The COUPAR Edit
The COUPAR Edit is a one-stop shop for design industry information and educational resources. Our monthly blog posts dive into the different facets of the design world. Please familiarize yourself with noteworthy industry members through our Take 10 interview series or brush up on the history of influential architects and designers from the past. We provide practical marketing and interior design tips and tricks to help your design business thrive. All content is shared monthly through our COUPAR Edit newsletter.
Earth Day: Designing With Nature in Mind
Spring is upon us, and as Earth Day approaches, we draw inspiration from built spaces that integrate the native surroundings. Preserving and enhancing California’s natural beauty is a strong value for many Bay Area-based design firms. With the dire issue of climate change, it’s essential to use more sustainable practices and knowledge about the environment when constructing the built world.
Home Is Where One Starts From: COUPAR Design
We are thrilled to announce the addition of COUPAR Design to our Studio and Marketing offerings. With a team of seasoned professionals, we continue to support the design and building communities while now producing independent projects under the COUPAR name. Our first solo endeavor was updating the interiors of a 1963 Northern California Modernist home
Julia Morgan Awards 2024: Congratulating Tucker & Marks and Skurman Architects
The biennial Julia Morgan Awards announced the 2024 winners, and both Tucker & Marks and Skurman Architects won for the French neoclassical Pacific Heights estate they restored and reimagined.
Women’s History Month: Designer Frances Adler Elkins
Frances Adler Elkins (1888 – 1953) may have been born in Milwaukee, but Dorothea Walker, former West Coast editor of Condé Nast, dubbed her "the first great California decorator." A favorite of San Francisco society, Elkins often teamed up with architect Gardner Dailey and landscape architect Thomas Church. As the younger sister of architect David Adler, she frequently visited him in Paris, where he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts.
Tell Me a Story: Brand Narratives
Brand storytelling is a powerful way to market your design, architectural, or construction business. Setting yourself apart through an established brand is crucial when competing against other firms. Once identified, these unique narratives tell a cohesive company story through various initiatives and platforms.
Out of the Shadows: Architect Julian Francis Abele
“The lines are all Mr. Trumbauer’s, but the shadows are all mine”— Julian Francis Abele. February is Black History Month, and COUPAR celebrates Philadelphia-born classically trained architect Julian Francis Abele (1881 – 1950).
Take 10 With COUPAR’s Monica Eng
COUPAR’s Lead Project Manager, Monica Eng, is approaching two years with our studio team. A San Francisco native from the Richmond District, Monica has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Boston University and an A.S. in Interior Design from Canada College.
Digital Marketing: Video Reigns
It’s no secret that video reigns for online content. The design industry leans on the power of photography to showcase projects, but video can often be a more immersive tool.
Blissful: The 2024 San Francisco Decorator Showcase
If you are of a certain age, you might have a sense of déjà vu when you see the 2024 San Francisco Decorator Showcase announcement. The magnificent Dutch Colonial Revival five-level brick mansion on Pacific Heights' Gold Coast hosted the 1989 Showcase.
Blue Nova: Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year
The magical twilight time of day, "Blue Hour," inspired Blue Nova, Benjamin Moore's Color of the Year. When sunlight scatters, the sky becomes a deep shade of blue with violet undertones.
Dorothy Liebes: Mother of Modern Weaving
If the holidays take you to New York City, see the exhibit A Dark, A Light, A Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes at Cooper Hewitt. Considered "The Mother of Modern Weaving," Liebes (1897-1972) was born in Santa Rosa, California. After taking courses in teaching and art from State Teachers College in San Jose and the University of California, Berkeley, she studied weaving at Hull House in Chicago.
In Good Taste: COUPAR Holiday Wine Mixer
The COUPAR team celebrated this holiday season by participating in a virtual wine mixer! Last year, we embarked on a risotto cooking class, while for 2023, we enjoyed an informative wine-tasting experience led by the talented and passionate winemaker Lauren Aramino. The fun began when In Good Taste mailed each person a curated flight box with eight wines called “The Winemaker’s Selects.” The flight featured wines from around the world, ranging from crisp whites to highly-sippable full-flavored reds.
Looking Into the Crystal Ball: Predicting 2024 Design Trends
The magician Alexander claimed to be The Man Who Knows, but we wonder if his crystal ball could predict design trends for 2024. COUPAR sought expert advice for divination. We asked the "Dean of West Coast Design," Gary Hutton, master decorative artist Willem Racké and esteemed architect Jonathan Feldman.
How to Get Your Work Published: Tricks of the Trade
In the competitive interior design market, design editorial features help increase name recognition and brand awareness, boost website traffic, and establish you as an expert. With the increasingly mercurial landscape of print publications, editorial pitching requires strategic thinking. While digital media is equally as important as print media, the look and feel of magazines is more evocative. There are a lot of Do's and Don'ts when it comes to pitching, so we're giving you COUPAR'S guide to editorial pitching for the design industry below.
Take 10 With COUPAR’S Callahan Foley
San Francisco native Callahan Foley has been with COUPAR for over three years. With a marketing background, she brings a different perspective to her role as Design Associate. Callahan’s skills are critical for the team since interior design relies heavily on client, vendor, and collaborator communications. She also enthusiastically embraces all the different design styles COUPAR works in for our clients while favoring Mad Men mid-century.
Style Icon: San Francisco’s Billy Gaylord
Herb Caen described designer William "Billy" Gaylord as a style icon. When Gaylord passed away in 1986, Dianne Feinstein recalled his love of life and mischievous humor. She was one of his pallbearers, along with Willie Brown, Boz Skaggs, Bill Blass, and Calvin Klein. From Mesquite, Texas, Gaylord moved to San Francisco in 1968. A few years later, at the age of twenty-five, Architectural Digest published his brilliantly pale Nob Hill apartment.
La Dolce Vita: The San Francisco Fall Show Gala
La Dolce Vita was in full force at the Opening Night Gala of The San Francisco Fall Show last October 11, 2023. COUPAR and 1,700 guests attended the Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion event in support of Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The annual affair, chaired by designer Suzanne Tucker of Tucker & Marks, is the West Coast's leading international art, antiques, and design fair, showcasing over 40 top dealers from North America and beyond.
Man With the Hammer: Celebrating 30 Years of QuarryHouse
Congratulations to COUPAR client QuarryHouse on their 30th anniversary! The Marin County-based master stone masons work with elite builders, architects, and interior designers, creating timeless private estates and prestigious public works. Ed and Missy Westbrook co-founded QuarryHouse, taking the company name from the location of their home in San Anselmo on an old rock quarry.
Luis Barragán: Celebrating Hispanic Architecture
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.
Take 10 With COUPAR’S Wyatt Shigley
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.