There’s something magical about October in San Francisco. As the fog lifts and golden light bathes the bay, Fort Mason Center transforms into a cultural landmark — a gathering place for collectors, designers, and tastemakers from across the US and the UK. The San Francisco Fall Show, the West Coast’s leading international fair for art, antiques, and design, returns under the captivating theme Paradise Found. This year’s edition runs October 16–19, 2025, with the highly anticipated Opening Night Gala on October 15.
Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading international fairs, the San Francisco Fall Show gathers an unparalleled cross-section of fine and decorative arts. Featuring more than forty of the world’s foremost dealers, the fair presents an extraordinary range of works that span centuries and continents.
A Vision Crafted by Suzanne Tucker
When Show Chair Suzanne Tucker speaks about the Fall Show, her passion is unmistakable. She has cultivated a fair that embodies both exceptional curation and cultural prestige. Her invitation is also a promise:
“For anyone interested in art and design, furniture and the decorative arts — buying, collecting, or simply learning about art and antiques — this show is not to be missed. It’s a Bay Area ‘Must Do!’ of the fall social season with four wonderful, vibrant days filled with terrific dealers.”
The theme Paradise Found is more than a title; it is an invitation to full immersion in beauty and discovery. The storied Vignettes evoke wonder, discovery, and escape — an oasis in the heart of autumn, reimagined in glittering rarities and remarkable finds from across the globe.
Distinguished Leadership: The Hilfiger Touch
This year, style itself takes a starring role. Tommy Hilfiger, the fashion icon behind his global namesake brand, and Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger, entrepreneur and Creative Director of Judith Leiber and Mrs Hilfiger, join as Honorary Co-Chairs. Their presence signals more than celebrity endorsement: it underscores the Show’s stature as a platform where heritage craftsmanship meets contemporary luxury.
Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger’s path — from fashion entrepreneur to luxury accessories innovator — positions her as a natural bridge between historical design and modern taste. The Hilfigers’ leadership affirms the Show’s evolution into a cultural institution that attracts not only passionate collectors, but industry leaders attuned to the intersection of legacy and style.
This Year’s Vignettes: Immersive Moments of Paradise
Step through the Grand Entry Hall and you enter another world. Paradise Found comes to life through four bespoke installations created by this year’s Design Council vignette designers: Amy Weaver, Cindy Rinfret & Taylor Mattos, David Kleinberg, and Tom Scheerer. To call them “displays” would be like calling the Met Gala a dinner party. These are fully realized atmospheres — theatrical, transporting, and unforgettable.
Working in collaboration with show sponsor de Gournay, masters of hand-painted wallpapers and embroideries, the designers will transform the entry into room sets that make even seasoned collectors pause.
As designer David Kleinberg has observed, “Timelessness … is the opposite of trendiness.” His interiors, often described as existing “out of time and space,” resonate perfectly with the spirit of Paradise Found — vignettes that feel both immediate and enduring.
Each space becomes a portal to the unexpected — a tropical reverie, a secluded garden, an elegant retreat — moments of beauty that linger long after you leave the hall.
Voices from the Design World
The Fall Show has long been celebrated by the design world’s luminaries. Alexa Hampton, acclaimed interior designer and daughter of the legendary Mark Hampton, captures its singular spirit:
“It’s a beautiful show, it feels very mystical. The great antiques shows are very ambitious; the buying is as important as the seeing. (Art dealer) Charles Plante has everything — if I won the lottery, I would clean him out. It’s a farmers’ market for amazingness.”
That phrase — “farmers’ market for amazingness” — encapsulates what makes the fair unique: the thrill of discovery and the assurance of quality, all wrapped in an atmosphere that inspires awe.
This year’s Design Council Co-Chairs: Geoffrey de Sousa, Ken Fulk, Kendall Wilkinson, and Paul Wiseman bring their own creative gravitas. As Geoffrey de Sousa has noted of his design philosophy:
“My general approach for interiors is to really find things that are sculptural and stand on their own, and I really appreciate a sense of hand.”
Their stewardship ensures the Fall Show remains not just an antiques fair, but a cultural stage for design at its highest level.
Understanding Contemporary Sourcing
The antiques market has undergone a fascinating evolution. What makes a piece valuable today is not simply age, but narrative: the story it tells and the life it has lived. A timeworn plate may carry more meaning than a flawless one precisely because of the history etched into its surface.
Paradise Found arrives at the perfect moment. Collectors increasingly seek escapist luxury and objects with provenance, exotic materials, or botanical motifs that transport them beyond the everyday. The Show has evolved, too, embracing vintage and select contemporary works alongside antiques. The result is a dynamic, relevant experience that reflects how we live — and collect — today.
Strategic Insights for Trade Professionals
For Dealers: Lean into storytelling. Inventory that speaks of escape, adventure, or global beauty — particularly pieces with tropical or botanical resonance — will capture attention.
For Designers: The Show offers a living masterclass in mixing periods and styles. The vignettes demonstrate how European antiques converse effortlessly with global artifacts and contemporary luxury.
For Collectors: Seek pieces that marry craftsmanship with narrative. In the context of Paradise Found, it is the story — not just the object — that ensures enduring value.
A Celebration of Legacy and Imagination
Whether you are a London dealer, a Los Angeles designer, or a collector anywhere in between, the San Francisco Fall Show offers something profound: the chance to encounter objects not as relics, but as living stories.
For dealers, the theme encourages reframing collections in ways that resonate with today’s buyers. For designers and collectors, it presents opportunities to discover pieces that do more than fill a space — they transform it, adding depth, history, and character.
Paradise Found is more than a marketplace. It is a celebration of beauty, craftsmanship, and cultural imagination. In an increasingly digital world, the tactile joy of discovering extraordinary objects in thoughtfully curated environments isn’t just desirable — it is essential for the soul.
This October, as the doors open at Fort Mason Center, you’ll find that paradise is not a distant shore. It’s here, in the stories told through objects that remind us why we fell in love with beautiful things in the first place.
Images courtesy of the San Francisco Fall Show.
