An Introduction

A word of introduction:

I am a designer living and working in Petaluma, a Victorian riverfront town in southern Sonoma County. Trained as a furniture maker and an industrial designer, my professional activities center around furniture and residential design. Recently, I have revisited my interest in bicycle transportation, and I am in the process of designing a retro style city bike. Links to my business website and my bicycle blog can be found on the sidebar.

When I moved to Petaluma some 17 years ago, Sonoma County was the poor country cousin of the Napa Valley- the other wine country. In the last decade, Sonoma County has come into its own- the Sonoma name is recognized worldwide, and its cachet co-opted to brand trucks, shoes, and kitchen wares.

What exactly is Sonoma Style? To be sure, the identity of Sonoma County has been influenced by the wine industry and the influx of investment and tourism that has followed, but Sonoma County is a large and diverse region, both in terms of geography and culture. It is my aim to piece together a picture of our rich and unique design landscape here in conversations with and about designers, architects, and artists working in and around Sonoma County.

I bring my own biases to this project- I am a neo-classicist living in a post-modern world- but I will attempt to discuss worthy design of any genre that comes to my attention. Occasionally, I will use this forum to write about my own design activities- yes, shameless self-promotion.

I hope that you will find this blog interesting, inspiring, and informative.

Robert Hudson