Objects of Lust: Revamped Vintage at Lotus Bleu

I'm positively drooling over the latest crop of reinvented vintage chairs from San Francisco boutique Lotus Bleu (earlier versions blogged here). The French/Vietnamese-flavored Hayes Valley shop takes pedigreed midcentury seating and updates it with vibrant and feminine fabrics, to gorgeous effect. Above: Slipper Chair, $1,550

Midcentury Sprung Rocker, $1,350

Reclining Lounge With Ottoman, $1,550

Vintage Armchair, $750

Rocker and Ottoman, $1,650

Wingback Lounge Chair, $2,450

Armchair, $750

Danish Armchair, $750

Danish Modern Armchair, $1,550

Granted, I'll probably never be in a position to drop $1,500 or more on a single chair, but these are inspiring me to take a fresh look at flea market furniture and fun fabrics. (In fact, Lotus Bleu can even reupholster that hand-me-down from Grandma for you in one of these amazing Robert Le Heros fabrics.)

See more of Lotus Bleu's updated vintage seating here -- and peruse the shop's other beautiful offerings here.

Mark Your Calendar: Capsule Design Festival

If you're in the Bay Area and looking for something to do on Sunday, May 25, be sure to stop by the Spring 2008 Capsule Design Festival in San Francisco's Hayes Valley.

The Festival, billed as the largest independent design event in Northern California, is heavy on wares from local clothing, jewelry, handbag, and baby-goods designers. But art, handmade textiles, and home accessories are well represented as well. (If you're not in the area, click on the links below -- many of the participants have online stores or Etsy shops you can browse.)

Some of the 160 designers who'll be on hand:

Kate Durkin

Ezme Designs

Grandarray (aka illustrator Hannah Stouffer)

Hilary's Dolls (aka softies from artist Hilary Williams)

Lizard Press

Mediums to Masses

Raeburn Ink

The ladies from Rare Device (aka Rena Tom and artist Lisa Congdon)

3 Fish Studios (aka artists Wexford Girl/Annie Galvin and The Lonely Robot/Eric Rewitzer)

The Capsule Fest runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 25, and is centered around Octavia and Hayes streets in San Francisco. Click here for more info.

Objects of Lust: Lotus Bleu Furniture

I just learned that San Francisco's exquisite, French-meets-Vietnamese Lotus Bleu boutique is now applying its wonderfully vibrant and exotic aesthetic to vintage furniture, which can be seen in the shop's new downstairs showroom.

Each classic midcentury piece is fully refinished and restored before being upholstered with fabric from French textile design house Robert le Héros. The results are not for anyone on a budget, but they are beautiful. Take a look:

Peter Hvidt Daybed with Blossom Upholstery, $2,650

Danish Rocking Chair, $1,050

Slipper Chair with Automne Upholstery, $1,150

Side Chair, $750

Lounge Chair, $1,250

Kai Kristiansen Side Chair with Ete Upholstery, $550

Also new from Lotus Bleu: Curtains made from the same sublime Robert le Héros fabric. Each screenprinted linen panel measures a generous 57 inches wide by 110 inches long, and is finished with large grommets for hanging. My faves:

Indigo, $410

Pop, $290

Clair de Lune, $420

Matin, $420

Finally, during the month of January, everything at Lotus Bleu with the exception of custom fabric orders and custom upholstery is 15 percent off -- which helps make those big-ticket purchases a bit easier on the wallet. (And for those of us who are on a tight budget, the shop also has lots of very reasonably priced accessories and other items.)

Stop in at Lotus Bleu at 327 Hayes Street in San Francisco or check out the merch online.

Retail Therapy: Tazi Designs

Some nights, I dream of Morocco.

I have never set foot in North Africa, but it's long been a place that absolutely fascinated me. Very few books about Moroccan design manage to escape my Amazon wish list, and I read Maryam's wonderful blog, My Marrakesh, with a mixture of envy and acute longing. One day, I'll book a stay at Maryam's breathtaking guesthouse-in-the-making, Peacock Pavilions.

Sadly, a visit to Morocco will have to wait until our kids are bit older and our bank account a bit fatter. But in the meantime, when I yearn for a mini-Moroccan escape I can slip into Tazi Designs.

Hidden down a quiet alley in San Francisco's chic Hayes Valley, the three-storey showroom housed in a converted industrial warehouse is an anomaly in a neighborhood known for its very spare, very modern, and very northern-European-influenced boutiques. To step into Tazi Designs, by contrast, is to be instantly transported to the bustling souks and exotic riads of Marrakesh.

Opened three years ago by former telecom exec and Moroccan transplant Hicham Tazi, the shop specializes in gorgeous and authentic Moroccan architectural elements, furnishings, textiles, lighting, accessories, and tableware, as well as custom design.

Here you'll find mosaic tables ($159 to $2,220), colored-glass perfume bottles ($26 to $48), intricately carved and painted octagonal tables ($95 to $720), tile fountains ($1,100 to $1,800), hand-embroidered Turkish bedding ($350 to $550), painted clay tagines ($48), and a veritable rainbow of luscious silk throw pillows ($55 to $85).

Trust me -- this is no pseudo-Middle Eastern import-emporium crap. Fittingly, the prices at Tazi are a step or three up from what you'd see at Cost Plus and stores of that ilk. Still, many items are surprisingly reasonable.

A few of the things that caught my eye during a recent visit:

Bone-inlaid mirrors and furniture, $850 and up

Hand-dyed and -embroidered leather poufs in lots of poppy, non-traditional hues, $155 and up

Antique carved chairs and daybeds, $450 to $1,800

Embossed metal tea trays, $150 to $220

Tribal flatweave rugs, $290 to $3,400

Carved mirror, $790

Leather slippers, $35 a pair

Moroccan lanterns, $66 to $2,500

Hand-painted tea glasses, $7.50 to $9 each

The Tazi showroom is located at 333 Linden St. off of Gough in San Francisco. It's open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. (The hours can be a bit arbitrary, though, so call before heading over: 415-503-0013.)

Bonus for you non-Bay Areans: The Tazi Designs website also offers e-commerce.

Cool Stuff: Taj Cushions at Lotus Bleu

Hayes Valley's Lotus Bleu boutique just got in a shipment of these gorgeous pillows, priced from $58 to $128, from German design duo Taj. I love their vibrant colors and exuberant embroidery, appliques, and other fine details.

Check out the cushion collection here.

Bonus: The store's entire stock of lustrous Vietnamese lacquerware is 40 percent off. (The sale prices don't seem to be showing up in Lotus Bleu's online shop, so stop by the brick-and-mortar showroom on San Francisco's Hayes Street or inquire online to make sure you get the marked-down price.)