T W G : Design Journal

FIELD TRIP: FOCUS ON FRANK GEHRY

Kirsten Honeyman with Frank Gehry's "Rose for Lilly" at the Disney Concert Hall in L.A.

Photo - Kimberly Dougherty

Regular readers of the Design Journal will have noticed a lack of activity on the blog of late. Kirsten Honeyman, our blog author has been focusing her full attention on the firm's first interior design book, Inner Spaces, to be published in 2014. Kirsten is part of a team that includes TWG President Paul Wiseman; CEO Kevin Peters; Design Principals James Hunter, Brenda Mickel, and Mauricio Munoz; staff members Chase Roberson and Carrie Swing; author Brian Coleman; and photographer Matthew Millman. The team has been working furiously -- selecting photographs, supplying information about projects, providing design input, and reviewing the manuscript -- to meet deadlines for publisher Gibbs Smith. Everyone is pleased with the progress, and the finished book promises to be a wonderful exploration of the firm's work. There are many exciting aspects of the book project (more on that later), but one of the most thrilling is the contribution of a foreword by Frank O. Gehry, arguably the world's most famous living architect.

A façade of the Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California
Photo - Kirsten Honeyman


With Gehry so much in the forefront of the team's consciousness, Kirsten decided to make two excursions to experience the master’s work. First stop: Gehry's acclaimed Disney Concert Hall. Paul Goldberger, currently a Contributing Editor at Vanity Fair and previously the Architecture Critic for The New Yorker (1997 through 2011), has described the hall as “surely the most distinguished building” in downtown Los Angeles. “The auditorium is the finest interior Gehry has ever made," Goldberger opined in 2003, noting that the “shape of the hall and its warm rich wood, suggest a musical instrument.” Kirsten was not able to tour the interior of the concert hall, as there was a matinée being performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, but she did capture several images of the building's exterior. She enjoyed roaming the hall's interior public spaces as well as strolling around the perimeter of the building.

Photo - Kirsten Honeyman

Photo - Kirsten Honeyman

Photo - Kirsten Honeyman


Kirsten was completely humbled by her second stop at the Stone Photography Studio in Davis, California. Recently retired from careers as mental health professionals, Andrea and Rob Stone have turned their avid interest in photography into a second career. Andrea has created a portfolio of photographs called the "City Reflections Project," which has been published in three international publications. Many of these large-scale images were taken at Gehry's Experience Music Project in Seattle.

Frank G Interpreted #2
Photo - Andrea Stone

The Bishop
Photo - Andrea Stone


In Gehry's highly reflective metal surfaces, Andrea's artful eye has composed and captured "paintings." She has taken the experience of Gehry's architecture in a wonderful and unexpected direction; her images offer a unique avenue for enjoying Gehry's work -- one that the architect himself might not have foreseen!

Luminosity
Photo - Andrea Stone

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AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS: VERANDA BOOK FEATURES PAUL WISEMAN'S "HILLSIDE HAVEN"


VERANDA recently published a lifestyle book entitled The Art of Outdoor Living, by Lisa Newsom. It was an honor for Paul Vincent Wiseman's Belvedere garden to be selected for inclusion among the hundreds that have graced the magazine's pages. As editor-in-chief Dara Caponigro comments, the properties represent "some of the most beautiful spaces from our last 26 years."

A shot of Paul's hillside pergola was one of four photos depicted on the back jacket

Section devoted to Paul's garden


The selection of Paul's garden for the VERANDA book is a nice acknowledgement of Paul's wide range of talents. Though he would never hold himself out as a landscape designer, his capabilities clearly extend beyond interior décor. Congratulations, Paul!

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SHARING AND CARING: SECOND ANNUAL ORNAMENT BALL & AUCTION

Jiun Ho, Inc. and Luxe Interiors + Design ring in the holiday spirit with the second annual Ornament Ball & Auction. A select group of designers and architects were invited to make one-of-a-kind holiday ornaments to be auctioned at several events benefiting the California College of the Arts Internship Scholarship Program. Lauren Daley, Senior Designer at TWG, created a lovely ornament to donate to the San Francisco auction.



The ornament, entitled "The Cloud," pays tribute to the zeitgeist of cloud computing. It is fabricated of lightly touching, transparent Plexiglas spheres. The shape is nebulous, reflecting light from all angles. The fragility of its form belies its structural integrity.

Don’t miss out on the live auction for an opportunity to snag this artful ornament and, perhaps, dinner with the chef and owner of La Urbana.


When: Wednesday December 18, 2013

Host: Jiun Ho de Jia

Where: 1180 Folsom Street in San Francisco

Time: 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.


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SHARING AND CARING: JINGLE & MINGLE FUNDRAISING EVENT

Finished wreath, looking beautiful!

The Jingle & Mingle Designer Wreath Auction, a benefit of Children of Shelters, is an annual event featuring donated wreaths from some of the West Coast's top designers. The Wiseman Group has stepped up to the plate with a stunning entry. The process involved in making the wreath was classic TWG: many of the firm's creative minds were involved in the wreath's conception, and fine local artisans were used to fabricate the final product.

Concept drawing for Jingle & Mingle wreath
Artwork - Victoria Kennedy

James Hunter came up with the initial idea for the wreath while visiting Tuell and Reynolds, a TWG vendor in Cloverdale, California.  He spotted a bronze ring "drop," or casting remnant, from a table top they had cut down to make smaller. The circular shape suggested a wreath by the nature of its form. Paul Wiseman liked the idea and suggested the addition of a T and R casting of kelp, a remnant from a TWG custom project. The organic shape of the kelp is suggestive of mistletoe, holly, or perhaps a bow. A candle was added, and a way to mount the wreath was designed. Assistant Architectural Designer, Victoria Kennedy, did the concept drawing for T and R and spearheaded the rest of the production. Designer, Anna Sweeney, provided guidance and mentorship along the way.

Wreath profile

For the auction, the wreath has been hung on a painted door. Paul suggested painting the door a deep purple color he had seen on the home of Evans & Brown, another TWG vendor. Jafe Custom Finishing  painted the door with a rich, glossy finish. As one can see, this is a tremendous pro bono effort on the part of many talented people, all for a very worthy cause.

Back side of wreath


Jingle & Mingle Designer Wreath Auction

Thursday, December 5, 2013
6:30 PM till Late
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Golden Gate Club, The Presidio
135 Fisher Loop 
San Francisco, California
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