Onsen is the realization of a 3-year build-out in San Francisco by us, Sunny and Caroline. The design is Japanese-inspired and the materials that we have collected over the years, dictated a lot of the design elements. The Redwood and Douglas Fir used throughout the space, was found by Sunny, washed up in a Northern Californian river or laying fallow in the midst of a road building project. Each board and slab has a story and history that he can tell.
The other materials that we used in the space were intentionally sourced because they too have a story and history. Our shower fixtures were found in Antique shops in Georgia, Chalkboards from a forgotten Ohio school room are refurbished into table tops and shower stalls, our concrete sinks were found stored as factory seconds for their slight imperfections and our tea drawers were previously the home for nuts and bolts at a hardware store.
Using storied materials was half of our design concept, the other was that we wanted to create an environment that felt living and warm. Using American clay on our walls, dyeing and sewing our Noren curtains and making all of our light fixtures are just a few of the ways we felt made our space feel alive and welcoming.
