From shops and showrooms that spark creative inspiration to dining hotspots and luxe lodgings, these new design-forward destinations are not to be missed.
Gallery
Hauser & Wirth
Palo Alto
A century-old post office building in downtown Palo Alto has a new identity: It’s been reimagined as the sixth outpost of Hauser & Wirth gallery, founded in Zurich in 1992. Thoughtfully adapted by architect Luis Laplace, the building features 2,600 square feet of exhibition space, including a bookshop stocked with works including artist monographs and books on media and cultural studies.
The gallery’s inaugural exhibition, Caulder | O’Keeffe, kicked off its opening on October 3 and runs through January 24, 2027. Notably the first-ever exhibition devoted to the mutual admiration and kinship of American modernists Alexander Calder and Georgia O’Keeffe, the exhibition brings together paintings and sculptures by the artists, in addition archival materials documenting their decades-long friendship.
201 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto; 650.674.4800
Restaurants
The Old Post Office
Burlingame
After a 1940s post office in downtown Burlingame served its last customer in 2015, the historic building sat vacant for nearly a decade. Following an extensive restoration and conversion by Bacchus Management Group, the hospitality group behind The Village Pub, the structure has taken on a new life as The Old Post Office restaurant, which opened at the beginning of the month. Stephen Brady Design led the design, in collaboration with Left Coast Design Studio, complementing the building’s original Art Deco interior details, including marble wainscoting, bronze mailboxes and terrazzo floors, with custom chandeliers by Rose Gold Society, walnut millwork, mohair banquettes and a black granite bar.
Chef Jonathan Granada helms the kitchen, serving a seasonal three-course menu that merges French and California influences and features local ingredients from Northern California. Dishes may include egg yolk raviolo, caramelized black cod, and a signature roast duck that’s dry aged in-house for 14 days and roasted in a custom-built oven. À la carte selections are available in the adjacent Postmaster Bar, along with a menu of pre-war and modern classic cocktails, many featuring the restaurant’s extensive whisky collection.
The restaurant’s opening coincides with a broader, city-led project that includes the Burlingame Town Square, a public gathering space with seating, trees and a water feature, as well as a new office and retail complex adjacent to the historic building.
222 Park Road, Burlingame; 650.502.1000
Winery
Continuum Estate
Napa Valley
Founded in 2005 by Tim and Marcia Mondavi and their family, whose influence on California winemaking dates back more than 100 years, Continuum Estate recently unveiled a new way to experience the family’s Napa Valley legacy. The winery’s new 5,355-square-foot Estate House, designed by California-based Nobili Marqués Arquitectura, reimagines and expands an existing structure to put the surrounding landscape at the center of the guest experience. The restrained design pairs earth-toned concrete and warm wood finishes with expansive openings that frame views across the vineyards and Napa Valley. A wood-clad entry creates a quiet transition into two tasting rooms, which face opposite directions to give different groups a sense of privacy. A covered terrace with retractable screens extends the experience outdoors.
Local craftsmanship and personal touches further connect the building to its setting and owners. Artwork by Chiara Mondavi, artist, winemaker and daughter of Tim Mondavi, brings a family perspective to the interiors, designed by Katie Martinez Design. The result is a hospitality space intended to provide an immersive experience in the surrounding vineyards, wines and multigenerational story of the Mondavi family.
707.302.3370
Lotus Abrams has covered everything from beauty to business to tech in her editorial career, but it might be writing about her native Bay Area that inspires her most. She lives with her husband and two daughters in the San Francisco Peninsula, where they enjoy spending time outdoors at the area’s many open spaces protected and preserved by her favorite local nonprofit, the Peninsula Open Space Trust.
