@tulipinadesign#INSTACRUSH

WHO: Kiana Underwood, owner of Tulipina—a boutique Bay Area floral design studio—and a budding photographer who captures her gorgeous creations through a camera lens.

WHAT: On Underwood’s handle, you’ll find a feed sprouting with lovely florals, a visually engaging representation of the talent’s whimsical approach to design and styling.

WHY: Because who doesn’t enjoy looking at beautiful flowers? Underwood’s work is rooted in the fact that she spends hours in her garden every single day—looking at blooms, watching them grow, examining their details and pondering her next creation.

IN HER WORDS: “It’s the never-ending complexity of color and texture that make flowers so lovely to photograph. As individual specimens, each one is unique and, when paired together, the concert of complexity is overwhelmingly emotional.” bl

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Using a wide range of materials—from porcelain, marble and alabaster to bronze, silver and cast glass—

Kelly Wearstler’s newest lighting collection for Visual Comfort & Co. delivers a heavy dose of the designer’s signature California cool. Her edgy perspective is thoroughly felt in each of the collaboration’s offerings, which span eight different product lines, each with its own unique point of view inspired by Wearstler’s vintage jewelry collection, love of texture and fascination with iconic architecture through history. kellywearstler.com; visualcomfort.com

LIGHTSFANTASTICKELLY WEARSTLER

FOR VISUAL COMFORT

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The West Coast’s counterpart to New York City’s famed Museum of Modern Art is getting a contemporary makeover to match the art within—out with the old (dark, austere stairwells) and in with the new (a light and bright grand switchback staircase). When the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art reopens in spring 2016, the exhibition areas will have more than doubled for a total 235,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor gallery space across seven floors, including what will be the largest museum space for photography in the United States. Spearheaded by renowned Norway-based integrated design firm Snøhetta, the renovation revolves around establishing a sunny and open layout—think 25-foot glass walls, an outdoor vertical garden and a picture window overlooking Natoma Street—sure to transform the building into a public art installation in its own right. sfmoma.org

BLUEPRINT SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

How does a former investment analyst with no official training in fashion become one of the hottest sunglass designers in the industry? For Westward Leaning founder Robert Denning, it was about doing something good. “I really wanted to create a consumer product that integrated social issues in a way that felt genuine and authentic. Fashion, too, often exists in a vacuum; as designers, we should be engaging with the world around us, not isolating our products from it,” says Denning. Here, we speak with the designer about what made him see the light. westwardleaning.com

Describe the meaning behind your frames. Each pair comes with an inlay at the temple of the frame. I’m unrestrained in what I choose to put there—turquoise, lapis, gold, bronze, neon acrylics, coral, antler and wood. These materials allow me to tell a story: They’re selected to represent a particular social issue, and we donate $10 to the specific cause for each pair sold.

What do you love about San Francisco? The city is explicitly and intentionally unfashionable—not in the sense that the people here don’t have style, but in that its focus and aspirations aren’t to be a fashion capital of the world. The great part about this is that I can design without constantly having to compare myself with other designers.

Share your process. It can be stressful and overwhelming yet also hugely rewarding and creatively fulfilling. I start with the shape, perfecting it so it represents the best in its particular category (the perfect wayfarer or aviator, for example), and then choose the material, acetate and lens combinations—we’ve had upwards of 155 variations at any given moment, so the possibilities are pretty endless.

Which upcoming talent should we keep an eye on? My good friend Christina Bryant is doing amazing stuff with textiles and home goods with a social bent at her shop, St. Frank. I also love Pinrose, which is a locally based super-innovative fragrance brand.

THE MAKER ROBERT DENNING

LUXE TAPPED TALENTED LOCAL DESIGNERS FOR THEIR BEST SOURCES AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO SHINE A LIGHT ON SOME

OF THE BAY AREA’S FINEST OFFERINGS IN ART AND DESIGN.

INSIDE EDITION

“My favorite local artist is Amy Kaufman. Her pattern-based abstract paintings and drawings are soft and textural. I love her striped and linear prints, and I’m also a huge fan of her circular motifs that brilliantly highlight the imperfect hand of the artist. They are quite beautiful.”

-KRISTE MICHELINI

“Lost Art Salon is a little off the beaten path, but it’s so worth the effort of making the trip. The gallery specializes in rediscovering historically significant artists of the Modern era, and it’s also incredibly charming; you feel like you are in someone’s home going through their personal collection.”

-AMANDA TEAL

“Darin Geise at Coup d’Etat presents a collection that is never boring and always challenging. I love the effort he puts into his incredible window displays. I’m also excited to see Holland & Sherry’s new showroom. They have the most beautiful fabrics and rugs.”

-LINDSAY BRIER

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CURATORVESSEL GALLERY“In Oakland’s Uptown district, I transformed a wooden A-frame loft into a 5,000-square-foot showroom. It was originally built in 1906 as a horse livery for the city’s fire department. We kept the original wood floors with their weathered charm, as well as the pitched ceiling with old tongue-and-groove wood slats and reclaimed corrugated metal siding that encloses a rooftop garden with custom planters, seating and sculptures. The 10-foot-high ceilings and light-filled French doors make a pristine setting for all of the art. Since our inception, we have put forth many major shows including a giant swarm of hovering locusts in Cyrus Tilton’s ‘The Cycle’ and Beili Liu’s ‘Between Wind and Water.’ ”

-LONNIE LEE, VESSEL-GALLERY.COM

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DATE BOOKSANDRA JORDAN: SONOMA COUNTY

While textile maven Sandra Jordan’s exclusive lines of woven alpaca fabrics have made her a citizen of the world, she still counts California’s wine country as her home sweet home. In fact, the region’s rich harvest colors are often the first point of inspiration for her Prima Alpaca collections, which are represented in showrooms across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and Europe. With summer in full swing and new textile releases on the horizon, Jordan is kicking back and toasting her hometown with her fun-filled itinerary for a day in Healdsburg. Pour yourself a drink and start planning your own trip now. sandrajordan.com

9 a.m. Start the day at Shed for breakfast—its architecture by Jensen Architects is beautiful, and it carries wonderful items for the house and garden. It also serves a custom blend made by my favorite local coffee house, Flying Goat Coffee.

10 a.m. After breakfast, check out the Harry and Maggie Wetzel Native Plant Garden. It’s a tiny hideaway reclaimed from an old parking lot with more than 80 species of native plants each grouped by habitat.

10:30 a.m. Hit the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market. Most of the produce is grown within 10 miles of the market, so it’s a great place to get the freshest Dry Creek peaches. I also always get my veggie starters here.

11:30 a.m. Take an art walk along Grove Street on the Foss Creek Pathway on your way to the main square in Healdsburg. It’s sponsored by the Voigt Family Sculpture Foundation, and it’s beyond lovely.

12 p.m. Next, visit the Plaza. It’s our main square, and it has some wonderful art and design destinations, including my favorite: Saint Dizier Home. The store features local, handmade metal furniture—from tables of all shapes and sizes to beds, stools and shelving. Artist Aletha Soulé also displays her amazing wine country-inspired ceramics here.

1 p.m. Stop for lunch at Barndiva. It’s one of my favorite spots in Healdsburg and highlights the best ingredients from Sonoma and Mendocino counties. The chef, Ryan Fancher, has worked with Thomas Keller at The French Laundry in Yountville and Per Se in New York. All of the food is superb; plus, my fabric—Prima Alpaca—is used on an upholstered wall here, which provides a showcase for their rotating selection of artwork.

2 p.m. A visit to wine country would not be complete without a wine tasting. I love Copain Wines, which has a gorgeous view and interesting nontraditional wine varieties, and J Vineyards & Winery does great wine and food pairings.

4 p.m. Head to the Farmhouse Inn for a spa treatment. The spa is located in the inn’s former carriage house and incorporates ingredients from the surrounding land, such as Spring Forest honey, heirloom cider apples and fresh herbs, into their services.

7 p.m. Leave your dinner plans in the hands of Michelin-starred chef Steve Litke. His menu is inspired by the diversity of California cuisine, featuring Mexican and Italian influences. ta

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When did you open? We officially welcomed guests into our new showroom this past February. Why did you choose this space? The Takahashi building was our first choice due to its appeal as an established landmark in the center of the Design District. When we signed the lease, the showroom needed a complete overhaul, which meant new floors and lots of fresh white walls—designed specifically for hanging very large-scale paintings. On the floor? We are the exclusive vendor of the Studio Roeper collection, a line of fine art and locally handcrafted furniture. Our small size enables us to work closely with our clients and to adapt to the unique specifications of each individual project. What sets you apart? We offer a more gallery-like experience; our showroom is spacious and lofty, and each individual piece is given plenty of room to breath. Up next? We have just introduced High As a Kite, a new series of mixed-media paintings, as well as Vienna—a collection of tables in California black walnut and cast bronze. studioroeper.com

TALKING SHOP WITH FLORIAN ROEPER

STUDIO ROEPER