Welcome to the weekly Design Dispatch. This week we're talking the SF Botanical Garden's reopening, how to enjoy the season without throwing caution to the wind, and how small businesses are opening their doors to serve customers at the curb.

DESIGN NEWS:

As curbside pickup becomes the norm in California, window shopping is taking on a whole new meaning. Once boarded up, storefronts are being replaced with beautiful displays, and merchants are taking to social media to further showcase their wares. If you're looking to shop local but aren't quite ready to step out yourself we recommend checking out the recently launched website Neighborhood, which lets your shop local from home.

Temps are rising, and with summer around the corner, it can be difficult to know how best to embrace the season without throwing caution to the wind. NPR has created risk assessment guide to get you started on how you might safely enjoy your summer- within current guidelines.

LOCAL INTEREST:

The San Francisco Botanical Garden is set to reopen on June 1st, and we can't wait to take in the blooms and enjoy the green space. You can find more info on new safety requirements via their Instagram, along with a peek at what the garden has in store.

If you're ever wondered what your neighborhood looked like 100 years ago, the answer may be no further than your nearest telephone pole. The Guerrilla historian project was started by Open SF History, which houses a sizable collection of images of historic San Francisco. If you're interested in participating yourself, you can find instructions on their blog, and if you want to check out the project in person, there's an interactive map to get you started.

While we may be a ways off from traditional restaurant dining, the city has taken a step towards creating more of an alfresco experience to enable diners to better practice social distancing. The Shared Spaces Program allows restaurants to apply for no-cost permits to expand dining space to adjacent sidewalks, parking spaces, alleys, and streets.

READ:

I recently picked up plant guru/stylist Hilton Carter's latest book, Wild Interiors, aka the perfect coffee table book for plant parents. With pages filled with impeccably styled homes filled with greenery, it shows how you can create a space that is beautifully put together while keeping your plants' best conditions in mind. I've been known to place plants where I think they look best regardless of their needs while my husband does the opposite, so this is something that I'm eager to master.

That concludes our weekly Design Dispatch. If there is anything you would like to add to the list, feel free to leave a comment below, and if you have a tip for a future column, feel free to drop us a line.

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