March
The kitchen is at the heart of this supremely tasteful San Francisco temple to epicurean delights
I love the experience of walking into a store and being taken to a different place,” says March owner Sam Hamilton. And transported you will be upon entering her Pacific Heights showroom devoted to elegant products for the kitchen, pantry and home. Inspired by eclectic, artisan-driven stores in Europe (Dover Street Market, Merci) as well as the artistic outpost of Marfa, Texas – not to mention her years spent working with Ralph Lauren – March is a temple to “what San Francisco does so well”, she says. “We celebrate the culture of food.”
Porcelain canisters by Victoria Morris (from $95) | Image: David Ash
The centrepieces of the exquisitely simple space are bespoke butcher-block and Carrera marble work-tables (from $5,600), designed in collaboration with Matt Bear of Union Studio. These can be accessorised with beautiful black ash Adirondack baskets ($1,400) by artist Jonathan Kline, and hand-sewn leather knife and cookbook sheaths (from $400), created in conjunction with Big Bend Saddlery of Alpine, Texas. The main room houses an impressive display cabinet – sourced from a monastery in Belgium – that perfectly showcases the minimalist work of Ted Muehling, Jasper Conran and Christianne Perrochon, among others.
1940s Iranian Kelim hemp and wool rugs, $3,000 each, and March steel drying rack, $2,100 | Image: David Ash
March Oak Parson table with marble top, $5,600, with Maria Moyer porcelain stones and tray, $1,400, and vintage pestle and mortar, $3,250 | Image: David Ash
Roughly 30 per cent of March’s wares are exclusive to the store, with cut-paper art by Tahiti Pehrson (from $4,000) and oil paintings of various meats by Carrie Mae Smith (from $1,200) setting an epicurean tone. Individually commissioned steel fixtures – Shaker-style peg ($925) and pot racks ($2,200) – made by Hicks Metal Design blend taste and practicality, while porcelain canisters and serving pieces by Victoria Morris (from $95) double as objets d’art.
Hanging Quarter by Carrie Mae Smith, $1,700 | Image: David Ash
March and Hicks Metal Design collaboration steel pot-rack, $2,200, with a selection of utensils, from $95 | Image: David Ash
Rounding out the selection are iconic cookers by Aga (four-oven version, $21,000), Waldow pots and pans by Brooklyn Copper Cookware (from $159), and March’s Pantry line of comestibles: bottles of Orleans Method Red Wine Vinegar ($15), seasonal jams and nut butters (both from $12). For Christmas there’s a guest cooking series (“farmers talk turkey”, for example), while unique spice blends (from $8, by Le Sanctuaire) and napkins and table runners by Boxwood Linen combine to set a festive scene – complete with warm nuts straight from the Aga.
March is all about the mix, and handcrafted table-top pieces are interspersed with the odd graphic armchair, antique baking equipment, and statement-making sconces from around the globe. “Not everyone can buy impractical, vintage pottery sets,” acknowledges Hamilton, “but they elevate the store in a visual way. My hope is that all of our offerings become functional heirlooms.”