T W G : Design Journal

INNER SPACES BOOK: LOOKING BACK AT 2014

Moritz Hammer (KGM Architectural Lighting), James Hunter (TWG design principal), Jessica Barnard (TWG designer), and Mauricio Muñoz (TWG design principal)

This time last year The Wiseman Group was fêted by Therien & Co. at their La Cienega showroom in Los Angeles. The occasion? The publication of TWG's book,

Inner Spaces: Paul Vincent Wiseman and The Wiseman Group

. It was fitting that the SoCal company played host to the San Francisco-based Wiseman Group: Therien,

Dessin Fournir

company, h

ad deep roots in the San Francisco Bay Area before opening a Los Angeles showroom in the late 1980s.

JP Hayden (Hayden & Fandetta Rare Books) and

Patri

cia Sims (Therien)

Chase Roberson (TWG) and Andrew Huge (Deloitte Consulting)

Kirsten Honeyman (TWG blog author) and Michael Danahy (Writer/Producer)

Devin Donner (Rudin Donner Design, Inc.)

and Bill Dono

hoe (Donohoe Design Works)

with

Kevin Peters (TWG CEO)

The company is a purveyor of timeless period antiques, but in keeping with shifting design tastes, has also created a division devoted to 20th Century classics. Thus their location on La Cienega Boulevard is known throughout the U.S. and Europe as a one-stop source of premier quality decorative arts.

Mary Kate Spach and Tim Barber (both of Tim Barber Ltd. Architecture), Keith Granet (Granet Associates), and Brenda Mickel (TWG design principal)

Suzanne Shepela,

Brian Pinkett

, and

Lauren Fulton (all of

Landry Design

Group)

Guests were able to wander among the company's several showrooms and take in their lovely contents. CEO Kevin Peters greeted guests and Paul Wiseman signed books during the event. Wiseman Group Designers, Mauricio Munoz, Brenda Mickel, and James Hunter mingled with guests and sipped celebratory wine.

Phaedra Wilson (Munder Skiles)

Alison

Chozen and TWG client

Jill

Chozen

Tom Stanley, Ron Woodson (Woodson & Rummerfield's), and Rocky La Fleur (Kneedler|Fauchère)

Paul Wiseman (TWG founder and president)

An after-party dinner was hosted by The Wiseman Group at nearby Ago. All in all, a lovely evening!

INNER SPACES BOOK: C. MARIANI ANTIQUES AND SFC&G HOST A PARTY FOR THE WISEMAN GROUP

Paul Wiseman, SFC&G Editor-in-Chief Alisa Carroll, and Buzz Kaplan, showroom manager of C. Mariani

"Le Tout-San Francisco" turned out recently to celebrate The Wiseman Group's newly released book,

Inner Spaces.

The party was hosted by C. Mariani and

San Francisco Cottages & Gardens

magazine. The evening marked the first time Mr. Mariani had opened his showroom to hold such an event -- testament to the positive nature of his long-standing relationship with Paul Wiseman and The Wiseman Group designers. Guests mingled among antique pieces of rare and exceptional quality, providing a novel and elegant backdrop for the party.

Brenda Mickel, design principal at TWG, host Claudio Mariani, and Amy Weaver

C. Mariani Antiques, Restoration, and Custom

is the largest U.S. wholesaler of high-end 17th, 18th, and 19th century European antiques. The firm enjoys an excellent reputation as one of the top antique dealers in the world. Showroom manager Buzz Kaplan likes to say, "It's like the Louvre, only with price tags." The firm also employs thirty carpenters, upholsterers, specialty painters, gilders, refinishers, metalists, and restorers for their custom furniture and restoration services.

Paul Wiseman and Greg McIntyre of Shears and Window

Paul Wiseman and Karin Payson

Paul Wiseman and spouse Richard Snyder

Paul Wiseman

and Timmie Friend

Candace Barnes a

nd Alisa Carroll

SFC&G

launched in April 2014, and there has been no looking back. The magazine quickly established itself as a quality publication showcasing the best of the greater Bay Area design world. According to Editor-in-Chief Alisa Carroll, the magazine seeks to reflect a sense of place -- "the soul and sensibility" of the Northern California landscape, with its physical beauty and The City's innovative culture. It covers topics of local interest from the Monterey Peninsula, to Silicon Valley, to the wine country of Napa and Sonoma, to the Sierra Mountains of the Tahoe Region. Hawaii draws many Bay Area vacationers to her shores, so

SFC&G

plans to occasionally feature the Aloha State as well. In a media environment often oriented to the tumult of the world, it is grounding to peruse the pages of a magazine that serves to remind us we live in such an exceptionally beautiful and creative locale.

Laurel Sprigg and Buzz Kaplan

Kirk Phillips of Shears and Window, Eric Petsinger of Epoca, and Kendra Boutell of Via

John and Heather Little with Paul Wiseman

Gina Jorasch

Riana Lum of C. Mariani with JT and Suzanne Crandall

Tom O'Connor and Linette Reid

John and Carolyn MacKenzie with Stefan Ziegler

Chase Roberson, assistant to Paul Wiseman, Ned Mobley, and Paul Wiseman

Monica Duque with Andrea Suarez Barlow, in background Catherine Wu of Anthem and Debbie Gray of DeSousa Hughes

Carrie Swing and Gracie Hurtado of Waterworks

Cheryl DuCote

Claudio Mariani, Greg MacIntyre, and Amy Weaver

TWG staff Samantha Schiff, Stephanie Paul, Kelsey Mazzotta, and Eloisa Saquilayan

Angus Whyte

and Michelle Kender

Paul Wiseman, Massy Mehdipour, Joy Venturini Bianchi, Alfredo Pedroza

Claudio Mariani and Kay Evans of RH

A heartfelt thanks to Claudio Mariani, Buzz Kaplan, Riana Lum, and the entire staff at C. Mariani for all their tremendous efforts putting together such a lovely event. Many thanks to Alisa Carroll and

SFC&C

for co-hosting. Be sure to look for coverage of this event in their

February 2015 issue

. And finally, thanks to Stout Bookstore for being on hand to help with the book signing.

IN THE NEWS: 1st RATE

The Wiseman Group is pleased and honored that its recently released book,

Inner Spaces: Paul Vincent Wiseman and The Wiseman Group

, has been rated by

1stdibs.com

as one of the season’s best design books. Noted journalist Wendy Moonan, who covers stories on architecture, design, art and antiques, writes about the book in

Introspective

(December 2014), the site's online magazine. According to Moonan, Mr. Wiseman "embodies a rare combination of an open mind coupled with an uncommon sophistication, and in his custom work, he is like a couture designer: Everything always looks just right."

Inner Spaces

was authored by Brian Coleman with photography by Matthew Millman.

AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS: ICAA HONORS THE WISEMAN GROUP AT SFFAS

Paul Vincent Wiseman signs books at the San Francisco Fall Antique Show
Photos courtesy of ICAA

The San Francisco Fall Antique Show is a venerable fixture on the Bay Area design calendar. The yearly event, the oldest and most prestigious continuously operating international art and antiques show on the West Coast, brings together approximately sixty of the finest dealers across the United States and Europe. The show provides an opportunity for design professionals and their clients to mingle, collect ideas, and make important purchases.

Mr. Wiseman with guest Dana Tananbaum and Kathleen Taylor of The Lotus Collection at the ICAA luncheon

The Institute of Classical Architecture and Art hosts an annual Designer Day Lunch & Lecture at the show. This year they honored Paul Vincent Wiseman, who presented a post-lunch lecture entitled “Mindful Design and the Art of Storytelling." Following the lecture, Mr. Wiseman signed copies of his newly published book, Paul Vincent Wiseman & The Wiseman Group: Inner Spaces. Always a sell-out, this annual fundraiser is an important event for the Northern California Chapter of ICAA. Mark your calendar for next year's event!

Mr. Wiseman sharing in-depth information about three of his firm's projects

INNER SPACES BOOK: CARLTON HOBBS ANTIQUES HOSTS EVENT IN THE BIG APPLE

Paul Wiseman and Inner Spaces author Brian Coleman signing books
Photos by Kate Jerde Cole of Editor At Large

What better place than Carlton Hobbs Antiques, located in the exquisite "Birdie" Vanderbilt Mansion on the Upper East Side, to have a New York City celebration of The Wiseman Group's new book, Inner Spaces? Owners Carlton Hobbs and Stefanie Rinza were the consummate hosts, and the setting, filled with antique pieces of exceptional merit, made for a spectacular backdrop for the East Coast book launch event. Paul Goldberger's warm introduction sang the praises of Paul Wiseman and his firm's work. Mr. Goldberger's remarks set the stage for a standing room only lecture by Mr. Wiseman covering three of TWG's finest design projects conceived by three of the world's most talented architects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-KoPKKcfEU

Architecture critic Paul Goldberger introducing Paul Vincent Wiseman

Video by One Dream Sound

In addition to showcasing the firm's range of work, the lecture was intended to elucidate The Wiseman Group's design philosophy -- that interior design is very serious business, and not simply the art of making pretty rooms. Human beings have deeply ingrained needs to create homes that are both sanctuaries and reflections of what is meaningful to them. "I believe that good interior design must tap into what the Iroquois called the 'long-body,' our deep psyche’s personal and collective history of meaning. We bring in this element by finding objects, art, or antiques that have 'soul' and are appropriate to the home and client. We feel we have truly succeeded in our work if the resulting living space provides beauty, safety, and creative expression of the psyche!"