OUT AND ABOUT: LE SOUK

James Hunter of TWG with Davis Dalbok of Living Green Design

James Hunter, Design Principal at The Wiseman Group, recently attended a grand opening at Le Souk, a San Francisco marketplace filled with antiquities, art, and decor from southeast Asia. The occasion? Le Souk was welcoming two new vendors under its roof: Living Green Design and Samana. The new vendors joined three other businesses located at Le Souk: Christian Armstrong Collection, Gil's Upholstery, and La Follia.

Richard Gervais, owner of Le Souk, first opened his doors as a small boutique in the Polk Gulch area of San Francisco in 1970. His business grew, and he eventually moved the Richard Gervais Collection to his current location, a cavernous 15,000–square-foot warehouse in what is now the up-and-coming Garden District. The shop is well-located off the burgeoning Third Street corridor.

Alton Irby, Zahid Sardar, and James Hunter

Davis Dalbok of Living Green Design, runs a multi-faceted business. Under his guidance, the company has been creating notable gardens throughout the Bay Area and beyond for over 30 years. Living Green represents some of the industries' finest lines, including Luciano Antiques, Wijaya Classics Lighting, Gladding McBean Ceramics, and Nature's Treasures — Minerals and Fossils. At his new location at Le Souk, Davis has transformed a former functional storage yard into a thriving exterior landscape. Living Green can now display garden-oriented water features, sculpture, unique plant material, and cutting edge vertical living walls. Within weeks of inhabiting the new space, birds and dragon flies have found a new home in this lively oasis. This new venue captures the spirit of what Living Green has always been about: using beautiful plants and soulful objects from southeast Asia to create outdoor living environments that are both well-appointed and spiritually grounding.

Stone roses and barnacles

Samana is new to the Bay Area scene. Their original store is in Los Gatos, California where they feature one-of-a-kind home furnishings, accessories, and gifts discovered or designed by the owners, Barbara Horscraft and Sandy Martinez. "The inspiration for the store's name derives from an ancient Hindu philosophy practiced by wandering monks that stressed individual, 'unconventional' form and traditions on the path toward enlightenment. And so, now we too wander the world and return with design inspirations and treasures to brighten your home and spaces with truly original offerings."

Michael Donnelly of dogfork and James Hunter

The celebration started with a Hawaiian blessing by Patrick Makuakane and continued with music by Betty Roi and the her Kingtette. The Bogo Fusion dance band closed out the evening.  Exceptionally warm San Francisco weather was the backdrop for this delightful garden party. In attendance were Todd Cole of Strata Landscape Architecture, author Zahid Sardar, Ann Lawrence, Michael Donnelly, Alton Irby, and a host of other local design luminaries.

Davis Dalbok with chanteuse Betty Roi

Visit the Le Souk at 1465 Custer Ave. San Francisco, CA 94124. Hours are Mondays to Fridays 10am to 5pm; Saturdays 11am to 5pm.


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IN THE NEWS: DERING HALL FEATURES THE WISEMAN GROUP

Dering Hall, an online marketplace for the finest interior designers, architects, artisans, and design galleries to showcase their work and sell new, high-end home furnishings and accessories, has featured Paul Vincent Wiseman and The Wiseman Group in their most recent newsletter.

Stack of floating pendants, made of laminated Japanese rice paper over acrylic, create hanging lanterns in the living room

The project Dering Hall chose to showcase is a wonderful example of TWG's creative prowess and versatility. The design of this Hawaiian home, for which Paul Wiseman and Design Principal Brenda Mickel also credit architect Mark de Reus, is Asian-inspired, "showcasing feng shui at its best."

Desk with Japanese pavilion curve on both ends, reflecting the home's architecture

Visit Dering Hall to read about this tropical paradise. Be sure to note that several products created by TWG are also available for purchase on the site.

Chandelier available for purchase on the Dering Hall site

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INNER SPACES BOOK: SNEAK PREVIEW

The Wiseman Group is in the process of creating its first book of interior design. Author Brian Coleman will be writing the text and photograper Matthew Millman will be capturing the interiors. Stay posted for news of this project as it moves forward. Publication is slated for fall of 2014...

Photographer Matthew Millman and author Brian Coleman on location in NYC Photo - Paul Wiseman

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OUT AND ABOUT: WAIHEKE ISLAND YACHT CLUB

Stools draped in animal skins cosy up to the bar at WIYC restaurant Photo - WIYC

Paul Wiseman became a world-traveler at the ripe young age of 17. He graduated from high school in 1971 and immediately set out for Europe, Indonesia, and Australia with his best buddy, Chiles Wilson. Through Sacramento Delta farming connections, the two of them spent six months working on a pear ranch in Australia. Paul also attended university in Tasmania for a year, skiing in New Zealand on one of his school breaks. So, Paul has always had a soft spot in his heart for all things Australasian.

Comfortable and stylish leather seating Photo - WIYC

When Paul got wind of Waiheke Island Yacht Club, the hip new pop-up restaurant on Pier 29 in San Francisco, he made a beeline there with friend and architect Micheal Mullin. The restaurant was conceived by architects Fearon Hay, chefs Desmond Harris and Hayden McMillan, and furniture designers Douglas & Bec. Their goal was to recreate "the easy, dream-like quality of New Zealand’s beautiful Waiheke Island."

Couple taking in a late lunch Photo - PVW

Paul felt duly transported: "The space has great simplicity with it's whitewashed wood, bar stools casually draped with animal hides, leather-covered tables, and comfortable leather-upholstered seating. The food is honest and the presentation is artful. I had a delicious lamb dish with grilled leeks." YUM!

Lamb dish pleasing to the eye and palate Photo - PVW

The WIYC Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Monday to Sunday. Seating times are available from 11am for lunch and in the evenings from 5pm to 10pm for dinner.

The WIYC Bar is open from 11am to 2am Monday to Sunday.

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MEET AND GREET: LAUREN DALEY, SENIOR DESIGNER

The Wiseman Group is known for its deep field of design talent, and Lauren Daley is one of the reasons why. She is a Senior Designer with the firm, and, since joining the team in 2002, has made herself a valued, indispensable member of the staff.

Lauren grew up in the Los Angeles area and went to Skidmore College in Upstate New York. After graduation she held a variety of positions in the design world, taking time to educate her eye and learn the ins and outs of the trade. While working in New York City, she attended classes at Parsons School of Design. She also worked in the design industry in Los Angeles and San Francisco before landing at TWG.

When Lauren is involved in a TWG project, she facilitates ongoing communications among the client, the contractor, and TWG. This is an important role as this dialogue is key to the evolution and eventual success of a project. Her design duties require a broad range of skills including the use of AutoCAD (computer-aided design) for the creation of custom furniture, as well as for space planning and furniture layout. Lauren's keen eye also makes her exceptionally good at searching out luxury furniture, fabrics, plumbing fixtures, hardware, and finishes. Her ability to then work with various shops and vendors on pricing, order placement, and order expediting is helpful to the efficiency of the firm's workflow. Lauren manages two other designers who assist with the creative process and expedite projects.

Lauren perusing fabric books with Donghia rep, Natalie Mize, in the TWG conference room

In Lauren's own words: "I like to think of myself as a hands-on designer. I don’t mind getting dirty at job sites, and I love, love, love working with our local custom vendors. Paul has nicknamed me 'the engineer' because I like to think things through and work with these artisans to achieve all the complicated custom elements we create. I like what I do at TWG because it is ever-evolving. I am also a stickler for paperwork and details on the business side -- which keeps everyone in accounting happy. And I like to mentor newer staff to make sure they get off on the right foot."

Curtain rod inspired by Brancusi

One spectacular TWG project reflects Lauren's touch throughout. For example, she was intimately involved in the design and manufacture of the living room curtain hardware:  "We were inspired by the abstract primitive sculpture of Brancusi. I sculpted the original 'bangle bracelet' forms in wax, and then Tuell & Reynolds made the actual wax molds and cast the pieces in bronze. They are the largest and heaviest finials we’ve ever made!"

Brass fillet detail on living room ottoman

TWG is known for its fine custom details, such as those found on this living room ottoman base: "We designed a metal fillet to detail the base of this ottoman. The antiqued brass band was punched at every intersection to accommodate the decorative nail head. It gives the ottoman detail without looking fussy."

Laser-cut fretwork over mica backing the library bar

The library bar in this home is exceptionally beautiful: "We designed a two-layer, laser-cut pattern to achieve more dimension. We installed the fretwork over a sheet of mica and then illuminated the bar from behind with LED strip lights."

Embroidered pillows based on Fortuny's Jupon Bouquet

Realizing one-of-a-kind detailing is one of Lauren's talents. These embroidered bedroom pillows are functional art: "The pillows were hand-embroidered in a 'lost and found' design based on Fortuny’s Jupon Bouquet. The room is entirely upholstered in the Jupon Bouquet pattern, and we wanted these to have more patina."

Vintage factice stoppers found by Lauren and made into faucet handles by PE Guerin

Lauren's has a wonderful ability to unearth unique objets on the Internet, such as the vintage factice bottle stoppers used in this home's powder room. (To read more about this amazing space and Lauren's role in creating it, read "Playbill: The Story of a Chic, Unexpected Powder Room.") Just one more reason Paul Wiseman is so happy to have her on board.

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