(Above: Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop MRKT, in San Francisco May 5–22, 2016, inhabits one of Frank Lloyd Wright's most significant architectural wonders—the spiral staircase inspired the design of the Guggenheim Museum.)
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You might think Goop is the greatest thing since gluten-free bread. Or that Gwyneth Paltrow's perfect everything gives you acid reflux. Either way, there are better reasons to visit Gwynnie's Goop MRKT on Maiden Lane this May.
The exterior of Frank Lloyd Wright's 140 Maiden Lane gives barely a hint of the of the architectural amazingness inside.(Photo by Acroterion/Wikimedia Commons)
How many times have you walked past this unusual brick facade on Maiden Lane, thought Huh, that's kinda cool, and kept going on your clueless way? Because unless you're an architecture buff or a blue chip art collector, you most likely wouldn't know that 140 Maiden Lane is, in fact, considered to be one of Frank Lloyd Wright's most seminal works.
Completed in 1948 for V.C. Morris Gift Shop and most recently inhabited by Xanadu Gallery (which closed last year), 140 Maiden Lane houses one of the 20th Century's most iconic forms of interior architecture—a spiral staircase that was actually the prototype for Wright's famous design for New York City's Guggenheim Museum, which he built a full decade later.
The building is so significant that San Francisco city planners proposed it for special landmark designation in February of this year (The Architect's Newspaper has a good story about that, here.)
Now, while 140 Maiden Lane awaits a new (and no doubt distinguished) permanent tenant, the space has emerged from the aloof realm of fine art and into the celebrity-obsessed modern world. That's right, as of Thursday May 5th, Wright's masterpiece is the domain of Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop, the sticky lifestyle guide that has taken the mindful fashion crowd by storm.
Goop MRKT, in town just for the month, will serve as the launchpad for Gwyneth's first branded product line, Goop by Juice Beauty skincare—she already serves as creative director for the San Rafael–based natural cosmetics company. For ladies interested in swapping their toxic beauty products for healthier alternatives Goop beauty director Jean Godfrey-June will be on deck to help.
Steven Volpe's design for Goop MRKT in San Francisco was inspired by Big Sur in the 1970s.(Photo by Erin Kunkel, via sfchronicle)
If celebs and red carpet fashion beauty aren't your thing, there is much to love in Goop's curated pop-up from everybody's favorite SF kitchen store, March, which will bring some of its most beautiful spice racks and butcher blocks; and in the market's interior design by Hedge Gallery founder Steven Volpe, who styled it after 1970s Big Sur.
"The plants we did with Flora Grubb were pivotal to get the mood we were referencing," Volpe told the Chronicle's Tony Bravo. "It's just a magical pad of things growing and floating in the middle of the space."
See, even if you loathe Gwyneth this pop-up is worth swinging by. But for any of you celeb stalkers who secretly desire to meet the woman behind the curtain, you're in luck. The Queen of Goop will make an appearance and sign cookbooks at the pop-up's launch on May 5th from 10:30am to noon. You can peek in the windows at Louboutin while you wait in line.
// May 5–22; Goop MRKT, 140 Maiden Lane (Union Square) goop.com
Goop goddess Gwyneth Paltrow(Photo via Getty Images)
