Designer Profile: Local artisans create unique outdoor furniture, lighting for spring decor
Months of wet winter weather finally appear to be behind us, and it’s time to get outdoors with friends and family again. This is the time of year for afternoons in the shade and cocktails under the stars.
What better way to usher in the season than with some new fabrics, furniture and lighting? New releases from two of San Francisco’s elite designers appear to endorse that thought.
Designer Suzanne Tucker, co-founder of San Francisco’s Tucker & Marks Design, recently launched new designs and finishes to her outdoor furniture line. Known as the Riviera Collection, the lineup of teak and resin wicker pieces makes a statement in any season.
The weatherproof finishes are dyed to mimic the random color schemes inherent to real wicker. A sofa, coffee table, dining table and ottoman are among the Riviera’s furniture selections. Combine the Riviera’s sectional with related seating pieces for a refined deck or prestigious patio.
Tucker also added a myriad of colorways to her “California Collection” of
outdoor textiles — a variety of easy-care solids, stripes, textures and patterns. This collection offers a variety of dyed acrylics bearing a Teflon finish that repels oil and water while resisting mold and soil.
There’s a number of new additions to the California Collection, including Monterey, Olema, Del Mar and Big Sur. Monterey’s vibrant palette features 25 colors including Tiffany, Tequila Sunrise, Tin, Doe and Blush. Olema bears a patterns of multicolored stripes while the Del Mar features a classical pinstripe design. Big Sur rounds out the new lineup as a boldly colored basket weave available in 11 colors.
Tucker routinely appears as one of the 100 Top Designers in the World in Architectural Digest. In addition to operating a design firm and launching her own product lines, Tucker also lectures on incorporating antiques, textiles, decorative arts and various finishes within a home.
Such upscale design should be seen in its best light. Pablo, maker of some of most sought-after modern light fixtures in San Francisco and beyond, offers a solution in the form of an LED lantern with surround sound speakers and Bluetooth connectivity.
The UMA Sound Lantern debuted last year and already earned a myriad of awards including Azure Magazine People’s Choice Award, the 2016 Good Design Award Australia and the 2017 German Design Award.
Venezuelan-born industrial engineer Pablo Pardo founded his namesake firm in 1993, and the brand continues to turn heads and win acclaim for its innovative designs that marry artistry and functionality.
One of his company’s newest creations, the Superlight, is a flexible light fixture with a three-axis design that enables a dramatic range of motion. The design provides warm, glare-free LED light and is available in desk, floor, wall and clamp models, or as a grommet-mounted fixture.
The Superlight is available in black or white, as well as a set of colorful and interchangeable felt pads to match a variety of decors.
The Solis Drum Pendant features laser-cut polyester fabric joined by aluminum rings, allowing