Homeware shopping in North America
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Japonesque
Wabi-sabi is not something you smear on sushi but the fine appreciation for organic forms and materials you can experience first-hand at Japonesque. Owner Koichi Hara stocks antique Japanese bamboo baskets and raku ceramics alongside Ruth Rhoten’s molten silver vases and Hiromichi Iwashita’s graphite-coated, chiseled-wood panels that look like bonfire embers.
reviewed
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Scrap (Scroungers’ Center for Re-Usable Art Parts)
Renew, recycle and rediscover your creativity with post-industrial salvage arts and crafts from SCRAP – you’d be shocked what perfectly good raw materials San Francisco throws out. Take a workshop at SCRAP for inspiration, and make your very own Tupperware lamp, necklace from Barbie parts or Joseph Cornell–inspired diorama. Classes are held in the city; the entrance to SCRAP is at the confluence of Hwy 101 and Hwy 280, south of SoMa.
reviewed
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Sur la Table
Can’t fathom life without an espresso maker and citrus reamer? You’ll never need to, thanks to these understanding salespeople. For the hippie gourmet, there’s a windowsill grow-light for sprouting, ahem, herbs, and for the young aspiring chef, a cupcake - frosting set. The Ferry Building location features free demos; evening classes at the Maiden Lane store on knife skills, seasonal California cuisine and more cost $79 to $89.
reviewed
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Britex Fabrics
No reality design show can compare with the four floors of nonstop fashion drama at Britex. First floor: designers bicker over who gets first dibs on caution-orange chiffon. Second floor: glam rockers dig through a velvet goldmine. Third floor: Hollywood stylists squeal ‘To die for!’ over ’60s Lucite buttons. Top floor: fake fur flies and remnants roll as costumers prepare for Burning Man, Halloween and your average SF weekend.
reviewed
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Alabaster
San Francisco's Victorian social graces may yet be revived by Alabaster's elegant luncheon invitation cards, glass cake pedestals, mother-of-pearl-handled opera glasses, and Fanny the French bulldog, who prefers to say hello from a polite distance. French decanters and moon-faced Fornasetti plates make impressive (read: expensive) gifts, but for vintage scores and botanical prints, head through the Zen garden to the annex.
reviewed
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Anthropologie
The big sister to co-ed fashion-victim Urban Outfitters, with versatile graphic-print skirts, sensible yet cute cardigans and romantic, vintage-inspired dresses. The house-wares lean a touch too heavily toward precious rustic chic, with the occasional mod splash of color: speckled orange and green bowls, Marie Antoinette-ish Baroque hand-towels and house numbers apparently pried off some unsuspecting cottages in Provence.
reviewed
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Kamei Restaurant Supply
The human brain was not built to comprehend this broad a selection of ceramics, with three precariously stacked aisles ranging from basic geometric white to spectacular high-end raku platters that would make fried eggs look gourmet. But wait, there’s more: enough industrial steel pots to open 50 restaurants simultaneously, and scouring pads to suit the most discerning dishwashers – all at bargain-basement prices.
reviewed
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One Half
Bargain hunters and anyone who keeps a cache of gifts for friends that need cheering up will go wild in this shop, brimming with designer overstock at half the retail price. Recent finds include letterpress cards that spell 'thank you' in sign language, elegant eco-bamboo serving platters and messenger bags in traffic-stopping neon colors. No refunds or exchanges, so check your merchandise carefully.
reviewed
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Home Rule
Tired of Pottery Barn homogeneity around your house? Check out Home Rule’s amusingly original stock: frog-shaped toothbrush holders, brightly colored martini glasses, animal-shaped salt-and-pepper sets, and rugs and linens, too. The mosaic decorating the front counter symbolizes the U St district’s revitalization – it’s made with smashed glass from the 1968 riots.
reviewed
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Jalan Jalan
The name of this place is Indonesian/Malay for ‘just walking’ (or ‘walking around’), but of course you knew that, you intrepid Lonely Planet reader you. More to the point, the owner has clearly been ‘jalan’-ing a bit, bringing in incredible furniture, artifacts and antiquities from around the world and selling them in this lovely warehouse space.
reviewed
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Limn
Not someplace you're likely to pick up a memento - unless a designer sofa is your idea of a souvenir - but a great place to get ideas from sample room setups with 200 top brands to bring that slick SoMa loft look home. Head down the gravel path to the art gallery and B&B Italia showroom, and check upstairs for killer kitchens and occasional floor samples in the low five-digit range.
reviewed
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Koo de Kir
That’s coup de cœur for you French-speakers. This innovative design shop aims to give patrons a ‘strike to the heart’ with its sexy, stylish home furnishings and accessories. The style is urban and sophisticated, but not cold or off-putting. Besides the interesting light fixtures, pillows and dishes, there is a small selection of gift-type items.
reviewed
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Jonathan Adler
Vases with handlebar mustaches and cookie jars labeled ‘Quaaludes’ may seem like holdovers from a Big Sur bachelor pad c 1974, but they’re the latest snappy interior inspirations from California pop potter (and Top Design judge) Jonathan Adler . Don’t worry whether that leather pig footstool matches your mid-century couch – as Adler says, ‘Minimalism is a bummer.’
reviewed
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City Discount
Bargains never tasted so sweet: heart-shaped Le Creuset casseroles, frighteningly effective Microplane graters, Brika espresso makers and other specialty gourmet gear, all at 30% to 50% off the prices you’d pay downtown. Hard-to-find appliance replacement parts, parchment paper and cooking tips are all readily available from dedicated foodie counter staff.
reviewed
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Esrawe
This local Mexican designer goes for the minimalist look, with his futon-style modular furniture in lime green and chocolate brown. The retro-style cabinets have hidden drawers, while the imported Naninarquina rugs from Spain give a whole new meaning to ‘shag’ rugs, with their incredible texture finishes in the shape of leaves and flowers.
reviewed
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Cliff’s Variety
None of the hardware maestros at Cliff’s will raise an eyebrow if you express a dire need for a 4x4 beam, a jar of rubber nuns, non-toxic silver paint and more cocktail toothpicks than anyone can safely use in a lifetime, though they might angle for an invitation. The window displays at Cliff’s, a community institution since 1936, are a local landmark.
reviewed
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Boj Décor
If there were such a thing, Boj would be reminiscent of a Parisian boudoir that's traveled through time. With antique European furniture mixed with a seemingly random collection of quirky odds and ends – like a chandelier made of antlers – Boj seems like it would be more at home in a trendier location…but that's part of its charm.
reviewed
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Ecologique
Draped bamboo-fleece tops go from office weekdays to redwood-forest weekends effortlessly, and reconstructed vintage bags get upgraded from auntie to avant-garde at this green boutique. Helpful staff help you find your size in locally produced designs and provide precise sourcing info, from fair-traded cotton to the photo-biodegradable packaging.
reviewed
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Greater Goods
Inside this earth-friendly shop you’ll find green cleaning products, Sigg water bottles, organic toys, bamboo cookware, solar products (including a Japanese-style lamp and a rather imaginative solar cooking pot) and much more. There are books on living sustainably, and free seminars on solar energy, living off the grid and the like.
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Urban Archaeology
A pioneer in recycled design, owner Gil Shapiro continues his tradition of remixing, reconstructing and reclaiming old parts from abandoned buildings and construction sites. What he salvages and restores (or repurposes) is now sought after in the hippest Manhattan apartments; check out his Tribeca showroom/studio for his latest designs.
reviewed
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Peace Industry
Persian carpets usually take credit for grand entrances, but Peace Industry’s cooperative-made Iranian felted wool rugs offer graphic appeal and a deliciously spongy, ticklish texture. Get back to nature with a dewdrop pattern in off-white and brown wool, go arty with Ruth Asawa–inspired orbs, or opt for a single flower underfoot.
reviewed
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Tortoise General Store
This compact Japanese shop applies the ‘slow food’ philosophy to housewares, jewelry and crafts. Its two floors are packed tight with traditional, made-with-care products evocative of a simpler way of life. Wooden soap dishes, rattan baskets and tenugui cloths are just a few of the eye-catching items on offer.
reviewed
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Rckndy
Colorful, kitschy and pleasing to the eye, Rckndy makes a great stop on the U St shopping circuit. Here you’ll find candy-colored ceramics (sushi sets, mugs, planters), curious silkscreen wall hangings, modular furniture and those fascinating conversation pieces – the lifelike Harry Allen piggy banks.
reviewed
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Soko Hardware
Cover all your San Francisco contingencies: window wipes (for fog), duct tape (for earthquakes), paper lanterns (to disguise those awkward Victorian chandeliers) and a rice cooker (because soggy rice is a culinary crime in SF). Ikebana, bonsai, tea ceremony and Zen rock-garden supplies are all here at fair prices.
reviewed
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Elizabeth Street Gallery
On Elizabeth St, you can pause to admire the fenced-in garden of the curious Elizabeth Street Gallery, part of a fireplace, fountain and garden-ornament shop for the well-off homeowner. The biggest attraction in these parts, though, is the simple beauty of the small tangle of streets.
reviewed
