For The Love of Books!

A little over a month ago, Barbara and I took in the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library’s Annual Book Sale, which takes place yearly at Fort Mason. This is the mother of all book sales and is billed as the “West Coast’s Largest Book Sale”. Needless to say we were in!

We had tickets for the first day member’s preview and upon arrival it was clear that we were the amateurs, although we quickly formulated a plan: First, Design Books then Cookbooks and then everything else. The line of literally hundreds snaked around the adjoining pier and people came prepared with suitcases on wheels along with every type of portable carriage imaginable.

We managed to score a few gems including “Good Taste Costs No More” by Mr. Richard Gump from 1951, and a couple of early works by local favorite Diane Dorrans Saeks.

Here are some of the other treasures we managed to claim:

We plan to report back on all the great content in later posts. We’ll be back for more books next year…until then, happy reading!

David Hansen

* All photos by David J. Hansen and Barbara Ashfield for Ashfield Hansen Design Inc.

Experiencing a Legendary Space

The classic shot of the Firehouse with vintage engine.

The main room on the ground floor upon walking in the front door. This shot taken from the Sotheby's web site.

Back on November the 12th I attended a program by the ICA (Institute of Classical Architecture) at the former home of the late great decorator John Dickinson. Mr. Dickinson has always been an icon of mine, and this was an opportunity I wouldn’t pass up. The location was the now famous “Firehouse” (a former firehouse from 1893 transformed into a residence) that was owned by the now legendary San Francisco designer. Mr. Dickinson is probably best known for his lively furniture that featured animal legs which are now highly prized, as well as his astute use of materials.

John Dickinson's most famous furniture piece, the three legged plaster stool. This image taken from the Antiques & Art Exchange web site.

An animal skin rug in an upstairs bedroom next to a three legged table.

The Firehouse is currently owned by Mr. John Traina who is somewhat of a local luminary, and the property is currently on the market through Sotheby’s. Mr. Traina’s extensive collections of art, curiosities and over–the-top furniture seem to pay homage to the roots of the Firehouse’s design-rich past.

The walls containing the spiral staircase had art hung so that you were always looking at something on your way up or down.

The grand Mahogany bookcase in the main room of the upper floor that used to be the fireman's dormitory.

The main room of the upper floor with the wonderful chromed fireplace from when John Dickinson was in residence.

After a wonderful social hour where attendees were encouraged to explore around the public spaces, there was a brief and intimate talk given by Diane Dorrans Saeks of the Style Saloniste. Diane was a close friend of Mr. Dickinson and has written intimately about him, some of which can be read here. Diane spoke of Mr. Dickinson’s ethos of design and how his style related to that of his local contemporaries, namely the late great Michael Taylor.

The crowd at the event prior to the talk by Diane Dorrans Saeks.

What is most interesting is that Ms. Saeks also went on to talk about how she has attempted to have a book published on the subject of Mr. Dickinson. The subject of the book is how she originally came to know him and would visit him on Sundays as they shared their passion for design. One of the first responses from a publisher Diane received was “We wouldn’t do a book on a dead decorator”. This was several years ago, and I think the attitude has clearly changed in this regard. I for one revel in the idea of reading more intimately about a design great, but the future will tell if it was meant to be.

An office off the main room which housed a wonderful reproduction William Switzer desk, and was painted the most beautiful red.

It was a treat to get to see this legendary space first hand and connect to one of the origins of San Francisco’s interior design heritage.

You can visit the Sotheby’s web site specific to the property here.

David Hansen

Dining By Design Pre-Event at Gump’s October 22, 2009

Barbara and I have been on the steering committee for Dining by Design in San Francisco for the last couple of years. We have become quite close with some wonderful people on the committee, and our tenure there has proven to be a wonderful source of new friendships. Dining by Design is an event that we are all passionate about as it promotes creativity and serves a wonderful cause.

A window dispplay at the entrance to Gump's which featured tableware and quotes about meals.

Our local San Francisco event benefits the Positive Health Program at SF General Hospital. This program allows people with HIV and AIDS to get treatment on demand, and provides a clinic for those who may not have adequate access to health care.

A detail of Claudia Juestel's table for Adeeni Design Group showing a wrapped box with their signature ribbon.

This year our dear friend Claudia (of SF Luxe) had the idea to have a “Pre-event” at Gump’s, the wonderful San Francisco institution. The title of the event was “The Art of the Table” and featured four prominent San Francisco designers designing tablescapes using their imaginations and Gump’s wonderful merchandise. The four designers who participated were Claudia Juestel of Adeeni Design Group, Martha Angus, Orlando Diaz-Azcuy, and Ken Fulk. The table designs produced were festive, and just the right note to launch this season of Dining by Design. The event culminated in a panel discussion with all the table designers moderated by the marvelous Diane Dorrans-Saeks (of the Style Saloniste, and so much more) which proved to be candid and lively.


Diane Dorrans-Saeks moderating the designer panel with Claudia Juestel and Orlando Diaz-Azcuy.

Barbara and I were happy to meet Katie Denham of katiedid blog. She was lovely and it’s always nice to meet other designers and bloggers in person.

Ken Fulk's table featuring Hermes saddles and scarves as seats.

Gump’s always puts on a lovely event, and the staff is amazing. As an added bonus, one of the sponsors, Hermès had a drawing to win a gift bag (they gave away 10) and my significant other “The Duke” was one of the lucky winners. The bags contained an Hermès neck tie, a small plate in the “Jardin des Orchidèes” pattern, a cookbook, fragrance and a magazine. What a lovely surprise!

The Hermes gift bag spoils.

We’re now less than one month to the actual Dining by Design event in San Francisco. The event will be held on Wednesday November 18th (Table Hop and Taste) and Thursday November 19th (the gala dinner). The event will be held in the Galleria of the Design Center at 101 Henry Adams. Tickets can be purchased on line here.

A table by Martha Angus using antiques and an Ikea rug.

*As a side note: I must apologize for the quality of the photos. My camera broke a day before the event and I was forced to use an “older model”.

David Hansen