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!
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.
Trailblazer: Architect Paul Revere Williams
February is Black History Month, and COUPAR celebrates trailblazing African American architect Paul Revere Williams' prolific career. Nicknamed the "Architect to the Stars," Williams shaped the Hollywood landscape designing elegant, perfectly proportioned mansions for gilded celebrities like Tyrone Power, Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, and Lucille Ball.
Paige Rense: Remembering the Queen of Hearths
When Paige Rense posed for her Kodak moment in 1976, the Architectural Digest editor-in-chief had won the Los Angeles Times Woman of the Year. Sadly the Queen of Hearths, as the newspaper dubbed her, passed away on January 1st, 2021, at her home in West Palm Beach.
Take 10 With Builder Mark Grassi
Northern Calfornia native Mark Grassi opened his eponymous Napa construction firm in 1989. Grassi & Associates works with elite architects, interior designers, and discerning homeowners to craft bespoke residences and wineries that meld into the Napa, Sonoma, and Santa Barbara landscapes.
Back to the Future: Interior Design Trends for 2021
COUPAR gazed into our crystal ball to forecast what will be the trends for interior design in 2021. With the pandemic still raging outside, the home reigns supreme.
Cecilia Chiang: A Life Well Lived
Culinary icon Cecilia Chiang, who brought authentic Chinese cuisine to San Francisco and the United States, passed away at 100 on October 28th. In 1961, she took a small space on Polk Street and opened The Mandarin Restaurant, introducing diners to Szechwan and Hunan dishes accompanied by an excellent wine list.
Take 10 With Architect Mark Cavagnero
While Covid focuses our attention on private spaces, public places are equally crucial to our well-being. Mark Cavagnero and his eponymous award-winning firm concentrate on this external world, working on projects for the arts and culture, science and technology, education, civic, and master planning.
The Show Must Go On: The San Francisco Fall Show Goes Virtual
Every October, COUPAR looks forward to attending The San Francisco Fall Show Opening Night Gala at Fort Mason Center, featuring the best in international art, antiques, and design but that, like so many other events this year, needed to be canceled. The show will take place virtually this year from October 16th through October 25th.
A Designer and a Gentleman: John Wheatman
Interior designer, educator, author, and gentleman, John Wheatman, passed away at 94 on September 26. Living on the ground floor of 2500 Steiner Street, the elegant Art Deco tower soaring over Pacific Heights, Wheatman created edited interiors, restrained yet poetic.
Why Do a Newsletter?
Email marketing has always been a beneficial tool, but recently it has become invaluable. Newsletters are one of the best ways to connect with your professional community, increase leads, and boost social media and website visitors.
Remembering Ann Getty
San Francisco has lost its grand patron of the arts and culture; on September 14th, Ann Getty passed away at 79 from a heart attack. Mrs. Getty, a striking couture figure attending the Symphony, Opera, and San Francisco Fall Show galas, generously opened up the Broadway mansion she shared with her husband, Gordon, to help raise funds for charities.
John Elgin Woolf: Architect to the Stars
Do you remember going to parties? In the pre COVID world of Hollywood in the forties, fifties, and sixties, entertaining was gloriously hedonistic. The backdrop for many of these gatherings were homes designed by the architect to the stars John Elgin Woolf.
Kesha Franklin of Halden Interiors’ Effortlessly Elegant Spaces
New York, full-service design firm, Halden Interiors is attracting well-deserved attention from all corners of the design industry. Founded and led by talented principal designer, Kesha Franklin, Halden is transforming a wide array of commercial and residential spaces on both coasts.