De Sousa Hughes 20th Anniversary

I was thrilled to join De Sousa Hughes for their opulent 20-year anniversary celebration, which they hosted in the newly restored Hibernia Bank in San Francisco. The exquisite Beaux-Arts architecture set a dazzling stage for the elegantly curated visual presentation of the master artisans represented at De Sousa Hughes. Live music, dancing, tables of champagne, a vast spread of beautiful foods, and a bustling bar delighted the design community late into the night.

In commemoration of these enduring partnerships, Erik Hughes and Geoffrey DeSousa published, In the Making, a book that lovingly documents the stories, process, and craft of these enigmatic makers and provide rare personal insights. For those of us that are visually oriented, the book is also overflowing with the most compelling imagery.

In addition to a discerning resource for all things beautiful, De Sousa Hughes has long been a trusted partner in custom collaborations. The artisans that they represent are incredibly open and willing to take on the most daring ideas; the depth of experience in their craft makes both De Sousa Hughes and these artisans most adept at resolving challenges of the custom journey. I have had the privilege of working with many of them over the years.

I caught up with John and Anne Pomp of John Pomp Studios. It was no surprise that they brought their full artistic genius game to nail the theme of creative cocktail attire. They looked absolutely fabulous! When I worked with Lorissa Kimm, Architect on the interior design of a Saratoga residence, John Pomp Studios played a significant role in the bespoke lighting. The late addition of upper cabinetry to one side of the home office resulted in an off-center jbox in the ceiling. This presented an opportunity to design an a-symmetrical multi-globe ceiling fixture that allowed the globes to be visually centered in the room despite the fact that the j-box was a foot off-center. After a rough internal protype involving balloons and a few drawings to determine the desired scale, John Pomp Studios engineered and created a fabulous fixture featuring five exquisite hand-blown globes all varying in color and size. It was a playful solution to an unexpected design challenge. On a grander scale, John Pomp also created a multi-story glass pendant light fixture for that residence requiring a custom canopy and nine glass pendants each consisting of an inner sleeve and outer shade of dark brown glass. It was an ambitious 3-dimensional installation visible from the surrounding staircase and through the elevator window. It was stunning from every angle. On that same project, John also designed a pair of custom hand-blown nesting cylinder pendants in a moody gray color for one of the powder rooms. Unfortunately, one of the pair arrived broken. To ensure that the replacement shade arrived on time for the critical installation deadline, John fabricated and shipped two identical replacement shades from their workshop in Philadelphia in the unlikely event that the replacement shade was also damaged in shipment. John Pomp is just an above and beyond sort of guy.

John Pomp, Erik Hughes, and Jeff De Sousa

I also connected with Jeff Benke and Rowland Zehetbauer of Altura Furniture. Jeff and Rowland also embraced another of Lorissa Kimm’s ambitious visions for that Saratoga residence. Based in Portland Oregon, Altura Furniture collaborated to create a massive, sleek, modern wall unit for the Master Bedroom that integrated an Altura bed design, with built-in bedside cabinetry, and a back wall of interlacing wood panels designed by Lorissa Kimm. A pop-up television was also seamlessly integrated into the foot of the bed. The masterfully crafted piece was a beautiful focal point of the bedroom. Altura Furniture also provided an exquisite live-edge claro walnut dining table and a they crafted a custom bar for the Kitchen made from a slab of solid maple also featuring a live edge and a butterfly inlay.

Over the course of the evening, I had a chance to catch up with many of my favorite furniture makers, lighting and fabric designers, and meet a few new ones as well. This 20-year anniversary was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate, reconnect, and reminisce with my friends from De Sousa Hughes who make all things possible. Needless to say, it was an amazing party.