Forward Trajectory

With an ever-growing roster of Southern California clients, San Francisco designer Kendall Wilkinson is expanding to Los Angeles

Interior designer Kendall Wilkinson

By Maile Pingel

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If we’re watchful, the Universe has a way of revealing new paths to follow, and for Kendall Wilkinson, signs were pointing southward. Firmly established in San Francisco since launching her eponymous firm in 1992, projects have taken her to the mountains, Mexico, and Hawaii, but recently, the designer has found herself frequenting Los Angeles. First came shopping expeditions with clients, then came local projects, and now, a new office in a savvy location that puts her in easy reach of everything the city has to offer.

“I’ve been doing this work for thirty years now, and I see this moment as a leveling up to the next phase,” she says. “I’d been coming down to LA so often that I thought why not branch out?” Her new space, headed by her Chief Design Director, Michael Schoeller, is located on a quiet residential street, offering a comfortable place to meet clients. Located on La Peer in Beverly Hills, the office, which she shares with designer Erinn Valencich, is just a few blocks away from the galleries on Robertson, Melrose, and La Cienega.

Wilkinson’s floriated window design, “Petal Pusher,” at the 2024 LCDQ Los Angeles.

“Located on La Peer in Beverly Hills, the office…is just a few blocks away from the galleries on Robertson, Melrose, and La Cienega.”

But there is more to celebrate than just the new studio. Earlier this year, Wilkinson launched her third collection, Vignettes, for Fabricut. “It’s botanical and geometric designs inspired by life on the California coast,” she explains.

Hamilton Tulip in Gray, Alice’s Wonderland in Day Break, and Mitchell Wave in Natural from Wilkinson’s third collection with Fabricut.

And Spring 2025 will see her first monograph published by Pointed Leaf Press. And though it is an image-driven book, Wilkinson shares, “It also really reflects how the women in my life have empowered me,” she says, noting family members who, like her interior designer mother, carved careers for themselves in the art and antiques industries.

“I think what’s nicest about this point in my life, is that I’m really able to bring back my own creativity within a service industry.” With the LA office, product lines, the book, and a revamped website, “It all feels fresh again, like I’ve been able to breathe new life into everything,” she says. “We’re building on the history of the firm but it’s an entirely new atmosphere, and it’s just an incredibly exciting next phase.”

Wilkinson’s elegantly modern design for a residence at the St. Regis San Francisco

Forward Trajectory

By Maile Pingel

“Located on La Peer in Beverly Hills, the office…is just a few blocks away from the galleries on Robertson, Melrose, and La Cienega.”

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