The 2011 SFFAS was a well done show in muted tones with a dramatic entry of over scaled scroll brackets that enclosed the exhibit "Hidden Treasures" into themed sections. The classic soft greys and creams used for the show marked a return to a show of quiet good taste.
This year’s San Francisco decorator showcase repeated the gray, brown and tan Palette that was used successfully in showcases the past two years But the palette missed it mark for this 1927 mediterranean style home. The house seemed heavy and uninspired. The few bright notes were found in Grant Gibbon’s dining room, Heather Hilliard’s tawny toned library and Val Fiscalini Master bath.
As I entered The Legion Of Honor costume exhibit by Isabelle de Borchgrave, the woman who checked my ticket told me to remember what I was viewing was not historical costume but made of painted paper.
The AIA SF home tour in Marin opened up five residential homes and the work of member architects to the public. The first was a Turnbull Griffin Haesloop project which looked wonderful but required a long wait for a shuttle bus to a steep hillside property so I decided to move on to the second which was Fischer Architecture remodel of a ranch house set in the hills of Kentfield.