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.

Cool Stuff: Felt at Lotus Bleu

Despite the sunny skies and warm temperatures we're enjoying here in Northern California, my autumnal obsession with the deliciously soft and cozy textiles made from felted wool is still going strong ...

Luckily, San Francisco's Lotus Bleu has just come into a lovely collection of felted pillows, rugs, and other home accessories in gorgeously vibrant spring shades. The handmade, fair-trade, vegetable-dyed textiles come courtesy of Muskhane, a small concern founded by a French couple living and working in Kathmandu, Nepal. Muskhane uses the natural fibers and traditional weaving techniques employed in the remote Himalayas, but "brings a modern, graphic approach to these age-old crafts."

Take a look at the results:

Quilted felt baskets, $55 to $85

Decorative felt balls, $26

Felt hot pads and coasters, $16 to $18

Felt pillows, $78

Long felt runners, $285

Round felt rugs, $100 to $175

Check out all of the great French-Asian fusion designs at Lotus Bleu.

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.

The Artful Home: Village of Hope Art Sale

San Francisco's sublime Lotus Bleu boutique in Hayes Valley is hosting a sale of colorful artwork made by children in Vietnam. Each original drawing has been professionally matted and framed.

One hundred percent of the proceeds of the sale will benefit the Village of Hope in Danang -- a home for orphaned, disadvantaged, displaced, and disabled children that's run by the East Meets West Foundation.

A sampling of some of the vibrant and beautiful illustrations for sale, each created by a child living in the Village:

Green Sea and Sky. My Countryside Stays at Peace, $200

My Childhood and River at My Countryside, Going Home with Buffaloes at Lake Afternoon, $200

A Highland Festival, $200

I Once Visited Hue City, $200

Take a look at all of the Village of Hope artwork for sale right here.

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.)

Retail Therapy: San Francisco Style

One of the best things about being an under- ... uh, self-employed freelance writer is that, every once in awhile, you can play hookie without having to feign illness to your boss -- or, indeed, explain yourself to anyone.

Yesterday was one of those days. (Plus, the kids are off at sleepaway camp this week, and for the first time in 12-plus years of motherhood, I hardly know what to do with myself.) So with the whole day stretched before me, I decided that it felt like a San Francisco-shopping kind of day.

(And, lest you get the wrong idea, let it be known that while I am an insatiable shopper, I'm not a particularly voracious buyer -- please see the note about being a self-employed freelance writer, above. Yesterday was no different -- and after 10 hours spent zipping around town, I came home with just two $5 bundles from the SF Flower Mart, above and below, and one $5 vintage metal marquee letter from Swallowtail, right.)


But I did snap lots of pictures along the way. A photographic diary of the day:

I started with an extended tour of the mindblowing San Francisco Flower Mart. (Shown above and below is the space occupied by McLellan Botanicals, where you'll find hundreds of orchids and pots in a variety of gorgeous hues.)

Housed in a series of warehouses the size of airplane hangers, the Mart is home to dozens of wholesale florists. Here you'll find just about anything your flower- and foliage-loving heart could ever desire -- and all for unbelievably reasonable prices, even if you don't posses one of the Mart's coveted wholesale-buyer badges.

I've never been much of a flower person, but I am a bit obsessed with foliage. Leaves, pods, branches, stems, fronds, vines, succulents, and even vegetables -- I love their earthy strangeness, their sculptural forms, and the irresistible tactile treat of them. (For an extended love letter to foliage, click on over to read "Beyond Bouquets," an article I wrote on the subject for HGTV.)

A selection of the offerings at Coast Wholesale, a repository of all things dried and forever-lasting, as well as wonderfully colorful modern pots and planters.

More non-flower goods at the Mart.

The Greenworks showroom, where I snagged a giant bunch of fruiting pistachio branches.

Then it was off to Russian Hill, Pacific Heights, and the Fillmore, where I popped in to Swallowtail, Interior Visions, Past Perfect, and Jonathan Adler after grabbing a quick bite to eat at a French boulangerie on Polk Street.

Butterfly man, $90 at Swallowtail.

Super-swanky polished-nickel lamp at Interior Visions. (If only I had an extra $495, it would be mine.)

Ah, Jonathan Adler. J'adore!

Next came Hayes Valley, where I drooled over the colorful textiles and luscious lacquerware at Lotus Bleu, ogled the alabaster at Alabaster, fondled the Marimekko at Scandinavian Details, poked my head in at Propeller, lusted mightily over a pair of vintage blue opaline-glass lamps at Nancy Boy (already sold, much to my dismay), massaged the rusted metal at Zonal, and died a little bit over the enormous pendant lights at Rose and Radish.

Alabaster's refined wares.

Fanny the French bulldog, at Alabaster.

The small but sublime Lotus Bleu.

One of the lamps that got away, and a collection of German modernist ceramics, at Nancy Boy.

Nicolette Brunklaus's ginormous pendants at Rose and Radish. (Photo courtesy of Rose and Radish.)

A quick pit-stop at the Holly Park playground in Bernal Heights for a caffeine refuel and catch-up session with my lovely and talented friend Anne and her two gowajuss babies was followed by a frantic rush down Valencia Street in the Mission before everything closed up.

I did manage to hit the wonderfully weird Paxton Gate (right), the equally weird and wonderful X21, the pirate store at 826 Valencia, and Candy Store in time. But sadly, Den, the Apartment, and Therapy were closed when I arrived at their doors. Next time. (Photo above courtesy of Paxton Gate.)

The basement at X21, full of the bizarre and the beautiful.

Art by Annie Galvin (aka Wexford Girl), at Candy Store. (Photo courtesy of Annie Galvin.)

I capped off the excursion with cocktails and a Thai dinner with Nick before heading home with my feet sore, but my shopping urge more than satisfied. All in all, it was a stellar day.

Now, back to work ...