Fall Foliage and Football: How Autumn Inspires Tierney Conner's Design Palette
In this issue, autumn becomes a lens for design thinking: the colors and light of fall foliage inform material palettes, a Bay Area game room project shows how dedicated entertainment spaces can be both functional and refined, and a short list of our favorite fall-color trees offers inspiration for landscapes that change with the seasons. We also share notes from Milan and a local artist worth knowing.
The shades of autumn have always inspired us. Nothing speaks to our appreciation of tone, transformation, and temporality more than fall foliage. The color variations alone are enough to enliven any material palette or space. Combine that with the way light is filtered and refracted through the color and transparency of leaves, and you have a simple, beautiful moment that reflects the passing of time and connects people to places. These are important goals in every Tierney Conner project as we strive to create distinctive architecture that spans the boundary between inside and out.
A Dedicated Game Room for a Bay Area Football Fan
Fall is also the season of football, and with the 49ers' recent success, game day gatherings have taken over living rooms across the Bay. This had us thinking about a project we designed and built for a busy professional who wanted his own dedicated space in the home to entertain friends and watch football in earnest.
The program was specific: multiple screens, integrated beer and wine storage, comfortable seating, and linoleum flooring durable enough to handle a crowd. Floor-to-ceiling doors bring in natural light and allow easy ventilation to a work-from-home desk area, while a custom bar sets the stage for exactly the kind of boisterous Sunday afternoon the client had in mind.
The result is a room that works hard without announcing itself. Every element serves the experience, and the space feels like a natural extension of the home rather than an afterthought.
Fall-Color Trees for Bay Area Landscapes
Fall is the best time to plant trees and establish their roots ahead of winter rain. A few favorites that bring seasonal color to Tierney Conner landscapes:
Fall is the best time to plant trees and get their roots established with the promise of all the winter rain to come. Here are some of our favorite fall foliage trees that enhance many Tierney Conner landscapes:
Pistacia Chinensis Robust tree with a blend of yellow, orange and red fall color (top of page)
Gingko Biloba Interesting leaf with surprisingly vibrant yellow fall color (above left)
Acer Palmatum Japanese Maples of endless shapes, sizes and colors (above center)
Persimmon Hachiya Dramatic orange fruit on branches with red-orange fall color (above right)
Notes from Milan and the deYoung Open
While it is nice to slow down and watch the leaves turn, autumn is also a perfect time to travel. Anne had a brief stop in Milan last month and took the opportunity to immerse herself in the ornate grandeur of the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Our projects are quite modern and edited by comparison, but certain principles of classic design, including alignment, proportion, scale, and hierarchy, greatly influence the way we consider space. There is nothing like revisiting the great cities of the world to keep one's sensibilities sharp.
Closer to home, the deYoung Open 2023 launched on September 30th and runs into the new year. This juried community exhibition gives Bay Area artists the opportunity to display and sell their work in a museum setting. Of 7,766 submissions, 883 works were selected, and the deYoung plans to acquire some for its permanent collection. It is a meaningful way to engage with and support local artists, and all selected works can be viewed virtually on the web gallery.
One work on display speaks directly to this season. Karen Gallagher Iverson is an Oakland-based artist whose layered printmaking and drawing creates ethereal images of the Northern California landscape.
THINGS TO CHECK OUTTierney Conner Architecture is an Oakland-based studio founded in 2004 that integrates architecture, interior design, and landscape design in-house for custom residential, multi-family, and commercial clients across the East Bay and San Francisco Bay Area. The practice is led by partners Anne Tierney, Erin Conner, and J. Jarrell Conner, and is located at 363 17th Street in downtown Oakland.