Retail Therapy: Relish at Home

Update:  This post originally ran in May, but I just learned that owner Kelly Sperbeck is closing Berkeley's Relish at Home to focus on her own product design business and to relaunch the shop online. Relish at Home's last day as a brick and mortar is Friday, January 16, and until then everything in the store is 30 to 75 percent off, with progressive markdowns as the last day approaches.

A bit off the beaten track in West Berkeley is a tiny gem of a shop called Relish at Home. Despite its modest size, the store is chock full of absolutely lovely little things that are perfect when you need a gift that will surprise and delight its recipient, or when you simply want to treat yourself to something really special.

Opened three years ago by Kelly Sperbeck, an indie artisan in her own right who creates sweet accessories under the name k.autumn, Relish focuses on handmade wares from independent designers -- many of them local.

Though housewares form the bulk of her inventory, Sperbeck stocks jewelry, papergoods, handbags and other personal accessories as well. (And in case you're wondering, this dreamy wall color is Behr's Aqua Bay -- which is now a serious contender for our about-to-be-repainted dining room.)

The shop also functions as an art gallery of sorts, featuring pieces from artists such as Jane Buck of Foxy & Winston, whose "Mammalia" show hung there last spring. Buck's collection of small, vibrantly colored silkscreen prints depicting woodland creatures ranges from $55 to $475 apiece.

Prices for many items are exceedingly reasonable. But be warned: A visit to Relish could be perilous to your pocketbook. I popped in planning to simply take a few snapshots and be on my way, but wound up dropping a fair amount of cash on a bag bursting with treasures that I just had to have. (Oh well, I love them all ... )

Here, a tour of the wee shop and a peek at its current inventory:

Bags from k studio ($139), Hable Construction ($168), and Lotta Jansdotter ($49); Papaver Vert felt trees ($60 to $79); and wall tiles by Xenia Taler ($35 to $108).

Tanpopo plates ($28), graphic Dovetail vases, and ceramic pieces from Perch! and j.mendicino ($35 to $60).

Papergoods from Sukie UK, Jill Bliss, Foxy & Winston, Nantaka Joy, Chewing the Cud, Satsuma Press, and others.

Origami PJ Pocket Pillows from Modern-Twist ($85), and harlequin-patterned bowls from Anna Elzer Oscarson ($12).

Ceramics by Dovetail ($28) and j.mendicino ($35 to 55); tiny handblown glass bud vases from Sugahara ($20).

Clockwise: "Jelly Bean Rocks," river stones coated with 12 layers of colorful lacquer ($12); bunny pens and tape measures ($14 to $16); Log Bowls from Loyal Loot, $79 to $99; burrow owl from Roost, $26.

Airplants ($6 to $65) in vessels from Roost ($36) and Perch! ($29 to $89).

j.mendicino vases ($30 to $60), one of Jill Bliss' fabric Autumn birds ($32), and a Satsuma letterpress print ($39).

Birds by Jill Bliss and k.autumn ($24).

Lampshades from Mibo ($82 to $110) and small Hide Boxes from Modern-Twist ($25).

Felted vessels from Papaver Vert ($20 to $82), and harlequin cups from Anna Elzer Oscarson ($10).

Clockwise: Print from Jill Bliss ($16); pillows from Joom ($50 to $70), Ciuccio ($29), and k studio ($375 a pair).

Relish at Home is located at 2703 7th St. #112 at Pardee in Berkeley, and is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m.

(Need some more Retail Rx? See other great shops I've featured right here.)

Cool Stuff: Flat-Pack Pine and Fir Trees

Made from flat-packed birch veneer, these laser-cut tree silhouettes -- each measuring more than 18 inches tall -- will add a natural, modern touch to your holiday decor. Left to right: Jack Pine Tree, Suba Fir Tree, and Mexican Pine Tree.

They're $52 to $58 each, including shipping, from Jayson Home & Garden.

Psst -- for a more affordable option, check out Cardboard Safari's 24-inch recycled cardboard Alpine Tree, $28.

Cool Stuff: Swallow Mobile

I'm still kind of annoyed at Roost, but dang if they don't just keep cranking out beautiful products.

This delicate branch-and-bird mobile (which reminds me a bit of Helen Ige's, but rendered in a much more three-dimensional way) is perfect for hanging in a window or a drab corner to hearken the arriving spring.

Crafted from hand-carved basswood swallows suspended from a real branch, the mobile is $140 right here.

Cool Stuff: New Roost Lighting

If you've read this blog with any regularity, you know how I feel about Roost. (And if not, in a nutshell: Swoon.)

I'm even willing to put aside the fact that Roost's PR chick has repeatedly ignored my requests for product info and images, and that the company reps practically slapped my hands away from their goodies when I was admiring them at last summer's San Francisco Gift Show. Annoying as those things may be, I'm not going to let them get in the way of my appreciation for Roost's really lovely products.

Anyway, the Sausalito design firm has lots of yummy new lighting out (such as the Bamboo Cloud Chandeliers above, $690 each), which I'm drooling over. Some of my favorite pieces:

Halo Chandelier, $270

Bird Cage Lamps, $230 to $270 each

Lotus Chandelier, $320 to $630

Shell Chandeliers, $650 each

Clear Glass Lamps, $130 each

Transit Lamps, $170 to $330

Articulated Nickel Lamp, $270

Roost lighting is available at Velocity Art + Design and Rian Rae, as well as from many other retailers.

Trendspotting: Are Horns the New Antlers?

Remember how, a couple of years ago, deer antlers started popping up all over design magazines -- usually striking a surprisingly rustic, primitive note in an otherwise sleek and sophisticated interior? I’m starting to notice the same thing happening with animal horns.

Often culled from Vietnamese water buffalo (though African antelope and domestic cow horns make occasional appearances as well), these products tend to be labeled “cruelty-free” and “eco-friendly” because the animals aren’t killed for their horns. Rather, the horns are harvested after the animal dies (or is slaughtered for meat or other byproducts), as part of a “nothing is wasted” philosophy. I guess whether that’s truly cruelty-free is a bit subjective -- as is the lure of having a bunch of dead bovine bits laying around your home.

Still, there’s no denying that the material itself is beautiful and lends a dramatic, earthy touch to a super-luxe, sleek minimalist, or “organic modern” space.

A look at some of the “horn décor” on the market now:

Tyrol Horn Centerpiece, $125, from Plantation Home

Mombasa Pencil Cup, $23, from See Jane Work

Mombasa Desk Tray, $70

Horn Bath Accessories, $25 to $45, from Williams Sonoma Home

Horn Tray, $34, from the Well Dressed Home

Plantation Organic Horn Bowl Set, $95

Roost Horn Bowl Set, $125

Plantation Brushed Horn Bowl, $95

Horn Boxes, $75 to $165, from Vivre

Vivre Horn Frames, $30 and $45

Horn Frames, $16 and $29, from West Elm

Plantation Italian Horn Candleholder, $195

Plantation Set of Three Italian Horn Candleholders, $1,695

Plantation Horn Sconce, $995

Roost Horn Lamp, $429, from Velocity

Vintage Horn Lamp, $980, from 1stdibs

Horn Lamp, $425, from Semplice

Plantation Italian Horn Desk Lamp, $1,195

Plantation Italian Single Horn Lamp, $1,695

Plantation Framed Italian Horn Lamp, $1,995

Well Dressed Home Horn Objet, $165

Plantation Long Horn Statue, $395

Plantation Kudu Antelope Horn Statues, $995 each

Plantation Italian Horn Table, $1,400

Plantation Italian Horn Nesting Tables, $5,995 for a set of three

What do you think -- elegant “safari chic,” or just kind of icky? I can't quite decide -- but I do sincerely hope that "hoof decor" isn't next.

(Photos at top: Kim Christie for Canadian House & Home, May 2007; Jan Cevcik, NaturePhoto-CZ; Rick Brazil for Amy Levine Interior Design)