De Gournay Opens Showroom in SF With Lavish Affair

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography

Last night San Francisco’s most sought-after interior designers gathered with the city’s socialites to celebrate the opening of a luxe new wallpaper shop. De Gournay, the creme de la creme of wallpaper and bespoke furnishings, has finally come to the west coast! Their showroom, a sensational jewel-box boutique on Sacramento Street, is now open. It’s a series of rooms each covered in a different hand-painted wallpaper, in vibrant prints like chinoiserie and exotic designs inspired by foreign lands. Flora and fauna play a part in many motifs—one features buffalo dashing across a meadow, another has elegant flamingos lounging in a pond. Peacocks, cherry blossoms, wisteria, toucans, and koi fish appear on de Gournay’s beautiful wallpapers. Texture is added to the paper with various types of silk and velvet, all hand sewn by a team of artisanal craftspeople. Panels of the brand’s various wallpapers hang from the ceiling at the back of the showroom, but of course, if you want something custom that can be arranged, too. There is a gorgeous back patio that will most likely be a perfect place for many upcoming haute events. The bathroom is covered in a gilded black and gold paper, making it one of the sexiest powder rooms in the city.

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography

The brand’s founder and CEO, Claud Cecil Gurney was in town for the party along with his two stylish daughters, Hannah Cecil Gurney, who has become the face of the brand, and Rachel Cecil Gurney. Gwendolyn Rayner, a statuesque blonde beauty in a one-shouldered velvet dress, was the evening’s gracious hostess. She will oversea all happenings at the de Gournay showroom going forward. The Domaine Carneros and Grgich Hills flowed and appetizers included oysters (from Swan’s) on the half shell, black olive tapenade with crostini, and the first of the season’s strawberries.

Photo Credit: Brad Knipstein

Another focal point of the affair? The stunning florals, arranged by none other than Jonathan Rachman. Before he was the design guru he is now, Rachman created otherworldly arrangements for the likes of Marc Jacobs. His flowers matched the wallpaper in each room. A wild array of orange parrot tulips, two-toned green-and-yellow ranunculus, and pink peonies mirrored the palm frond-and-butterfly print found in the foray. Blood red ranunculus and silver sage leaves matched the cherry blossom metallic wallpaper that served as a backdrop for the bites. Besides Rachman other notable designers who attended the event included Claudia Juestel, Kendall Wilkinson, Maja Smith, and Jeffrey Alan Marks. Other fabulous guests: Trevor Traina, Alison Pincus (wearing the most chic Gucci booties), Anne Sophie Deneve, Kate Harbin, and Allison Speer. Rumor has it that de Gournay will soon grace the walls of a certain white house in Washington—it will definitely find its way into the most stylish of Bay Area homes. From velvet throw pillows and hand-painted porcelain phoenix statues to gilded mirrors and Art Deco-inspired chandeliers, everywhere you looked there was decadent opulence. The arrival of de Gournay officially proves that more is more and old-world glamour is back!—and possibly here to stay? We hope so.