BRENDA MICKEL, Design Principal

Brenda Mickel is a talented woman possessing quiet sophistication. Born and raised near Washington, DC, she spent her formative years in an area rich in culture and dominated by neoclassical architecture. Her educational goals took her to University of Georgia, where she received a BFA in Interior Design. Brenda went on to study at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York City, obtaining an Interior Design certificate.

Brenda has spent a lifetime cultivating a refined knowledge of painting, sculpture, antiques, architecture, and the decorative arts. As a young person, she traveled frequently with her family, and she has continued to pursue this wanderlust as an adult, traveling extensively in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Italy, France, Russia, India, and Morocco, in particular, have had strong impact on her professional work. This first-hand cultural knowledge is a distinct asset in the design world and has added real-life depth to her formal education.

Brenda has many years of experience as an interior designer. She began her career working for a firm in Greenville, SC, where her responsibilities included creating residential interiors, traveling extensively in Europe to purchase antiques, and designing custom furniture, lighting, and accessories to be produced in Italy. She then became a partner in a design firm in Atlanta, GA, and was later recruited nationally to join a highly-regarded residential design firm in Silicon Valley.

Once in California, Brenda’s unique personal and professional background caught Paul Wiseman’s attention. Impressed with her seasoned eye and discerning taste, he made her a member of The Wiseman Group design team in 2001. She is considered a “go to” person for advice on fabrics, antiques, and custom furniture design. Paul values her knowledge of scale and proportion and her innate sense of color and texture that, together, allow her to create beautiful living environments. Brenda is accomplished at designing a wide range of interiors, from traditional to modern. She understands the cosmopolitan lifestyles of her clients and works together with them to arrive at appropriate solutions that exceed their expectations.

Brenda is a designated project leader at TWG. She has a reputation among the staff for being well organized and efficient in her work. She develops strong relationships with the entire creative team, collaborating with the architect, contractor, landscape architect, lighting designer, and other key players. Her deep affection for Paul and appreciation of his past mentorship has fostered Brenda’s own commitment to the development of the studio's younger designers. She serves as both a role model and mentor, adding tremendously and giving richly to the firm.

Modern art, custom furniture, and antique chairs in a comfortable living room in Pacific Heights

Custom Bali bed, for TV watching or reading, overlooking San Francisco's park-like Presidio

Living room on the Big Isle of Hawaii with custom lighting, rug, and furnishings

Dining room in a southern California ranch-style home embodying casual elegance

JAMES HUNTER, Design Principal

James Hunter has been a valued member of The Wiseman Group design team since 1996. He knows Paul Wiseman’s thinking perhaps better than anyone else on the staff. They work together seamlessly, often arriving at the same design solution.

James came to TWG with a broad personal and professional background. Born in Upstate New York, he was raised in a small community as part of a large extended family. The security and safety of his close-knit town promoted a sense of self-confidence and independence in James, as well as a genuine interest in other people. These qualities serve him well in his professional life. He is able to meet clients on an interpersonal level that is both sincere and direct.

A focused academic background enriches James’s contributions to the firm. As an undergraduate, James majored in Art Education at State University College in Buffalo, New York; his course work sensitized him to the importance of scale, color, balance, and proportion. He traveled to Italy for a semester abroad, soaking in the magic of Siena, and then visited museums and sites of historical and architectural interest throughout Europe. With its appreciation for the ancient and its embrace of the modern, Europe gave James invaluable exposure to the possibilities in design. Upon his return, James remained in Buffalo, obtaining a Masters of Science in Art Education (magna cum laude) and doing post-graduate work in textile design and surface printing.

Early in his career, James worked as a fabricator of custom soft goods. He was able to observe firsthand the work of many top interior design firms. He managed his own design company for several years before joining the TWG team. James also owns a farm in northern Michigan, where he regularly spends time. The change of pace and shift in culture − Bay Area to rural Michigan, urban to country − provide a boost to his creativity and further his appreciation of context in design. These rich and varied life experiences  prepared him for his current challenge at TWG: creating a unique design vision for a wide range of projects.

James' long history with TWG, his wide knowledge base, and his sharp intelligence engender trust and confidence among the firm’s clients. They soon learn they can depend on James for sure guidance, attention to detail, and quick, well-considered decisions made on their behalf. He brings a discerning eye to every project, helping clients create interiors that are well-composed, cohesive, and appropriate to the space. He manages to do all this while bringing a functional and financial discipline to the project. He has also developed superb relationships with a wide variety of artisans and suppliers who create TWG's custom design elements.

James has applied these impressive personal and professional skills to projects as disparate as a 1000-square-foot pied-à-terre in a Chicago skyscraper, a sprawling wine country estate, a grandly scaled Victorian home in San Francisco, and an ultra-modern compound on the Kona coast. It's no wonder  James is considered such a key player in the firm.

Carefully chosen colors and custom furnishings complementary to the home’s architecture

Furniture and lighting custom designed for comfort and simplicity

A light-filled living room in a San Francisco Victorian achieved by combining rooms in an open floor plan

An office and smoking room with custom paneling, new and antique furnishings, and a special ventilation system

ABOUT THE DESIGN JOURNAL

As an internationally-acclaimed designer, Paul Wiseman leads a busy professional life. In order to make sure his client's needs are fully realized, he reads voraciously, travels extensively, and exposes himself to great art and design. On any given day, wherever his work may take him, Paul comes across interesting people, places, design, and products. It would be a shame not to share these rich experiences with both current and future clients. The journal allows a glimpse into how Paul sees the world and provides an inside look at his work-life adventures. So, enjoy the Design Journal -- early and often!  ~

OUT AND ABOUT: SERGE SOROKKO GALLERY

Paul recently attended the opening of artist Hunt Slonem's exhibition at the Serge Sorokko Gallery in San Francisco. Slonem is best known for his expressionist paintings of tropical birds, based on a personal aviary in which he keeps about 100 live birds of various species. His fascination with exotica can be traced to his experiences as a child in Hawaii and as a foreign exchange student in Nicaragua. His work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum of Art, as well as over eighty museums around the globe. The gallery is currently exhibiting brilliant representations of the artist’s unique style.

Paul with Richard N. Snyder at the opening

FAVORITE SOURCES: DORIS LESLIE BLAU

Paul's visit to the Doris Leslie Blau showroom in NYC in October was mentioned on their Facebook page. The showroom, with its antique rugs and high-quality carpet samples, provides a visual feast.

A beautiful interpretation of an Emile Ruhlmann design in a 300 knot count Chinese silk rug

Owner Nader Bolour shows Paul a stunning Turkish Oushak rug circa 1900

Photos by Kirsten Honeyman