Selina and I met while working at a translation company towards the end of the dot com days of San Francisco, when we were all so young and late nights in the office would tumble into later nights at the art gallery bar on Minna Street or at the dive bar on Beale. Selina always had a great eye for style and design and almost 20 years later, she is the epitome of laid back, classic style as a working designer and mom of two boys. I love following her adventures around Oakland and the East Bay as she discovers the next great coffee shop or home goods store. And if you follow her on Instagram, I promise your mouth will water with every home-cooked meal that she shares with her followers. In her spare time she hosts Korean Bachan cooking workshops which I’m dying to attend one of these days. Knowing her love of coffee, it was only appropriate that we met at Trouble Coffee in West Oakland before heading over to OMCA (Oakland Museum of CA), a place that feels like home to this family. The boys made their contributions to the giant blackboard and explored the grounds of the museum before heading inside where I was treated to a fantastic tour by N9 & T7 who knew the art so well they could have been docents. I loved watching the boys interact with the art and each other, seeing their curiosity and delight around each corner in what is so clearly their happy place. I got to see their focus and their silly side at the same time. And I absolutely loved shooting at the museum which was a brand new experience for me! Mostly I walked away in awe of those sweet boys and impressed with how well their parents have raised them. I hope when my boys are their age that they are as thoughtful, inquisitive, open and passionate as these brothers.
You can follow Selina's adventures in design, coffee and cooking on Instagram (@skycreatives) and sign-up for her next Korean cooking class Banchan workshop at the end of February here.
