For this Living & Design issue, we explored the way modern San Diego designers and creatives are building spaces that speak.

Like our cover artist, Daniel Hopkins. (His artist name: Maxx Moses.) A graffiti artist for over 40 years, his murals span the globe: Japan, Dubai, and here at home in Chicano Park and Lemon Grove.

Hopkins’ signature style weaves together faces and thematic elements.

We shone a light on Equity Builders, the creative company behind some of the city’s most visually delicious restaurants (Wolfie’s, Waverly, The Grass Skirt).

We headed to Kingfisher for our monthly review. @heytroyjohnson visited, admired its opulence, dug into the complexity of its menu. The meal he worked through–by Jonathan Bautista, who just earned a James Beard nomination–started in Vietnam and France, winded through the Philippines, China, even Baja.

We unpacked Carlsbad Village, a pioneer in thoughtful, car-free design and development, a shining example of a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.

We stopped by the Inn at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, the first WELL-Certified hotel in the world. (Which means it meets rigorous standards of air, water, fitness, comfort, and more.)

And we previewed The Black Iris Project, a ballet collaborative by multi-hyphenate Jeremy McQueen that brings Black stories to the stage through music, movement, and a social mission. The Black Iris Project is one piece of McQueen’s dream–to create a more diverse and equitable performing arts scene in San Diego.