“We are pretty upset,” Ruiz says. “It’s just going to make OB more of this vacation, tourist spot, when OB always had more local flavor.”

Ruiz chose to live in Ocean Beach because it felt more family-friendly than other coastal neighborhoods, like Mission Beach. But he’s concerned that the ADU will be “inconsistent with what was zoned as a family, residential neighborhood.”

In 2020, the city passed the Complete Communities program, allowing developers to increase density near public transit in exchange for including subsidized units in their buildings. The city also passed the ADU Bonus Program, which allows owners to build an extra unit for each one reserved for renters earning below a certain income.

These initiatives have yielded some results, though they’ve had less impact than policies in other cities that did away with single-family home zoning, opening the door to multi-unit buildings on lots that once held standalone houses. Last year, San Diego issued a record number of housing permits—9,691—though that amount still falls far short of the city’s annual need of roughly 13,500 units, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. Permits for ADUs almost tripled last year, making up nearly 20 percent of the total number of housing permits.

Roughly 40 ADUs have been permitted near current and planned transit in Ocean Beach since 2020 (out of the 4,900 permits issued citywide during that same period). But the reforms have shifted the definition of “ADU”—many of these are multi-unit structures, effectively bringing apartment buildings to people’s backyards.

The tension surrounding these units is not unique to OB. ADUs are going up throughout the city, and lower-income and more diverse communities like Encanto, Skyline, and Paradise Hills have seen far higher numbers of ADU permits since 2020 than OB. But that doesn’t mean the coastal neighborhood is embracing these new, larger backyard units. In fact, their arrival appears to be stoking long-standing fears that OB could lose its identity.

In 2022, Andrea Schlageter became the Ocean Beach Planning Board’s youngest-ever chair. She’s found herself at the center of a battle for OB’s future as these city initiatives to create more housing challenge groups striving to maintain the neighborhood’s hippie, bungalow-by-the-sea feel.

“They fancy themselves technocrats at the city, and there’s nothing wrong with looking at data and looking at what other cities have done to spur development, but you need to then take that idea; meet with stakeholders, including community members; and adapt it to your situation,” Schlageter says. “No two cities are exactly similar, right?”

Schlageter fears OB’s smaller cottages could “all be wiped out and replaced with big, modern box buildings.” That would be a shame, she says, “because that is the charm of OB living—in your tiny-ass one-bedroom cottage by the sea, hanging in a little courtyard with all your other neighbors.”

Many also fear that increasing density without requiring developers to provide parking will lead to traffic issues, given the limited public transit that exists in OB. Only two bus routes currently offer all-day service on weekdays. New and upgraded routes are included in a regional transit plan for 2035, but those projects aren’t yet funded, meaning better public transportation isn’t guaranteed in this timeline.

And because the new development is largely residential, some worry there won’t be enough commercial fronts for the residents who fill these apartments. One multi-unit housing project proposed for the corner of Point Loma Avenue and Ebers Street, for example, was once a Mexican restaurant and grocery store—though the building has been vacant for several years.

Neighbors of projects are unhappy that some of the new buildings have no setbacks or buffer zones. They also say that the subsidized units in these projects will not be truly affordable and fear the market-rate units will become short-term vacation rentals due to the lack of enforcement and loopholes within the city’s policies.

“This was a great stepping-stone neighborhood, but, now, with the short-term vacation rentals, with the development opportunities, when these mom-and-pop landlords pass on or want to retire and get out of that game, no one who wants to be a small-time landlord is going to be able to buy them out,” Schlageter says.

Henish Pulickal, CEO of The California Home Company—a general contractor for ADU projects around San Diego—says if developers agree to a 15-year deed, owners can charge 110 percent of the area median income in rent, which would make a one-bedroom apartment approximately $2,570 per month, at or near the current average for OB (shorter 10-year deeds mandate lower rents). He adds that developers can turn the main house on a property into a vacation rental, even if the city won’t allow them to do the same with ADU units.

These potential profits make the projects pencil out, encouraging developers to build more housing, he says. And although those rents may not be affordable to lower-income San Diegans, they’ll still help address the region’s housing underproduction and high costs.

“It’s the economics of supply and demand,” Pulickal says. “If I have 12 places that I can rent for $2,500, it’s better than one place for $7,000.”

Pulickal points out that OB’s ADU potential is limited compared to other neighborhoods because it mostly has smaller lots that can only fit one additional structure beyond the main house. It also has a 30-foot coastal building height limit.

Tyler Martin, a developer on the OB Planning Board, says he supports these projects in OB. “We know we need more housing,” Martin says. “There’s really only two things we can do: We can either sprawl into East County or we can accept density into existing neighborhoods. It’s more green to have multifamily housing near transit than it is to bulldoze East County.”

Martin says that Newport Avenue, OB’s main commercial strip, has too many empty storefronts for residents to worry about the loss of commercially zoned properties. He is concerned about short-term rentals but thinks the city should further limit the number of vacation rentals allowed and step up enforcement, rather than restricting housing construction.

“People who already live in this neighborhood are trying to prevent other people from living in that neighborhood,” Martin continues. “I don’t think it’s about history or the environment or about retail space or safety. I don’t think it’s about any of that nonsense. It’s about, ‘I don’t want anyone else living next to me.’”

The battle isn’t new. The first community planning board in the city began in Ocean Beach in the 1970s in response to the 1960s Precise Plan. Endorsed by the City Planning Department, this plan aimed to increase density along the coast and intensify commercial activity on Newport Avenue, according to a San Diego Magazine article from 1974.

“It all devolves down to densities—how many should live in Ocean Beach and who they should be—what economic strata,” one city planner told SDM at the time.

Back then, the tension stemmed from fears of so-called radicals moving in and impacting the quiet livability of OB. Today, it comes from worries that backyard apartment buildings will impact OB’s quirky spirit. Density means change for those lucky enough to own homes in the neighborhood, but also it brings opportunity for those who hope to call it home.

In some ways the problem remains the same as they did in the ’70s, but the language has changed. Today, those opposed to development face criticism that they’re “NIMBYs,” meaning “Not In My Backyard.”

“I think it’s much more complicated than that,” Schlageter says. “Everyone wants their neighborhood to be nice … but it’s not going to be nicer if you just pray and spray development everywhere.”

But Schlageter isn’t worried about OB becoming overly dense just yet.

“There’s still enough of the old guard walking around barefoot who will fight every project like hell,” she says. “I think we have a few more decades before we’ll see a mass sell-off of properties to developers in OB.”

The post New Housing Developments, Same Old OB Blues appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

This historic urban neighborhood, known for panoramic downtown views, sits perched above the hustle and bustle. Gourmands visit Golden Hill Park for taco and burger festivals that send tantalizing smells wafting down the block. Jacarandas augment the neighborhood’s charm with pops of purple. Though downtown is only a short bus ride away, the area is cozy and residential, with tidy sidewalks, wide streets, thriving gardens, leafy trees, front porches, a slice of Balboa Park, and a smattering of small businesses.

In 1905, the streetcar brought convenience. Apartments and renters arrived in the ’20s and ’30s, mansions turned into rooming houses, bungalows moved in during WWII, and Golden Hill became one of San Diego’s most economically and ethnically diverse neighborhoods. It kind of stayed that way. Activists and alternative presses made the area a home base in the ’60s and ’70s. In the late 1970s, homeowners trickled back in from the ’burbs and convinced the city to designate Golden Hill a historic district.

Today, GH remains a bit scruffy around the edges—just how residents like it—and has changed little in the last 20 years. There’s been some urban infill: architecture studio FoundationForForm’s multi-use building on 25th, rowhouses in a canyon on C, boxy Jonathan Segal lofts on B. Creative agency Mortis Studio moved in on 25th and C and keeps its prominent corner window fresh with art exhibits. Kingfisher on Broadway brought a Michelin mention to Golden Hill. There’s still no bank, no pharmacy, and no dry cleaners. The post office closed in 2011.

But residents know this ’hood’s charm is under the radar. Though Golden Hill has not escaped rising rents and home prices (and Starbucks), hyper-gentrification hasn’t hit here. Things are relatively quiet (except for the airplanes!), and food is yummy but not pretentious.

Things to Do in Golden Hill

Fifteen-year Golden Hill residents Kelly Mayhew and Jim Miller are City College profs, founders of City Works Press, and co-authors of Under the Perfect Sun: The San Diego Tourists Never See. The couple lives on 25th Street in a 1917 craftsman. They raised their son in Golden Hill, where he “grew up on Los Reyes breakfast burritos every Sunday,” Miller says. Here are a few more family favorites.

Breakfast and a Historic Walk

Counterpoint, Golden Hill’s first real “trendy” restaurant, arrived in 2009. “[It] has an unsung brunch,” Mayhew says. “When I’m feeling indulgent, I love Counterpoint’s version of chicken and waffles—it’s a mashup of that and eggs benedict, which is heavenly.” Other mornings, the couple heads to Golden Hill Cafe (the setting for some scenes in the 1989 Jim Belushi flick K-9) for hash browns.

“Panchita’s has the best donuts,” Mayhew adds. “I think they put nutmeg in them.”

Walk it off, as Mayhew and Miller do daily, down Broadway to 24th Street to ogle the Hill’s most opulent old house: an 8,800-square-foot, 1896 Queen Anne Victorian with a four-story, cupola-topped turret, where San Diego mayor Louis J. Wilde lived in grand style until a scandal ran him out of town in 1921.

Brews, Views, and Guy Fieri’s Pizza Pick

Mayhew recommends Tobey’s 19th Hole on the golf course for signature Golden Hill views of greenery and downtown with a plate of tots and a beer. Or check out Pizzeria Luigi’s leafy patio and New York– quality slices and pies, mentioned on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Award-Winning Provisions at Sepulveda Meats

Also on Mayhew and Miller’s walking route, Sepulveda Meats & Provisions opened in 2016 and was named one of America’s best butcher shops by Food & Wine in 2020. On their way up 28th Street, the couple stops to admire Mario Torero’s 1972 mural, then, Mayhew says, “we stock up on everything from homemade Italian and bratwurst sausages to bavette cut steak to pancetta. And Jasper’s is really good.” Juan Jasper’s Kitchen & Wine Bar seats eight and shares Sepulveda’s kitchen after the meat counter closes.

Facts About Golden Hill

• Golden Hill had a streetcar line from 1905 to 1939. The tracks were dug up in 2015.
• According to Realtor.com, the median listing price for homes in Golden Hill is $1.2 million.
• 66 percent of Golden Hill residents rent their homes.
• The Women’s Museum of California started in Golden Hill.
• The Golden Hill Fountain Grotto, built in 1907, is Balboa Park’s oldest design feature and predates the Panama-California Expo. It is now partially intact.

What’s Next for Golden Hill

The biggest thing on the hilly horizon for this neighborhood? More vertical housing. An eight-story tower is going up across from the historic Turf Club on 25th Street—a big deal on a block where everything else is two stories, tops. A new apartment building at Broadway and 20th has neighbors in a tizzy about preserving the area’s historic character. 30th Street recently got two additions that stick up above the surrounding bungalows, with glass and steel glinting in the sun, just like in downtown. More are planned.

As for eats, 25th Street is adding yet another culinary establishment: Birria El Rey. Taking over the former Krakatoa cottage, El Rey was a pop-up before committing to brick-and-mortar.

Where to Eat in Golden Hill

Kingfisher

Humberto’s Taco Shop

55 Thai Kitchen

Where to Shop in Golden Hill

Dragonfly

Whatever Gallery

Haven Golden Hill

More Things to Do in Golden Hill

Hayward-Patterson House

Florida Canyon Trail

Crab Carillon Musical Bridge

The post The Local’s Guide to Golden Hill appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

When Elisha Babcock and H.L. Story built the hotel in 1888, they dreamed of building a seaside resort that would be “the talk of the Western world,” a phrase they coined that became a slogan of sorts in the early days. Seeing as it’s now 2024, and we’re still very much talking about their project, it’s safe to say mission (mostly) accomplished.

When the renovation is complete in early 2025, it will have been a more than $550 million investment backed by Blackstone Real Estate. The full transformation will include opening a new location of the famous Nobu restaurant and a $160-million renovation of the resort’s oldest section, the Crown Room and Victorian Neighborhood (including the Coronet Room and Ocean Ballroom). The price tag, which started at $400 million in 2018, has now climbed into one of the most expensive hotel overhauls in San Diego history. But it seems to have all been worth it.

“From day one, it has been our goal to ensure that The Del provides guests and the community with a one-of-a-kind experience,” says Brian Kaufman, managing director at Blackstone. He adds that they’re “thrilled” to have “world-class” Nobu cap it off—an exciting landing for a long, painstaking renovation project.

It’s no small feat renovating one of the region’s most iconic, if not the most iconic, landmarks. The comprehensive reno had to be approved by the City of Coronado and the California Coastal Commission, and be completed in accordance with guidelines for its national landmark status.

Plus, San Diegans have held weddings, birthdays, graduation brunches, vacations, and life events here, with pictures to document. Make it too different, and you will alienate generations of locals. Keep it too similar, and what’s the point of undertaking such an expensive renovation, anyway?

Even a quick perusal of Tripadvisor shows that most agreed it was time for a refresh.

Wimberly Interiors led the design in partnership with the California architecture studio from design firm Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo. The focus was on ensuring that the public areas remained genuinely Victorian, with original finishes intact. Contemporary design features were added to bathrooms, furnishings, artwork, and updated technology to offer comfort and luxury upgrades to the previously dated property.

David Marshall of Heritage Architecture & Planning leads the current Victorian guestroom redesign effort. His work was instrumental in his firm winning a “Preservation Project of The Year” honor from the Save Our Heritage Organisation and a “Preservation Design Award” from the California Preservation Foundation following their extensive reconstruction of the hotel’s front porch and lobby areas.

Among its current highlights is the recently completed Shore House—a newer build fashioned in Victorian style with red shingles mimicking the original Del buildings— that sits just to the south of the main property on the ocean. It opened in 2022 with 75 residential-style rooms, many suites or duplex-style with kitchens, modern finishes, and outdoor fireplaces. Most rooms have at least partial ocean views, and though some can be reserved as hotel rooms, others are owned as residences.

When Shore House opened, the for-sale units sold out in about 100 days, and cost anywhere from $1.3 million to $5.2 million for approximately 800 to 1,900-square-foot units. It’s a massive addition that created 130 new jobs for the resort and more-or-less operates as its own hotel ensconced within the larger Del universe.

Due to the renovation, many other amenities have opened in the last couple of years. The historic Windsor Cottage was updated while preserving historic elements, like the building’s structure, dating back to its 1905 construction. Called the Ocean Club now, it opened last summer and is a yacht club without boats and outfitted with cocktails, food, vibes, and scenic views.

Other renovations include the fitness center, spa, pool, the shops, and The Vista Terrace, which debuted with the new Sun Deck, Babcock & Story Bar, and ENO Market and Pizzeria in place of the former pool. The main pool was redone entirely and is heated year-round. It’s flanked by shaded chaise lounges, new premium cabanas, and cabanaettes for rent.

That project, which revamped the rooms and suites in The Cabana and The Views neighborhoods, redesigned and renovated 97 and 217 rooms, respectively. The Laundry Pub has also recently opened and is geared toward locals, with many community-focused events and shows on weeknights during low season. It has a long tap list, bar games, and top-notch pub grub.

But the renovation is not quite finished. Up next is yet another room project: The Beach Village at The Del, an enclave of beachfront cottages and villas, which is set to unveil a complete refresh by the end of this year. Nobu will also open next year, comprising more than 3,700 square feet of indoor and al fresco dining.

The older parts of the original main building are also closed off and being worked on. The Victorian, the oldest section of the hotel, is undergoing a more than $160 million revitalization, which will keep its original build while making necessary updates.

These renovations, along with others at the National Historic Landmark property, must be completed according to a strict code to preserve its landmark status. The upgrades include all Victorian guestrooms and suites, and the resort hopes it will be finished by next spring. Think of it like a facelift.

The post Inside the Hotel del Coronado’s $550M Renovation appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

The World Design Festival is run by Tijuana Design Week and invites guests from both border cities, along with international visitors to experience Tijuana design through lectures, exhibitions, public design workshops and design studio open houses. According to event organizers, the event “encompasses all dimensions of time to open a space for reflection on the history, identity and future of the city, the binational region and the global environment.” Registration is free for events through the website.

We highlighted some of the event’s best offerings below, but be sure to check out their full list of activities here.

2024 World Design Festival Events – Day 1

Exhibición BOSQUE

This installation, BOSQUE (FOREST), created by Fernanda Uribe, is more than just an enchanted garden. It’s meant to be an immersive design experience where sculpture and functional design blend with handmade miniature ceramic sculptures of imaginary plants, flowers, fungi, and insects.

Date: Wednesday, May 1
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Observatorio | Av Constitución 1337, Zona Centro, 22000 Tijuana

Ballet adultas y adultos abierto a la comunidad

This ballet workshop for adults gives anyone the chance to experience ballet as a tool for bodily expression.

Date: Wednesday, May 1
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Conservatorio de Danza México | 11 y o Plutarco Elías Calles 9137, Zonaeste, 22000 Tijuana

2024 World Design Festival Events – Day 2

Taller de diseño: Jornadas Comunidades de Reciclaje

This event is part of the “Pollution Prevention at Alamar Creek” initiative, and gives attendees the chance to explore waste management solutions. The suggestions collected at the end will inform future community strategies.

Date: Thursday, May 2
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Location: CETYS Universidad | Av. Cetys Universidad.4, El Lago, 22217 Tijuana

Taller Compa Laboratorio de narrativa ciudadana a través de la tipografía

This Citizen Narrative Laboratory comes from TMX – Typography Mexico. It was developed in Mexicali and Calexico in 2023 by Héctor Ruíz, a student from Mexicali at the MFA Design for Social Innovation SVA. The exhibition showcases languages and transborder identities.

Date: Thursday, May 2
Time: 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Location: Escuela libre de Arquitectura | C. Coahuila 8206-int. 203, Zona Nte., 22000 Tijuana

No Cuerpo and the creation of a digital archive on design, art, and culture in the SDTJ border region

This event showcases No Cuerpo, a digital platform focused on creating art, entrepreneurship, and social reality content that’s displayed as design, audiovisual, and written formats. The platform shows off local talent and creates connections.

Date: Thursday, May 2
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Observatorio | Av Constitución 1337, Zona Centro, 22000 Tijuana

Vero Glezqui: Temporalidades de un santuario

“Temporalities of a Sanctuary” is all about nature from different angles—like looking at it through a cosmic lens. You’ll see paintings, drawings, and more that blend the real world with the abstract.

Date: Thursday, May 2
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Location: Casa de la Cultura | Av. París y, C. Lisboa 5, Centro, 22054 Tijuana

FADINGS x Spel Uno

Step into the world of “FADINGS” and see how art can bridge the gap between the digital and the physical. It’s like a journey through murals, paintings, and even furniture, all blending together seamlessly.

Date: Thursday, May 2
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: Julep Café | Av. Mutualismo 1233, Zona Centro, 22055 Tijuana

Pop-up: El humano y sus cuevas: interpretaciones sobre el humano transitando en el tiempo

This experience explores the concept of migration through art. It’s meant to be a blend of different creative minds sharing their ideas, just like how people used to share along the coast before borders were a thing.

Date: Thursday, May 2
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: Restaurante Bhumi | Gobernador Ibarra 9510, Davila, 22040 Tijuana

2024 World Design Festival Events – Day 3

Andrea Carrillo / CreativeMornings Tijuana

Kick off the morning with some inspiration. CreativeMornings Tijuana, features Andrea Carrillo Iglesias, an artist with a knack for design. Get ready to learn how design shapes our world.

Date: Friday, May 3
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Location: Enigma Creative | Av. Juan Sarabia 208-Local 2, Zona Centro, 22000 Tijuana

Krzysztof Wodiczko (Guide Visit)

Meet Krzysztof Wodiczko, a master of large-scale projections on buildings, whose work has focused on marginalized and estranged city residents. His work brings communities together and gives a voice to those often unheard. 

Date: Friday, May 3
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: CECUT Sala de video | P.º de los Héroes 9350, Zona Urbana Rio Tijuana

Borderless Experiences: The Lecture

This event explores the future of design in a digital world. Scott Robinson takes attendees on a journey through experience design, where boundaries are just a thing of the past. Get ready to think outside the box.

Date: Friday, May 3
Time: 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Location: Escuela Libre de Arquitectura | C. Coahuila 8206-int. 203, Zona Nte., 22000 Tijuana

Taller de Codiseño de Persona Drag

This workshop is all about drag in Tijuana, and will explore gender and design. Of course, with live appearances, and the chance to take in a show.

Date: Friday, May 3
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Location: Enclave | C. Primera 8250, zona Nnte. 220000 Tijuana

2024 World Design Festival Events – Day 4

Jorge Gutierrez y Sandra Equihua

Sandra Equihua and Jorge R. Gutiérrez are known as the dynamic duo behind favorite animated series including El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, El Tigre, The Book of Life, Son of Jaguar, and Maya and the Three. They’ll share their journey from Tijuana to global recognition, and you’ll leave feeling inspired.

Date: Saturday, May 4
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Location: CECUT – Sala Carlos Monsivais | Blvd. Independencia, Zona Urbana Rio Tijuana

AIGA Symbol Signs / Símbolos Significativos de AIGA

Susan Merritt takes attendees on a journey through the history of design. You’ll explore the iconic AIGA Symbol Signs and learn how they’ve shaped transportation and communication.

Date: Saturday, May 4
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Location: CECUT – Sala Federico Campbell

Yee Foo: Two-Fold Encounters

Come meet Yee Foo Lai and discover his world of design. Foo Lai co-founded Temporary Office, a multi-disciplinary design collaborative and is a project designer at Trahan Architects and will share his journey from Singapore to New York.

Date: Saturday, May 4
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: CECUT – Sala de video

The post What to See at the WDC’s 2024 World Design Festival appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Sofie Berarducci has some ideas. 

The 24-year-old entrepreneur honed her design savvy building furniture in her parents’ garage during the pandemic. When she returned to college in San Francisco, she had to settle for smaller projects. One night, while watching The Bachelor, she and a handful of friends covered a Styrofoam mushroom from Michaels in shiny, mirrored tiles. “Anytime someone would come over and see it in my room, they’d love it,” Berarducci recalls. “It was such a showstopper.” 

After graduating in 2019, Berarducci started crafting more disco mushrooms as Christmas presents. She posted surplus ’shrooms on Facebook Marketplace, where they sold out overnight. “People were messaging me, ‘Where can I buy more?’” Berarducci recalls. 

Berarducci capitalized on the disco fever with an Etsy shop and, eventually, a business account on Instagram. She developed new products, pivoting from Styrofoam bases to 3D-printed fruit, liquor bottles, and other fun shapes. Berarducci was still working full-time at a San Diego marketing agency, running her side hustle with help from family. “In the morning, my mom and I would pack orders together, go drop them off at UPS, and go do our nine-to-five,” she says. “Five would hit, and we would turn on a movie and get to tiling.” 

Six months in, she decided to launch the brand’s e-commerce site and quit her job to focus on Sofiest Designs. “It was kind of a huge risk,” she adds, “but I haven’t looked back.” After all, the gamble paid off handsomely: In addition to 80,000 Instagram followers, Sofiest Designs boasts partnerships with Urban Outfitters, Free People, Dormify, and Aerie. Berarducci has designed custom disco doodads for celebs such as Lizzo, Kourtney Kardashian, and Shania Twain, and outlets like Architectural Digest, HGTV, Apartment Therapy, and Time have taken notice. 

Though her company ships out 15 to 20 orders per day, Berarducci continues to hand-make each product in a San Marcos warehouse with the help of a small team of family and friends. “My business is part e-commerce manufacturer and part art,” she explains. “It’s still really time intensive. I’m touching every single [piece].” 

All those hours tiling haven’t stopped her from pushing Sofiest Designs forward. She added additional, less shiny homewares in the form of surreal shelving and pastel lamps and partnered with other woman-owned small businesses to expand the company’s e-commerce offerings. You can shop seven other makers’ products on Berarducci’s site. 

Nevertheless, what Berarducci calls “disco therapy” remains core to her company’s ethos. “The disco ball is timeless and gorgeous, but it hadn’t been remodeled in, like, 50 years,” she says. “We wanted to make something more appropriate for Gen Z. Our goal is to make disco items that double as art for your home that you can have forever.” 

We tapped Berarducci to share some of her favorite home décor products from small businesses (including her own). Here are 10 fun finds to spruce up your bedroom, bar cart, or coffee table. 

10 Unique Room Décor Accents to Spice Up Your Space

Big Night Clock, $110

Big Night

This cheeky clock is “so cute for your kitchen area—I love the pop of red,” Berarducci says. “The martini at the five o’clock hand is the perfect little detail.” The timepiece captures two trends: the fervor for food-centric décor and, of course, Gen Z’s love for disco-inspired details.

Glass Tile Decorative Tray, $65

Subtle Art Studio

“This tray makes for the most stunning accent piece on your vanity or bar cart,” Berarducci says. “It’s an easy way to elevate your space.” San Jose–based Subtle Art Studio slings several products made with retro-inspired glass tiles, including coasters, incense holders, and photo stands.

Olive Candle, $21

Nata Concept Store

“Why not add an olive candle to your home décor?” Berarducci suggests. “Style with your martini glasses and mixers on a bar cart. So cute!” Novelty candles have made a splash as a playful, affordable way to accessorize your house, and this one stands out for its lovely floral scent.

Checkered Ceramic Vase, $120 

Alicja Ceramics

Another of Berarducci’s small business partners, Alicja Ceramics crafts and paints each of her funky vases by hand. “These are my go-to for all my flower arrangements,” Berarducci adds. “The checkered print against the florals makes for the coolest contrast.” 

Disco Strawberry, $52.50

Sofiest Designs 

TikTok’s beloved “unexpected red” theory holds that introducing a touch of crimson will enliven any room. Try out the technique with Berarducci’s sparkly strawberry. “My favorite way to show off this strawberry is to style it on a kitchen shelf or use it as a dining-table centerpiece,” she says.

Custom Icons Pillow, $155

Abbode

New York embroidery shop Abbode is all about customization. This pillow case takes things a step beyond monogramming, allowing customers to select and request symbols that represent their most formative experiences or favorite things. “These make for the perfect customized housewarming gift—for your friend or for yourself,” Berarducci says.

Buns Out, $40

Piecework Puzzles 

“Boring puzzles are out,” Bararducci declares. “Challenge your brain and create a masterpiece with Piecework’s ‘Buns Out’ puzzle.” After you’ve put the final piece in place, brush Mod Podge over the lot and frame it as a conversation-starting work of art.

Custom Neon Sign, from $159

Yellowpop 

Whatever your catchphrase is, immortalize it in neon lights. Yellowpop offers one-of-a-kind LED signs with 14 different color options. “This is a great way to personalize your space in a unique and timeless way,” Berarducci says. “I created a custom ‘Sofiest Designs’ sign for my warehouse and absolutely love it!” 

Wobble Table Lamp, $120

Sofiest Designs 

This wiggly lamp from Sofiest Designs comes in four easy-to-style colors: powder pink, muted orange, soft green, and creamsicle orange. You can select a lampshade in one of those same hues to mix and match. “This is my favorite of our lamps,” Berarducci says. “It looks good in any space and any colorway.” 

Concrete Shelf, $650

Concrete Cat

This eye-catching shelf is an art piece in itself. “The concrete coloring brings [it] to the next level,” Berarducci adds. A groove at the back of the shelf helps secure thin items like records, photos, and (SDM’s personal favorite) magazines for display.

The post The Disco Queen of San Diego Shares Her Fave Home Décor  appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Her focus on the practicalities comes from her background as a mother of five, researching flooring and fabrics that wouldn’t fall apart under the onslaught of rowdy little ones. “I became addicted to the feeling of blending what looks good with what is super functional,” she recalls. Initially a design hobbyist, she used her self-taught skills to launch her business in 2002. Her husband John joined Savvy seven years later, and the pair became general contractors, able to transform spaces through both big builds and aesthetic overhauls.

And it’s not just clients who benefit from Wintersteen’s thoughtful approach. In 2014, Wintersteen began redecorating rooms for kids experiencing medical crises, eventually creating a donor-funded nonprofit, Savvy Giving by Design. The organization now has 11 chapters nationwide and partners with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The nonprofit aims to create safe and comfortable spaces for children with medical needs, implementing, for example, automated beds and window coverings to account for limited mobility. But Wintersteen also wants to make the rooms a place of joy, filling them with color and cozy places to hang out and decorating them in line with each kid’s interest (say, superheroes or horses).

“[It] gives them the tools to enhance their healing,” Wintersteen says. “And when you see the impact it has on that kid, it’s really hard to not want to continue doing that.”

We asked Wintersteen to share deets from three of her favorite kitchen revamps.

Kitchen Renovation Projects by Savvy Interiors

Parisian Lakes Kitchen

“We transformed this space into a chic Parisian haven with a powder blue palette, marrying timeless elegance with contemporary charm in this kitchen remodel,” Wintersteen says.

Stools: Four Hands
Tile: Ann Sacks Segmented Hex Mosaic in Whitecap
Countertops: Cambria Winterbourne Light: Arteriors Heloise Pendant Paint Color: Benjamin Moore 1593 Adagio
Range: La Cornue

La Jolla Vacation Home

“We elevated this coastal retreat with a modern kitchen remodel, seamlessly blending sleek design elements and beachfront allure for the ultimate vacation home sanctuary,” Wintersteen explains.

Countertops: Caesarstone Raw Concrete 4004
Range Backsplash and Island: Bedrosians Manhattan Polished Quartzite
Range Wall Tile: Clé Four-Inch Zellige Tiles Range: Miele
Fridge: Sub-Zero

Green Olivenhain Kitchen

“We wanted to create a space that was easy to use and didn’t feel cramped for a busy family,” Wintersteen says. “When making our design selections, we had function in mind and wanted materials that worked for a family with young kids.”

Hood Color: Benjamin Moore Jojoba AF-460
Range: Bertazzoni 48-Inch Heritage Series Backsplash
Slab: Tutto Marmo Marble Statua Corchia Island Countertop: Cambria Everleigh
Perimeter Countertops: MSI Soapstone Metropolis Concrete Quartz Stools: CB2 Avont White Upholstered Counter Stool recovered with Dorell Fabric, pattern Elliot in color avocado

The post 3 Ways to Revamp Your Kitchen appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Five Most Common Tree Problems in San Diego

Drought and lack of water

Look for a sparse canopy. Leaves might be discolored, undersized, scorched, or falling off. Kump also recommends watching for woodpecker activity, as heat damage encourages pests. Water trees slowly once a week, saturating all the soil beneath each tree’s foliage to a depth of one foot. The best time to water is in the morning— it reduces evaporation and allows the trees to uptake water during the hottest time of the day.

Invasive species and pests

Common in San Diego, invasive species like red sesbania, pampas grass, yellow starthistle, South American palm weevils, Asian citrus psyllid, and brown marmorated stink bugs are the most significant threat to native ecosystems. Become familiar with these species so you can destroy and report them to local authorities when you spot them, and combat their spread by cultivating diverse and native plants.

Improper pruning

Before heading toward a tree with saws blazing, know why, when, and what to prune—and how to do it safely, Kump says. Removing dead, broken, and diseased branches is crucial, but be careful: Focus on clipping crossing or competing branches and follow the tree’s natural shape. Maintain precision with sharp and clean pruning shears or loppers. And don’t be shy about calling in the pros.

Fire risk and brush clearance

Protect your home from wildfires by surrounding it with fire-resistant shrubs. Kump also suggests pruning off trees’ lower branches and uprooting highly flammable plants, like coniferous trees, within 100 feet of your house.

Tree root damage

Be careful not to plant saplings too close to hardscaping—as they grow, their roots often spread well beyond the edge of their canopy, and wandering roots can cause damage to sidewalks, driveways, and foundations. Kump says to ensure you feed trees as necessary so their roots don’t hunt for nutrients. Remove girdling roots, which grow in a spiral around the base of a tree’s trunk, eventually “strangling” it.

The post An Arborist’s Tips for Tackling 5 Common Tree Problems appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

But now, the market has shattered Teresa’s financial calculus. Even after she and her husband sold their house and split the profits, affording to buy again seems impossible. She is currently renting, but with the San Diego rental market being one of the hottest in the country, she found slim pickings. Teresa is paying $2,000 a month to live in a small, one-bedroom accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in North County, without an oven in the kitchen, behind a friend’s house—and she counts herself lucky. On the open market, she says, that unit could rent for as much as $3,300.

And that cost is no outlier. Teresa pulls out her phone, bringing up Zillow listings from around San Diego County: $1,650 a month for a 250-square-foot studio, $2,200 for a 600-square-foot one-bedroom, $2,350 for a 350-square-foot studio.

San Diego is at the forefront of California’s affordable housing crisis, and California is at the forefront of a national housing shortage—US Census Bureau data shows that, countrywide, the home vacancy rate is at 0.8 percent, less than half of what it was a few years ago. A recent report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies found that over 12 million households were spending more than half of their income on rent. And, when new apartment buildings are constructed, developers increasingly build for higher-income renters, leaving working- and even middle-class tenants unable to get a foot in the door.

In part because of the housing crunch, more than 800,000 Californians left the state between 2021 and 2022, according to the Census Bureau. Despite hundreds of thousands of new arrivals, California ended up with a net loss of 342,000 people, not far shy of one percent of its entire population.

In the face of calamitously high rents, those who remain in San Diego are taking to Facebook, Craigslist, and other online venues, desperately trying to sell themselves—their personality traits, looks, and financial stability—as would-be roommates.

For Sergio Castro-Gutierrez, a 36-year-old chef originally from Barcelona, Spain, finding housing is more complicated than simply picking a roommate. Recently separated from his wife and desperate to stay in the North County area to remain close to both his young daughter and his place of employment, he finds that, even working 50 hours a week at the Omni La Costa Resort, he still isn’t earning enough to pass muster with landlords when he applies for an apartment.

There are available rooms in houses that he could afford, but, he adds, who would feel safe bringing their 5-year-old daughter to stay in a house with strangers? The one-bedrooms that he has found in North County range in price from $2,600 per month up to $3,300, far beyond what he can afford, given he only makes between $4,000 and $4,500 each month, part of which goes to help support his ex-wife and daughter.

Landlords want proof of income three times the rent, meaning that Castro-Gutierrez would have to earn almost double what he’s making to be in the running for an apartment. While he searches, he is living with his ex-wife’s uncle, but Castro-Gutierrez says when the uncle renovates the home in a few months, he’ll have to find his own place. As much as Castro-Gutierrez likes San Diego, “it’s hard,” he continues. “You’ve got to have two jobs to survive if you’re by yourself. And then, you cannot even enjoy your place, because you’re always working.” Many of his friends have migrated to Texas and Arizona for cheaper digs.

Mishele Stead, a 54-year-old housing navigator for a local nonprofit that helps formerly incarcerated people find affordable residences, has lived in the same rental unit in Golden Hill for the past decade. She pays $2,000 monthly for her two-bedroom, one-bath, which is already more than half her $24.92-per-hour income. However, the property recently sold, and the new corporate owners want to knock down the building and construct luxury apartments. Stead is terrified that, once she gets the 60-day notice to vacate, she will not be able to find an affordable unit to rent.

The data provides ballast for her fears. Last year, Zillow reported that San Diego was now the nation’s third-highest-priced rental market, just behind New York and San Jose. Realtor.com recently estimated that San Diego would have the country’s fourth hottest real estate market this year, with demand and prices continuing to increase. High purchase prices have a ripple effect into the rental market as well, driving up the cost of renting even more.

Stead is no stranger to squeezing the juice out of San Diego’s housing stone for her clients—she frequently places them two-to-a-bedroom in tiny apartments with the most basic kitchens, equipped only with hot plates. But as she’s begun looking for herself, she’s stumped: Her wages have been increasing by three to four percent annually in a real estate market where rents have been growing by at least seven to eight percent yearly.

As a result, the $2,000 she currently spends on a two-bedroom will likely get her only a studio once she has to move, a realization that has left her somewhat bitter.

It’s not as if the city and state officials don’t realize there’s a problem. Over the past few years, several legislative efforts have been put in place to protect renters and first-time home buyers struggling to enter the overpriced ownership market. California’s $300 million Dream for All program helped lower-income buyers with their upfront costs, fronting some of the down-payment monies needed in exchange for the state having part-ownership in the property. However, so many people applied that the program ran out of funds within days of going online.

Last year, to address the housing crunch, legislators passed AB 68, allowing homeowners to build one ADU and one junior accessory dwelling unit on their lot, thus effectively rendering single lots into potential triplexes and working around at least some of the zoning restrictions preventing the development of high-density housing. And this year, another bill, AB 1033, has been introduced, allowing homeowners to sell those ADUs separately from their main property.

In the long run, those reforms might add some affordable housing stock to the market and could open up more ADU rentals at affordable prices. So, too, might efforts to modify the California Environmental Quality Act, which has been abused in recent years by opponents of denser housing projects who sue under CEQA to stop any developments in their neighborhoods. But in the short term, the crisis shows little sign of easing.

The Tenants’ Protection Ordinance, signed by San Diego’s Mayor Todd Gloria in May 2023, expanded protections against eviction without just cause. Tenants who are evicted through no fault of their own are entitled to two months of rent relocation assistance (seniors and those with disabilities get three months). The ordinance also limits the circumstances in which landlords can use an upcoming renovation as an excuse to kick tenants out. Yet, these measures haven’t addressed the more significant issue: demand exceeding supply and hugely driving up the cost of renting in the region.

Since 2019, California has limited annual rent increases to 10 percent for existing tenants. Still, it doesn’t have a statewide rent control system to restrict increases when there is a turnover in occupancy. And while several cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Berkeley, and Santa Ana, have, with mixed success, attempted to create local rent control ordinances, to date, San Diego hasn’t moved in this direction. And renters are bearing the cost.

Stead, a devoted outrigger canoeist who participates in competitions up and down the coast, fears that this year, she’ll have to forgo her hobby and instead put all her available money into rent. “You’re losing what affordable housing you have currently to demolition and new development,” she says. “I feel scared now that I’m already priced out of the market.”

The post Soaring Rents in San Diego Pricing Out Working Class appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

The one-story La Jolla home is considered one of the finest examples of Liebhardt’s style. Gazing out at the Pacific Ocean, it’s a time capsule with minimal restoration completed over the years, intended only to preserve the original design and materials. It has more or less flown under the radar, mainly known to local architecture and design aficionados. But recently, its new-ish owners breathed refreshed life into the space and quietly inserted it into the local modern home tour circuit. Until now, taking one of those tours was the only way the public could see the home.

Local designer-and-restaurateur couple Jules Wilson and Paul Basile purchased the home in 2019 (along with Liebhardt’s original office in downtown La Jolla).

They’ve been living and entertaining there ever since, making small but painstaking changes along the way, like adding an expansive outdoor deck and entertaining space that looks as if it could have been original, complete with a state-of-the-art pizza oven.

Classified in the “organic geometric” style of modern architecture, the approximately 3,500-square-foot home features an attached carport that currently protects Wilson’s vintage Bentley. The irregular-shaped lot was once part of a more expansive property—Basile tells me that when Liebhardt built the house, it was on a much larger plot, which he and Wilson also own and have further subdivided for future home development in the couples’ signature modern style.

The house’s original wood post and beam construction sits on a concrete slab-on-grade and epitomizes many defining features of the organic geometric approach: site-specific design, asymmetrical façades, exposed structure, and extensive use of wood, glass, and stone. The house cuddles into a hill on its east side, where the terrain slopes steeply up, like a cliff, to meet the natural grade where the couple’s other yet-to-be-developed plots sit.

The Liebhardt family, who lived in the home for many years, built a permitted addition in 1969. It included a primary suite and expanded kitchen (which Basile and Wilson have since updated using Getty image comparisons), a wood post and beam structure on a raised foundation with continuous concrete perimeter footing and interior spot footings. Overall, the house is in good condition, with solid integrity of original materials. Still, it needs some maintenance, like roof work, which the couple began recently due to the rainstorms this past winter. They’ve also done interior work, including removing the “really horrible” melamine cabinets in the living room, Basile says, to reveal beautiful original concrete.

The home’s lore has also become much richer over the last year. The San Diego Historical Resources Board named it “historic” on October 29 2023, along with three other La Jolla homes. But the board took an unusual turn when members granted Liebhardt “master architect” status during the same meeting. “Seriously, it’s been one of the highlights of our lives,” Basile tells me of the recognition.

The designation solidifies Liebhardt’s place in San Diego’s deep well of modern home history. Several apprentices who also worked with Wright through the Fellowship of Taliesin West—Vincent Bonini, Loch Crane, Sim Bruce Richards, and William Slatton—shaped the built environment in San Diego during the 1950s and beyond.

Lured by the glut of construction following a war in a military town, these architects bolstered the influence of Wright and his colleague Irving John Gill, which had already loomed large in San Diego—two of Wright’s sons, Lloyd and John, famously came to work in San Diego in 1910, kicking off a Wrightsian building trend that the apprentices carried on. This produced a veritable modern home construction boom throughout San Diego County, a legacy still cherished by residents today.

As a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright, Liebhardt and his house have become a showcase exemplifying the height of modernism and organic design in the region. Architecture and design experts consider the Frederick Charles Liebhardt House the best local export from the thought experiments at the Fellowship at Taliesin West in the mid-20th century.

“The home is a tangible piece of the unique modernist history of San Diego,” says Todd Pitman, a former member of the Historical Resources Board who was the one to suggest Liebhardt be named a master. “Liebhardt was part of a small group of architects who really embodied San Diego modern design. Nowhere is that more apparent than in his own home.”

It moves me that his house ended up in the hands of Wilson and Basile, two accomplished modern designers who also use his office as HQ for their design business. “It makes us feel connected to Liebhardt,” Basile says. “He lived here and worked and designed just down the street, like we do now.”

As we walk across the home’s lanai, I ask Basile, “How incredible it is that you two, of all people, get to be the stewards of this house?”

“You know, it was on the market for a year,” he says, laughing, while I grunt in disbelief. “I think it needed so much work that people were scared of it.” But when he and Wilson saw an open house sign while driving down Torrey Pines Road one day, all they felt was excitement.

“At the time, I was thinking of how many projects I had worked on here and how many hidden gems there were in this area that you just can’t see from the street. When we arrived to the house and realized what it was, we couldn’t believe it was on the market and started literally squealing,” he tells me. The rest is history.

The post Get an Exclusive Look Inside La Jolla’s Iconic Liebhardt House appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Inside, computer-aided drafting (CAD) designers, creatives, and fabricators work under one roof alongside large-scale machines like a computer numerical control (CNC) router that makes intricate shapes in rigid materials and a plasma cutter that “draws” cuts in metal. Samples line the workshop walls, each a mini-artwork in its own right.

Tecture started as a group of graduates from San Diego’s New School of Architecture & Design who banded together in 2012, when the economy was still slumping under the Great Recession. “To get by, we were building stuff for our former teachers out of a garage,” Michael says. But, eventually, from that same garage came restaurant build-outs for Kettner Exchange and Patio on Goldfinch. Those big breaks put Tecture on the map, landing them contracts with major players in SD and beyond (though details are still under wraps, the team is currently at work on a project with LAX).

Industry partners seek out Tecture for that “cool” factor with distinctive details, like Nolita Hall’s ceiling-length skylight and plush leather seating subtly stitched with the restaurant’s logo, or Bankers Hill residence Secoya’s steel SD city map and sequoia-shaped door handles. North County “agrihood” development Fox Point Farms contracted Tecture to design the onsite eatery and incorporate the farm-to-table concept literally into the woodwork: resin tabletops are infused with preserved leafy herbs.

UCSD’s Park & Market venue offers a glimpse of Tecture’s artistic side. For the stunning installation Stone Flock, the studio suspended 7,000 pounds of small, rounded, gray and brown rocks in a formation mimicking the movement of starlings and sardines. Tecture sourced local beach rocks, plotted the undulating shape, coordinated thousands of drill holes, designed the support structure, and threaded all the stones on skinny steel wires. The piece defies the weight of its materials to create an impression of levity and movement.

The Tecture crew utilizes myriad materials and works hard to minimize waste. With every project, Michael says, “we think about what we’re using and what we’re losing—and can we get something else out of it?”

Reuse” is also the modus operandi at salvaged wood shop Urban Timber, open to the public for browsing on a spacious lot on Bay Boulevard in Chula Vista. Here, felled trees—otherwise headed to the chipper for mulch—have the potential to reach what co-owner Jessica Van Arsdale calls “tree nirvana:” a state of beauty and usefulness beyond uprooting. Artist, founder, and SD native Dan Herbst transforms waste wood into functional art, like community benches, fine furniture, shelving, countertops, interior built-ins, and exterior accents.

“It’s all about getting the right wood to the right people for the right situation,” Herbst says, one hand resting on a chainsaw. “Our job is to ensure all the wood’s beauty and strength is utilized.”

Customers who want their felled trees transformed into furniture can bring them to the site. Urban Timber also picks up trees in Herbst’s little truck, which is fitted with a custom-fabricated rig. Sometimes, the city drops them off. Urban Timber’s mighty crew of four has all the tools— including three kilns, two mills, and a metalworks—for a one-stop shop.

Herbst’s favorite woodworking medium is eucalyptus, or what some call “trash tree.”

“The first one I cut open, I had no idea all those ribbons and swirls were in the wood,” he recalls. “I wanted to see what was inside every tree.”

Eucalyptus abounds in San Diego, where early 1900s railroad barons planted it in droves and then abandoned it because it didn’t mature fast enough. Urban Timber turns tons of this “trash” into treasure. Partnering with Tiger Veil interior design, Herbst transformed a towering yet frail blue gum eucalyptus—a safety hazard in a Coronado park— into a satin-smooth, gleaming 12-foot dining table where a Leucadia family gathers every night.

Herbst repurposed more eucalyptus for countertops at Devil’s Dozen on Kettner—a fitting salvation story to accompany delicious donuts. And remember that 100-year-old redwood grove in Balboa Park cut down in 2018 due to drought? Urban Timber reincarnated it as benches at Civita in Mission Valley and lobby adornments at Coronado Island Marriott. That eye-catching exterior at Raglan Public House in OB? Reclaimed fencing. You’ll also find Herbst’s eucalyptus benches amid living trees in UCSD’s Wind Garden and under the sprawling Moreton Bay Fig at Balboa Park.

Tecture turns to Urban Timber for reclaimed wood materials. Their latest collab: a reception desk for Alexandria Real Estate in Torrey Pines, fashioned from one huge eight-by-four-foot eucalyptus slab sliced parallel to create stacking boards with live edges.

Tecture’s creative approach has inspired other local businesses, including Austin McAdams Design and Fabrication. McAdams worked at Tecture for about two years after completing his MFA in furniture design and woodworking, then started accepting commissions. He founded his company in 2019. Jobs kept coming, and, two years ago, McAdams brought in former SDSU classmate Josh Torbick to partner on “100-percent custom” projects, like furniture, home interiors, restaurant build-outs, and boutique décor.

“If it’s cookie-cutter, we won’t do it,” says Torbick, a New Hampshire transplant. “A client will bring us a pretty picture and we’ll design-engineer how it should be built. Sometimes it goes a little sideways from the original vision, but we make sure it’s built to last.”

While other shops may turn down jobs because the details are too demanding, McAdams and Torbick see complicated builds—like those at Michelin-mentioned Paradisaea and lil’ sis Dodo Bird Donuts in Bird Rock—as an opportunity.

“Paradisaea has hundreds of wood bends—all those serpentine baseboards!” McAdams says with a laugh and a groan. It took a vacuum bag, gobs of glue, and a custom mold to form each wood bend to match curves measured onsite, a process with no room for error.

“And the rattan, I don’t even want to talk about it,” McAdams continues. Rattan, made from palm, comes in woven form (think patio furniture) and is difficult to paint. But Paradisaea’s design dictated it, so McAdams and Torbick spent dozens of hours painstakingly staining copious amounts of rattan for the restaurant’s tropical-swank interior—a nod to palmy jungles and a testament to the dedication these guys put into the finished product.

Ryoma Ramen, Storyhouse Spirits, every Better Buzz Coffee location, and Marrow Fine’s One Paseo jewelry boutique all feature McAdams’ handiwork. Visit UCSD’s Glickman Hillel Center to see his efforts on the Wisdom Wall: 1,500 CNC-cut and hand-sanded five-by-five-inch white oak wood tiles featuring students’ faces and personal stories.

After time in the Marines and many hands-on years, McAdams now mostly works behind a computer, drafting plans and adding finishing touches for his team. He’s currently prototyping an original line of furniture.

McAdams says one of his favorite builds is an X-shaped desk for former Padres owner Peter Seidler. “The X shape gives everyone an equal seat at the table,” he adds.

The post The San Diego Designers Building the City’s Cool Factor appeared first on San Diego Magazine.