In Profile:
The Wiseman Group

Name: Paul Vincent Wiseman

Company: The Wiseman Group

Position within company: President

Website: www.wisemangroup.com

Tell us a little about your background in design:

Paul Vincent Wiseman is a visionary. The founder and creative force behind San Francisco interior design studio The Wiseman Group, Paul’s refined eye and aesthetic finesse is innate—a gift enhanced by training and life experience, but never taught.

From an agrarian upbringing in northern California to the esteemed halls of UC Berkeley, Paul’s passion for design flourished abroad. He travelled extensively through Europe and the Far East and lived for prolonged periods in France and Australia. Today he is influenced by classic European motifs and equally inspired by Africa and Asia.

Paul’s global design perspective is eclectic and his fidelity to authenticity total. With heightened cultural awareness and a thoughtful application of the decorative arts, his spaces—vibrant, confident, and audaciously drawn worlds steeped in Paul’s love and knowledge of history, art, and architecture—express a unique story and a commitment to sustainable development while featuring custom design elements from artisan ateliers and studios from across the world. Each environment is distinct, but all is the work of a true design artist.

How would you describe your personal design style?

Subtly Rational

Where does your design inspiration come from?

The ethernet

In what direction do you feel that design is moving towards in a general sense?

Chaos

Name five key themes to consider when approaching design in 2024 and beyond.

Appropriateness to location, lifestyle, budget, architecture, and uniqueness.

If you could offer one piece of advice when it comes to design schemes, what would it be?

Make sure it all relates.  Have at least one thing that doesn’t.

What was your favourite project to work on and why?

Ricardo Legoretta’s house on the Big Island, Hawaii.  We had the perfect team, world class architect, clients of over thirty years, and the location.

What was your most challenging project to work on and why?

Our Frank Gehry project.  We’re still not finished and we’ve been on it for ten years.  It’s a very complicated house.  Due for completion in Fall of 2024.

Which products/services could you not live without when designing?
A staff of 50 people and all their technical and creative skills.

How important are The International Yacht & Aviation Awards?  The significance of The International Yacht & Aviation Awards lies in its ability to shed light on the exceptional contributions of designers, engineers, and artisans within an industry that often operates in the shadows, not as widely recognized as other art forms. As fellow designers, our commitment to this event is rooted in the desire to champion our industry peers and concurrently exhibit our own creative endeavors. The platform offers us a unique chance to collaborate with some of the finest naval architects globally, further enhancing the prestige and innovation associated with our work.

What projects are you currently working on?
Coastal Home in Costa Brava, Spain, projects in the Carmel/Big Sur area, Private Residence in Singapore

What are your aims and goals for the next twelve months?
Refining the creative and technical process of a company I started 45 years ago

Final thoughts; tell us a little more about yourself and your daily inspirations:

Your most treasured possession? My spouse

Your favourite holiday destination? My home and garden

Your favourite hotel, restaurant & bar? Aman Jiwo Hotel, Java; Spruce Bar & Restaurant, San Francisco;

Your favourite book, film & song? War & Peace, especially the new translation; I am Love with Tilda Swinson, The “Flower Duet” in Lakme opera

Your favourite food and drink? Fresh seasonal food cooked by me; Belvedere Vodka on the rocks with a lemon twist or a very good red French wine

Your favourite way to spend an afternoon? Gardening or reading

If you weren’t a designer, what would you be? Filmmaker

Anything else interesting? A master gardener and I am most likely the only interior designer you know who can drive a tractor and a ten wheel truck.