Details, Details!

Our local Dining by Design is one of my favorite events of the year. As a member of the Steering Committee I am always involved in the behind-the-scenes details of the event, but usually don’t have much interaction with the actual tables. My first glimpse is usually when I encounter them at the venue.

I’m always amazed at the creativity of the designers who create the event’s signature “Over-the-top tabletop”, and how much work goes into these works of art.

Most design is a sum of it’s parts and as they say: “the devil is in the details”, but in this case it’s the divine!

Here are some of my favorite details from our most recent event which was held on November 16^th and 17^th:

Monogrammed napkin detail at the Gary Hutton Design table:

Corrugated cardboard light fixtures at a table designed by Alexandra Torre:

Male and Female “bums” at a table designed by Room Service:

A “charred” chair at the “Phoenix” table designed by Mondo Guera (of Project Runway fame), and students from San Francisco State University. The table was sponsored by The Merck’s Living Positive By Design campaign:

A checkerboard floor covering utilizing various garden materials at the table designed by Shades of Green Landscape:

Concentric Strings makes a statement at the Academy of Art table:

Succulents at a table designed by John Witmarsh:

Beakers and elements at the “Periodic Table”:

San Francisco’s Dining by Design benefits the Positive Health Program at SF General. They deliver on demand care to those living with HIV and AIDS.

To learn more about San Francisco’s Dining by Design go here. To see photos from the 2011 event go here.

David J. Hansen

Top photo: The purity of white at the table by Gary Hutton Design

All photos by David Hansen for Ashfield Hansen Design Inc. © 2011

Capturing A Designer's Attention!

Bonhams, the worldwide auction house has announced a new sale category to their monthly calendar. “Period Art & Design” will hold inaugural auctions in San Francisco and Los Angeles on November 20^th. These sales will include every category from furniture, decorative arts, silver, rugs, books and jewelry. In addition, the auction catalog for these sales will feature interviews with interior designers or important community figures discussing design trends and relevant topics

The sale for December will include property from the estate of Katherine Elkins Boyd who passed away in 2009. She is most famously known as the daughter of legendary interior designer Francis Elkins, who is a Bay area favorite.

This is exciting news for the San Francisco design community, as many of the lots have very reasonable estimated prices (everything is slated to be in the $500-$5000 range). I’m sure there will be competition amongst some of our peers over these great pieces.

Looking at the catalog online I found some interesting finds:

An Italian Olive Burl veneer square coffee table c.1970s.

Italian mid Century Yellow glass ewer / Mid 20th Century.

Biedermeier partially ebonized Birch wood vitrine on Stand. Second quarter 18^th Century.

 “Tree Lined House in Autumn” by Mary DeNeale Morgan 1868-1948.

Danish ebonized teak and parquetry circular table c. 1960.

Bonhams / San Francisco is located at 220 San Bruno Avenue. Their phone number is 415-861-7500. You can visit their web site here.

David Hansen

All images used are from Bonhams web site and online catalog.

Top image “the Traveler” by Joseph Solman 1909-2008.

Build It And They Will Come

I have found my work with the Steering committee for San Francisco’s Dining by Design to be quite rewarding. The two-day event benefits The Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital which provides on-demand treatment to those living with HIV and AIDS.

Our committee is always looking for ways to promote the event, so I was happy to have been able to collaborate with Mr. Robert Van De Weile, the newly appointed showroom manager at Lee Jofa on a table setting in his showroom to promote Dining by Design’s “Table Hop & Taste”.

A special thanks must be given to Christie McRae, one of our event’s co-chairs and the owner of the McRae & Co. showroom and MC2. She provided the china and stemware from her personal collection.

The tablecloth is one that Barbara and I used on our first table at Dining by Design in 2005. The new line of fabrics from Oscar De La Renta was used to accent the table with memo samples as napkins. The setting is finished off with leaves from the Liquid Amber tree in front of my home.

Our hope is that this will inspire ticket sales, and if you are in San Francisco this coming week (Wednesday) please attend this wonderful, creative event for a great cause! Tickets can be purchased here.

David Hansen

Photos by David Hansen for Ashfield Hansen Design Inc.

Peer Pleasure!

Running a business is always challenging, interesting and as many of us know, unpredictable. The latter became obvious to many of us back in 2008 when the business climate started to change drastically. It was at this point when the opportunity presented itself to look for a fresh idea. In retrospect, one of the smartest business decisions we made during that time was to join forces with other designers in San Francisco, and by that we mean getting together socially to talk about the industry and commiserate about our respective businesses.

Not long after that initial meeting, we realized that we had become a “group”; meeting regularly, once a month, usually taking turns in one another’s homes, where we would have a meeting first, then on to dinner and more conversation. We also concluded that every group deserves a name; hence Decorum was born.

Decorum is made up of 4 firms. The firms are: Ashfield Hansen Design. Adeeni Design Group, Sagrera-Brazil Design and Brian Dittmar Design.

So, where has Decorum taken us? Collectively, our businesses have thrived. Why? We think in part because of our willingness to be intimate with our peers, share resources and give input into each others business dilemmas. There is also a remarkable amount of trust that has evolved from this and the realization that there is enough business for us all to thrive.

This year we are particularly proud of our fellow Decorum members for their professional achievements. Claudia Juestel has established a feature on the SF Luxe and Reside SF web sites called “Tea with Claudia”. Brian of Brian Dittmar Design, and Cecilia and George of Sagrera-Brazil Design were chosen to design rooms in this year’s San Francisco Decorator Showcase.

To Claudia, (Principal, Adeeni Design Group) whose regular feature “Tea With Claudia” on SF Luxe’ has given her the enviable opportunity to interview notable personalities in the design arena, most recently Lord Wedgwood, John Saladino and Bunny Williams.

Claudia Juestel and John Saladino. Photograph by Moanalani Jeffrey.

Claudia Juestel with Lord Wedgewood. Photograph by Moanalani Jeffrey.

Claudia Juestel with design icon Bunny Williams. Photograph by Moanalani Jeffrey.

To Brian, (Principal, Brian Dittmar Design) who designed “Poetry In Time: The Horologist’s Labratory” on the third floor of this year’s Showcase house. The room itself was reviewed by Diane Dorrans Saeks and featured in The Style Saloniste prior to the unveiling.

Brian Dittmar of Brian Dittmar Design.

View of Brian Dittmar's room "Poetry In TIme: A Horologist's Labratory" with a floor lamp designed by Paul Benson. Photograph by David Duncan Livingston.

Detail of neoclassical chair used in Brian Dittmar's "Poetry In Time".

To Cecilia (who is a new mother) and George, (Sagrera-Brazil Design) who created “La Suite” at the San Francisco Showcase,designed “A Dressing Room and Bath designed for a young ’Fashionista’”.

George Brazil and Cecilia Sagrera-Hill in the bathroom they designed.

Bathroom from the San Francisco Decorator Showcase designed by Sagrera Brazil Design. Photograph by David Duncan Livingston.

Detail of "book-matched" stone in the bathroom designed by Sagrera Brazil Design. Photograph by David Duncan Livingston.

Both rooms were stunning and were very well received.

In closing, we too are proud of our achievement with our own blog, Design Squared, which has become an extension of our design personas. It continues to stimulate our creativity, as we are always searching for a topic that piques our interest while simultaneously expanding our horizons. We are proud to say that we have prospered in the blogosphere. Our clients seem to love it and it gives the potential client a chance to get to know us on a more personal level before engaging in a new endeavor. All in all, we believe that Design Squared has become synonymous with Ashfield Hansen Design, giving us a stronger voice in the design arena.

Our group is fortunate to have many of our sessions moderated by Lisa Boquiren, a marketing strategist and the former long-time Director of Marketing for the San Francisco Design Center. Lisa has helped us to stay focused and achieve our goals, not to mention becoming a friend and mentor as well.

More than anything we have prospered, both personally and professionally. We have made some incredible friends, some great business allies, and have enjoyed lots of laughter along the way.

See you in the blogosphere!

Barbara and David