IN THE "PINK"

Color makes a splash in our lives, be it subtle or smashing. Always has, always will.

With February now in full view my mind’s eye seems clouded in images of pinks. I have a lifetime of memories associated with pink, something like walking through the days of my life wearing rose colored glasses. Let me share my “pink” with you…

Pink was the color of my ballet slippers in Annabel’s dance class, and pink was peppermint ice cream from Edy’s.

Pink was the color of my bedroom growing up and the shade of my first lipstick when I turned 16.

Pink is the color of my favorite champagne, and flamingos in the Camargue.

Pink is the color of winter skies at dusk and new babies wrapped in white blankets.

Pink is the color of the roses on my birthday.

Pink is my favorite sandstone and the color of tourmalines from Brazil.

Pink is the filling of raspberry macaroons from Laduree and the color of my favorite lemonade.

What color is your month?

Barbara Ashfield

Photos from top:

A) Cherry Blossoms from flickr.com

B) Vogue cover 1957 autumn fuschias

C) Pink butterflies from flickr.com

D) Serendipity Chocolates tasting “Salon” by Ashfield Hansen Design Inc.

E) Guest room at the Cotswalds.

F) Grapefruit Anise Sorbet from Gourmet magazine.

G) Pink Sunset photo from zingerbug.com

H) Pink Rose.

I) Farrow & Ball Lancaster Pink in Northhamptonshire Photo by Ivan Terestchenko.

J) Macaroons from Laduree from victoriawithlove.bogspot.com.

A New Resource From an Old Friend!

Creativity Explored, our wonderful local art program has become like an old friend. My involvement with them has escalated to a position on their Board of Directors, of which I am honored to serve.For those of you who don't know about Creativity Explored, they are a local organization where people with developmental disabilities make, display and sell their art. I was even moved to write a blog post about them back in 2009 here.

In the past few years they have joined forces with the likes of Recchiuti Confections and the retailer CB2 (the off-shoot of Crate & Barrel) to use some of the artists works as powerful images on rugs, pillows and chocolates. This is all done through a licensing program, which has become an essential component of CE's art sales.

Another program which has gained momentum over time is CE's Art Services Program. This program allows clients to commission, rent, exhibit or consult about art from CE artists. This program, although available to anyone has been geared toward design professionals. There has been a significant interest in CE art by designers of commercial interiors, in fact our Board President Amy Eliot of Tom Eliot Fisch discovered CE through working on a project for her firm. My mission has been to bring the message of Creativity Explored's Art Services program to professionals working primarily on residential interiors. To that end, we have organized a reception for designers and architects on February 9th (this coming Wednesday) from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. If your in San Francisco, please come and experience this program first hand. More information can be found here.

David Hansen

Photos from top:

1) Artwork by Diane Scaccalosi in Avalon Mission Bay III lobby. 
Interior Design: Tom Eliot Fisch, Building Architect: Arquitectonica, Photography: Tom Seawell.

2) Lobby at Avalon Bay. Artwork by various artists. Interior Design: Tom Eliot Fisch. Photography: David Wakley.

Fresh Starts!

Before I decided to pursue interior design, my former career was in retail window display and visual merchandising. Every January my former vocation seems to come to mind. After all the work of decorating a large retail store for Christmas it was almost painful to think of eradicating any signs of it from the premises. To abandon all the red, sparkle and luxe the look of Christmas defines; the New Year was usually met with a different visual approach.

This visual language usually consisted of tones of blue, aqua and indigo while incorporating natural textures like linen and burlap. The textiles used were usually of an exotic nature like paisley, ikat or batik. The merchandising theme to accompany this departure was usually called “Fresh Starts”, or some related variation. This was meant to quite literally represent the visual equivalent to the “Anti-Christmas”. Depending on what retail establishment you worked for you might or might not be promoting Valentines Day which might or might not mean using more red as a display device so a firm demarcation was required to erase the former holiday away.

I’ve been thinking about this idea since ringing in 2011 and trying to apply it to an interior design context. What would “Fresh Starts”, or the “Anti-Christmas” look like in an interior? I’m thinking light, airy spaces that feel like a vacation. Some good examples might be some of the legendary Michael Taylor’s later work, a Moroccan Riad, or perhaps the work of Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz. The possibilities are endless.

What are your “Fresh Starts”? Whatever this means for you, just breathe and let the holidays become a memory!

David Hansen

Photographs from top:

1) Bergdorf Goodman window display May 23, 2008 photographed by Rudy Panzano for anothernormal.com

2) The Mondrian Hotel with interior by Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz.

3) Dixneuf La Ksour Riad from Hoosta magazine.

4) Michael Taylor interior photographed by Russell MacMasters from Architectural Digest.

5) Nacho Polo interior photographed by Andrea Satini from yatzer.com.

AN APPLE A DAY…

New Year’s Day…. A day filled with the promise of good will and good fortune in the coming year. For me it’s opening the last gift of the holiday season. I always seem to be full of joy on this day, as if all I have to do is wish for what I hope for in the coming year and it will magically happen.

For the last 10 years, give or take a year or two, I’ve chosen to spend New Years Day with my dad at the beach. Typically we venture out in the early afternoon and head over the hill to glorious Half Moon Bay. For the last 2 years we’ve lunched at Sam’s Chowder House where, when the weather permits, we sit outside in big Adirondack chairs around a cracking fire and get lost in a couple of hours of conversation or sometimes just silence while taking in the beautiful view before us. The ocean has such an ethereal and calming effect.

The crowning moment of New Year’s Day is when I toss an apple into the ocean on which I’ve written my wishes for the new year. I got this idea from a friend years ago and it’s stayed with me ever since. For what it’s worth, I’ve been both lucky AND fortunate, as many of my dreams and wishes have come true.

I wish you a year filled with promise and good fortune.

Barbara Ashfield

Photos:

Top photo of my Dad on the beach

Second photo of the harbor at Princeton By The Sea

All photos by Barbara Ashfield for Ashfield Hansen Design Inc.

Happy New Year!

Here is wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2011!

Barbara & David

Christmas Memories - Living In A Winter Wonderland!

I think Christmas time will always be filtered through one’s experiences as a child. I was lucky enough to spend my childhood living in Colorado, where one of the most magical things was the existence of four seasons…four distinct seasons. In San Francisco it can be hard to tell what timeof year it is by the weather, and a change in season can be lost on sunshine or torrential rain.

It seemed that we were always prepped for Christmas by the weather well in advance with snow (this sometimes happened as early as Halloween) so it always “felt” likeChristmas was coming. It seemed that if it didn’t snow at least a little that Christmas wasn’t going to be as good. Besides thesnow, some of my most treasure memories of Christmas were:

An annual Christmas shopping trip with my Grandmother, where she would take me to the Brown Palace Hotel in downtown Denver for lunch,

Going to see the Nutcracker ballet each year with my Mother,

Buying a fresh Noble Fir from our local tree lot,

Seeing the Christmas lights in Denver’s Civic Center,

Helping to decorate and attending midnight mass at our church, St. Luke’s Episcopal,

And of course gifts!

The gift of a cowboy hat from my Godparents in Dallas, Texas.

Merry Christmas, and best wishes to you and yours!

David Hansen

Photos from top:

1) Pine tree photo from Apartment Therapy.

2) Brown Palace Hotel postcard from cardcow.com.

3) Nutcracker photo from The Denver Post web site.

4) Tree photo from GearPatrol.com.

5) Denver Civic Center from flickr.com.

6) Interior of St. Luke’s Church Denver, Co.

7) Statue of St. Michael from St. Luke’s church courtyard.

8) Vintage photo of the author.

Bieder-Merry Christmas!

The spirit of Christmas was ever-present in San Francisco last Thursday night when the “Jingle & Mingle” event took place at the Presidio Officers Club, an event known for beautiful and creative wreaths designed by some of San Francisco’s best and brightest creative minds. The premise was simple: Design a non-perishable wreath to be sold to the highestbidder …a la silent auction. The event is sponsored by Children of Shelters, who donate all proceeds to assist the City’s children living in transitional shelters by providing for both their basic and in-depth needs. The organization has been around since 1995, and was founded by Lois Pavlow.

Early sketches on a Starbucks napkin.

The creative process for our wreath started over a cup of coffee and a sample of veneer; a beautiful piece of birds-eye maple. What followed was a lively conversation about the Biedermeier period and restrained classicism. Ultimately, we decided on a starburst design, further reinforcing the idea with the star edged in black. Crowning our star was a very wide vintage stripe ribbon in black and cream from The Ribbonerie. As for the wreath construction itself, Barbara and I knew we didn’t want anything too “out-there” or trendy. After many sketches, we finalized our star, seeking the advice and direction of an expert wood shop. We enlisted the help and support of an old friend, Segale Bros. Wood Products, a local custom cabinet shop with whom I have been designing for years. They were kind enough to keep with the spirit of giving by making the donation of product and labor to further the cause. The wreath was cut out using a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine. The expertly crafted star matched our vision perfectly. It was indeed a Bieder-Merry wreath, evoking in our minds, a classic holiday symbol.

The star shape in the birds eye maple after being cut out on the CNC machine.

The Jingle & Mingle event was beautiful, one to be remembered and to participate in again.

Laying out the vintage ribbon.

Have a Bieder-Merry Christmas!

David Hansen

Top Photo:

The finished wreath on a festive Red door.

All photos by David Hansen for Ashfield Hansen Design Inc.

A Recap From Dining By Design 2010

We’ve been busy preparing our clients for the holidays, but we didn’t want to miss posting some highlights of our local Dining by Design event.

DIFFA’s Dining by Design celebrated 10 years in San Francisco on November 17^th & 18^th with the annual “Table Hop & Taste” on Wednesday and the gala dinner on Thursday. Here are some highlights from the event.

The lead photo is of a table designed by Robert Fung for Hartmann Studios.

Detail of a table by Adeeni Design Group for Poggenpohl that utilized poetry and referenced the sea.

"La Cage Aux Fauxnique" was designed by Steven Miller and Paul Benson.

A table referencing a "Tee Pee" covered in illuminated Ektachrome slides by Gensler and Haworth.

Slide detail.

The interior of the table by Gensler & Haworth.

A table for Restoration Hardware designed by Gary Spain with Will Wick.

A table for the San Francisco Design Center designed by Candace Barnes.

Barbara Ashfield & David Hansen

All photos by David Hansen for Ashfield Hansen Design Inc.