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A Peek Inside the New Vintner’s Daughter Office

Zoë Sessums
·4 min read

When April Gargiulo, the woman behind the skincare be-all and end-all Vintner’s Daughter serum, was in the market for a new office, she had a clear, albeit out-there vision. “I wanted Northern California by way of high-modern French designers,” says April. “So Northern California by way of Charlotte Perriand, Jean Pouvé, and French architecture and design from the early ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s.”

Chloe and April made sure the space showcased the perfect pairing of neutrals, plus a slew of vintage finds.
Chloe and April made sure the space showcased the perfect pairing of neutrals, plus a slew of vintage finds.

“I had talked to Anna Brockway, cofounder and president of Chairish, and mentioned we were getting new office space,” says April. “I wanted to find someone great to help with the design. And Anna immediately said, ‘You should talk to Chloe.’ Anna is the one who put all the pieces together.” Those pieces? Connecting April with Chloe Redmond Warner of Redmond Aldrich Design. “She understood all of my references and was really able to bring that vision to life. On budget, I’ll add, which is huge,” says April.

“We looked at art that was inspirational and had a mood board going that had some Donald Judd pieces and some Alvar Aalto pieces, and so that suggested some right angles and unfinished wood, and shades of the same color,” says Chloe.
“The vision was for something super natural,” Chloe adds. “April did not want a lot of color. At one point we showed her some palettes and it quickly became clear that she has a passion for neutrals. She also has a passion for timelessness. She likes the interest to come from texture and shapes, not color or pattern.” The angular nesting side tables are a perfect example.

Moving the office to the Presidio of San Francisco was a big part of the team’s excitement, too. “We’re in a national park, which is this extraordinarily beautiful, rich environment that we get to be right in the middle of, surrounded by historic buildings, a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, and extraordinary old-growth trees,” says April. “I think having that space has allowed me to dream bigger and will hopefully help us accomplish these crazy audacious goals we have for our company.”

We’re big fans of the set of Joseph Hoffman chairs that replace your typical office seating. “I love the library space. I love the vintage chairs we found on Chairish. I love the table lights. I love seeing the company gather around that space,” says a fully enamored April.
The long tables were made to be places “you could sit at and look through a book or a magazine and feel inspired, or meet with colleagues, and also be where the entire team could come together in a space that felt less formal than a conference room,” explains April. Many of the moments in the space were envisioned to be multipurpose.

The finished space turned out to be exactly what April had in mind. “It feels so good to have your own private space at your desk, but we wanted there to also be other places to be or meet,” she says. “We have these beautiful conference rooms, but we also wanted these moments in the main office where there could be more informal meetings, and also just informal places to work.” The goal of creating many different vibes in one place was met. It didn’t hurt that their new office had double the space of the old one, too.

“I really wanted to express our brand through the design and the idea of quality and craftsmanship, and incorporating things that are really beautifully made,” says April, who was thrilled to work with Chairish in sourcing special pieces for the space. “Sustainability is something that is really important to Vintner’s Daughter, so as many things as we could buy that were vintage we were so excited to use,” she adds.

If you're in the market for your own 1950s vintage Hans Wegner armchair, Chairish has many to choose from.
If you're in the market for your own 1950s vintage Hans Wegner armchair, Chairish has many to choose from.
“I like well-made things and I really try not to buy new,” says April, who loves the hunt. “Chairish hits every single one of those dopamine centers.”
“I like well-made things and I really try not to buy new,” says April, who loves the hunt. “Chairish hits every single one of those dopamine centers.”

“This year has been a year of Champagne problems in that we sold out so many times, which of course is a good thing,” says April. “In 2020 I look forward to having more sustained inventory. Not so sexy, but that’s the truth. And team-building is always something you’re looking at, both adding new people, as well as investing in and strengthening your current team.” And now they have the room to do just that.

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Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest