We are honored to share that Walter Adams Framing has been named the 2026 Best of the Bay winner for “Best Design, Framing” by San Francisco magazine.

The award was announced during the magazine’s 25th Annual Best of the Bay celebration, held July 11 at The Conservatory at One Sansome. The milestone event brought together many of the chefs, restaurants, designers, artists, entrepreneurs, and community leaders who help make the Bay Area such an extraordinary place.

For Walter Adams Framing owners Lloyd Haddad and Keith Wicker, receiving the award was both a tremendous honor and a meaningful recognition of the company’s legacy.

They shared, “For us, it represented validation, not only of the work we do today, but of the legacy we’re privileged to carry forward.” 

Walter Adams Framing has served San Francisco for nearly 50 years. Since acquiring the company in 2023, Lloyd and Keith have remained committed to honoring that history while continuing to innovate, expand the company’s capabilities, and elevate the customer experience.

Being recognized as Best of the Bay affirms that our commitment to craftsmanship, thoughtful design, exceptional service, and the preservation of people’s most meaningful artwork and memories continues to resonate with the community.

As a San Francisco Legacy Business, the award carries additional significance. Walter Adams Framing’s history is closely connected to the city it serves, and receiving this recognition during an event celebrating San Francisco’s creativity, culture, and resilience made the moment even more meaningful.

Best of the Bay: A Celebration of San Francisco

The Best of the Bay celebration has long recognized the people, businesses, and experiences that shape life in the Bay Area. This year’s 25th anniversary event featured celebrated local restaurants, chefs, wines, cocktails, entertainment, and creative installations throughout the historic One Sansome venue.

For Lloyd and Keith, one of the most meaningful parts of the evening was being surrounded by people who care deeply about San Francisco.

“As business owners, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day details,” they said. “Events like this remind us that we’re part of something much bigger: a creative, resilient, and incredibly supportive community.”

The energy throughout the evening was especially memorable. Guests celebrated not only their own accomplishments but also the success of other local businesses. Being included alongside so many outstanding restaurants, designers, artists, and entrepreneurs was both humbling and inspiring.

The evening also reflected a renewed sense of optimism about San Francisco. After several challenging years, the event showcased a city moving forward with confidence. Seeing so many people investing their passion, creativity, and resources into helping San Francisco thrive was incredibly encouraging.

Designing the Selfie Lounge Experience

Walter Adams Framing was also honored to design and curate the event’s Selfie Lounge Experience, an interactive celebration of 25 years of San Francisco magazine covers.

The Selfie Lounge was created to be much more than a traditional photo backdrop. Our team curated a display of iconic magazine covers from the past quarter century and approached the installation much as we would approach a custom framing project. Every element was arranged thoughtfully, with careful attention to presentation, visual balance, and the way guests would experience the space. 

The result became one of the evening’s most popular destinations. Guests gathered to admire the covers, point out familiar faces and places, share stories, and take photographs together. Harrison Boyd Photography captured the moments. There was almost always a line of people waiting to step into the display.

Throughout the night, the Selfie Lounge became a natural gathering place where conversations began, memories resurfaced, and new moments were captured.

Autumn O’Keefe, publisher of San Francisco magazine, later shared how much the installation meant to her:

“Watching people discover the 25 Years of San Francisco Covers was so much fun. Every time I looked, people were pointing out their favorite covers, laughing, telling stories, remembering old Best of the Bay parties, and taking photos together. It became this incredible walk down memory lane that I don’t think any of us could have imagined.”

One particularly memorable moment came when Festus Ezeli discovered himself on one of the featured covers. His reaction captured exactly what made the exhibit special. The covers were not simply images from the magazine’s archives. They represented people’s lives, accomplishments, relationships, and memories of San Francisco.

Autumn described the exhibit as thoughtful, nostalgic, and one of the most talked-about experiences of the evening.

For our team, the experience also reflected something fundamental about custom framing. We spend our days helping people preserve meaningful artwork, objects, photographs, and memories. Through the Selfie Lounge, we had the opportunity to help create those meaningful moments in real time.

An Unforgettable Evening

We are deeply grateful to Modern Luxury San Francisco, Autumn O’Keefe, and everyone involved in creating such a memorable celebration. We are also grateful to our clients, collaborators, employees, and community, whose trust and support make recognition like this possible.

The evening was filled with art, history, optimism, and connection. We were proud to receive the Best of the Bay award and honored to help create an experience that celebrated 25 years of San Francisco stories.

For Walter Adams Framing, it was a meaningful recognition of the work we do, the legacy we carry forward, and the city we are proud to call home.