A Creative Process: The San Francisco Decorator Showcase

The 1977 San Francisco Decorator Showcase “The Griffith House,” rear façade 

The 46th San Francisco Decorator Showcase opens on April 26 in an elegant Beaux-Arts-inspired five-level estate at 2935 Pacific Avenue in Pacific Heights. It is a block from the first Showcase, a Mediterranean-styled three-story mansion built in 1912 by famed architect Willis Polk for Captain Millen Griffith. Griffith (1828-1896) made his fortune during the Gold Rush, founding the first fleet of tug boats on San Francisco Bay. While he lived on Rincon Hill, the residence at  2820 Pacific Avenue was designated for his daughters Alice and Caroline.  The Griffith House set a precedent for architecturally significant showhouses boasting spectacular views. 

Interior shot of John Dickinson's home, who served on the Designer Advisory Committee, Photo: Fred Lyon, 1972

It was interior designer Nan Rosenblatt's vision of creating a fundraising vehicle for the four-year-old University High School's financial aid program and the opportunity to take advantage of local design talent in the Bay Area that resulted in the 1977 Showcase.  At the time, California designers, specifically Northern Californians, were the most influential and closely watched in the international design community. The Showcase's Design Advisory Committee included the legendary John Dickinson, Tony Hail, and Charles Pfister on its past boards. Michael Taylor and Billy Gaylord made contributions to early Showcases.

Tony Hail served on the Designer Advisory Committee; here is one of his projects. Photo: Russell MacMasters, 1985

Traditionally, the "public" rooms go to seasoned professionals, while the smaller spaces are for newer designers. Once selected, designers rely on the help of contractors, artisans, showrooms, galleries, and installers to achieve their beautiful rooms in a few months. The result is a legacy of creativity that benefits both the design community and the visiting public. The late Randy Arczynski, long-time Chairman of the Designer Advisory Committee and co-founder of Randolph & Hein, once reflected, "What is interior design? It is a melding of various arts, skills, sensibilities, and most of all, a creative process."