Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month, we look to our neighbor Mexico and recognize the architect and landscape architect Luis Barragán (1902-1988). Barragán's color-saturated geometric buildings etch the contemporary architectural consciousness.
Design Associate Wyatt Shigley started as a Design Assistant at COUPAR a little over three years ago. Wyatt segued effortlessly into the role with a B.A.S. in Interior Design from Colorado State University and nearly nine years of visual merchandising experience. One of his current projects is a four-story Pacific Heights Edwardian designed by Julius Kraft, and another is a contemporary ranch house in Portola Valley.
How do young connoisseurs collect now? Art historian, designer, and author Michael Diaz-Griffith explores this topic in his book The New Antiquarians: At Home with Young Collectors. His compendium will be one of the books featured at the COUPAR-sponsored Authors' Alcove during The San Francisco Fall Show.
Before The San Francisco Design Center’s development in the 1970s, interior designers frequented "To the Trade" showrooms North of Market in historic Jackson Square. Just as it took vision, ingenuity, and hard work to transform SOMA's vacant warehouses and factories into a design mecca, so did the restoration of the neglected Classical Revival and Italianate commercial buildings in Jackson Square.
Lead Project Manager Mary Eaton has been with COUPAR for over four years and comes from an interior design background. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design from High Point University in North Carolina, she immersed herself in the industry, working at various San Francisco Bay Area firms. Now she is a vital asset to our Studio team, helping guide projects from beginning to end.
June is Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community, and COUPAR profiles the "King of Hollywood Regency," William "Billy" Haines (1900 – 1973). Haines was an accidental interior designer. The Virginia native came to Hollywood via New York City, where he lived openly as a gay man in bohemian Greenwich Village, working as a model.
Wabi Sabi, the ancient Japanese philosophy of using organic materials with natural imperfections and embracing authenticity, originated in the 15th century. Wabi translates to living with humility and simplicity while being unified with nature, while sabi refers to accepting the lifecycle of anything, even with all its flaws.
Artist, furnishings designer and landscape architect, Isamu Noguchi (1904 to 1988) straddled Western and Eastern cultures; born in Los Angeles to an American mother and a Japanese father. His father, Yone Noguchi, was an acclaimed poet who settled in the bohemian San Francisco Bay Area for seven years. He eventually traveled to New York City and met editor and writer Léonie Gilmour.
Senior Lead Designer Paige Bellante has been with COUPAR for over three years and nimbly transferred her skills in visual merchandising to interior design. The Northern California native worked for companies such as Anthropologie and Nordstrom for eight years.
The 44th San Francisco Decorator Showcase opens to the public on April 29th. While Sea Cliff is the address for this Spanish Revival estate, Pacific Heights was home to the first Showcase.
Photographer Cecil Beaton captured Elsie de Wolfe, Lady Mendl (1865-1950), wearing her "Apollo of Versailles" velvet cape in her Paris apartment during the late 1930s. Elsa Schiaparelli designed the one-of-a-kind couture piece for de Wolfe to reference her taste for eighteenth-century fashion and the spectacular. It also celebrates the Apollo Fountain and its proximity to the interior decorator and socialite's home, Villa Trianon, in the Parc de Versailles.
Aaron Douglas (1899-1979), a significant African American figure in the Harlem Renaissance, was a Renaissance man, painter, illustrator, visual arts educator, and philosopher. New York's Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 30s was the focus of black intellectual and cultural activity.
Where do CEOs and business owners go when they need to make better decisions, strengthen their teams and grow their businesses? For Krista Coupar, it is her monthly Vistage Group meetings. The global organization has an outstanding 60-year-plus track record in executive coaching.
Pantone has announced its color of the year for 2023: Viva Magenta. This vibrant, bold hue possesses an undeniably strong energy.
René Gregorius and Stephanie Pineo, aficionados of early antique furnishings, craftsmanship, and design, opened their Los Angeles business Gregorius/Pineo in 1984 at the back of a North La Cienega Blvd storefront. They later moved to an elegant showroom at 651-653 North La Cienega Blvd. Interior Design Hall of Fame honoree Melvin Dwork told Architectural Digest almost ten years later, "Gregorius/Pineo is one of the best places out there."
Each holiday season, the COUPAR team finds a unique way to get in the spirit and celebrate with one another. In recent years, we’ve lunched at Spruce and indulged in curated spa gift baskets. For 2022, we switched it up and embarked on a virtual cooking adventure with the help of a company called Truffle Shuffle
With the success of this year's San Francisco Fall Show, COUPAR predicts antiques are back after a long hiatus. While during the eighties, nineties, and early 21st century, the one percent couldn't get enough of the rarest, most esoteric furnishings and objets d'art, the Great Recession plunged us into a gray world of visual austerity. But now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain problems, buying off the floor is an excellent solution for interior designers.
In 2022, COUPAR celebrated the continuous return to normalcy through various industry events. From Showroom Happy Hours to the San Francisco Fall Show, the team has enjoyed seeing familiar faces again and connecting with new ones.
COUPAR's client Rebecca Katz Art located in Sausalito's landmark Industrial Center Building (ICB), will participate in the Winter Open Studios. Before the massive 107,000 square feet structure was an artists' community, it was home to WWII shipbuilders.
As we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, we acknowledge how early Spanish and Mexican occupations defined San Francisco's built landscape. The Bay Area's Mediterranean climate and abundance of adobe material adapted well to Spanish colonial architecture.
COUPAR is proud to be the sponsor of the Book Signing Jubilee at The San Francisco Fall Show. With publications from over twenty experts in architecture, design, and the decorative arts, it will be hard to make a selection. One of the many books we are excited to peruse is Michael S. Smith – Designing History: The Extraordinary Art & Style of the Obama White House.
Renowned photographer Fred Lyon passed away last week at 97. COUPAR remembers him for his photographic eye, quick wit, and kind heart. The 4th generation San Franciscan showcased the city during the golden age of photojournalism in silvered shades of black and white.
Private Collections, held this September 14th, is a special one-night event that provides an exclusive look at the art-filled homes of some of San Francisco’s most respected art collectors.
San Francisco Fall Show chair and designer Suzanne Tucker of Tucker & Marks places antiques in each of her projects. "For me, antiques give a room soul. There do not have to be many antiques, and they do not all need to be the finest examples. But the rich patina of old wood, painted finishes, or burnished metals gives a lovely juxtaposition to what is new. It can make a room more interesting, balanced, and unique," she says.
Dynamic and robust project photography is vital to successfully promoting your firm. While it can become one of the more daunting and expensive parts of the process, it is a worthwhile investment. Good photography not only showcases the design of a project, but it helps cultivate a cohesive brand presence and builds the foundation for a firm’s marketing efforts.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of The San Francisco Fall Show, and in celebration, the theme is Ruby Jubilee. American fashion designer Bill Blass said, "Red is the ultimate cure for sadness." After the show's two-year absence, COUPAR is elated that it returns to Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion and runs October 13-16, 2022.
The Institute of Classical Architecture and Art Northern California Chapter (ICAA Northern California) recently celebrated the 2020 and 2022 Julia Morgan Awards at The Green Room in the San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center. It was fitting that winners and peers gathered in its Beaux-Arts splendor.
Storytelling is at the crux of marketing, especially in the design industry. Each firm possesses its unique narrative, and these narratives expand with each project they complete. There are various platforms to convey these stories, but one of the most impactful is through a company’s journal on their website.
Congratulations to COUPAR client QuarryHouse for winning the prestigious Julia Morgan Awards in Craftmanship & Artisanship for 2022.
The long wait is over for interior design aficionados. Rizolli has compiled Fred Lyon's residential photos of San Francisco's wealthy elite spanning from the 1940s to the 1980s. While this ephemeral world no longer exists, it has influenced generations of designers.
