The COUPAR Edit
Your go-to for design industry insights and education. Explore our monthly blogs, meet industry leaders in our Take 10 series, and learn from historic design icons. Enhance your business with practical marketing and design tips. Subscribe for monthly updates!
Books: Immersed-The California Houses of Feldman Architecture
Feldman Architecture's iconic homes etch California's dramatic landscape like exquisite haiku poems. In time for the holidays, the San Francisco-based studio releases its book Immersed - The California Houses of Feldman Architecture.
LinkedIn: The Dark Horse of Social Media
It’s not news that social media is a critical marketing tool. The hierarchy of these platforms is often up for debate, but which are deemed the most beneficial varies across industries. For the design industry, Instagram prevails as the top platform for marketing purposes. However, there is another crucial platform often overlooked, LinkedIn.
Benjamin Moore Announces Color of the Year for 2022
As we approach the end of 2021, we begin to anticipate the upcoming mood for interiors. With color being one of the integral foundations of design, Benjamin Moore releases its annual Color Trends Palette, including a featured color. This October, the paint company deems October Mist as the color for 2022.
A Virtual Feast: The San Francisco Fall Show
COUPAR equates crisp autumn days with the excitement of The San Francisco Fall Show. This year's cornucopia of art, antiques, and design will be virtual due to the continued challenges faced by the pandemic. Show Chair Suzanne Tucker and a dedicated team of volunteers worked with InCollect to produce the curated event from October 15 through 24, 2021.
Take 10 With Designer Gary Hutton
Gary Hutton is known as the "Dean of West Coast Design." He grew up on his grandmother's apple ranch in Watsonville, studying studio art with iconic 20th-century artists Wayne Thiebaud, Manuel Neri, and Robert Arneson at UC Davis. Coming to the Bay Area, he completed his design degree at the California College of the Arts. This diverse background that bridges rural with urban and juxtaposes the obvious with the esoteric is what makes Gary's work unique.
Sunday in the Park: ICAA Luncheon Honoring Madeline Stuart
On September 12th, after a year and a half of Lockdown, the supporters of ICCA Northern California enthusiastically came out for Sunday in the Park. Fort Mason's historic General's Residence provided the outside venue for the fundraiser luncheon honoring Hollywood-based interior designer Madeline Stuart.
Take 10 With Cinergy’s CEO Greg Francis
Greg Francis is CEO of Cinergy, a company that seamlessly integrates construction with acoustic design for luxury multi-media theatres, recording studios, and noise control. The firm also offers the latest technology in secure environments for residential, commercial, and industrial properties.
Delayed Gratification: Long Lead Times
Designers expect lead times when ordering custom, high-end products, but lately, the delay and estimations have been abnormally long. The design industry was affected along with every other industry in the early days of the pandemic. We expected delays. However, as we slowly emerge and recover from Lockdown, long lead times remain and, in some cases, worsened.
Take 10 With COUPAR'S Lisandra Caro-Torres
For the last five years, Lead Project Manager Lisandra Caro-Torres has handled the nuts and bolts of COUPAR Studio. She is responsible for sending out purchase orders, ensuring the accuracy of invoices before handing them off to accounting, receiving and processing all vendor documents, tracking goods ordered or services contracted, and handling all related documentation. Wow!
Timeless Elegance: Shears & Window
When Shears & Window recently consolidated their second-floor SFDC furnishings showroom with their fourth-floor textiles department, owner and CEO Greg McIntyre discovered a treasure trove of historic photos. The time capsule dated back to 1976 when Jack Shears and Adam Window opened the pioneering multi-line showroom.
studioHEIMAT: New Perspectives and New Possibilities
For the 2021 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, New Perspectives design team Eva Muller Bradley and Alicia Cheung Lichtenstein of studioHEIMAT presented Shoshin – A Beginner's Mind.
Cinergy Construction Builds an Inclusive Screening Space
COUPAR'S client Cinergy Construction proudly transformed a neglected storage area into a 50 seat state-of-the-art screening room for filmmaker Ava DuVernay's ARRAY Creative Campus in Los Angeles' Historic Filipinotown. Named "The Amanda Cinema '' for DuVernay's late aunt Denise Amanda Sexton, it plays films by Black filmmakers, artists of color, and women of all hues.
Take 10 With Krekow Jennings’ CEO Scott White
Scott White is CEO and President of the Seattle-based high-end general contractor Krekow Jennings. Considered one of the most innovative builders on the West Coast, they pride themselves on craftsmanship and elegant solutions.
COUPAR Out and About: Ortman-Shumate House
COUPAR recently enjoyed our first in-person event since Lockdown! The team gathered en masse wearing masks at the San Francisco landmark, Ortman-Shumate House, where realtors Stacey Caen and Joseph Lucier of CAENLUCIER graciously gave us a tour of the estate and gardens.
Take 10 With Stacey Caen and Joseph Lucier
If you dream of a Broadway mansion or an Art Deco penthouse to celebrate the Roaring 2020's, boutique real estate agency, CAENLUCIER is the place to go. Stacey Caen and Joe Lucier, both San Francisco natives, understand the city's history, culture, and architecture.
The 1920's In Film: Will the 2020's Roar?
Now that we may be nearing the end of Lockdown, will the 2020's mirror the decadent 1920's? The 1918 influenza pandemic killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. When it finally waned, the Roaring '20s exploded with wild Jazz Age exuberance.
Building a Legacy: Architect Julia Morgan
Legendary Bay Area architect and engineer Julia Morgan's buildings etch the California landscape ranging from the opulent Mediterranean Revival mansion, Hearst Castle to the rustic Arts and Crafts splendor of Asilomar Conference Grounds. We profile Morgan and her legacy in honor of Women's History Month.
The Queen of White: Interior Designer Syrie Maugham
March marks Women's History Month, where we reflect on women's contributions to American history, society, and culture. When we look at the history of interior design in America, a significant influencer happens to be the British design legend Syrie Maugham (1879 –1955).
Take 10 With COUPAR'S Natalia Gomez
COUPAR Account Executive Natalia Gomez creates unique social media campaigns for our Marketing clients that combine a millennial's skills with an innate aesthetic sophistication.
Red: The Ultimate Cure for Sadness
American fashion designer Bill Blass said, "Red is the ultimate cure for sadness." The hue is the perfect antidote to our COVID fatigue and as a celebratory color for Valentine's Day. For interiors, red is a bold choice.