San Francisco designers reflect on the simple luxuries of home and designing for the moment.
Catherine Kwong
“This year has been a great lesson in the beauty of slowing down. I’ve seen how valuable it is to step back and let our minds be freely creative before sharing ideas.”
Tineke Triggs
“I am currently inspired by architecture and designers like Louise Nevelson and Frank Gehry. They were not limited to conventional lines or space.”
Gary Hutton
“In the early 1990s, I got my hands on some very special heritage, hand-loomed silk velvet in a leopard print. I had it made into a bolster pillow. The original was woven for Empress Josephine in Lyon, France, in the late 1700s and early 1800s.”
Kendall Wilkinson
“Antiques offer a sense of calm and connect us to our shared past. In my entry, I have a vintage blue glass mirror from the 1920s and a console I purchased from Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, the Parisian flea market.”
Katie McCaffrey
“I am loving some of the new Hartmann & Forbes window coverings and nubby, slubby Holly Hunt Great Outdoors fabrics. I am spending so much time outside in the garden and watching those California hills turn golden.”
Grant K. Gibson
“I recently discovered the Emerald line of paints from Sherwin-Williams, which has some beautiful colors. It’s a cleanable flat paint with the paint and primer in one.”
Jaimie Belew
“One thing I always encourage my clients to invest in is hardware and fixtures. You use your kitchen faucet every day. It should feel and look like jewelry.”
Eche Martinez
“My go-to colors are Rodeo by Benjamin Moore and Skimming Stone by Farrow & Ball. I use them to create a full envelope of color— walls, trim, crown, ceiling—all done in one of these shades.”
Lauren Geremia
“We’re buying more vintage pieces to accommodate faster timelines. We love Orange Furniture in Los Angeles.”
Jon de la Cruz
“Filling the room with music lifts my spirits and reminds me to move around and dance while I work. Taylor Swift’s Folklore is on heavy repeat, as is Lady Gaga’s Chromatica. I’ve also fallen deep into Netflix’s La Casa de las Flores. It makes me feel like I’m traveling in Mexico City.”
Ann Lowengart
“Nothing says ‘snuggle with me’ like a blanket made with Rosemary Hallgarten textiles from Coup D’Etat. Also, a cashmere Holly Hunt rug from Kneedler-Fauchère. What’s more comfy than walking on cashmere?”
Vernon Applegate and Gioi Tran
“Sometimes it’s a piece of furniture that can make you feel safe and happy, like the Mad King Armchair by Marcel Wanders from Poliform. It’s scaled perfectly and the optional quilted fabric is extra cushy.”
Jennifer Robin
“A focus on natural materials helps bring the outdoors in. The reclaimed wood of Statsky Design’s dining and coffee tables and the natural oak of Liaigre’s Nagato side table are two of my favorites.”
Chloe Redmond Warner
“Art that’s beautifully lit is a luxury. I am currently bidding on a piece by Helen Frankenthaler, and I have just the place for it under a cabinet-maker’s art light by Hector Finch.”
Kelly Finley
“I’ve been drawn to more color in my house—the bolder the better. Currently, I’m obsessed with all things yellow—specifically in the mustard-y yellow family, similar to Farrow & Ball Babouche.”
