Houseware shopping in California
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Kenneth Wingard
Upgrade from ho-hum IKEA to mod housewares that are positively scrumptious: glossy tangerine bud vases, vintage tiki-fabric cushions and mood-setting, ecofriendly, cork-shaded lamps, all priced for mass consumption.
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ATYS
Tucked away in a courtyard, this design showcase offers version 2.0 of essential household items: a mirrored coat rack, a rechargeable flashlight that turns a wineglass into a lamp, and a zero-emissions, solar-powered toy airplane.
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Lotus Bleu
French whimsy, Vietnamese design and San Franciscan psychedelic color keep eyes open wide in this compact design boutique packed from basement to rafters with fuchsia felt bull's-eye pillows, French laminated-canvas totes and lacquer breakfast trays.
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Zinc Details
Pacific Heights chic meets Japantown mod at Zinc Details, with items like orange lacquerware salad-tossers, a sake dispenser that looks like a Zen garden boulder, and bird-shaped soy dispensers. If you can't find what you need here, try up the street at Zinc's 2410 California St location.
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Soko Hardware
Ikebana, bonsai, tea ceremony and Zen rock-garden supplies are all here at fair prices.
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Peace Industry
Persian carpets usually take credit for grand entrances, but Peace Industry's cooperative-made Iranian felted wool rugs have graphic pop art appeal achieved with vegetable dyes and a spongy, ticklish texture underfoot. Get back to nature with a dewdrop pattern in off-white and brown wool or go arty with a Salvador Dalí curled mustache pattern.
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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 jar of rubber nuns, silver body paint and a case of cocktail toothpicks, though they might angle for an invitation. The window displays at Cliff's, a community institution since 1936, are a local landmark.
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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.
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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 snappy interior inspirations from California pop potter (and Top Design judge) Jonathan Adler. Don't worry whether that leather pig foot-stool matches your mid-century couch – as Adler says, 'Minimalism is a bummer.'
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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. Look for free demos that show how to master technique with your new gear.
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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 contemporary ceramics, alongside Ruth Rhoten's molten silver vases and Hiromichi Iwashita's graphite-coated, chiseled-wood panels that look like bonfire embers.
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