February 2008 Noteboook

Insight on New Lines: This winter, top designer Sheryll Jackman added four elite lines to the already stunning collections at her three Seaside Home showrooms: Lexicon by Baker, Hither Hills Studio by Ralph Lauren Home, French Heritage and Councill.

“These brands haven’t always been readily available to the Southern California customer,” says Jackman, who is a former president of the San Diego chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers.

She added Baker’s Lexicon line (above), which is based on 20th-century contemporary design, because she says the pieces look like art mas querading as furniture. The Lexicon collection includes case goods, upholstery and lighting. Ralph Lauren Home just launched the Hither Hills Studio collection, inspired by an oceanfront retreat, with an inviting, free-spirited vibe that echoes its seaside surrounding with shades of indigo and a natural material palette. French Heritage is a manufacturer to turn to for hard-to-find antiques. The company produces new renditions with the Old World look and craftsmanship of family heirlooms. As an American maker of fine case goods, Councill is known for bold design and techniques, such as gilding and leathercraft, as well as more subtle distressed treatments for casual elegance.

Seaside Home showrooms are in La Jolla, Coronado and Rancho Santa Fe. seasidehomelajolla.com.

Design Dilemmas Solved: If your home needs a new look, you’re in luck. The San Diego chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is sponsoring Winter Spruce Up 2008 through the end of February. During this annual fund-raiser, ASID will send a professional designer to your home or office to discuss design challenges and offer ideas to make your space more beautiful and functional. It’s the once-a-year opportunity to get a professional one- to two-hour consultation at the special rate of $85 an hour. Participating designers have expertise in a wide range of specialties, from remodeling to accessorizing, from green design to staging for resale. Contact the ASID office at 858-274-3345, or for more information, visit asidsandiego.org.

Craftsman Reconsidered: Nativa founder and CEO Mario Scolari puts a twist on Craftsman furnishings. The Patagonia collection, his new line featuring a unique fusion of Spanish and Crafts man styles, showcases age-old joinery techniques executed in black ironwood, a departure from the oak traditionally used for Craftsman furniture.

“For years, I have heard customers talk about their love of the solidity, simplicity and innate in- tegrity of Craftsman design,” Scolari says. “By combining it with the romance of 18th-century Spanish design, we have created something both familiar and fresh.”

Instead of using stains to enhance the wood, every piece in the collection is placed in a special ultraviolet oven that accelerates the natural oxidation of the wood. A process that would normally take several years occurs in just over four hours and complies with Nativa’s policy for creating organically finished products. Afterward, the furniture is finished according to traditional methods—hand-applying multiple coats of a high-performance water-based poly ur e - thane.

The entire Patagonia collection, along with hundreds of other products, can be found in Nativa’s new 10,000-square-foot showroom, located at 1003 University Avenue in Hillcrest, 619-299-4664;nativafurniture.com.

Design Distinction: Placement and arrangement are key to a well-balanced home and life. Just ask local interior designer Judy Hallberg, ASID, a feng shui practitioner who has obviously achieved that balance in the career area of her bagua, the feng shui compass. The American Society of Interior Designers recently bestowed on her one of its highest honors, the Medalist Award, in recognition of outstanding service

and significant contribution to the San Diego chapter, the society and the profession as a whole. A former president of the local chapter, Hallberg has been involved in many aspects of the organization—as a member of the board of directors for public affairs and as chair and committee member on projects such as the ASID Designer Showcase House, the Kitch en Tour, Celebrating the Holidays and the Clearance Sale. She has been a statewide leader in the Interior Design Coalition of California, which supports interior designers through legislation that promotes the health, safety and welfare of the public. She also received the Ethel M. Siegelman Award for outstanding service to the chapter in 2006. Principal of Expressive Interiors, Hallberg can be reached at 619-287-2723.

School Daze: Shea Homes may be known for its contributions to San Diego’s masterplanned communities, but it is also gaining quite the reputation on school campuses throughout town. In the summer of 2006, Shea renovated Our Lady of Angels and Our Lady of Guadalupe elementary schools in metro San Diego. And like a high-achieving student, Shea was at work again last summer—this time renovating St. Patrick’s Elementary in North Park and St. Rita’s Elementary on Imperial Avenue. Both schools are more than 50 years old, making contributions such as a new roof, energy-efficient windows, patio covers and refurbished restrooms very much appreciated. As St. Rita’s principal Rosemary Watson puts it, “A beautiful surrounding makes a big difference in learning.”

In the Library: For an exotic addition to your cookbook collection, take a look at Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Stories from the Other China by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (Artisan Books). Cooks, writers, photographers, and world travelers, Alford and Duguid previously won the James Beard Foundation Cookbook of the Year award for Hot Sour Salty Sweet. They are back at it with a journey through Tibet, Xinjang, the steppelands of Inner Mongolia and the steeply terraced hills of Yunnan and Guizhou. They’ve included 125 easy and seductive recipes, including Tibetan stews, Mongolian hot pots and rub-roasted chicken from the Dai.

Inspired Styles (Assouline Publishing) is a new coffee-table book featuring 17 interior designers with licensed collections for Kravet or Lee Jofa. Inside the colorful and lushly photo - graphed book, designers such as David Easton, Thomas O’Brien and Barclay Butera explain what inspires them and why. Butera, who was awarded the International Furnishings & Design Association “Circle of Excellence” award for interior design, has also begun work on the make - over of the historic L’Auberge Del Mar Resort & Spa.

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HOME INTERIORS

San Diego Magazine continues to enhance its position as a must-read resource in our community with its dedicated San Diego at Home editorial. With engaging features, up to the minute trends reporting and an eye for the unique characteristics that define what it is to be at “home” in San Diego, the magazine is an important vehicle for us in connecting with prospective clients. As an advertiser, we are pleased with the reach and affinity they have with affluent homeowners who are just as passionate and engaged by the possibilities of modern design as we are.

—Lisa Wilson-Wirth, President & Owner
    Arclinea San Diego