Gio Ponti was born in Milan in the late 1800s and is credited as being the most influential Italian designer of his time. Although he studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano, his professional career began as the artistic director of the ceramics company, Richard Ginori.

Hot on the heels of our Thanksgiving trip to Paris, we bring you our guide to Paris for design lovers! Here we feature some of our favorite places in Paris - some more well-known, others lesser known - but all places full of inspiration.

Heather Rosenman first appeared on our radar with her Leto series of ceramic works that stopped us in our tracks with their strong geometric forms, at once evoking both the ancient and modern. So when it came to planning our trip to Los Angeles in October, we immediately scheduled a visit to her studio in east LA. Heather was warm, gracious, and open, and we can’t wait to incorporate her stunning pieces into our interior design projects. Read on to learn more about Heather’s work and inspiration and view scenes from her studio.

For our second annual gift guide, we’re taking a slightly different tack to the usual gift guide. As we’ve gotten older, gift-giving has mostly given way to spending meaningful time with our loved ones, whether that be through food, travel, or new experiences. This year we’re sharing some of our favorite ideas for creating memories with your friends and family - experiences that we’ve either done ourselves, given as gifts, or have on our bucket list!

Last month, we took a trip to Los Angeles for a glorious week of art and design inspiration. In addition to checking off the Broad, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House (perhaps his most stunning living room) from our bucket list, we made the rounds at Los Angeles’ design shops. Here’s a handful of our favorites for your next trip to L.A.

It’s no secret we love art, but what you may not know is that we especially love installation art. Earlier this year we had the privilege of visiting Oliver Ranch in Sonoma County, located about a 1.5 hour drive north of San Francisco (sans traffic).

Steve Oliver of the Oliver and Company construction firm and former president of the board at SFMOMA commissioned the first piece for his ranch in 1985. Since then, the stunning 100-acre property has seen 17 more installations built. Fun fact: Oliver Ranch was the first site-specific sculpture park of its kind preceding the more well-known Storm King Art Center in New York.

Despite being based in Oakland, it was in Manhattan at WantedDesign where we first crossed paths with design atelier Brave Matter.

We were immediately intrigued by each design's exquisite craftsmanship and composition.

One of the best parts about designing interiors in San Francisco: endless options for sourcing. Many creative shops, niche boutiques, and historic galleries are hiding right …

Form + Field loves art. Not only can art have an emotional impact, but the right piece can anchor all the elements in a space and create visual harmony. As a side benefit, art can also be a great conversation starter!

When it comes to hunting for that perfect piece, one of Form + Field’s go-tos is The Jack Fischer Gallery in Potrero Hill and Minnesota Street Project.

Selecting kitchen countertops is one area where we see clients wanting some guidance. There isn’t just one obvious choice! Every type of countertop material, from marble to granite to concrete, comes with its own set of pros and cons.

To help you minimize hours of research, uncertainty, and decision paralysis, here’s a simple guide to 4 of our favorite countertop materials: quartzite, granite, soapstone, and concrete.

Form + Field loves to commission the work of local craftsmen for our custom projects. When it comes to millwork for wood furniture, we particularly love the creations of Four/Quarter.

When it comes to renovations, the Bay Area is a unique place. Between historical preservation, city planning commissions, and keeping the peace with your not-so-distant neighbors, building in the city and surrounding areas isn’t a stroll through Golden Gate Park!

Before you're in the midst of your project and wishing the nightmare would end (believe us, this happens more often than not), check out our advice on what you can proactively do to set yourself up for success. This is Part 2 of our two part series, and we're kicking it off with Tip #4.

When it comes to renovations, the Bay Area is a unique place. Between historical preservation, city planning commissions, and keeping the peace with your not-so-distant neighbors, building in the city and surrounding areas isn’t a stroll through Golden Gate Park!

Before you're in the midst of your project and wishing the nightmare would end (believe us, this happens more often than not), check out our advice on what you can proactively do to set yourself up for success. Here's Part 1 of this two part series.

Interior design firms are often named after their founders, so I'm sometimes asked about how I came up with “Form + Field” for the name of our company. I thought I'd share the story with all of you.

One of the best parts about designing interiors in San Francisco: endless options for sourcing. Many creative shops, niche boutiques, and historic galleries are hiding right here in our own city. Each work of art, piece of furniture, or unique object carries a local flavor that only enhances its appeal — and its appeal in a space. Here is Form + Field's list of top shops worth getting off the laptop for!

The holiday season is upon us and to celebrate we’re sharing our first-ever gift guide. What follows are Form + Field approved (i.e. beautiful and functional) gifts that we have personally tried and tested. Go forth and gift well!

Despite being an interior designer, I still get most of my inspiration from architecture, and I'm most impressed with designers who excel at both architecture and interiors. The prolific Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) is probably considered the ultimate architect/interior designer as he custom designed all of his interiors and furnishings in addition to the architecture. Recently, his Hanna House located in Stanford, CA, was reopened to visitors, and I took a Saturday morning last month to take a tour.

Born in Spokane, Washington, Nakashima studied architecture at the University of Washington and MIT. He traveled to France, North Africa, and Japan for several years, and began making furniture for the first time in 1937 for a dormitory project in India. He returned to the United States in 1940, and was interned in 1942 during the Second World War. It was here where he apprenticed with a Japanese carpenter, learned traditional Japanese techniques, and honed his craft.

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies was established in the 1960s by Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vaccine. The complex of research buildings is punctuated by multiple 40'x25' light wells that extend to the basement level to bring natural light into the labs. Lining the travertine plaza are offices for the researchers, all with views of the Pacific Ocean. Louis Kahn asked famous Mexican architect Luis Barragan for his input on the plaza, and Barragan told him to add "not one plant or flower, but a single water feature" instead.