Sure, the bracelets, rings and necklaces inside are fab, but it's the stunning interior—with its slithering snake painted on the floor—that initially stops folks in their tracks.
Easily one of the most in-demand artists in town (and out of town, for that matter), Lizarraga works her magic on floors as well as on walls, furniture, and anything else her clients want. You can see her painterly answers to such anything-goes desires in boutiques and restaurants in SF and around the country, and even in the personal home of the iconic burlesque performer Dita Von Teese.
While we've been following—nay, obsessed with—Lizarraga and her mad mural skills for quite some time, we were curious as to how the Piedmont-based painter would describe her art-slash-decor to those unfamiliar with her portfolio.
"Oh, this is a good question—and hard! I would say a few things: I am trying to bring fine art to your walls and turn your basic walls into jewel boxes. And, simultaneously, I'm using Old World techniques but bringing a modern twist to them. I am obsessed with the complexity of colors and patterns. Most importantly, though, I am trying to evoke a feeling, to create environments for my clients," she explains.
Her mission is accomplished. Lizarraga's singular style seems to connect with people on a visceral level and is also getting attention from myriad magazines—think Elle Decor,AD, Martha Stewart Living, and Dwell—that regularly feature her work. To understand her art's ability to bewitch is to understand the young girl who grew up in West Marin decorating the rooms of a dollhouse made by her grandmother and then later the wending journey she took to find her passion and develop her craft.
In college,, Lizarraga focused on fashion, which remains a great inspiration for her. After some time, though, she started to question whether it was the right career.
"I decided to listen to my heart and make the bold choice to begin finding my passion, which led me on a bit of a treasure hunt," she recalls. "I remember going to flea markets and garage sales, buying furniture. It was strange, as I would see a piece and have a sudden epiphany, a complete vision of what it should look like—all the modifications needed—even though I really had no idea what I was doing! The first piece I bought was $20, and I turned it into my vision. An interior designer saw the finished product and made an offer of $1,200. At that point, I thought maybe I was onto something. I ended up keeping the piece, but decided I wanted to learn more about furniture and restoration on a professional level."
Enter a study-abroad program in Florence, Italy, and a coveted apprenticeship with a restorer who worked on pieces for the local church and museums like the Uffizi Gallery, an opportunity she's still gushing about. "This gave me access to the private libraries at the Uffizi. Think about this: You could go into the library and take out sketches from Michelangelo or Leonardo. It was absolutely incredible."
Fast-forward 20 years or so and it's easy to see how her time in Florence served as a springboard to her present-day career as a successful decorative artist who's juggling 30 projects around the globe along with a large, talented team (and a baby).
Even though she knew restoration wasn't exactly her path, it was pretty close.
"When I came back to the U.S., I was introduced to a decorative painting studio—that was where everything began for me. I still remember the feeling when I saw what was happening there. All the exquisitely painted marbles, stones, chinoiserie, plasters. It was all old-world techniques being brought to life in San Francisco. I apprenticed there for many years, learning as much as I could until I felt I was ready to go out on my own," she says.
When she did make that leap, Lizarraga quickly earned buzz and clients aplenty, including many in the restaurant world, which she finds particularly fulfilling.
"People spend limited time in a restaurant so there's limited time to create a particular feeling—we can create an atmosphere that is more dramatic. Plus, chefs are also artists, and I love telling their stories or translating their messages through the walls I am making; it's truly a magnificent way to complement their food. Most people don't realize how much every single detail is thought of in a restaurant," she says.
(Christopher Stark)
For Betty Lin's Mr. Lin menswear boutique on SF's Sacramento Street, Lizarraga treated the walls with a dusky seaside scene.
(Courtesy of Caroline Lizarraga)
Lizarraga painted the entryway for this home designed by Drew McGukin Interiors of NYC.
(Genevieve Garruppo)
Lizarraga lended an ethereal tie-dyed effect to a room at Galerie magazine's Sag Harbor showcase house.
(Courtesy of Caroline Lizarraga)
For Kim Alter's Nightbird restaurant in San Francisco, Lizarraga gave the walls a striped ombre effect.
(Courtesy of Caroline Lizarraga)
A mural of moody trees set the tone at The Beacon restaurant in Sonoma, with interior design by Studio Becky Carter.
(Courtesy of Caroline Lizarraga)
For the Hamptons Showcase House, Lizarraga painted a wall to look like blue agate geode, in a room designed by NYC's Rajni Alex.
(Ian Hanson)
This summer, Lizarraga painted a groovy geometric print on the walls and ceiling at the swanky North Beach lounge Monroe, designed by Mitra Gholami.
(Courtesy of Caroline Lizarraga)
Watch out for Lizarraga's bejeweled snake slithering along the floor at Fiat Lux on SF's Fillmore Street.
One of Lizarraga's first restaurant clients was Bottega in Napa Valley, circa 2008. Chef Michael Chiarello and his wife were so taken by her work they broke a contract with another decorative artist to hire her. Soon after came the restoration of SF's iconic Tosca, which called for the space to look as it did 100 years ago. Lizarraga's experience in Italian restoration came in handy.
"Being a woman in the male-dominant construction world, I really love working with female chefs, as it's a similar environment. I met Kim Alter from Nightbird while I was working on the jazz club Black Cat. We worked hard to get her story across in her space: feminine but not overly so, sophisticated yet organic, simplicity with a little glam. In the end, that restaurant really put us on the design map. It has been featured in so many publications."
The rest is almost history. Alter introduced Lizarraga to Melissa Perello, chef/owner of Frances, Octavia, and M Georgina in Los Angeles (a project completed right before Covid). Jen Pelka, of The Riddler in SF and NYC, tapped her for projects as well. But "the restaurant I might be best known for is Robin," says Lizarraga, of the Hayes Valley omakase "where we poured rose-gold down the wall. Robin's owner, Adam Tortosa, wanted to do something very different in SF, something no one had ever seen, and a little edgy. We were afraid people wouldn't get it, but the risk paid off. People love it so much!"
While Lizarraga can't get her fill of working on restaurants, she loves working on all types of spaces. It's about the people, she explains.
"When a person is open, trusts us, and is willing to try something new? That's music to my ears, and when a project truly soars. I value that clients allow us to access their intimate life and a place they consider home."
So what happens when a client, is a bit more, err, controlling? "It creates a very contrived look," she admits.
When asked about her favorite project of all time, she doesn't hesitate: It's Von Tesse's house for the win. As a big fan of the performer, Lizarraga was thrilled (she actually screamed out loud) when the glamour-puss emailed her about collaborating.
"My goal was to design something that reflected her character and her individual style. I flew to Los Angeles to present my ideas to Dita, and it was the most perfect match. We both share a love of vintage, color, glamour, and a generally maximalist approach which made the ideas flow easily."
She and her team worked on virtually every room in Von Teese's unique 1920s English Tudor-style home, including painting the walls up the stairs to look like French lace; painting strands of pearls and tassels to look like they're holding up her artwork; and giving the kitchen walls a stunning green malachite treatment.
The dining room has a lacquered ceiling and hand-painted grisaille (a technique using gray monochrome to mimic sculpture). "Plus, we found old photos from the '20s of burlesque dancers and decoupaged them into hand-cut glass gems. On her dining table, we used a technique called verre eglomise, which is applying paint, golf leaf, and lacquer to the back of glass. The center is antique mirror and, around the perimeter of the glass, we did 24-karat-gold beaded tassels. Awesome!"
There are more awesome projects in Lizarraga's immediate future.
"We currently have a little obsession with jewelry stores. A lot of people have seen snippets of Lauren Harwell Godfrey's new private atelier. We are also working with my dear friend from Metier. Jewelry aside, we've also been asked to do many walls for Nicole Fuller for this summer's Galerie showcase house in the Hamptons. There are tons of incredible projects that we are always working on, but these are the highlights. Things are busy."
// Follow Caroline Lizarraga on Instagram at @Caroline_Lizarraga; carolinelizarraga.com.
