segment of our city’s population that had been underserved until then. The museum has found a most respected place amongst its neighbors, the SFMoMA, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Zeum, and the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

For the past six years the MoAD has been bringing together people of all ages and ethnicities through exceptional exhibitions and cultural programs, celebrating the talents of people of African descent within the United States and around the world. Exhibitions, among others, have included a retrospective of the work of painter Richard Mayhew and a show of graphic works by iconic Harlem Renaissance artist and writer Romare Bearden.

Miguel Bustos, Francee Covington, Delroy Lindo

Deborah Santana, Christine Bronstein

Guest, Hyacynth Ahuruonye, Amanda Wright, Guest

Theresa Tyson and Allison Bankhead

Willie L. Brown Jr., Sonja Moledetskaya, William G. Rutland Jr.

I had the pleasure of attending their 6thannual black-tie Gala hosted by actor and director Delroy Lindo and Co-chairs Lloyd H. Dean and Deborah Santana. Held at the historic Palace Hotel the event started with a cocktail reception in the elegant Garden Court, which was sponsored by the House of Hennessy and represented by Maurice-Richard Hennessy, who has done development work in Africa before becoming the famed cognac’s global ambassador.

In a live auction guests had the opportunity to bid on lunch with former mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., CPUC Commissioner Timothy Alan Simon, former San Francisco Forty-Niner Jaime Williams, and Lloyd H. Dean, as well as a stunning landscape by Richard Mayhew, which went to Kaiser’s COO and 2011 honoree Bernard J. Tyson and his wife Denise Bradley Tyson, Vice President of the San Francisco Film Commission.

Richard Mayhew and Nashormeh Lindo

Dr. Vicki Hugens, Pam Stevenson, Dr. Allison Metz

Jan Ford and Al Ford

Denise Bradley Tyson and Bernard Tyson

Tracey Lovely, Walter McCain, Dawn Reed

Guests included Willie L. Brown Jr. and Sonja Molodetskaya, CBS anchor Dana King, Supervisor Malia Cohen, Deborah Santana, founder of Band of Wives Christine Bronstein and media mogul husband Phil Bronstein, community leader Brenda Wright, philanthropist Deirdre Luddington, CEO of Sempra Energy Jesse Knight Jr. and wife Joye Blunt, and CHRO at Catholic Healtchare Ernest Urquhart and wife Michelle Urquhart, President of Williams Capital Dail St. Claire, former commissioner David Ellington, music industry veteran Kitsaun King, novelist Julianne Balmain, serial entrepeneur Altura Ewers, and the lovely Allison Bankhead who will be competing for Miss California in 2012.

Paula Collins and Chuck Collins

Brenda Wright and Amanda Wright

Lloyd Dean and Suzanne Dean

Robin McBride and Andrea McBride

During the Gala dinner the MoAD honored Target with the Corporate Leadership Award, Joyce Jackson Dixon with the Patron of Culture Award, Toni Rembe with the Legacy of Philanthropy Award and Bernard J. Tyson with the Visionary Leadership Award. The elegant evening concluded with a special performance by the five-time Grammy nominee The John Santos Quintet, after which guests could shake their tail feathers to the music of The World Famous Rick and Russ Show.

Deborah Santana, Dana King, Michelle Urquhart

Bernard Boudreaux

Megan Simmons and Carl Simmons

Altura Ewers and Julianne Balmain

Delroy Lindo and Grace Stanislaus

Roger Allen, Anna Banks, Gregory Hunter

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Vanessa Getty, Ken Fulk, Denise Hale

Ken Fulk recently opened his new retail shop with the usual pomp and circumstance we all have come to expect of him.Peep Show, a 3,000 sf concept store housed on the ground floor of his 7th Street warehouse, is stocked with unique furnishings, accessories, art and fashion, put together by the multi-talented designer in the same uncompromising, iconoclastic manner with which he approaches interior design.

Peep Show Gallery

The selection is full of contradictions, from the formal, such as bespoke menswear by Chado Ralph Rucci, bowties handmade from vintage Hermes scarves, and Wedgwood basaltware, to the attractively lascivious, expressed in monogrammed leather “love-slappers,” linen cocktail napkins embroidered with abbreviated classified ads, all paying homage to the building’s history as a former S & M leather factory, and the unapologetically bizarre, such as light fixtures made from taxidermy animals.

View of the Peep Show Gallery from the mezzanine

The shop’s library includes books of interior design, erotic photography and fashion, while the gallery exhibits a rotating collection of vintage paintings and contemporary artwork, such as the current exhibition of large-scale photography by Robert Stivers and Michael Stuetz. In contrast, the back of the shop boasts a comparatively tame floral atelier where custom arrangements can be ordered.

Ralph Rucci and Tatiana Sorokko

Chado Ralph Rucci display at Peep Show Gallery

A Guest with Denise Hale, Ken Fulk, and Mark Leno

Melissa Barber, Sobia Shaikh, Nadir Shaikh

Michael Boodro and Keith Scott

Display of vintage furniture and accessories at Peep Show Gallery

A group of more than 600 select San Franciscans from the apexes of Pacific Heights and Nob Hill to the depths of South of Market, with a sprinkling of Silicon Valley powerhouses, got a sneak preview of the shop with a party only Fulk would dream of.

Circus performers and leather-clad models greeted guests into the decadence of Peep Show, led them to the carnival in the parking lot and onto all floors of the building where a white rabbit, a burlesque snake dancer, and a contortionist created exciting disorder. A drag queen fortuneteller promised tantalizing futures, and waitresses in burlesque costumes served much wanted libations. Presiding over the deliciously unruly bunch was ring mistress Sarah Lynch, the former editor in chief of California Home and Design magazine, and now Director of Marketing & Events at Ken Fulk, Inc.

Gatekeepers – Sconce made with butterflies at Peep Show Gallery

Performers – Lex and Michael Downing

Snake dancer – Debbie Kay and Alison Pincus

A Guest with Kurt Wootton, Victoire Reynal Brown – Ricky Serbin

Peep Show Gallery – Brenda Mickel and Ned Mosbey

Down from the Hills and Heights of San Francisco came Denise Hale, Vanessa Getty, Maria Manetti Farrow, Sobia and Nadir Shaikh, Kathryn and Bo Lasater, Pasha Thornton, Melissa Barber and Senator Mark Leno.

Also in attendance were technology luminati Xochi and Michael Birch, Michael Downing with wife Lex Downing and Nirav Tolia, plus chefs extraordinaire Nancy Oakes and Gary Danko, as well as a slew of Fulk’s colleagues from the world of design, among them architects Andrew Skurman and Richard Beard, interior designers Douglas Durkin, Steven Volpe, Jay Jeffers, Steven Miller, Brenda Mickel, Matthew MacCaul Turner, Will Wick, Michael Friedes, and Benjamin Dhong, antiques dealers Ed Hardy, Candace Barnesand Gabriela Sarlo, Restoration Hardware’s CEO Gary Friedman and landscape architect Todd Cole, and not to be missed the founding ladies of One Kings Lane Alison Pincus and Susan Feldman.

Jeffrey Alan Marks and Ross Cassidy

Fresh in from LA came “Million Dollar Decorators” Jeffrey Allen Marks and Ross Cassidy who divided their weekend between San Francisco and Healdsburg where they attended a dinner in their honor at home of the queen of alpaca Sandra Jordan.

Greg Lopez, Maria Manetti Farrow, Paul Weaver – Lindsay Bolton, Serena Fairchild, Kate Chung

Andrew Skurman and Vanessa Getty – Katya Smirnoff-Skyy

Henry Urbach and Stephen Hartman – Matthew Stoops, Aron Carmanis, Kevin Clarke, Steven Miller, Monique Jenkinson, Karl Soehnlein

Malin Giddings, Lonna Wais, a Guest and Ken Fulk – Menswear display at Peep Show Gallery

Serge Sorokko and Suzy Kellems Dominik – Steven Miller

Michael Boodro and Jeffrey Alan Marks – Jay Jeffers and Douglas Durkin

Will Wick and Jennifer Kelly – Claudia Ross

The fashionable, fashion experts and fashion designers were also at hand. Joy Bianchi, Summer Tompkins Walker, Suzy Kellems Dominik, Brenda Zarate, Ricky Serbin in a floor length fox fur coat, Keith Scott, and late arrival Ralph Rucci himself in a-to-die-for black crocodile leather jacket.

Also the art world took notice with Henry Urbach former Curator of Art and Architecture at SFMOMA, bicoastal art advisor Holly Baxter, and photographers Robert Stivers and Michael Stuetz. The gals of PR and press would not miss it: Claudia Ross who had the host’s name “tattooed” on her lower back, Jessica Mullens in a vintage top hat, the ever understated Diane Dorrans Saeks and Alisa Carrol, as well as Carolyne Zinko, and Jennifer Raiser adorned with a red corset, black satin hot pants and black stripe stockings; neither did Elle Decor’s Editor in Chief Michael Boodro who flew in from New York.

Joy Bianchi, Ralph Rucci, Tatiana Sorokko

Mezzanine of the Peep Show Gallery with photograph “Hand” by Robert Stivers

James Marzo, Claudia Juestel, Ed Hardy

Matt Dick, Nirav Tolia, Jessica Mullens

Betsy Dalkert, Melissa Barber, Jennifer Raiser

Michael Purdy, Sasha Eisner, Gabriella Sarlo

Jonathan Lazar, Brenda Zarate, Mark Calvano, and Guest

Peep Show Gallery

Peep Show is located at 310 7th Street at Folsom and will be open by appointment only by calling (415) 285-1164.

The post Ken Fulk’s Peep Show Revealed appeared first on SFLuxe.

John Rosekrans Jr. and Dodie Rosekrans.
Photographed by Jonathan Becker, Town & Country, November 1988.

Described by design expert Diane Dorrans Saeks as “the most beautiful house in San Francisco,” 2840 Broadway closed escrow on August 4, 2011, after national speculation about potential buyers for the property.

Discretion prevents us from naming the price or the buyer (who is well-known to readers of SFluxe.com), but as the wife is a nationally known tastemaker (featured in Vogue), one can expect this already treasured but aged property to again be taken to the highest level of design.

Diane Saeks wrote extensively about the home when it was owned by Mr. and Mrs. John Rosekrans Jr., including it in a beautifully photographed chapter of her book “San Francisco: A Certain Style,” a book you simply have to get for your library if you haven’t yet done so.

The home was built in 1916 by Willis Jefferson Polk for  the family of Andrew Welch, Jr., an heir to one of California’s most substantial fortunes, with its origins in shipping.  He and wife Julia Welch were often featured in the Chronicle’s society column, and socialized with leading families of San Francisco such as the de Youngs, and the Tobins.  Mrs. Welch enjoyed entertaining, and even had a dinner party for 30 in which all the guests were masked.  As Diane notes, the couple used “wit and imagination” in their hiring of Polk, and indeed seemed to have had a great sense of style.

Following Mrs. Welch’s passing, the home was willed to the Archdiocese, and was kept as the Archbishop’s mansion for 40 years, until it was purchased by the Rosekrans family in 1979 for $1.6 million.

Following Dodie Rosekrans’ passing last year, the home now welcomes yet another family of impeccable taste and connoisseurship, who will undoubtedly assure that it celebrates its 100th anniversary as gloriously as its first, a landmark of San Francisco design at its finest.

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One of the most anticipated annual events, the SF20/21 San Francisco Art and Design Show and Sale, now in its 4th year, will return on September 15-18, 2011, to the Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason Center.

SF20/21 features 40 of the most prominent 20th century decorative and fine arts dealers from across the United States and Europe, including returning exhibitors R 20th Century and Hostler-Burrows from New York, Hedge, Fraenkel Gallery, Silverman Gallery, and March from San Francisco, The Silver Fund from London, Dragonette Ltd. and Reform Gallery from Los Angeles, among many others.

New to the show this year are several highly respected art and design dealers including Anthony Meier Fine Arts, Almond Hartzog, and Amarcord Fine Decorative Arts of San Francisco, Gray Gallery of Los Angeles and Paris, Marilyn Garrow Fine Textile Art of London, and Daniel Blau of London and Munich.

Daniel Blau of London and Munich will be showing this stunning NASA photograph of Gemini

Furniture, fine art, and objects, representing all design movements of the past century, will be presented in dramatic room settings creating the effect of a decorator show house tribute to iconic 20th century design.

Additionally, more contemporary, cutting-edge art and design will be highlighted in the show this year, reflecting the name modification from SF20 to SF20/21 to more accurately reflect the range of material shown.

SF20/21 exhibitor Monument of San Francisco showing a pair of Fabio Lenci lounge chairs, c. 1970

Also, the return of Stanlee Gatti‘s widely acclaimed 21 POP exhibition will showcase a collection of six ateliers featuring artisans and craftsments. 21 POP is presented by ARTIS Capital Management, Gucci, Bradley James and Chris James, Elaine McKeon, Gina Peterson and Stuart Peterson, Kelley Roberts and Mark Roberts, and Helen Schwab and Chuck Schwab.

SF20/21 will open with a Preview Gala from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, September 15, benefiting the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Co-chaired by Katie Schwab Paige, Allison Speer and Stanlee Gatti, with Honorary Co-chairs Gina Peterson and Stuart Peterson, Designer’s Forum Chair Douglas Durkin, and SFMOMA Trustee Advisor Elaine Mckeon, proceeds from the Preview Gala help underwrite the museum’s education and exhibition programs that engage residents of the Bay Area, including over 55,000 children, teachers, and families, each year.

Gala tickets include catered hors d’oeuvres, open full bar, music, complimentary valet parking, and a show catalog. The preview gala tickets are tiered in price to encourage a large number of guests to attend on opening night at staggered entrance times.

SF20/21 exhibitor Monument of San Francisco showing a pair of Henry Glass lounge chairs c. 1950s

Corporate sponsorship for SF20/21 is provided by ARTIS Capital Management, 1stdibs, Christie’s, Grey Goose Vodka, Gucci, and Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley. Antiques and Fine Art, California Home & Design, California Homes, Modern, 7X7 magazines are media sponsors of The event. SF20/21 is organized by Dolphin Promotions, inc., which also produces modernism shows in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and Palm Springs.

For more information, visit www.sf20.net

Exhibition Date: September 16-18, 2011
Preview Gala Date: September 15, 2011
Location: Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason Center

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Sandra Jordan and Claudia Juestel (Photo: Michael Bello)

I was very much looking forward to interviewing the talented and prolific Sandra Jordan who is not only the designer of coats and wraps, silver accessories, furniture and fabrics, but also is an expert on wine, an author of a book on decanting, as well as a generous philanthropist.  Sandra is also the ambassador for VIDA (Volunteers for Inter-American Development Assistance) and an avid supporter of, among others, the Strybing Arboretum and the Santa Rosa Symphony.  In an effort to simplify life, today the hardworking designer’s main focus of the Sandra Jordan Collection is silver, and an ever-growing range of fine alpaca and toile fabrics.

Designers from Michael Smith to Mary Douglas Drysdale, Suzanne Tucker and Michael Hampton are devoted fans, and her textiles grace not only the homes of celebrities like Kanye West but also the White House bedroom of President and Mrs. Obama.  Sandra’s many talents are complimented by her infinite warmth and charm.  It was an absolute joy to talk to her about her childhood in Peru, her cosmopolitan background and the process of creating her designs.

Living room at the Jordan residence: antique Persian rug, lounge chairs covered in Fortuny fabrics, draperies in French Vanilla alpaca and off-white alpaca sheers, walls covered in “Straw” alpaca, all from the Sandra Jordan Collection (Photo: Michael Bello)

Sandra’s guest bedroom: alpaca drapery and sheers, mustard and “Harvest Plaid” alpaca bedspreads and coverlets, olive alpaca shams and headboards, all from the Sandra Jordan Collection (Photo: Michael Bello)

We conducted the interview in the beautiful living room of her Healdsburg home, and feasted on Caneles and fresh berries accompanied by Verbena tea from Sandra’s garden.  Everything was beautifully presented on a variety of magnificent sterling silver pieces from Buccelati and Sandra’s own collection paired with oversized Meissen “Brown Dragon” tea cups.  It all made the stories flow easily.

Claudia Juestel:  In order to understand the origin of your creativity and determination we should start with your upbringing.  You were born and raised in Peru, but you were educated in British Schools and also travelled extensively as a child.  Please tell me more about that and the influence that has had on you.

Sandra Jordan: I grew up in Peru, but I also lived in Chile, India, Thailand and the Philippines when I was a child.  As an adult I lived in Germany.  The greatest joy of living oversees was that I was able to be with different cultures and learn many different things.  For example, when I was living in Manila, there was a market called Divisoria where they sold all the excess fabric from all the designers in the U.S.  So I would go with my mother and three sisters, and individually we would buy various fabrics and take them home.

My mother would keep them in this big trunk, and we girls put our names on the fabrics we were reserving for whatever need would be coming up.  When we wanted a new outfit our live-in seamstress would make it up.  When we lived in India, I started incorporating and understanding the various silks and cashmeres.  When we lived in Peru it was very important not to share your discoveries of workrooms or talented silver smiths.

Sandra at the Presidential Palace in Lima, Peru

Antique chairs upholstered in “Chartreuse” “Italian Clay” “Forget Me Not” and “Mulberry” prima alpaca

CJ:  Why was it to important not to share your secrets?

SJ: Because we wanted to keep them fully occupied and not be in the know.  So anyhow, the most wonderful thing about travelling for me is that I have been able to extrapolate and pick the favorite things from each area and hopefully bring them back to my home here in Sonoma County.

The showroom barn

Back deck of the entertainment barn, complete with pizza oven

CJ:  You told me before that you picked grapes when you lived in Germany.

SJ: I was a grape picker.  I worked at the grape harvest of 1972 with my daughter Tatiana’s dad, and that was a lot of fun.  I learned a lot about punctuality in Germany, which was quite something.  I decided to take French classes in Germany, and my teacher was very confused that I had a Spanish accent in my French, which was taught in German.  At any rate, I really enjoyed living in Germany, and I loved all the different wine areas.  I loved picking grapes quickly, and I found that my grape picking partners wanted to practice their English, and I wanted to practice my German.  They get paid by the hour in Germany, so the idea was to pick slowly, unlike the U.S. where you pick very quickly because you are paid by the container.

Jordan Vineyards

Alpaca colors inspired by the hues of the vineyard

CJ:  That sort of makes more sense for the winery.  Having had the opportunity to live in many countries, you must have wonderful memories.  What are some of the favorite places you would like to revisit?

SJ: There are so many.  I certainly want spend more time getting to know different areas of Peru.  There are many I have not been to.  I want go down the Amazon, after having seen the movie “Fitzcarraldo”.  I would like to go to Lake Titicaca.  And of course, I want go back to Venice and spend more time seeing India.  But there are so many places I have not been to yet or would like to return to.  I have plans to Istanbul go with my daughter.  She was there two years ago, and now she wants to show me her Istanbul.

Interior of the showroom barn

Peruvian antiques and accessories in the showroom barn

CJ:  That would be wonderful!  You studied International Affairs, Business Administration and Education.  How did you utilize what you had learned, and what eventually exposed your creative side.

SJ: The creative side I already had within me.  I just didn’t know about it because I just lived with it.  None of the countries I lived in had stores as we know them today.  There were only craftsmen that you would go to, whether it was building furniture with a carpenter who came to the house, or if you wanted a new piece of jewelry.  If you had a piece you didn’t want any more, you would take that to a jeweler and had the gold melted down, and then you would redesign something else and had it made.  That was the same thing with fabric.  You would bring all the raw materials and pick out the threads.  If it was shoes, you would go and buy some hides, have them dyed, use your imagination and lots of magazines, and start to work on it.

The challenge at times was trying to translate your vision to somebody back than, or even today.  For example when I started working on my silver line, my master silver smith lived in a desert in Peru.  He could not understand the tendrils of a grape vine.  So eventually I brought up him up here, and I showed him how beautifully plants and tendrils and vines move to help him capture that essence.  So the translation has been the one thing that I needed to teach and try to get right. But it has been absolutely wonderful learning about this stuff.

“Healdsburg” wine coaster

CJ:  I can imagine. That is something you always have been doing naturally by necessity.

SJ: I had been doing it naturally and, going back to your question, then my choice of education has complimented by what I inherently knew how to do.  Because I had left Peru, and like an expat, I yearned for it even though I loved where I was living.  I’ve always wanted to get back to my country of birth.  So I set up on my knowledge of creatively doing things and also having worked in branding, marketing, and luxury goods, I wanted to do some luxury products from Peru that were not ethnic and would give back to the country.  So for that reason, I then chose my business skills, my international affairs, my educational skills to teach my workmen how to do it.  They all came together, and that’s why we are where we are.

Living room at the Richmond NSO Showhouse designed by Mary Douglas Drysdale (Photo: Ron Blunt)

Mary Douglas Drysdale’s kitchen with plaid alpaca

CJ:  What brought you to California and then to Healdsburg specifically?

SJ: Two men.  My first husband was very interested in the wine business.

CJ:  He was the one with whom you went grape picking?

SJ: That’s right, he was the one I lived with in Germany; and we traveled to Portugal.  We learned all about wine together; so that brought us to California.  And then later on, many, many years later, after we divorced, I met my second husband who lived in Healdsburg.  So two men basically brought me to the wine country at different times.

CJ:  And as a result of that you spent fifteen years as the Creative Director of Jordan Winery.  What sort of creative input have you had at the winery?

SJ: As the Creative Director, who was not the original person, I wanted to keep the consistency of the brand steady.  So I created a style manual and the consistent look and feel of the hospitality area, and I redesigned the hospitality suites.  I also created a more intimate feeling in the dining room.  The building was built in the early ‘70s, and the outside of the building was getting patina, but not the inside.  So we softened that a bit.  I also worked on the website, the retail area, the landscaping, the olive production, all of those areas.

Jordan Winery

“Healdsburg” caviar cup at a dinner at Jordan Winery

CJ:  So you weren’t a branding expert, you weren’t a landscaper.  How did you just manage doing all that, and running all that?

SJ: I think I always learn on the job.  I just have to figure out how to do it, and I get it done.  I think it’s really from that early training.

CJ:  What you learned at an early age came natural, and so you probably have applied the same process to everything else later.

SJ: Obviously my first pair of shoes was probably awful, and so was my first jewelry design that I made.  And the wood for the furniture was not very good.  Although it looked pretty in the beginning the wood did not hold up.  So I think I just learned on the job.  The other thing that I have done is when I was interviewing embroiderers.  I would just send them the same design, and then watch.  So I started learning about the tension, that if someone embroiders too tightly the tension would not look right.  So it just worked out.

Detail of prima alpaca throw

Guest bedroom at the 2010 DC Design House designed by Michael Hampton: bedspread in “Silver Oak Stripe” and pillows in “Mushroom” alpaca, hide rug by Kyle Bunting (Photo: courtesy of Michael Hampton)

CJ:  Sort of like the good old-fashioned apprenticeship sort of way of learning. How did you transition from a vintner into a designer of luxury home goods?

SJ: I transitioned from the Creative Director of Jordan Winery to a designer of luxury products when some of the products that I had designed for the winery were being requested by some of the guests that came.  For example, one of the first pieces that I made was a silver wine funnel.  I had made it in Peru for the winery and thought that I could make some more.  The trick to transitioning was to change it from being a beautiful object in the winery to having it be a product that could be resold.  That has been the greatest challenge for me.  You can always create beautiful pieces for yourself, but when you start making them for wholesale to retail every little penny counts, and you have to be very careful.  In my opinion, it is very easy to design a pitcher like this one, but to make it be at the right price is a very different thing.

“Healdsburg” magnum decanting funnel

“Healdsburg” and “Petaluma” bottle stoppers

CJ:  And how do you economize?  Do you change a design detail, the weight of it?  This one is sterling silver.

SJ: This one is sterling.  I economized by changing the whole product line to plate.  That was a huge learning curve.  It may look the same, but it is a different business model.  So that was a huge, huge thing.

“Petaluma Neoclassical” Wine Cradle

“Healdsburg” Celebration Cup

CJ:  Was that a good decision?

SJ: It was a very good decision.  Silver had tripled since I started the business, sadly so.  I love sterling, but the reality of today’s marketplace it is not as realistic.  It was really tough because I started the business in 2001, on September 11^th practically.  So I had received my first wholesale order from Bergdorf Goodman who had bought the whole line.  And then they canceled the whole order.

CJ:  What a devastating start!

SJ: There have been many upsets, whether it has been a monsoon in Indonesia, where some of our product was being made, or an earthquake in Arequipa, which is where the alpaca is done.  And then there was a revolution somewhere else.  All these things happened since I started the business, but the economic downturn really was the biggest test of all.  Those are things that are out of my control, and I have begun to learn that there are other factors that come into play in whether you are successful in business or not.

Shades of neutral alpaca

Prima alpaca with embroidery by Villa Savoia

Detail of embroidery on prima alpaca by Villa Savoia

CJ:  That is very true, and these hurdles been a hard lessons to learn for many entrepreneurs, no matter how responsibly they may have approached their respective businesses.  Good news is that people are starting to shop again

SJ: The good news is people are shopping again, and our Prima Alpaca Textiles for the home have hit a home run.  So I’m really, really excited!

Sandra with alpaca in Peru

Walls and drapery in prima alpaca

CJ:  Your alpaca fabrics are gorgeous, and I love your color palette.  You also added some Toile de Jouy fabrics as well.

SJ: The composition of our luxury goods includes the silver, the Prima Alpaca, and the cotton fabrics.  All three of them were chosen because Peru has a wealth of those.  Number one, we have the biggest silver deposits of the world.  Also 90% of all alpacas are in Peru, and we make some of the most beautiful cotton in the world.

Prima alpaca blanket in “Olive” in a bedroom at the 2009 San Francisco Decorator Showcase designed by Wendy Posard

“Century Toile” in aubergine

CJ:  What amazing riches!  You told me some stories about the cotton before that go back to your childhood.

SJ: My father was a cotton grower in Northern Peru.  I was a naughty girl in those days and didn’t pay much attention, and I’m so sorry I can’t ask him a lot of questions about cotton now.  But it is a wonderful, long and strong staple cotton with great luster.  But because many of the political issues in Peru, like terrorism, economic downturns, etc. the infrastructure has not been built for the factories.  We also don’t hear about Peruvian cotton as often because Americans now have queen and king size beds.  Their looms aren’t as wide.  However, I can tell you that England uses an awful lot of the Peruvian cotton.  If you look at those beautiful men’s shirts with that divine craftsmanship, that’s Peruvian cotton.  It is a beautiful cotton with a great feel, and I am very much hoping to add a lot more printed cotton fabrics to the line.

Guestroom with “Century Toile” in aubergine at Le Mars Hotel designed by Helga Horner

Toile fabric at the Le Mars Hotel

CJ:  Very interesting to know the connection between Saville Row and Peru.  Why did you choose alpaca and toile specifically?

SJ: I chose Toile because I had always loved all French decorative arts; and the fact that Peru has very good cotton felt like a good marriage.  The alpaca is something I have always been very interested in.  I have historically done a lot of research on it and found that Alpaca at the time of the Incas was incredibly soft.  It wasn’t when I started.  So with the research I found out how you could get some of that softness.  The mill that we use has Baby Alpaca, which is the first sharing of the animal.  And even with that we hand-sort it.  I think alpaca is a wonderful fiber.  It is very light, a lot lighter than wool.  Prima Alpaca is not scratchy unlike wool can be.  It has a beautiful drape, and it takes color divinely.  It is great for the home!

Raw spun alpaca wool

Living room at the Richmond NSO Showhouse designed by Mary Douglas Drysdale: cream alpaca fabric, embroidery by Villa Savoia (Photo: Ron Blunt)

Guestroom at the 2010 Elle Decor Showhouse designed by Suzanne Tucker: alpaca blankets in “Shoal”

CJ:  I agree, I love the drape of wool for curtains, but alpaca beats it by far and in feel.   You and I also share an addiction for alpaca coats.  Your collections have done a lot for Peru.  I understand that you built two factories there, which provide training and jobs for many in your homeland.  How did you actually end up building the factories?

SJ: I didn’t set out to do that originally.  However, when I started developing this product line, I realized that I would have to employ my own workmen.  If not, if they were just casual workmen then the products would be knocked off.

CJ:  Yeah, you spoke of secrecy at a young age earlier.

SJ: Oh that’s right, exactly.  Thank you, Claudia, for pointing that out.  It has made full circle again.  So once again, sometimes I would take my designs to Peru.  They would create a great prototype, send me the sample, and then my customers would say that it is already on the street being copied.  I was hoping to always employ people, but I now realized I needed to employ them right away to protect the designs and create jobs for them.  It was a two-fold thing.

You can imagine the poverty levels in Peru.  There were little shacks where these people worked.  So then I bought a piece of property and started building one floor at a time.  We kept adding, and then we bought a lot of second hand silversmithing machinery.  And then we needed another place.  And we needed to store the horn, and then we needed to store the silver, and so on.

Silversmithing tools at factory in Peru

Silversmith applying grape leaf to ice bucket

Silver grape leaves and drawing for ice bucket

CJ:  So there is a silver factory.  What is the second one?

SJ: A horn and box factory.  We taught some of our workmen to make the boxes.  We wanted beautiful hand-made boxes with the paper that is sent from England.  We have a group of employees who do those boxes, and some of them do the horn.  The horn was a very dusty process to learn to do.  But that is in a separate floor.

Display of Sandra Jordan’s collection of silver and horn at Ferrari-Carano’s Seasons of the Vineyard tasting bar & boutique in Healdsburg

Horn honey wand

CJ:  How did the horn come about?

SJ: The horn came about because of the price of silver.  Silver prices were escalating very quickly.  I wanted some silver products at the lower end of the spectrum.  So we hired a slew of taxi drivers in Lima to go to the slaughterhouses to pick up the horn, and to learn to prepare it, clean it.  Again that was another on-the-job-learning experience.  Through time we have learned to do it very well.

CJ:  How do they differ from other less expensive horn product that is out there?

SJ: The main thing is that they are embellished with silver.  In other words, this pitcher can be done with a handle of silver.  Or this cake server has a handle made of silver.  So it’s a very different way to present it.

“Russian River” scalloped pitcher with horn handle

“Alexander Valley” candle snuffer with horn handle

“Petaluma” cheese knife

CJ:  High and low design?

SJ: Yes.  But I think, for example, a silver pitcher would look very gracious in the city, but when you embellish it with a handle of horn it looks more country-ish.  So it played off well, and a financial necessity ended up creating a new look.

CJ:  Indeed.  The juxtaposition of the two materials is just beautiful.  And horn is so wonderful, I love its variations.

SJ: You don’t know what color horn is going to be until you polish it.  And each piece is different – unlike silver, even though I can very subtly tell who’s hammered it because I know the hand of the worker.

CJ:  You can?

SJ: Yes, I can call, ‘Who hammered this one?’  It is really a lot of work, and you have to have a very even pulse.  So when I see something over-hammered I’d say, ‘Your wife didn’t do this’, because my head silversmith’s wife is the one who does all the hammering.

CJ:  So no hot-blooded Peruvians are doing silversmithing?

SJ: No, no, no!  Hammering is not done with anger, it is done with love.

Silver-smith working on ice bucket

Various hammers for silver work

CJ:  Speaking of love, you have also written a wonderful book called ‘The Art of Decanting’, which takes us from its history to its perfect implementation.  The book starts with a quote by the legendary wine maker Andre Tchelistcheff, “The first taste of wine is like the first kiss.”  I really love that quote.  How did the book come about?  I know your passion for wine started early.

SJ: Early, very early on.  The book probably came about for a couple of reasons.  One of the reasons was that I like to collect wine antiques.  So I had a big collection of wine funnels, tasting cups, etc.  But we were also looking at Jordan for a way to have our the sommeliers and loyal Jordan customers have an extra way to talk about wine, and I thought telling stories about wine would be good.  So I started writing the book and proceeded like the school teacher that I am, writing everything orderly and whatever.  And then read it when it was finished, and it sounded dreadfully boring.  So I think it was put away for a year or two.

And then I picked it up again, and that’s how I got to really get to the professorial note out of that. And I began to call on my friends from the wine industry to give me their quotes.  And I started looking for quotes.  And there were wonderful quotes from Ray Duncan, Fred and Peggy Furth, the Jacksons from Kendall Jackson Winery, and historical quotes.  So that really enriched it.  I had a special, special, great joy to have Bob Mondavi write the introduction.  And we went and photographed some of his Greek and Roman Wine antiques.  The joy of it came through after I put it away for a year.

A hill at Jordan Vineyards

Decanting with Wine Master items from the Sandra Jordan Collection

CJ:  Just a fresh eye!  It’s a wonderful book.  You’re obviously very passionate about everything you do.  Could you see yourself living anywhere else or doing anything else?

SJ: Actually, I could live anywhere.  I think one of the things I enjoy about myself is that if I’m in Paris I really don’t want to leave.  I was in South Africa, in Cape Town for the first time last year and I thought, ‘Oh, I could live here’.  I’m very happy wherever it is that I am.  When I’m sitting here in my house, I’m very, very happy.  When this afternoon I drive to Napa to have lunch with Margrit Mondavi and Maria, I’ll probably say “Oh, I should live in Napa.”  So I just love what I do, I like what I’m doing right now and however should I have to move, I’m sure I’d like whatever it is that I get it into.

CJ:  It is perhaps because you see the best in everything.

SJ: I enjoy it.

CJ:  You are also known as one of the Wine Country’s most gracious and glamorous hostesses.  How do you like to entertain, and what is Wine Country Living all about?

SJ: I think Wine Country Living is really about paying attention to the seasons and trying to bring the inside out, and being very relaxed.  The way I decide on the table or the menu is a function of how much time I have, and how much help I have, and what is readily available in my garden.  For example right now, I haven’t had time to make a centerpiece, so I cut some quince, and they are just sitting on a bowl.  The way I like to interplay outdoor materials, ceramics with silver, horn, wood with crystal, just all of the different properties.

Table set for an event in the entertainment barn

Tablescape in Sandra’s breakfast room

CJ:  Do you prefer small, intimate dinners or larger, fun parties?  You have this wonderful entertainment barn where you can seat quite a lot of people.

SJ: Mostly I like it small.  I love being able to have good conversations.  And then I think that is doable at a small dinner party of no more than six or eight.

CJ:  So the ideal number for dinner party is six or eight?

SJ: That’s right.  However, there is a lot of room for having music and dancing up in the upper barn, using the pizza oven, and really just enjoying a group.  So I like both of them.  I do a lot of musical events too in the show room, which has really good acoustics.  We do a lot of programs with the Santa Rosa Symphony, where I serve on the board.  So that is always fun!

CJ:  I can imagine.  What are your most favorite things to do for leisure?

SJ: I love to read Latin-American literature; that was my specialty when I was a teacher.  I love walking with friends, gardening, and traveling.

CJ:  You told me before, which I thought was wonderful, that you love storytelling.

SJ: I do love story telling.  Story telling is something that I do, as you’ve noticed with my daughter’s reaction.  I think it makes moments come alive, memories come alive, little lessons are taught better in storytelling.  I think if you’re talking about recipes, you’re better off talking about how your mother taught you to make this than just reading it out of a book.  Story telling is really very, very dear and important.

Sandra on a mission with VIDA in Peru

CJ:  What would you consider your secret to life?

SJ: Well, here is my real secret.  I’m 62 years old, and I see that I don’t have as much energy as I used to.  That’s really, really bugging me.

CJ:  You must have had a lot of energy doing all you do.

SJ: I think its genetics.  My grandmother had quite a lot of energy.  But it’s really, really scary that I have to take a little bit of a rest, and not do it all myself.  The secret that I just learned is that I’m beginning to know what it is that I don’t want to do.  And that’s really true.

Embroidered throw in “Cobalt Black” and chair in “French Vanilla” prima alpaca

Chairs covered in “Fog”, “Honeydew” and “Shoal” prima alpaca at Shears & Window

CJ:  I agree, that so important and I can totally relate to that.  Delegating is important.

SJ: You know it has been wonderful.  I have a good team in place in my business.  As I am trying to learn how to ship with FedEx and do all of that, my team has said, ‘You don’t need to do that.   We can do that.  That’s why we’re here’.

CJ:  You also told me before that you have trusted some people with some creative decisions, like the new plaid.  So you’re actually handing over some creative control gently.

SJ: Very much so.  I came in from a trip to Richmond and I said, ‘I think we need a plaid in lighter colors, paler colors, more neutral colors’.  And I looked at Francesca in the office, who has a degree in textiles, and I said, ‘You can do this’.  So I’m beginning to learn from what I did in teaching, that my job as an employer is to encourage those great people that I have in place to use all their skills and not strain me up.  These are secrets I am discovering about myself.

Prima alpaca fabric swatches at the office

Detail of “Harvest Plaid” and embroidered alpaca fabrics

CJ:  You are picking the best people for your business and giving them the tools they need.  It is obviously reflected in the quality of your product, also when it comes to the manufacturing process.  You know which one should hammer the silver, and which one should stay away from it.  You certainly cannot hammer your own silver, and make your own horn and weave your own fabrics.  So you hire the best and give them the tools to be the best.

SJ: Yes.  It’s really fun to be asked these questions.

CJ:  I’m glad you’re enjoying them.

SJ: Because I’m learning more about what is happening.  Does that happen to you too?

CJ:  Different people have different perspectives.  That is why I love think tanks because you start coming up with richer ideas in creative collaborations, and at times learn something about yourself.

SJ: Yes.  What I also learned about myself was that I was always able to sort of work solo.  During all of my primary and secondary education I moved sometimes twice a year.  And now I am beginning to discover the joy of having soundboards.  Because I think the way I look at myself in the mirror reflects back is one message, but what I get through conversation is a completely new way to learn about myself.  So that has been really wonderful to share and think out loud.

CJ:  I agree.  Everything becomes richer, because otherwise you’re just your own critic.  And sometimes you go in one specific direction, although there are two more viable options.  But when you brainstorm with another person it can open your mind so much.  I think collaborations are wonderful.

SJ: Yes, that’s something relatively new to me.

Living room designed by Jackie Applebaum (Photo: courtesy of Sandra Jordan)

CJ:  Learning new things is what keeps it exciting!  Thank you so much Sandra, this has been exciting.

SJ: My pleasure.  Shall we go into the garden?

CJ:  Let’s tour your pride and joy.  Thank you.

All photos courtesy of Sandra Jordan unless otherwise noted.

Sandra Jordan’s book “The Art of Decanting” is available in at William Stout Architectural Books and online at Amazon

The post Tea With Claudia: Sandra Jordan appeared first on SFLuxe.

Living room by Navarra Design (Photo: Matthew Millman)

Managing any remodel, big or small, requires a generous amount of patience, finely tuned people skills and much diplomacy, as well as incredible organization.  Now imagine juggling four homeowners, a prominent charity, an overloaded contractor, countless sub-contractors and over thirty interior designers, architects, landscape designers and artists, all within an incredibly tight deadline.  That is what the Executive Director of the San Francisco Decorator Showcase is in charge of.

This year Leal Buck stepped into the shoes of beloved veteran Delanie Borden; and once again, for the 35th year to be precise, a dated Pacific Heights mansion has been transformed into a gem.  They say, ‘too many cooks spoil the soup’, but thanks to the dedication of all involved egos were put aside, extravagant expectations were abbreviated and limitations were conquered with creativity.

View from the top floor

Katie Traina and Todd Traina

Margo Tarantino, Jack Lesinski, James Tarantino, Tom Lesinski

“I always love to see the surprise elements the designers tuck into their rooms at the Decorator Showcase—Grant Gibson’s faux-burled wood table, Brian Dittmar’s tucked-away Julia Child moment in his cookbook nook, and the double-vision of Green Couch’s bedrooms on the top floor.  The entire Showcase is based on fantasy, so that seems like what it should be about.” – Sarah Lynch, marketing director

The 6,224 square foot Italian-style villa on 2950 Vallejo Street was originally constructed in 1927 by Gottschalk and Rist, the acclaimed architects who also designed the historic Villa Montalvo in Saratoga.  Located on the desirable block bordering the Presidio, which was also home to previous showcases, it has exceptional views of the Palace of Fine Arts, the Golden Gate bridge and the Bay.  But the views inside equally captivating, as each room has gone through a metamorphosis that can only be truly appreciated if one has seen the home in its original state.  Congratulations to all my colleagues for their vision and hard work!

Debbie Reynolds and Roxanne Fleming

Monica Pauli and Jenna Hunt

The patron preview event and grand opening party are always wonderful events where we can mingle with supporters and fellow designers, some of whose work we can view first hand in the home and from whom we can get feedback from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.  But I would recommend to anyone who has attended a crowded party to always come back and see the showcase during a quiet day, as the design can be appreciated so much more when not blocked by countless people.

Allison Speer and Alison Pincus

Samantha Duvall, Ian Stallings, Carolyn Chandler

First impressions count very much in a classic mansion, and as soon as you enter this gracious home it exudes a welcoming elegance.  The grand entrance hall was designed by artist Willem Racke in collaboration with interior designer Leigh Edwards who selected the furnishings and the art.  Willem painstakingly painted the walls in layers and layers of a rich butterscotch lacquer and glazed the elaborate coffered ceiling in a deep rusty red with bronzed accents.

Entrance hall with view towards dining room (Photo: Rebecca Kmiec)

Staircase in entrance hall before (Photo: Willem Racke)

Staircase in entrance hall (Photo: Rebecca Kmiec)

Terry Gross, Willem Racke, Lisa Erickson

Kerry Devine and Steven Miller

Sayareh Farsio and Ali Mozaffari

To the right and towards the stunning views is the living room, whose commission was won by Kathleen Navarra.  She aimed for balancing the captivating drama awaiting beyond the arched windows with a bold and layered design that grew out of the reproduction of an enormous 17thcentury portrait of the Marchesa Balbi by Flemish Baroque painter Anthony van Dyck.

Kathleen Navarra

Kathleen told me that she has been dying to use this piece, and that the scale of this room was perfect to accommodate it.  The painting appears dark and moody, but upon close inspection it reveals a variety of rich colors on which Kathleen based the room’s palette brightened with shades of cream and hot fuchsia.

Living room before (Photo: Navarra Design)

Living room after (Photo: Matthew Millman)

“The living room felt magical in the evening as dusk fell over San Francisco.  The decor of the room is such a compliment to the beautiful skyline that you peer at through the large windows.”  - Jenna Liddell Hunt

Distinctly modern elements harmoniously blend with traditional antiques, exotic elements and early 20th century pieces that highlight the large-scale fireplace, carved arched doors and high-reaching windows.  Jonathan Browning’s organic branch chandelier and contemporary upholstered sconces feel surprisingly appropriate set against the Flemish Baroque painting.  Interesting details capture the eye all around the room.

Living room after (Photo: Matthew Millman)

Lewis Butler, Debbia Kay and Scott Kay

“Majesty reigns, but lets her hair down, in Kathleen Navarra’s regal yet hip living room, watched over by a large renaissance portrait.  Lighting by Jonathan Browning adds just the right touch of Elizabethan edge and mystery.  A true “Midsummer Night’s Dream”.  And not many royal residences have a view like this!”
Andrew Horn, furniture designer

None of us designers could create magic without our most talented artisans and skilled workrooms.  Grant K. Gibson’s dining room is a perfect example.  Katherine Jacobus created an eye-fooling burl finish on the grand dining table, so wide that it accommodates two chairs at each end, a dramatic black and white stenciled floor in a design reminiscent of David Hicks, and a moody gray cloud finish on the ceiling.  Madina Aryeh, a couturier amongst workrooms, fashioned the understated drapery from a deep blue heathered wool fabric by Henry Calvin with a pleated detail accented by grosgrain ribbon along the lead edges.

Dining room before (Photo: Grant K. Gibson)

Dining room after (Photo: Kathryn MacDonald)

These elements set the stage for a design that pairs polish with playfulness, as Grant added an acid yellow booster chair to the formal neoclassical dining chairs upholstered in Kelly green leather.  Floating above it all is an asymmetrical multi-arm chandelier by Lindsey Adelman.

Dining room after (Photo: Kathryn MacDonald)

Grant K. Gibson

Madina Aryeh and Suzanna Allen

Palmer Weiss and Katherine Jacobus

The kitchen is often one of the most challenging spaces at the showcase, and this year Tish Key had to incorporate a brick arch over the range.  Instead of painting it she left the rustic finish and offset it with a variety of materials and colors.  The sidewalls and countertop of the cooking niche are lined with a gorgeous white-veined black marble slab, and the backsplash is covered in white marble mosaic tile accented by a functional clock with Roman numerals integrated into the stone.  White cabinetry, a rich pecan floor and a shiny white bead board on the ceiling freshen up the previously gloomy ‘70s look.  On the window side the countertops are made from a combination of white Calacatta marble and blue enameled Lava Stone, adding a splash of color.

Kitchen and breakfast room before (Photo: Tish Key)

Kitchen and breakfast room (Photo: Rusty Reniers)

The breakfast nook is accented with deep brown grass cloth wall covering and blue and white patterned Roman shades.  A round pedestal table is surrounded by reproductions of a T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbins oak and rush chairs.  Tish has turned an incredibly dated and most uninviting kitchen into a modern, functional and welcoming living space, highlighting how diverse materials and finishes can live together most harmoniously.

Cooking alcove before (Photo: Tish Key)

Cooking alcove after (Photo: Rusty Reniers)

Sink area after (Photo: Rusty Reniers)

Tish Key

Mary Jo Kovacevich & Laura Hunt

“Everyone needs a cookbook nook.  It is the ultimate luxury!”
Guest at the patron party

Brian Dittmar took a nondescript space many of us designers barely noticed during the walk-through due to its transitional and blah appearance and turned it into a room all of us wanted to spend time in, proven by the crowds during opening night.  He was intrigued by the leaded glass bay windows and dreamed of a welcoming and useful extension to the kitchen.  An avid cook Brian imagined himself relaxing in this cozy alcove while reading cookbooks or watching the Food Network, and the idea of the “Cookbook Nook” was born.

Cookbook nook before (Photo: Brian Dittmar)

Cookbook nook after (Photo: David Livingston)

It really is a genius use of the space, which now boasts a mouthwatering color palette influenced by French macaroons and sumptuous furnishings that invite lingering.  A Swedish Deco pedestal table and secretary from Björk Antikt & Studio are paired with a comfortable lounge chair upholstered in luxurious mohair by Lee Jofa who also supplied the fabrics for the desk chair, portiere drapery and pillows.  Wouldn’t we all love a cookbook nook, especially one as charming as Brian’s?

Cookbook nook after (Photo: David Livingston)

Cookbook nook after (Photo: David Livingston)

“I never thought I’d meet Julia Child’s neighbor or learn to cook an omelet at the Showcase, but I found the opportunity to do both in the Cookbook Nook!” – Paul Benson, furniture designer

Brian Dittmar

Holly Baxter and Scott Heldfond

“Brian Dittmar started with Harry Potter’s room below the stairs, but turned it into a room fit for a queen, the lettuce queen.” – Matthew MacCaul Turner, interior designer

The second floor library apparently was the owner’s favorite room, not hard to imagine even prior to the renovation, as it boasted detailed wood paneling, an elaborate plaster ceiling and breathtaking vistas.  Heather Hillard was persuaded by the view of the Presidio forest to leave the slightly greenish/brown stain on the wood paneling in its original condition.  She based the rest of her monochromatic palette on the shades of the underside of Eucalyptus leaves, redwood trees and Japanese maples.

Library with fireplace (Photo: Michele Lee Willson)

Library facing the bay view (Photo: Michele Lee Willson)

Heather also channeled Frances Elkins’ design for a home in Lake Forest, IL and placed an emphasis on luxury and comfort by creating three different seating areas, each with multiple upholstered pieces in neutral textiles consisting of linen, wool, silk velvet and leather, mostly from Holland & Sherry.

Bookcase in library (Photo: Michele Lee Willson)

Heather Hilliard and Cecilie Starin

Claudia Juestel  and Michael Friedes

I thought Heather Hilliard created a quiet, natural-feeling retreat.  I’m a huge Kim Frohsin fan, so I especially loved her art. – Melanie Coddington, interior designer

Matt Murphy who made his showcase debut this year designed the master bedroom.  A close friend of Donald Cameron, longtime partner of Tommi Parzinger, he paid tribute to the mid-century furniture designer by incorporating a whole collection of his work, pairing it with a Biedermeier secretary and blending it with Matt’s own designs inspired by Parzinger.  Aiming for New York Fifth Avenue vibe from the ‘50s and ‘60s he chose luxurious materials like lacquer, exotic woods, glazed leather, alpaca, silk moire and linen.  A predominantly black and white palette is accented with bursts of color that draw the eye to unique pieces.

Master bedroom

Dressing table in master bedroom

Dresser in master bedroom

Thomas Hutson-Wiley, Tinsley Hutson-Wiley, Matt Murphy

Perhaps a first this year, one of the homeowners also was given a room to design.  Fashion designer James Tarantino was the family’s representative during the renovations and very actively involved in the process.  When the showcase representatives asked him if he would like to take over the master bedroom closet he was honored.  Very much a minimalist he covered the walls in black fabric and displayed three mannequins in pared down silver satin gowns of his own design, which in an homage to his parents James made from the fabric of the old drapery in the living room.

James Tarantino

James told me that he lived in the home back in the ‘70s and then moved away to pursue his career in fashion.  When his father got ill he decided to come back to reconnect and spend time with him, a time he most treasures and something he said he will never regret.  Homes truly are all about family!

Barbara Chambers and Nancy Hammonds

“It has been a magical transformation and I am really proud of all the designers involved in this.
James Tarantino, one of the home’s owners

Anyone who has seen the master bathroom before has to appreciate what Petaluma designer Val Fiscalini achieved.  She converted the long, cold and awkward space into a spa-like retreat.  Not being able to move the plumbing she angled the striking tub, custom-made by Sonoma Cast Stone in Metalcrete, a concrete material that is “plated” with a genuine metal finish.

Master bathroom, before (Photo: Val Fiscalini)

Master bathroom, after (Photo: Christopher Stark)

Master bathroom (Photo: Christopher Stark)

Val shortened the main space and centered the door into the shower and toilet area, which allowed her to place matching storage cabinets with display shelves on either side of the opening.  She also offset the shower for a more comfortable scale, which provided a space for cleverly placed back-lit mother-of-pearl-lined niches.  As a result the overall proportions of the master bath are considerably more appealing.

Master bathroom (Photo: Christopher Stark)

Val Fiscalini

Melissa Martin and Josephine Fisher

“It is quintessential Decorator Showcase in its display of creativity and elegance.  But the elegance is contemporary and livable – perhaps more inspirational, less aspirational than in previous years.”
Lisa Boquiren, marketing strategist

The attic of this grand home includes a generously sized room perfect for an adult party space, as envisioned by Marion Philpotts, Jonathan Staub and Lowell Tom of Philpotts & Associates.  Known for their penchant toward the exotic they took inspiration from the large scale and colorful portraits of New Guinea tribesmen by Santa Barbara photographer Brian Hodges.

Rumpus room, before (Photo: Philpotts & Associates)

Rumpus room, after, with bay view (Photo: Matthew Millman)

Jonathan told me that they wanted to keep the room very open for large-group-entertaining, for which they planned only to major seating groups, one taking in the splendid views and consisting of four black De La Espada enveloping “Nest” chairs, reminiscent of 18th century French “Porter’s” chairs, surrounding an organic custom bronze table by Blue Barn Arts Foundry, and the other one with a generously scaled custom day-bed placed on Brent Comber’s “shattered” Douglas Fir base.  I can see a great party with Salsa dancing on the expansive floor lit with ring-shaped light projections by Beachside Lighting, or perhaps something more tribal given the inspiration of the room.

Rumpus room, before (Photo: Philpotts & Associates)

Rumpus room, after (Photo: Matthew Millman)

“Satala Swing” by Aqua Creations

Performer and light projections on floor

Lowell Tom, Jonathan Staub, Marion Philpotts, Brian Hodges

Frank Eddy  and Matthew MacCaul Turner

“Showcase design is always best when designers are un-bound – by budgets, convention, owner restrictions and/or drapery tie-backs!” – Steven Miller, interior designer

I mentioned that a brick arch in the kitchen might have been challenging, but how about a wall going half-way across a room?  It was strictly specified that it the partial wall in the attic front bedroom had to remain.  Jeff Schlarb and Lisa Bakamis of Green Couch were not intimidated, but instead used it as the inspiration for their overall design.  They extended the wall almost touching the front windows and placed a framed window, giving the appearance of a see-through mirror, in between the now apparent two rooms, each of which they furnished with pieces from Bungalow 5 in identical designs, but in two distinctively different color schemes.  One is pale, neutral and quiet, the other rich and fiery.  What the designers called “Two Sides to Every Story” is a perfect study of the impact of color.

Right side of guest bedroom (Photo: Peter Medelik)

Left side of guest bedroom (Photo: Peter Medelik)

Desk area at right side of guest bedroom (Photo: Peter Medelik)

Desk area at left side of guest bedroom (Photo: Peter Medelik)

Lisa Bakamis and Jeff Schlarb

“I am not often wowed by a total design concept, but Green Couch’s room impressed me with their clever vision and way of thinking outside the box.  Their use of the same fabrics and pieces as polar opposites to project different personalities of an awkward space won me over.  I walked away from that room saying; I never would have thought of that, which is something I love to see.” - Michael Friedes, interior designer

Third floor corridor with a collection of works by Jennings Tofel from Lost Art Salon

Gaetan Caron and Rob Delamater

“Huge style, tiny hallways!” – Rob Delamater, art dealer

Cathleen Gouveia is not afraid to take on a challenge.  At last year’s Marin Designer Showcase she added a third floor deck with Nana doors to the attic bedroom suite.  So suspending a heavy bed from the ceiling with nautical ropes seems easy by comparison.  Influenced by the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, which can be seen from the windows, it apparently was quite a feat of engineering.

Cathleen Gouveia

But according to Cathleen it can now ‘hold nine men with cocktails’, all clearly enjoying views all the way to Sausalito, whose docks and Otis Redding’s song about them “Sittin’ by the Dock of the Bay”, provided the basis for a design that combines rustic inspiration with urban finesse.

Penthouse bedroom before (Photo: Cathleen Gouveia)

Penthouse bedroom (Photo: Matthew Millman)

Earthy tones and materials are set against walls in polished Venetian plaster by Todd Merrill of Venetian Walls.  The boldness of the bed is balanced by the practicality of the niche whose built-in dresser by Mitchel Berman not only provides much needed storage, but also creates an excellent display space that is lit with a pair of pendants.

Penthouse bedroom (Photo: Matthew Millman)

Tineke Triggs and Julie Metzger

“Cathleen Gouveia’s penthouse bedroom was quite fun and unusual.  The black, grey and gunmetal suspended bed, part nautical part old-fashioned Folsom Street, is just high enough to see the Golden Gate Bridge.  I quizzed the designer on the strength of the ceiling attachments, and it is all properly designed by an appropriate engineer.”  - Stephen Suzman, landscape architect

In the adjacent bathroom Mark Newman was also inspired by the views of the Presidio forest, and he translated nature into an urbane concept that emphasizes texture.  Artistic Tile’s gray limestone tiles, softly carved with a three-dimensional leaf pattern, flow into polished Venetian plaster walls stenciled with matt leaves, created by clearly a very busy Willem Racke.

En suite bathroom, before (Photo: Mark Newman)

Vanity area in en suite bathroom (Photo: Christopher Stark)

For the focal point Mark designed an elongated oval vanity whose doors are covered in an unusual textured teak surfacing from Beckman Moore Yaki Studio.  The rich burgundy tones of the vanity and the matt golden sheen of the custom mirror by Applegate Tran contrast harmoniously with the cool walls and floor.  Understated and sophisticated this bathroom now feels masculine and calming at the same time.

Shower in en suite bathroom, before (Photo: Mark Newman)

Shower in en suite bathroom (Photo: Christopher Stark)

Mark Newman

Many of these grand homes have generous walk-in safes, and Alison Davin of Jute Home turned this one in the basement into a Champagne cellar.  My kind of girl!  Lined with reclaimed wire-brushed wide oak paneling, reminiscent of Champagne barrels, a long buffet and storage bench that span the length of the room and a Moroccan tile floor, Alison made the most of this space, surely inviting plenty of private tastings to come.

Wine cellar, before (Photo: Alison Davin)

Champagne cellar by Jute (Photo: Peter Medilek)

Alison Davin

“The safest wine cellar I have seen!  Loved the rough-hewn wood walls.”
Matthew Schoenwald, landscape designer

Sonya Jacobs-Burkin and Mark Manning

The showcase is such a wonderful confluence of design intelligence, fantasy, and generosity — the tremendous effort of many enables smart, motivated students to attend a top-notch academic high school.  What’s not to love?
Jennifer Raiser, social and fashion columnist

AND ONCE AGAIN, IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS

When you really spend time in these rooms you notice how much attention designers pay to the tiniest of details, and this year’s showcase is no exception.  From a wallpapered ceiling to a gilded fireplace screen, oversized cabinet knobs, exquisite embroidery and convertible furniture every surface and element are covered.

Large nailhead trim on grosgrain ribbon along the crown molding and “Scala Baroc” wallcovering by Ulf Moritz on the ceiling in Kathleen Navarra’s living room (Photo: Navarra Design)

Eglomise hand-gilded glass fireplace screen by Villafranca Studio in Kathleen Navarra’s living room (Photo: Matthew Millman)

Fuchsia lining inside the corner pleat on the custom sofa in Kathleen Navarra’s living room (Photo: Navarra Design)

Polished nickel doorknobs from Baldwin used as cabinet knobs in the kitchen by Tish Key (Photo: Rusty Reniers)

Custom cigarette table in hand-turned and polished aluminum by Paul Benson in Brian Dittmar’s cookbook nook (Photo: Brian Dittmar)

Silver painting on Venetian plaster by Linda Horning in alcove by Jo Ann Hartley

Silver-leafed mylar panels by Willem Racke covering the dated painted glass window in the staircase (Photo: Rebecca Kmiec)

Mid-century inspired custom embroidery by Villa Savoia in library by Heather Hilliard (Photo: Michele Lee Willson)

Convertible stool/cocktail table with removable horsehair cushion designed by Heather Hilliard for the library (Photos: Michele Lee Willson)

Mother-of-pearl-lined niches at shower in master bathroom by Val Fiscalini (Christopher Stark)

Custom bronze coffee table with built-in flower container in rumpus room by Philpotts & Associates (Photo: Matthew Millman)

Custom metal bracket for rope in penthouse bedroom by Cathleen Gouveia (Photo: Matthew Millman)

Custom glass sleeve over metal bracket for rope in penthouse bedroom by Cathleen Gouveia (Photo: Matthew Millman)

Carved limestone tile by Artistic Tile in shower of Mark Newman’s penthouse bathroom (Photo: Christopher Stark)

Stenciled Venetian plaster walls by Willem Racke and “Daedelus” bronze sculpture by Peter Boiger from Coup d’Etat in Mark Newman’s bathroom (Photo: Rebecca)

Horn door pulls by Ochre on buffet in Champagne cellar by Jute (Photo: Peter Medilek)

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Isabelle de Borchgrave

One of my favorite classes in art school was papermaking. So naturally I was extremely excited about the “Pulp Fashion” exhibition at the Legion of Honor where renowned Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave has fashioned some of the most amazing historic costumes out of delicate paper. The opening party drew San Francisco’s most noted art collectors.

Paintings and sculptures by Isabelle de Borchgrave

Isabelle de Borchgrave, Dame Rita Bral, Tatiana Sorokko

Leslie Friedman, Jonathan Clark, Werner de Borchgrave

Guests admiring a painting by Isabelle de Borchgrave

Claudia Ross, Denise Hale, Heather Hanson

Roberta Sherman and Dennita Sewell in a shawl by Isabelle de Borchgrave

On March 17th 2011 the Serge Sorokko Gallery re-opened in its new location on Geary Street. What better way to celebrate than with the prolific de Borchgrave who has put together a site-specific installation including paintings on canvas, works on paper and sculptures made of intricately manipulated paper. The exhibit is great example of her versatility as an artist and how far she has been able to push the medium of paper. Showing a more contemporary side of the de Borchgrave the pieces have to be seen in person to be truly appreciated. At a distance one is captivated by the ebullient colors and exotic patterns born from her extensive travels, but only upon close inspection the intricacy, texture and craftsmanship can be fully valued.

Catherine Malandrino and Marlene Conetta

Serge Sorokko and Dr. Silim Goldberger

Nathalie Delrue-McGuire and Jerry McGuire

Elizabeth Thieriot and Tatiana Sorokko

Equally as captivating is the artist herself who could not have been more charming. Despite her tremendous international success and museum following Isabelle de Borchgrave could not have more approachable and charming. She modestly asked us which our favorite pieces were. How could one choose? I would be delighted to own any of them.

Installation by Isabelle de Borchgrave

Dede Wilsey and Suzy Kellems Dominik

Cheryl and Randall Smith

Sculptural pieces by Isabelle de Borchgrave

Marina Gikhman, Dr. Clara Shayevich, Tatiana Sorokko

Erin Cowan, Elizabeth Touw, Claudia Ross

Dennita Sewell , Tatiana Sorokko and David Nash

Present to host the artist were Tatiana and Serge Sorokko, Mayor Willie Brown, Consul General of Belgium Dame Rita Bral, Maria Manetti Farrow, Suzy Dominik, Daniela Faggioli, Doreen and James Ho, Nathalie and Jerry McGuire, and Dede Wilsey. Fashion designer Catherine Malandrino flew in from Paris, and curator and fashion historian Dennita Sewell from Phoenix.

Sonja Molodetskaya and Willie Brown

Maria Manetti Farrow, Daniel Diaz, Tatiana Sorokko

Ricky Serbin and Jennifer Raiser

Matthew Turner and Claudia Juestel

Guests previewed de Borchgrave’s work while sipping Casa Dragones, one of the world’s finest tequilas. The company’s CEO Bertha Gonzalez Nieves was available to educate everyone on the art of sipping tequila. The pairing was a most delightful departure from the usual glass of white wine, which was of course also available. But the tequila was the star of libations, as exotic and refined as the artwork.

Ben Wells and Kim Watts in front of an armoire made from cardboard

Moanalani Jeffrey with Jacques

Frederick Dijols and Katarina Barilov

To see Isabelle de Borchgrave’s exquisite work please visit the Serge Sorokko Gallery through May 19th, 2011.

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Art collection at the home of Lorna Meyer and Dennis Calas (Photo: Drew Altizer)

Mark your calendars for the (Private) Collections Spring Art Tour benefitting Enterprise for High School Students returning on April 14th, 2011.  For the 11th year a diverse group of new and returning collectors will open their homes for private viewings and guided tours.

For the past 10 years, Enterprise has fashioned Private Collections into a most successful event by making available ten prestigious art collections to art patrons and enthusiasts.  Among the collectors whose homes have been showcased are Ann and Gordon Getty, Raoul Kennedy, Claire and Dan Carlevaro, Chara Schreyer, Orlando Diaz, Janet and Clint Reilly, John and Gretchen Berggruen, George and Dorothy Saxe, George Hecksher, and Lin and Jim Willis.

“Figure with One Arm” fired clays sculpture by Stephen De Staebler at the home of
Lorna Meyer and Dennis Calas (Photo: Drew Altizer)

Once again the tour will give art aficionados the rare opportunity to gain access to the private homes of some of the city’s most prominent art collectors including Alan and Ruth Stein, Lorna Meyer and Dennis Calas, Jeremy Stone, Richard and Lenore Niles, Ann Hatch and Paul Discoe, Clinton and Janet Reilly, Laurie Ghielmetti, Rod and Gussie Medeiros, Keith Whiteman and Richard Perillo and Pamela Joyner.  This year’s event will be hosted by Lorna Meyer.  Jay Jeffers, Mary Lou Castellanos and Jane Ivory serve as committee chairs.

On Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm (Private) Collections will kick off with an exclusive Pre-Tour Party in the Nob Hill penthouse of Jon Taylor and Peter Waterloo, who have an extensive collection including Keith Haring and Wassily Kandinsky.  Jay Jeffers will be hosting the Post-Tour Party on April 14th, 2011 from 5:30pm to 9:00pm at his design studios.

Tickets are $ 500.00 per couple for a visit to the house of their first choice and an invitation to the exclusive pre-party, individual tickets are $ 200.00 per person for the first choice home and invitation to the post-party, and $ 100.00 per person for one of three choices and invitation to the post-party.  For tickets please visit (Private) Collections.

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Kyle Bunting and Claudia Juestel at Seasons Bar & Lounge at the Four Seasons
(Photo: Moanalani Jeffrey)

Very few in design are not familiar with Kyle Bunting the brand which makes some of the most extraordinary cowhide rugs; but the company’s namesake founder is quite illusive. So I was considerably surprised by Kyle Bunting’s candor when we set down with at the Four Seasons for tea.

We shared the Artisan cheese plate and walnut bread, scones with lemon curd (with advance notice) and a selection of petit fours, accompanied by  “T” Floral Jasmin green tea in a French press.  And there I learned about how passion, confidence and persistence can lead to tremendous success, both professionally and personally, especially when doused with love.  No doubt, Kyle Bunting is a man of passion, and he credits the love and support of his wife Libby for much of his accomplishments.  He confidently talked about how he was humbled by their first meeting and how he got his now thriving business started in a shotgun shack warehouse in San Francisco’s Hunter’s Point.  Success is one of those curious and complex things, and I am always in awe of people who can take a great idea and persevere to actually turn it into a fortune.

Kyle Bunting color hides  (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

Kyle Bunting’s company has grown tremendously during the last couple of years, a time when many in our industry were quite satisfied with simply remaining at status quo.  Always looking towards the future the line now includes rugs, upholstery material, furniture and wall coverings.  It is represented throughout the United States and in countries as far as Germany, Great Britain, China, the United Emirates, New Zealand and Japan.  With a faithful following of interior design and architectural firms like Kerry Joyce, Cheryl Rowley, Jan Showers, David Rockwell, McAlpine Booth, Amanda Nisbet, Jiun Ho, Jay Jeffers and Gensler, as well as orders coming in from individuals all over the world, the sky is the limit for Kyle Bunting.

“Jet Stream” designed by Neri & Hu (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Alhambra” designed by Kris Lajeskie (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Jet Stream” wall covering in Victor Churchill butcher shop in Sydney Austria
designed by Dreamtime (Photo: Paul Gosney)

Claudia Juestel:  Your home is near Austin, Texas, but I understand you previously lived in San Francisco back in the  ’90s. Please tell us more about that.

Kyle Bunting: I moved into San Francisco in 1994 and lived here for ten years.  I had a career in the television production business.  Sky TV was a business my brother and I and another partner owned.  I was a Texan by birth, and I relocated to the Bay Area because Sky TV was an in-flight television production company.  So we owned the management contracts for all the airlines to produce and exhibit all that advertising and content you see when you fly.  United was our major carrier, and so most of our clients were in the tech industry.  It made sense for us to move to San Francisco.  This is such a great place.  It is my adopted second home, if you will.

Sky TV (Image: courtesy of Sky TV)

Custom rug for Michael Hampton’s bedroom at the 2010 DC Design House
(Photo: courtesy of Michael Hampton)

Then in 1998 Ziff Davis acquired Sky TV.  After the sale I spent about a year transitioning the company to Ziff’s control and management, and at that time bought my first place.  I had a good friend by the name of John Opella I had gone to school with in Austin, and who was a designer living in New York.  I called him to come out and help me with my place.  We went to the San Francisco Design Center together, and he walked me around and showed me all the stuff that he wanted me to approve.  And all of a sudden this world opened up to me.  Wow, there’s this crazy place that is like a private couture shopping center for designers and their clients, for home furnishings.  Isn’t this really great?

And through the process of doing my first place and working with John I got intrigued by design.  Since then John actually has done a series of patterns for us.  But back then I kind of caught the design bug by doing this with him.  When I stopped working with Ziff I was buying, renovating, and turning over real estate, between 1999 and 2000.  I became very interested in the real estate business, which lead to this business.

“Mr. Crowley”  art piece in Elizabeth Tigar’s living room (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

CJ:  So how did you get your cowhide business started?  Where did the idea come from?

KB: The inspiration actually came from my father.  My dad was a creative entrepreneur who every once in a while would chase some weird thing he thought was an interesting creative idea.  So while he ran a manufacturing company that made outdoor sporting goods, like backpacks, tents and things like that, he also created a plastic cover for telephone books. Remember telephone books?  That was just one of many random things that my dad did.

My parents were both from central North Carolina, and on my mom’s side of the family, my grandfather and uncles were high-end wood workers.  They did custom furniture and millwork.  These were the guys that you brought in for the insanely complicated, very expensive work.  So my dad had this crazy idea.  He told them, “Hey, build me some table frames and I’ll glue them together and stain them.  And then, because I keep getting these milk rings all over our furniture from the boys, and I’m tired of hearing their mother complain about it, and I’m tired of it ruining our good furniture, I will cover them in something more durable”.  He took a piece of plywood and went to a leather place and asked for the most warp-resistant and durable leather they had.  They turned him on to some cowhide leather, and he bought it.  He started cutting it up into little pieces, glued it onto the plywood, and dropped it into the interior of a frame, and the table was done. I was about ten years old and I remember that all of our friends and neighbors thought that it was a really cool idea and looked pretty neat.

My dad also used to drag me around, and we would take the tables and go to rodeos and shows in Texas where they were selling oil equipment and things like that.  Bankers, ranchers, and oil guys would say, “Wow, that’s a Western-looking cowhide table top, I’ll take two!”  So my dad would get my uncles to make the frames, and he would make the tops.  So, fast-forward 25 years when I caught the design bug.  I had some old pieces and things my dad had done for me, and I had just met my future wife Libby.  And without going too far down that really corny lane, she is my muse for me, my real inspiration.  Libby just brings it out of me.

Kyle & Libby Bunting at Gump’s (Photo: Drew Altizer)

“Bittersweet” bar front by Neri & Hu  (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Mirage” rug in a living room designed by Eric Roseff Designs
(Photo: courtesy of Eric Roseff Designs)

CJ:  What is your wife’s background?

KB: She is one of six kids, from a large Irish Catholic family from Eugene, Oregon.  She is an Oregon Duck who came down to the Bay Area.

CJ:  So you met here in San Francisco?

KB: Yes.  I came from Texas; she came from Oregon.  She worked for Credit Swiss and J.P. Morgan in investment banking. It was love at first sight!  This is one of those great cheesy stories of all time, it’s worse than “Top Gun”. Because when I was a single man I was very comfortable introducing myself to someone; but I was not a man of lines.  I would not have any problem going up to someone saying, “it’s nice to meet you, what’s your name?” or saying something normal.  But I was so overwhelmed when I saw, not met, when I saw Mrs. Bunting.  I knew that was it!  Libby is about eight years my junior, and I was I guess about 32ish.  So I was ripe, I was ready!  And I remember being not of lines, I approached her and I said, “So that’s what you look like”.

CJ:  That’s the only line you ever needed I suppose.

KB: It ends up being the only line I guess I ever needed.

CJ:  Was it the same for her?

KB: I guess it was; invariably she came round to it.  It wasn’t the same for her instantaneously, but her part of the story is, “Whatever, who is the guy with the cheesy line?”  It was her girlfriends who noticed that they had never seen anybody look at anyone that way.  It was just a magical thing.  I am kooky, nutty, lovey-gubby for Libby.  She is just a really amazing individual who has been incredibly supportive.  She had her moments, of “This will never send our kids to school, your furry carpets”, but she was always believed that if I loved it enough it was going to work out.  She is incredibly genuine in her creative support.  It has really been extraordinarily useful thing to me to find somebody who inspires me and at the same time gives it to me.  Libby doesn’t deliberate; she just gets it.

When I say she is a muse, it’s because I move pretty quickly, and her being there and being supportive is great.  Her capacity is 90% a mother, which means 70% taking care of me, and 20% taking care of the children, and then the balance of 10% she can carve out she helps the company.

“Caravan” designed by Jiun Ho (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

So, what happened in August of 2001, was that I resigned from the television business, was doing this real estate thing and met my future wife.  So I was having this history from my father and my mom kind of cooking around upstairs, and I literally woke up in the middle of the night with this idea.

CJ:  Which was what exactly?

KB: Which was to do what my dad had done with the tabletops, but to do them as carpets, to do them in a way that would be contemporary and transitional, that would involve color, that would be really exciting and invigorating, and on an enlarged scale.  Nobody had ever seen that before.  Immediately Libby was right on it.  We jumped on a plane the next day and flew cross-country to meet with my father.  And I told him, “Dad you’ve got tell me how you do this stuff.  Oh, and by the way, this is Libby I’m marrying.”

So she met my parents, and we figured the thing out.  And then for about the next eighteen months I buried myself in a hole in the wall, just me backed up against the Bay experimenting.  I bought leather from S. H. Frank and cut it up.  I was playing with things and techniques, making prototypes and goofing around.  Once we felt like we had something that was tangible in a marketable way I approached Eric (Erik Hughes) and Geoff (Geoffrey de Sousa) of De Sousa Hughes and I said, “Eric, I don’t know you from Adam, but I bought from your pal, so you have to take a meeting with me”.  De Sousa Hughes, which has been our local showroom representing us since then, has always been incredibly receptive, open and very supportive of emerging artisans.  They have great vision and are tremendous supporters of bringing in new things.

CJ:  That’s what makes them so unique as a showroom.

KB: They are unlike any other.  We are now represented in fifteen or sixteen showrooms in North America.  Most of that is with corporate showrooms like Holly Hunt or David Sutherland, who are outstanding partners, make no mistake about it, but De Sousa Hughes is a unique showroom, and it really follows their mantra; and I don’t think anybody else does it so well.

“Jet Stream” rug and wall covering at De Sousa Hughes (Photo: Matthew Millman)

“Kashmir” designed by Kyle Bunting (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

CJ:  So they got you started?

KB: So Erik and Geoff were the first people in the showroom business who really understood what we were doing, and they were very supportive.

CJ:  So you went the wholesale route? You didn’t say, “Okay, let me open up a store, hang up some rugs and see what happens”.

KB: Well, that is not entirely true. I don’t want to say that I was the first, because it wouldn’t probably be true. I can’t prove it, but I do think it was significant that in 2002 or 2003 I had some very rough prototype and said, “Could you put this on the floor and see if you can run some orders for it?” and that we also put up a website and started buying Google Ad Words. People all over the world were finding us. As a design-focused artisan brand trying to reach the trade and the public we followed the idea that if they are going to search for leather rugs and if we cast a wide enough net, maybe by the time they stumble into us, they’ll go, “That’s cool, I’ve never seen a thing like that.” It really worked, and we were writing one out of twenty orders from the showroom, but we were getting business from people all over the world.

CJ: And, who were those people? Was it individuals, designers?

KB: It was about 50/50. There were design-focused individuals who were savvy enough to use the web and who just kind of stumbled on us, or they were designers who were in the markets where we did not have representation. Then, of course my friends in the trade business helped. The Internet ended up being the best possible strategy. We very early on adopted the idea that we wanted to post almost everything we could, so people could see it online. We developed our site to show our work, which opened it up to everyone. At the same time it enabled us to support the showrooms and let them garner a customer base.

CJ: When you say we, who was that in those days? Did you have staff?

KB: The company was me and a few people that I would go find to help me make things. Our first studio was in Hunter’s Point. We rented a 1000 sq. ft. building at the end of Underwood Street, right by the Bay. In this dilapidated space, we developed the first prototypes. I’ll never forget the landlord’s reaction to the first rugs we made. He said, “Those look awesome and all, but make sure you don’t forget to market them, because no matter how cool they are no-one will buy them if you don’t let the world know about it.” He was very supportive. I think we took those words to heart; we have promoted our work heavily ever since.

In that space we could only receive one radio signal, a metal station from San Jose. We found inspiration in some of the songs and more than a few of our design names are inspired by that music. “Mr. Crowley” is a rug design, and also an Ozzy Osbourne song for instance.

CJ: You have certainly come a long way.

KB: We have come a long way. The next shop was in the stacked car basement of my house in Seacliff. Things were done very simply then. It was funny because we used to literally take razor blades and hold them in place on the lines and then hit them with mallets to cut the pieces. And then we got sophisticated and found a man with a cutting machine.

CJ: I assume since you created something new there was no machinery for this.

KB: There were leather-cutting machines for shoes; but I didn’t have those, and I didn’t have all the razor-bladed dies to do all of this. But I figured it out and got into having that type of machinery.

I actually found a man who had a place in the Mission where they put clothes together, otherwise known as a sweatshop. They made motorcycle jackets; so they knew how to work with leather, and they had one of these machines. I would show up once a month with all these bales of leather stacked on my shoulder, and we would put a big plastic bubble around the machine because the cowhide fur would go everywhere. I would sit in there with hair all over me looking like a snowman, cutting, cutting, and cutting. I would shake off in there and then wrap this whole plastic bag around me, and I would shuffle out of the place so I didn’t get hair all over their leather. Cutting white cowhide, the fur it generates in a room full of black leather, going on black motorcycle jackets, it’s worse than rolling around on a dirty floor if you’re wearing a cashmere sweater. It picks up everything.

“Mirage” designed by Jiun Ho (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Reflect” designed by Ryan Brewer (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Fez” designed by Kris Lajeskie (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

CJ: So you didn’t use color in those days?

KB: We didn’t do color in those days. We used hides with a real natural palette. We created patterns. We used all these earth tones, and it was beautiful. It was actually a few years later when Cheryl Rowley, a designer in Beverly Hills, emailed one night. I’m proud to say, that even to this day, and this is not trying to brag, that with hundreds of requests a month I still deal with about half of them. I love talking to customers and hearing what people are thinking about and what we can we do. So I always respond to these calls.

And one night, Cheryl is in Los Angeles, and I am in Austin, and it’s about nine o clock my time, and I get this email saying “I stumbled across your website, pretty cool stuff!. Can you do this?” I looked at it, and I saw who it was. “Wow, that’s Cheryl Rowley, that’s a big deal, she is really talented!” I called her, and she answered the phone, and I told her “I just love what you do”. I’m kinda goofy that way, and then I asked “What are you thinking?” She said that she wanted a runner in Astroturf green, about three feet wide, and fifteen feet long. Of course because I knew Cheryl I said, “Sure, absolutely!” So then I had to find green cowhide, and I did. I knew how to get it, but when I digested it a little bit, I did start to wonder what is was trying to do. We billed it and sent it, and I warmed up a little, thinking that it was kind of cool. About three months later she emailed me these photos. The rug was for her personal home, and it was absolutely outstanding and spectacular and appropriate in every way. This was a long time ago.

CJ: And you were sold?

KB: I was sold. Actually it wasn’t so much being sold, as I was being humbled at exactly the right time. Cheryl was so viable; she opened my world. I have to admit that she was singularly responsible for teaching me two things: helping us to be wide open as to what could be possible with color, and also teaching me to trust designers. Everybody gets their own myopic perspective on everything. Cheryl really helped us to realize trusting the designers, to see what they’re going to do with our component. It opened us up and it bought color into our lives.

Green hide (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

CJ: After you saw that image, did you immediately start playing with color?

KB: Yes, we started with one single color; and all of a sudden we went from having seven or eight natural colors, which would be like taking a drive to the country, and there you see the colors grazing, to a palette of fifteen or sixteen. Now the whole palette has seventy or so, so you got about fifty dyed and twenty natural options. Nobody else has that.

CJ: So back then did you do single color rugs, or did you combine colors like at that point?

KB: Both.

CJ: Immediately? Just from doing that one green rug?

KB: Yes. Most of what we did always was not restricted by print because we did everything online. So I started finding tanneries, requesting custom dyelots, putting the colors together, and then photographing them and uploading them to the website. So now I could say, “We’ve got fuchsia! It’s called azalea. Order it!” And I remember a designer from Japan ordered a herringbone runner in all fuchsia. It looked like somebody had killed Barney, and chopped him up and made him into this rug. It was just awesome! It did some tremendous things for us.

“Mr. Crowley” in Azalea designed by John Opella (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Maroc” designed by Kris Lajeskie (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Confusion” designed by Kyle Bunting (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

Color and the whole process helped us to understand how our work relates to branded designers and collections. When designers are branded they get a royalties, and we have done our fair share of that. We have done work with David Rockwell, an outstanding brand and individual. We also worked with Jiun Ho here locally, who is immensely talented and who has incredible vision. John Opella, who is not only a good friend and outstanding designer, but also one of New York City’s finest decorative painters, has designs in there as well, as do Jim Bunting and Kyle Bunting.

What we did from the beginning, and which was really important to us, was two things: when you specify something it is the same price per square foot, any pattern, any color, any size. I don’t care if it is round, square, trapezoid. I don’t care what the repeat is. We are going to figure out how many square feet that is, and we are going to charge you that cost. If you bring me a new crazy complex pattern, I might surcharge you just a little, just to figure it out. But usually we just say, “If you let me add that to our library, and we’ll credit you” we put just build in. We will have something else to offer other customers. We felt very early on that it was really important to have 100% flexibility on the specification side where you could get exactly what you wanted. When we said custom, we meant custom. The other thing was that we wanted to be very, very design neutral.

Let me be clear, I get a lot of credit, which we probably have earned, for innovation, and for probably creating a new category for decorative design. Hide rugs and products we make did not exist or weren’t what they are now, and we take credit for that. But design credit for being some great vision on the pattern and detail side goes to the designers. But we are quick to tell you that we created this really cool thing and that we’ll want some credit for that, and if you try to compete with me on the cowhide side of the leather business, good luck.

“Black Dog” designed by Kyle Bunting (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Rewind” designed by Ryan Brewer (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Rip Cord” rug in living room designed by Geoffrey Bradfield (Photo: Peter Rymwid)

CJ: So where are the rugs actually made?

KB: They are made by hand in our studio in Austin, Texas, in six weeks or less, by the way. We get our hides from Italy. What happens in the leather business in the U.S. is that actually salt-packed skins are put on barges and run down to Mississippi from where they go to South America to get tanned and then brought back here. This business does not exist in North America.

CJ: They don’t have the skills to do the work here?

KB: No, the perception of chemically pervasive activities involved, for political purposes, they are have legislated it out of the country to win points and win favor with various constituents for being perceived as helping everybody out. But it’s just like any other political story that killed an industry in the process. Now whether that’s good or not, whether that business should have left or not, whether there was the environmental benefit worth the job losses or not, is for somebody else to decide. But the good news is if you are trying to be sustainable and ecologically friendly, then it is actually a benefit to have that business, if it is chemically delicate, to be centralized in one area, because you develop specialists and you develop treatment for water, and it is controlled to its best degree.

Going to Northern and central Italy, where most of this leather is tanned, you see these small towns that share the water treatment facilities. When the machine breaks they pick up the phone, and the guy runs down the road, puts the parts back in, and they keep going. You couldn’t do that here. The good news for people using leather and wondering if it is a sustainable resource, Italian leather is as sustainable as you can get, because it is all done in one place, and they have perfected the process. It’s an aggregate.

It would almost be as if you tried to take LCD television manufacturing and decide that it doesn’t need to made in Japan or Korea and think that Puerto Rico is a great place to do that. You just couldn’t invent that business there, or do it in an environmentally practical way. So we get our leather from Italy, from tanneries that are focused on sustainable production. But from my side of the business I challenge anyone that finds out a business model that is built to be sustainable from the ground up, and they actually yield the numbers we do, so that less material is necessary, which is the best way to do it. We use it everything.

CJ: You don’t have to make coasters from scraps?

KB: No, we don’t.

“Photograph” designed by John Opella (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Caravan” designed by Jiun Ho (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Surrender” rug in living room designed by Allan Moore & Associates Interiors
(Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

CJ: You don’t have to. What did you actually study when you went to university, and how does it relates to what you do today?

KB: I think it sounds like it relates more than it really does. I was actually in one of those college programs where it was an inter-college program between the local Liberal Arts School at the University of Texas and the business school. So I have a very unique degree, the only one that I know of. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing. So I have a liberal arts degree; I have a BA in marketing from a Liberal Arts College at the largest public school in the country.

CJ: And then you went into TV, then a little real estate, than back to the roots with your father’s idea, and then a whole new career?

KB: So for me the curve was university to this television business we created and sold, to real estate development, which kind of created the design bug, to this idea, and low and behold now the joke is that I am now seeking to become the Hide-Master of the Universe.

CJ: The Hide-Master of the Universe. You may be on your way. Last year you created a limited edition of furniture for Gump’s. How did that come about?

KB: My wife and I used to live in a building in Pacific Heights, and Diane Dorrans Saeks was our neighbor. Diane not only became a professional resource for me, she also became a customer and has a Kyle Bunting carpet in her house. She was an early customer, and Diane actually knew Marta Benson, the CEO of Gump’s, and said, “You really ought to meet Marta. They’re doing some exciting things at Gump’s. You and her need to get together.” She introduced me, and when Marta and I met I actually had a period where I did angel investing, or very light venture work. No means to infer that I was a V. C., but I provided some capital to some people who had some good ideas. One of the companies that I helped fund was a furniture rental company that operates internationally, called Home Essentials.

One of the other investors was a group called Cardinal, which was run by a guy named Rusty Rose. Rusty was famous because he was George W. Bush’s partner when he owned the Texas Rangers baseball team; but he was also one of the early investors in Restoration Hardware. Marta used to work for Restoration Hardware. So we instantly connected a bunch of rally wacky dots on people who we were two degrees of separation on, and just really kind of hit it off.

Erik Hughes, Kyle Bunting, Marta Benson, Christian P. Arkay-Leliever (Photo: Drew Altizer)

CJ: Well Marta is fabulous, so that’s easy.

KB: She’s amazing anyway! Marta said, “You know, let’s do something.” She was so thoughtful and courteous; she knew how our trade relationships worked, our showrooms and said that she did not want to be a problem. So this was over two years ago. It took about a year of some phone calls and running into each other, kind of the romance of “What do we do?” to kind of get our heads around what might be possible. I registered at Gump’s when I got married, and a few other places. But Gump’s was the place with all the china and flatware, a brand that is forever embedded. I have a Gump’s old croc wallet that I carried for years and bought when they had a store in Dallas, Texas. This is an old brand. But Marta and I were persistent with one another, trying to figure stuff out.

Family room at the “Modern by Design” Metropolitan Home Showcase
designed by Jeffers Design Group with custom rug (Photo: Matthew Millman)

KB: Late in 2009 we kind of ran into each other at the Met Home Showhouse, a project we did with Jay Jeffers, who is an outstanding designer. He is just great, what a great guy! So Marta and I sat down, and she said, “What do you want to do?” and she offered a blank canvas. I said that our brand is involved in our tagline, which we say is “the extraordinary in hide”, now predominantly a surfacing material. And our claim to fame is this piecework we do that doesn’t require any stitching; so it looks really incredible and its highly detailed design work. That’s our bread and butter. But I really have a vision for what we can do that is much more interesting than just cowhide rugs.

I said, “With your permission, I’d like to create some interesting artistic impressions. Some of them would be wrapped in canvas, some of them would be in form of furniture. I actually would like to create some furniture items that would be practical. And I’d like to do it in a very vibrant and eye-catching way that will get people’s attention, and to fulfill my objective in this, which is to show people what’s really possible and turn them on to something else.” Marta and Gump’s couldn’t have been more supportive. Their goal and their mission was to find a way to show people that Gump’s is more than what you think it is, and there are all these cool crazy things happening there and you should go check them out.

CJ: Because Gump’s had kind of gone in a different direction at some point, until Marta came on board and brought it back to what everybody loved.

KB: Exactly! They bought it back to what it was. So what they’ve tried to do is say, “Look, we’re going to bring in people to do something kind of cool and give them a lot of flexibility and remind people what’s really great and how much Gump’s cares about design and innovation.” So we decided to do the furniture and to imbed some of the collection patterns into the items themselves. I thought why not integrate elements of the rugs and wall coverings we’re known for into the line itself. For me, this was the easiest way to show capability and design potential. Additionally, we felt a vibrant color palette was critical.

Ottomans (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Clutch” table with two intertwined shapes representing Kyle and Libby Bunting’s relationship (Photo: WR Studio)

On the artistic side we took some of the pattern work from John Opella, Ryan Brewer, who currently runs design for the company, and Christian P. Arkey-Leliever who helped me design a lot of the furniture, and myself. We made four 4′ by 5′ stretched canvases in these beautiful flat walnut frames of our patterns work, but shrunk down to itty bitty pieces. It’s really cool, it’s really raw, and it has a lot of handwork where it is not quite as tailored. But it’s vibrant, and it’s hide and it’s wow. That was what we did on the art side.

“Shift” art designed by John Opella (Photo: WR Studio)

“Flume” art designed by Ryan Brewer (Photo: WR Studio)

On another transitional side, that’s more art meets furniture, I found this great resource, and I bought these old Mannheim frames, these old Louis XVI chair frames. Manheim is a legendary, old school furniture company. Your mother’s mother knows the name, and many still swear by it. I think that history and legacy is pretty special. So I went out and found ten people who had a relationship to the business and who were designers who I really cared for and appreciated, and thought would like to do this. I said “Hey, we are doing this thing with Gump’s, and I’d like you to design a chair”. On the showroom side, both Eric Hughes and Geoffrey De Sousa both designed chairs, our local impresarios, and Marvin Wilkinson and John Ellsworth who own John Brooks, who also represent us in Scottsdale. Kara Mann, a dynamic designer out of Chicago, designed a chair. Jan Showers, a great designer and furniture producer in Dallas, designed a chair. We also have Kris Lajeskie who is an outstanding designer in New Mexico and New York, and Holly Hunt, who represents us and is incredible supportive, put chairs together. And there are a few others.

Art chairs from left to right (Photo: WR Studio)
“Erik” by Erik Hughes
“Marvin” by Marvin Wilkinson
“Jan” by Jan Showers
“Art” by Art Ellsworth
“Goeffrey” by Geoffrey De Sousa

Art chairs from left to right(Photo: WR Studio)
“Kara” by Kara Mann
“Tiffany” by Tiffany Antoun
“Kris” by Kris Lajeskie
“Holly” by Holly Hunt

CJ: So this is all limited edition? How many pieces?

KB: Just one.

CJ: Oh, very limited!

KB: Just one original. These are not production items, these are artistic chairs. They are available for sale, a portion of the proceeds goes to Gump’s charity, which is the California College of the Arts. They are all individual one-of-a-kind expressions. With the other furniture we wanted to take the custom experience the designers know from the showroom side of the business into the retail environment, but make it really simple. So we said, “These are the five different finishes that you can put on the wood, and here are nineteen colors. I have matching lacquer, and I have a matching cowhide, and you can mix and match all of this in any way. So, if you want pink lacquer on the console, and you want those four cream and brown leathers wrapped on it, great.” It’s the most simplistic structure, narrow and simple way. It works great for retail, because we took the fabric part, which is what designers know as the most fun but is the most challenging from a client’s side, and simplified it.

“Runway” consoles in various finishes and hide colors (Photo: WR Studio)

CJ: You obviously make the rugs. Who makes the chairs, who makes the consoles?

KB: We have partners we work with to produce all this stuff. So, we have the art chairs that are one of a kind and we have the artwork. But we actually have production pieces that have hide integrated into the pieces in some form or fashion, because it’s our signature material.

CJ: So as a result, you are now also a furniture manufacturer.

KB: So, yes we are now in the furniture business with Kyle Bunting Hide Furniture. In the line there is a wood-based and hide-covered ottoman, there is what could best be described as the blending of a club and a wing chair with a wood base and covered in long furry silver hide. I don’t know if it looks like it’s about to run away, or it looks like a goat, but it is a very comfortable chair. There is also a console, which I’m very excited about because it’s a nesting console. As designers we know a lot of time we try to find the right length console. It is a long rectangular console, I think about eighteen by maybe fifty, but it has two narrow tables that nest from the side that you can slide in and out, and the pattern continues across the top. So, you can stretch it to fit the back of a sofa, whatever your needs are, with one piece of furniture.

“Fog Hide” chair (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Runway” console (Photo: WR Studio)

CJ: That is an innovative piece. Who designed it?

KB: I designed it! Sure, this is my thing. There is also a similarly designed cocktail table. And there is a focal table that includes brass and wood and a wrap that is very interesting to me. But in my opinion, the signature piece is a screen. We have created hide damask, and it must be seen to be believed. On one side of the screen we have cut the pattern in a platinum silver and a slate blue, but then on the other side the background is like a slate blue with a platinum silver, and with the same finish on both sides. So what you get is a piece of furniture that if you just turn it around is still the same item with the same color, but it just feels a little different.

“Neu” screen (Photo: WR Studio)

“Neu” screen reverse side (Photo: WR Studio)

Custom “Cowboy Hat” wall covering at the W Hotel in Dallas, TX
designed by Tracy Overbeck Stead(Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

CJ: So how did you arrive at that? You worked with two-dimensional color blocking patterns for years and years, and all of a sudden you’re designing three-dimensional objects.

KB: I had a lot of help from a lot of really talented people. Christian P. Arkey-Leliever is an incredibly talented designer whom we had met through the licensing relationship we had with David Rockwell, and with whom we developed a great professional as well as personal relationship. Christian had designed furniture for Hickory Chair. I embraced him, and I said, “We’re friends, let’s do this together and figure this out”. And he was beyond significant in the development of a lot of these items.

CJ: So was he a muse, a technical advisor?

KB: A little bit of everything, a confidant, an assistant, everything you could think of. For example the damask pattern that’s on the screens is a pattern Christian developed for us a couple of years ago. He is an immensely talented man. Somewhere between Mrs. Bunting and her support, and just what she brings to the table in every way for me personally, and Christian’s professional support in understanding furniture and being a designer, is what really made this stuff a reality. This would have never happened without the two of them, and of course without Marta’s support.

CJ: It must be exciting, because while when you successful with your business doing the same thing, it must be rewarding to create something entirely new and different. It has always been cowhides. Have you ever thought about maybe other hair-on-hides, like rabbit for example?

KB: No, we are very, very strict and focused on cowhide. Cowhide is a piece of leather that is a sustainable resource. I’m not a supporter of using fur product, not for a political reasons or anything like that, it is just not my thing. It is not durable enough for what we do, for the surfacing applications on the floor, and it is also a little bit tricky to work with, for the way we do things. Cowhides are perfect! I don’t want to use horses. I am a fan of Mr. Ed, and we like horses. So we’re sticking to cow and hair-on-hide leather.

CJ: How about laser-cutting holes and such?

KB: Actually on the design side everything we do is developed digitally and cut by very sophisticated machines that use knives as opposed to lasers, to get a cleaner cut, and then everything is handmade. It’s like an Exacto knife controlled by a machine that runs really fast, and is incredibly sharp, and you better get out of its way.

CJ: And hairs must be flying everywhere. How do you keep it contained?

KB: My business is probably dirtier than the indoctrination barbershop at the U.S. army where they shave everybody’s head when they come in. I’m the only place that has more hair everywhere than that place.

CJ: What do you do with all that little fuzz?

KB: We vacuum it up and clean it. It’s one of those natural by-products, it’s beyond biodegradable, its hair. It disappears very quickly.

CJ: You have gone into a whole new direction with the furniture. Do you have any other ideas and uses you might want to explore?

KB: I have wall covering, rugs, upholstery, furniture, and we also do art. Really the possibilities are unlimited. We have done all sorts of quirky things we don’t promote. We have done lampshades for Gump’s. We recently did a huge tapestry for a client with these insignias and some monograms in it. I think the point of these examples is that we are finding immense challenges and immense opportunities within this business. I think we are lucky in that we have a good idea and we a quality product. So we are getting requested and getting recognized. What we wanted to do all along, which was to have designers call us with crazy ideas. It’s really been a hell of a journey, and I think we’re just beginning a scratch of what is possible. So our idea is to innovate and use this material in every possible way.

“Jet Stream” wall covering in bedroom designed by Eric Roseff Designs
(Photo: courtesy of Eric Roseff Designs)

Custom cowhide bedspread designed by Merle Lindby-Young
(Photo: courtesy of Merle Lindby-Young)

CJ: How about your durability? How about a bunch of stilettos on a rug at big cocktail parties?

KB: There’s is an interesting irony about hair on hide, in that it is the inverse of a normal rug, highly stain resistant. Spill peanut butter on it get a piece of gum stuck on it, you can clean it off, no problem. With normal rugs that’s a huge deal, right? The biggest problem for hair on hide is the vacuum cleaner. The only problems we ever have with this product are the beater brushes. So when we ship our products we tell people to vacuum it only if you can put it on a very high setting, where it will lift, but no beater brush is involved, or preferably please sweep it and vacuum around the edges. Also if you put a cigarette on it, or you break an ink pen in two, and you get some on the rug that you absolutely cannot clean or fix, just send it to us, and we will get the pieces out, repair the rug and send it back to you.

CJ: How do you get the same color again?

KB: Trade secret.

CJ: Fair enough, but most importantly you can fix anything.

KB: Yes we can fix it.

“Crush” designed byChristian P. Arkay-Leliever (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Promenade” rug at David Sutherland Showroom (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

CJ: Have you not had that brainstorm over a decade ago what might you be doing professionally today?

KB: Having been in the production and executive side of television, I would probably be involved in some kind of kooky branding, advertising, marketing way, because it is very natural to me. Invariably I probably would have ended up there, helping innovators and companies that had something really cool find a way to get their voice heard. I would have ended up, God forbid, in the advertising business.

CJ: Now you are doing all that for Kyle Bunting.

KB: Yes, promotions for my own business.

“Loop” by Ryan Brewer (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

“Ripcord” designed by Ryan Brewer (Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

CJ: Who is Kyle Bunting without his fabulous hides? I think I’ve got a pretty good idea. But please ad if you like.

KB: You have figured it out. I’m me. Although our company profile is fairly high, my world is a fairly private affair. I am in an incredible place: I’ve got a business that it is busting at the seams and is doing incredibly well. We are having a blast! I am married to an insanely great woman, and we got awesome kids.

CJ: What do you guys do for fun?

KB: I play with my kids, and anything with little kids is fun. Doughnuts on weekend mornings to watching movies, whatever it is, with children the simple things in life are incredibly better.

CJ: So the best thing that ever happened to you was going to that bar?

KB: Yeah, this business started and developed in the 2000s, or in the Os. Three incredibly important things happened to me in the Os: Caroline Bunting was born in Austin a five years ago, and Jack Bunting was born in San Francisco over seven years ago. But literally almost ten years ago was the weekend of the Union Street Fair when I stumbled into Mrs. Bunting, and that changed everything.

CJ: You fell in love, and an idea was born in that energy.

KB: All that energy, and my wife went in that direction. God bless her! That’s the story! We are enjoying life.

CJ: That’s the story, thank you.

KB: Thank you.

“Eclipse” in lobby at Bisha Hotel & Residences designed by Munge Leung
(Photo: courtesy of Kyle Bunting)

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“Big Spenders Buoy Housing,” says the Wall Street Journal in a new video and news report on the Bay Area luxury housing market for 2010.

They report that “buyers from from tech companies like Google Inc., LinkedIn Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co.” have increased demand in the market of homes priced $2 million and above, with the highest volume for high-end properties occurring first in Atherton (20 transactions in 2010 above $5 million), followed by San Francisco (8 transactions in 2010 above $5 million.)

2600 Pacific Avenue

According to the WSJ, “The priciest Bay Area home transaction recorded in the public records in 2010 was for a two-story home in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood. In December, the home, which public record puts at nearly 7,400 square feet, was sold for $15.5 million to Hos Pacific LLC..”

The home at 2600 Pacific is said to be owned by a prominent newlywed couple.

The post Luxury Home Sales On Rise appeared first on SFLuxe.

Sotheby’s International agent Gregg Lynn gave Forbes.com a private tour of the stunning penthouse atop the St. Regis in San Francisco, which has been put on the market for $49,000. At 20,000 square feet, the 6-bedroom showcase is “the largest new-construction condo in the world,” according to Lynn.

The post San Francisco’s Penthouse Palace appeared first on SFLuxe.

Detail of Wreath by Tish Key Interior Design (Photo: Michael Bello)

Children of Shelters, founded in 1995 to help children living in transition and in shelters, assists an estimated 4,000 homeless children.  Their two annual holiday events, Jingle & Mingle and Santa Fest are their major benefits to finance programs such as back-to-school clothing, one-on-one tutoring, college and secondary school tuition assistance and more.

This year the Board of Directors, Lois Pavlow, Serena Fairchild Sheldon, Summer Tompkins Walker, Sarah R. Moore, Heidi Castelein, Alison Kiley, and Kate Sheridan Chung, along with their board members, organized their tenth Jingle & Mingle event.  It brought together San Francisco’s society and design community to cheer the holidays and to raise money in them most creative of spirits.

Held at the historic Presidio Officers’ Club guests got to bid on some of the most creative and stunning holiday wreaths while enjoying wines and cocktails and tasting hors d’oeuvres from various San Francisco restaurants.

Summer Tompkins-Walker and Vanessa Getty

The venue was designed by Ken Fulk Design and provided comfortable lounge areas throughout the Officers’ Club, a much-appreciated option to rest one’s heels for a moment.  But most of the activity of course was around the stunning wreaths, as guests wondered what the designers were inspired by and where some of the more unique materials came from.

Over 50 of the top Bay Area designers and artists conjured up exquisite one-of-a-kind creations to be auctioned off.  Shapes and materials pushed the boundaries of what we generally expect from a holiday wreath.  From squares to deer heads, and from magazine pages to electrical wires and old light bulbs, nothing was off limit, and the results were the reflection of the impressive creativity San Francisco has to offer.

Ken Fulk, Jo Labagh, Nelson Bloncourt

Raising a toast to artistry and to support of Children of Shelters were Vanessa Getty, board members Lana Adair, Melissa Barber, Summer Tompkins-Walker, Jenna Lidell-Hunt and Bryan Hunt, Karen Caldwell, Angelique Griepp, Helen Hilton Raiser and Jennifer Raiser, Joy Bianchi, Jessica and Jason Moment, Kate Harbin, Sobia Shaikh, Elizabeth Touw, Holly Baxter and Lindsay Bolton.

Sobia Shaikh, Susan Dunlevy

In friendly competition designers came to appraise their colleagues’ creations and to view their own, hung from old doors and lit to highlight their allure.  Amidst them were landscape architect Stephen Suzman and Katharine Webster, architects Ken Linsteadt and Aleck Wilson, interior designers Douglas Durkin, Ken Fulk, Steven Volpe, Gil Mendez, Nicole Hollis, Vernon Applegate, Gioi Tran, Barbara Scavullo, Tish Key, Will Wick, Michael Burg, Beryn Hammil, Barbara Ashfield, David Hansen, Cecilia Sagrera Hill, George Brazil, sculptor Adam P. Gale, artists Daniel Tousignant and Shirley Robinson, Jennifer Perlmutter, floral designers Mandy Scott, Paul Robertson, lighting artist Michael Donnely of Dogfork Lamp Arts, seamstress Madina Aryeh, and retailers Marta Benson of Gump’s and Sue Fisher King.