Food + Design, San Francisco in 36 Hours

Great tabletop design and food inspiration are my passions so there’s no surprise that San Francisco is a dream come true. Seems like every time we visit, there’s a new set of neighborhoods to explore and creative people to meet which makes us fall in love with the city all over again.

Our SF mission was to search for products for The Storied Table, that provide more meaning and good feelings in our homes (and enjoy delicious food along the way). We were lucky to meet exciting fabulous artisans visiting from Mali who showed us amazing unfinished yards of hand dyed Indigo of various patterns that we will now design and transform into napkins, runners, and squares for The Storied Table. We are now considering creative embellishments and how to travel to Mali for more!

We had the opportunity to visit Dog Patch a new area for me located on the waterfront. A great design find is Workshop Residence where craft, art and design all co-exist. We discovered hand-blocked Japanese runners, DIY embroidery kits and beautiful oven to table wares fabricated in the US. We are inspired to work with some of the artisans and collaborate on new products for the collection.

As for a visual feast of a design shop, specializing in home decor, antique and luxe,we also visited Cavaliere by Jay Jeffers on Post Street. The shop is described as “a destination for seekers of things that are uncommon and collected” which we love. It transforms into an event space where all the furniture is on castors for easily mobility~ brilliant!

Michael Purdy, co-owner and creative director of Cavaliere, we found to be a SF bon vivant, bold, witty, and urbane, who, in addition to design, is personally into hospitality, special events, and food~ a true soulmate! It’s worth it to stop by just to meet Michael who is a fount of knowledge about all things SF. As an added bonus, Michael turned us onto some great restaurants such as the rustic Tuscan Cotogno and upscale Greek Kokkari …. A definite “recommend.”

Consider leaving us a comment about your favorite design haunts in San Francisco!