Best of Home + Design 2007

Mushroom-shaped nightstands? Torch-scorched tables? Baroque furniture for the outdoors? This year, the local design scene takes us for a wild ride. And we’re only too happy to hold on tight.

Best Sign of the Times
You’ve seen the posters along Market Street—“Green isn’t always pretty” and “Green is this guy”—and now the folks behind SF’s Let’sGreenThisCity campaign are organizing a summer series of “pop up” cafes at surprise locales (check the website) around town to help spread their message of energy conservation. The eco-curious can ponder inconvenient truths while enjoying a free cup of organic coffee and relaxing on chairs made from recycled traffic signs, and designed by former SF Recycling & Disposal artists-in-residence Jon Brumit and Mike Farruggia. Let's Green This City
Most Graphic Nature
This season, Hayes Valley’s blink-and-you-might-miss-it home boutique Lotus Bleu—named after one of the Adventures of Tintin, a 1930s Belgian comics series—is supplying the design world with the furniture version of LSD: Milo Baughman–style midcentury chairs that have been reupholstered in bold, botanical-print linen fabrics by Robert le Héros. We love the Grenadine slipper chair, now wearing a fiery orange number, but our favorite is this mustard-gold corduroy-covered seat. They may not be the right pieces of furniture for a ’60s-style bed-in, but take comfort in knowing that you didn’t have to alter any brain cells to get countercultured. Lotus Bleu 327 Hayes St., 415-861-2700	Photo Credits: Mark Thompson
Best Crash Course in Religious Studies
Photo Credits: courtesy of Mike and Maaike Mike Simonian and Maaike Evers of the SF design studio Mike and Maaike level the holy playing field with their Juxtaposed bookshelf. The reclaimed-hardwood shelf is carved with seven specific niches to fit the different sizes of the influential religious texts included with purchase: among them, the Bible, the Qur’an, the Torah and Bhikku Nanamoli’s Middle Length Discourses of Buddha. Since only 50 of the shelves will be produced, a rousing “Hallelujah!” is in order should you actually manage to get your hands on one. Mike and Maaike 415-359-0953
Most Likely to Start a Fire
When David Brunicardi put a propane torch to a seemingly ordinary oak console, the trigger-happy Oakland furniture designer created what he describes as a “seductive” texture, owing to the way the wood grain pops when it’s scorched. In fact, all of the pieces in Brunicardi’s latest collection, Smoke and Mirrors, have been burnt to a crisp—a new style the designer is calling “perversely modern” and one that we’re calling hot, hot, hot. David Brunicardi 851 81st Ave., Studio 215, Oakland, CA 94621, 510-649-8895
Most Likely to Break Down
While the latest line of modular furniture by designer Stephen Burks may share a name with the over-sexualized Russian pop-music duo TaTu, we’re still big fans. Produced in collaboration with Design with a Conscience (a nonprofit organization that provides economic assistance to artisans in oppressed areas), each piece of the galvanized-steel collection—handwoven by South African craftsmen—can be dismantled into a tray, bowl and basket. Propeller 555 Hayes St., 415-701-7767
Best Mudworks
San Francisco Art Institute alum Alex Marshall blends what she calls “art and chance” to create perfectly imperfect pottery for the home—the slightly off-kilter handiwork we imagine Demi Moore would have created in the movie Ghost had she not been sidetracked. Crafted in Marshall’s Northern California studio, her dinnerware and serving pieces are dishwasher-safe and microwavable. We love the the new teapot and tumbler set. The Gardener Ferry Building Marketplace 415-981-8181
Best Spellbinder
Call it the preferred method of hypnosis by ancient South American cultures. SF’s Boyd Lighting is celebrating its 86th anniversary with the Catacaos series, which uses “filigrana,” a pre-Columbian metalworking technique that produces spiral patterns over a large surface. The result is a collection of pendants and sconces by Peruvian designer Federico Otero that features mesmerizing grills, softly backlit for maximum hypnotic effect. Boyd Lighting 944 Folsom St., 415-778-4300
Nicest Rack
Local industrial designer Rick Lee modeled the Sutra suspension rack after the elegant arms and fingers of his wife, couturier Colleen Quen. Meant to display clothing and accessories, the ethereal golden form is made of urethane plastic and steel tubing, strong enough to hold a heavy beaded wedding gown, yet delicate enough to model a string of pearls. See the racks at the design duo’s new studio, Atelier LeeQuen. Atelier LeeQuen 7 Heron St., 415-551-0013
Best Equal Opportunity Design
You’ve been waiting for the day when nuking dinner would be a guilt-free dining option. Enter the Delica trays from ZooCreative, which come with ergonomic handles specifically crafted to accommodate right- or left-handed users. OK, so it’s not the caloric reprieve you were hoping for, but at least you’ll be slouching in front of the TV in style. de Young Museum Store
Most Natural Selection
Feeling a touch eco-insecure? The new Green Home Center on Polk Street can help you turn over a new leaf. The showroom features thousands of green products from such Earth-minded manufacturers as Eco-terric and SunPower, as well as architectural and design services, including kitchens by GHC cofounder Dietmar Brand. And thanks to a staff devoted to answering all of your environmental FAQs, your newfound expertise will put you on Leonardo DiCaprio’s speed dial in no time. Who’s the big man on campus now? Green Home Center 1812 Polk St., 415-567-3700
Heaviest Petting
We don’t blame you for considering boarding kennels to be the pet equivalent of San Quentin. Avoid the trauma of “lockdown” by booking your dog or cat into the long-awaited Wag Hotel, where the luxury suites are furnished with a plush bed, artwork and, of course, a flat-screen TV. Skeptical? View the 24-hour live feed on a special “Wag Cam.” Wag Hotel 25 14th St., 888-924-5463
Best Way to Mark Your Territory
Top designer Jonathan Adler turns the primal urge to mark your territory into a stylish way to decorate your floors. Hand-loomed, 100 percent wool rugs can be customized with a palette of 14 colors, 18 patterns and any one of the 17,576 three-letter combinations possible within the Roman alphabet. Congratulations—you’ve just averted a case of mistaken identity. Jonathan Adler 2133 Fillmore St., 415-563-9500
Most Net Worth
French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec uproot the urban garden with their ceiling-mounted trellis, Treille, which received a slew of rave reviews at the recent Salon Futur Interieur in Paris. Made of army-green nylon belts, the rope-ladder–like framework provides a clever cure for anemic indoor spaces, especially if you make like Adam (pre-apple) and use it as a leafy-green privacy partition. Atys 2149 Union St., Ste. B, 415-441-9220 Photo Credits: courtesy of Ameico
Best Way to Quit Smoking
Those nicotine lozenges won’t help when your home turns into an inferno because you forgot to open the chimney flue. Once the smoke clears, install a Starline Pyramid bio-fireplace—it burns smokeless bio-ethanol (a derivative of beets), rendering the traditional Santa Claus passageway obsolete. Move the stainless-steel Pyramid around the room (it makes a nifty space heater), or mount it on the wall for a modern take on the stone hearths of yore. The Magazine 1823 Eastshore Hwy., Berkeley, 510-549-2282
Best Bedside Manner
Photo Credits: courtesy of Markhamjohnson.com Designer Thomas Wold’s new Mushroom Forest nightstand is not so much a hallucination as it is an homage to the exaggerated scenery in 1980s Warner Bros. cartoons. “Functionality is always a priority,” says Wold, “but remember that furniture should also make us happy.” Thomas Wold 415-305-1901
Best Contraband
As a member of the TV show Survivor, smuggling in the Apple iPhone—available for purchase this month—could be your key to winning the $1 million prize. In addition to being essential for organizing secret midnight food drops (it comes with Wi-Fi wireless technology), it can also be used as a blackmail tool (the two-megapixel camera can capture anyone in a moment of weakness) and bargaining chip (one episode of Lost—viewed on the widescreen color display—can be swapped for a little loyalty at the next Tribal Council). How’s that for immunity? Apple 1 Stockton St., 415-392-0202   Photo Credits: courtesy of Apple.com
Most Seamless Transition
While we love Brocade Home’s signature baroque mahogany chairs upholstered in youthful jacquard prints, and its sparkling crystal chandeliers befitting either an 18th-century parlor or a 21st-century bachelor pad, we can’t believe that the little sister to the Bay Area’s Restoration Hardware dared to turn the prim fittings of Marie Antoinette into fanciful outdoor furniture—specially treated, of course, to withstand the elements. Now who’s eating cake? Brocade Home
Best Target Practice
We doubt that Mother Nature would approve of you raining on her parade, so to speak, especially since local artist Clark Sorensen has designed a collection of flower-shaped porcelain urinals to rival her floral masterpieces. Lilies, poppies and hibiscus are painstakingly crafted and painted to real-life specifications in Sorensen’s Mission studio—right down to the pistils smattered in pollen. We know there’s a correlation in there somewhere. Clark Sorensen 415-401-0383
Cutest Cover-Up
And you thought Hayes Valley’s eco-conscious rug company Peace Industry couldn’t win any more brownie points with the Earth (its rugs, crafted using ancient Iranian felting techniques, are made with 100 percent biodegradable wool and all-natural dyes). But one artist-collaborator, Emily Nachison, prevents landfill congestion by sewing up rug remnants into adorably homespun potted-plant containers and tea-glass cozies. Eat your heart out, Rachel Ashwell; there’s a new kid in town. Peace Industry 535 Octavia Blvd., 415-255-9940
Most Victorious Principles
Like a former prom queen no longer able to rely on her youthful claim to fame, the Richmond District boutique Fleur*t is an example of how a business does not have to subsist on loveliness alone. This month, owners Jonathan Rachman, Paddy Hayes and Amy Kelly are launching Foundation Fleur*t, a nonprofit organization aiming to provide cultural and educational opportunities for the city’s disadvantaged youth. “We just want to do business the right way,” says Hayes. Fleur*t 15 Clement St., 415-751-2747
Most Heroic Measure
Imagine that a camera crew from HGTV’s Future Homes has come knocking on your door to tape a show about your collection of ultramodern gadgets. After a demonstration of the retina-scanning alarm system, body-heat-sensing climate control and Star Trek–inspired holodeck, you head to the kitchen. The camera lens suddenly recoils in horror, not expecting to see, of all things, a grimy Rubbermaid bin. Tech cred diminishing by the second, you explain that the Container Store’s touch-free, 10-gallon stainless-steel canister with automatic lid (triggered by infrared sensors) is still in the box, waiting to be unpacked. You blame the Asimo. The robot butler takes the fall. The Container Store 26 Fourth St., 415-777-9755
Smoothest Operator
Bay Area furniture designer Anthony Marschak’s grass of choice isn’t Purple Haze; it’s bamboo, the rapidly renewable stalks loved by pandas and environmental activists the world over. Each of Marschak’s modern creations demonstrates a remarkable feat of engineering: The Game Table, for instance, is a perfect union of bamboo and glass that requires no hardware or glue. Trust us—we’re not just blowing smoke. Modern Bamboo 1800 Ferry Point, Alameda, CA 94501, 415-312-2249
Trendiest Tikes
Thanks to Bay Area designer Edgar Blazona and his wife, Julia, the next generation will no longer have to suffer the furniture atrocities known as the race-car bed and the bottom bunk. The Blazonas’ TrueModern collection includes, in addition to graphic comforters and sheets, sturdy and stylish kids’ beds, dressers and nightstands that can only be described as midcentury design meets Romper Room, but with a twist virtually unheard of in today’s Ikea-saturated society: All TrueModern pieces are made of birch and ship fully assembled within two days of your order. True Modern 866-981-0207
Best Sign of the Cross
Photo Credits: Justin Godar At first glance, the Cross Dresser by Bayview woodworker Justin Godar seems like a design only Switzerland could love—resembling, as it does, the country’s flag. But we love it because, well, in a city where cross-dressers are a dime a dozen, it helps that this particular one—crafted from MDF with a lipstick-worthy cadmium–red lacquer overlay—is exceptionally chic. Godar Furniture 2241 Quesada Ave., 415-863-4775
Most Immaculate Collection
At last month’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York, SF designer Derek Chen debuted Optimism, the first furniture collection from his new collaborative, Council. Comprising innovations by local industry heavyweights One & Co, along with Mike and Maaike and international design stars Khodi Feiz and Arik Lévy, the 10-piece line includes the Mute chair—which nods to the Eameses—and Chen’s own Section Bench, consisting of modular pieces strangely reminiscent of those pencil-grip correctors from your youth. Council Design 635 Texas St., 415-550-1750
Best Way to Peace Out
The Ovum bassinet designed by Heidi Newell for Bay Area furniture manufacturer Offi provides parents with a two-in-one crib and cradle for their newborn. Assuage fussy moods by placing the Ovum on its curved base to rock the baby to sleep, and sustain deep, peaceful slumbers by flipping the wood frame on its side, creating a cozy, stationary crib. Either way, it’s Calgon time. Offi 800-958-OFFI (6334)

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