The Clamor & Construction That Is Pacific Heights

Growing up, I would visit my Father at his job sites, watching contractors pour concrete or landscapers planting around a new terrace with the clamor of nails and heavy machinery around us. As a builder and developer, my Father educated me on the many intricacies of new construction, green construction, heating and cooling systems, inspections - you name it. He would point and pry, introducing me to the engineer, architect, electrician - everyone under the sun. This world is one I feel comfortable in. Yet, given my familiarity, I am constantly enamored by the sheer volume of construction in Pacific Heights. Yesterday, I went for one of my typical walks in the neighborhood and could have counted 20 different construction projects on Vallejo Street alone. I'm not talking a new sidewalk and a few cosmetic improvements, I'm talking about stately buildings completely demolished down to the bedrock to accommodate newly appointed, state of the art single-family homes. The neighborhood is alive with construction crews, cranes, workmen on their lunch breaks - it feels almost surreal, as if you're walking through a movie set.

As most of you know, Pacific Heights plays host to some serious real estate. As evidenced by SF Curbed, some of these home owners pay close to half a million in real estate taxes annually. If you walk the neighborhood in the evening, you'll notice that a handful of these homes are empty, including the Pincus' home that was just listed for $18M. As inventory is limited, pockets are deep and demand is high, it will be interesting to see how the neighborhood changes throughout all of these projects - a subject of true fascination.

C&C Profile: Mark D. Sikes

I couldn't be more thrilled to share with you a fun Q&A with Mark D. Sikes. I've followed Mark's lifestyle blog for ages and can confidently say he is a true connoisseur of chic. His daily record of "chic people, glamorous places and stylish things" is part of my morning reading routine and Mark's narratives and imagery always make my heart pitter patter. His home in the Hollywood Hills, one of my personal favorite interior and exterior spaces (and also above), was featured in Veranda Magazine's 2014 July-August issue (including the cover!). Stay connected to Mark by subscribing to his blog, following him on Pinterest and Instagram. Read-on, below: C&C: For starters, Mark, I love your blog! We both know that it takes a lot of work to curate and compile content, but that’s easy with being inspired. Tell us about your methodology in collecting content for the blog.

Mark: Well, I really don’t know if there is a method to the madness, I just save images and ideas as I find them, my desktop on my laptop is quite full! I do read a lot and I do stay on top of everything in design, fashion and news daily- I have come up with a daily routine that seems to work….

C&C: You studied finance and economics in college with the intention of having a career in international business. By the looks of it, that career path didn’t exactly take shape! When or how did you discover you had a different path ahead of you? (Was there an “aha” moment?)

Mark: When I got out of college, I started to look for jobs…I was living in Nashville with my parents…I got a few part-time jobs, one at a fashion retailor and another as an assistant at an interior design firm…I enjoyed both and felt connected…when you love what you do, you are happy…from there things fell into place…I guess that was my “aha” moment- it’s truly been a beautiful and fun journey!

C&C: One of my favorite components of your blog is the “MDS Interviews” feature. I won’t ask you to pick your favorite interviewee…any hints as to who might be on deck for your next feature?

Mark: There are a few interior designers coming up, If I tell you who they are that will spoil the surprise, and then a few ladies whose style and elegance I admire…. And who knows there might soon be some actors, actresses and editors coming up too…

C&C: You write about your favorite “Glamorous Places”. If you were to magically slip into a scene from one of your most cherished glamorous places, where would you be and with whom?

Mark: Most definitely to La Colina, Bunny Williams and John Rosselli’s home in Punta Cana…it’s the most beautiful place…it’s my ideal…and I would want to be there with dear friends….

C&C: Is there a particular (fashion) item you are looking forward to coveting this Fall?

Mark: I guess just more navy and grey cashmere crewnecks… I kind of have a uniform, I tend to collect more of the same…boring I know, but I love what I love….

C&C: I swooned over the photographs (and cover!) of your home in Veranda’s July-August 2014 issue. Is there a particular space in your home you adore most?

Mark: To be honest I love every room, we use every room, but if I had to pick one it would be the tented library…the room is full of all my books and magazines. There is a day bed in the middle of the room, I find myself in there a lot….. it’s a space that I feel inspired in!

C&C: Those that know the true essence of Mark D. Sikes are well aware of your affinity to all things blue and white. I’ve asked you to share with us some blue and white items from your Instagram account you so adore (photos above).  Can you please speak to those pieces and your connection to each one?

Mark: I’m mad about antique blue and white ceramics, I have a very large collection, I love blue and white Portuguese tiles, and there has never been a blue a white stripe I didn’t love- I love to wear blue and white stripes and I love to decorate with them!

C&C: Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to decorating or manners?

Mark: I don’t have many pet peeves when it comes to decorating, I have my own rules, but that doesn’t mean they are right or wrong, and you know rules are made to be broken…everyone has there own taste, that’s what makes the world interesting and beautiful. In regards to manners, just be thoughtful, considerate and kind, it’s not hard!

C&C: What’s currently on your nightstand at home?

Mark: A picture of my partner Michael and lily (our French bull dog, better known as HRH Lily), there’s always a stack of magazines, possible a new design book, hate to say it but my phone and computer charger is always present, a carafe of water, fresh cut flowers, an ivory shagreen box with a pen and post its- I make lots of notes in the middle of the night!

 Images above are from Veranda Magazine, Mark's Instagram and property of Mark D. Sikes.

C.Z. Guest: Lettuce-Inspired

From the 60s - 80s, Palm Beach based artist and potter Dodie Thayer produced a collection of lettuce and cabbage style porcelain ceramics. As depicted, the pieces are naturalistic in subject but whimsy, vibrant and bold in personality. Akin to Lily Pulitzer dresses in their hay day, these ceramics became staples when entertaining. Women that incorporated these pieces into their table ware were far from shy and often females that to this day, are muses to lifestyle brands and mavens such as Aerin Lauder, Oscar de la Renta and Tory Burch, all of whom have their own table ware collections. The photograph above showcases C.Z. Guest's collection, one that she had in her Long Island home and utilized at her legendary parties. Todd Romano, a New York decorator who attended one of C.Z.'s lunches, was a fond admirer. He is now one of the largest collectors of the lettuce-inspired ceramics and has sold portions of his collection to clients such as Tory Burch. In 2012, New York socialite Brooke Astor's 218-piece Thayer collection sold for $75,500 with Sotheby's. Impressively, the collection included 41 dinner plates, 15 butter pads and six pepper shakers. Other collectors included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the Duchess of Windsor and Frank and Barbara Sinatra. Table wares were also widely produced in England and Europe throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, however some of the prettiest and most widely photographed collections stem from America. Be sure to add this book to your coffee table stack, as it gives a further glimpse into C.Z.'s charmed life, lettuce-inspired and all.

Magnificent in Milan

The Sartorialist captured this beauty on the streets of Milan. Sensual, confident and feminine, thumbs up in my book.

Baubles, Bangles & Beads

  One of my favorites: "Baubles, Bangles and Beads", the popular song from the 1953 musical Kismet, later recorded by Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim. It seems fitting for these lovely tassel earrings from Oscar de la Renta's jewelry collection. Akin to the song, they are dreamy, glittering and fluttering along with great ease, like a butterfly along the coast of Capri. They require a classic beauty, perhaps adorned with a summer tan, wispy locks, wearing with confidence, a dress made for a great love affair. Shop here.

Getting it Right: Typeface

Garance Dore just gave her blog a facelift thanks to the fabulously french talents of Colorz, a digital strategy agency. In true Hermès fashion, they have brought play and style to e-commerce. Their graphics and font provide a well-rounded web experience. Meredith Melling and Valerie Boster's creative consultancy has a sharp but concise web presence. I suppose that is to be expected for the former Vogue editors...

The chic San Francisco interior design firm Elizabeth Swift Design just launched their site and I'm loving the graphics and font on their "contact" page.

I'm working on a new project for a client and love exploring different typefaces. Typography, the art and craft of arranging and designing type to make the written language most alluring, can have a dramatic influence on how the brand or product connects with the consumer. Above are a few typefaces and designs I'm currently coveting.

Helmut Newton: Photographs for Playboy

I often get high-fives from my male friends when I post content such as the above and a few eyebrow raises from my family. I truly think the female figure can be an alluring art form and Helmut Newton makes my case. Although some of his photography can be particularly explicit and warrant the said eyebrow raises, I love studying the the many ways he captures the predominately unclothed female form. The above photograph is one of many that is open for bidding this morning via Christie's Auction House (online auction only). Titled 'Playboy', the photograph was taken in Los Angeles in 1986 and part of a series of pictorials Helmut Newton took for Playboy. It is estimated this lot item will sell for between $15,000 and $25,000. See the entire collection here. Disclaimer: You might want to view from your "home" computer...

Next Week

Looking forward to next week's The Edit piece with Carolyn Murphy, courtesy of Net-A-Porter. This photograph took my breath away and Carolyn is always a vision. I always love seeing the natural landscape as a background in portrait photography.

Veronica Beard

Lonny Magazine, one of my favorite publications, gives us a snapshot into the lives of sisters-in-law Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard. In the fall of 2010, the bold duo launched their fashion brand Veronica Beard and from that point in time, everything's coming up roses. (They just presented their Spring '15 collection at NYFW and continually receive press and praise from industry leaders). Their collection is designed with themselves in mind, the fierce female consumer who juggles children, the workplace, a partner, the home and then some. Watch this video for a glance into their lives and their creation that is Veronica Beard.

Jakobs of Gotland

I think I've met my match. My trip back east allowed me to relish in many simple pleasures I missed. As I return to my routine, I find myself day dreaming of another escape. This restored farm house on the Swedish island of Gotland is nestled among 2 acres of green gardens, a bike ride away from the sea and thoughtfully dusted with beautiful interior pieces in true Scandinavian style.  Known as Jakobs of Gotland, this property is available for rent by the long weekend in winter, or week in summer.

Naturally, my stay at Jakobs has already been sorted out in my head. I have visions of reading on the terrace in a white chemise, only glancing away to watch the branches on the trees sway in the morning breeze. In the late afternoon, I'll bike ride to the sea for a long swim before supper, returning to visit the sauna in the barn. Then, I'll retreat to the garden to pick herbs, flowers and produce for supper outside and dine with acquaintances I've met in the nearby town of Visby. When the laughter and dim candlelight subsides, I'll retreat indoors for a glass of scotch or port, my eyes fixated on the glow of a hearty fire...It seems every day at Jakobs is a verse out of a pastoral poem.

Learn more about Jakobs of Gotland here and be sure to see Net-A-Porter's feature as well! Owners Anna and Andi are lovely as ever and available via email to address your inquires.

(Photography credit: Ken Kochey and Katarina Grip-Höök’)