April 19, 2022 By Lauren Brocato San Francisco Magazine
For most, fantasies exist solely within the confines of the imagination. But not for Ken Fulk. The designer, tastemaker and bona fide world-builder possesses the rare ability to bring the grand, even cinematic, visions that run endlessly through his mind to fruition.
The result? Decadent spaces, high-concept experiences and unforgettable soirees.
For more than 30 years, the San Francisco designer has crafted some of the most iconic spots across the globe, leaving his signature on everything he touches. Fulk also has racked up two James Beard Award nominations for his hospitality projects and been named to Architectural Digest’s AD100 and Elle Decor’s A-List. Now, in his debut book, Ken Fulk: The Movie in My Mind (Assouline), Fulk offers a behind-the-scenes peek into his highest-profile projects in a tome equivalent to a maximalist’s dream.
For more than 30 years, the San Francisco designer has crafted some of the most iconic spots across the globe, leaving his signature on everything he touches. Fulk also has racked up two James Beard Award nominations for his hospitality projects and been named to Architectural Digest’s AD100 and Elle Decor’s A-List. Now, in his debut book, Ken Fulk: The Movie in My Mind (Assouline), Fulk offers a behind-the-scenes peek into his highest-profile projects in a tome equivalent to a maximalist’s dream.
“I hope readers might get to experience the journey of bringing a project to life from a seedling of an idea,” Fulk says. “There’s quite a bit of research we put into every concept that we create. It’s never simply about the look, but the story and how the experience unfolds. Whether it’s for a client’s new home or the patrons at a new restaurant, we begin with an emotion or sometimes a memory, and all our references and decisions lead back to that notion, which I call the Movie.”
Each page offers a new glimpse into Fulk’s extravagant endeavors, from the decadent design of Carbone Miami and the magnificent Casa Grande in Mexico to splashy residential projects that scream Fulkian design inside and out. “We even included a chapter in the book called ‘Period Drama,’ which includes The ’Quin House, which was formerly Boston’s Algonquin Club and designed in 1886 by McKim, Mead and White,” Fulk adds.
And if Hollywood called for a real movie about his life? Fulk sees Paul Newman as the star—in his fantasy world, of course. “But,” he says, “I’d settle for Jude Law.”