apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Name: Sally
Location: San Francisco

Living in the Bay Area means that I have very few excuses to not utilize locally sold environmentally friendly materials. There are more resources here for sustainable materials and products than anywhere else in the country. With that said, it's very easy for me to go and buy used or FSC-certified lumber (like for my bed) or a no or low-VOC paint. These are simple things I do to help reduce my carbon footprint. I also try to snatch up as much furniture from Craigslist or flea markets as I can, and then give them a make-over with said products.

A few weeks ago we were at a popular bedding store and a sales associate politely (but sternly) asked us to stop taking photos of a bedding display and to put our camera away. We told them we were just taking photos of the duvet to show our mother (we really were!), but she was still very adamant about their "no photography" policy. This is not the first time this has happened to us...

We love browsing through the section over at the Crate and Barrel website. It helps gives us inspiration. Yesterday we fell in love with these Sweets bowls and plates on the ice cream parlor trend page. We like them so much that we just might buy them (or look for something similar at Sunday's Antiques by the Bay!).

We were recently at Ed Hardy's antique shop in San Francisco and couldn't stop drooling over this amazing white globe. We're huge vintage globe collectors, so it was a real treat to see something as rare as a white water one (we're big fans of black water globes).

Modern Artifacts is a postwar art & design shop located on Market Street in Hayes Valley. The store's owner has been collecting and refurbishing mostly mid-century modern vintage furniture, art and home accessories for a little over 20 years. Lots of rosewood and teak tables and credenzas, brightly colored Knoll upholstered sofas, Bauhaus-esque table lamps... you get the picture (or if not, check out the photos after the jump!). But our favorite part? The prices are almost always less than the other vintage shops in the immediate area.

Like art? Got a minute? Then stop by Inside to see the Christopher W. Stokes pieces they have on display for you to enjoy (or purchase!). The pieces consists of pencil, ink, silver leaf, collage, acetone transfer, letterpress, gouache, acrylic, paint stick, linseed oil, stickers, silk screen, and iron on transfer (say that three times fast). More photos, after the jump!

Felt rugs! Felt rugs! We're smitten. We recently stopped in Peace Industry in Hayes Valley and absolutely fell in love with the rugs they peddle. Peace Industry is an airy shop filled with rugs, all designed and made by Melina and Dodd Raissnia. They also have their own workshop in Iran where they have perfected the best methods for producing the highest quality felt rugs, all of which are designed by Melina. The method is a revitalization of the oldest rug tradition from Iran that had been on the verge of extinction. The rugs are 100% wool and are naturally dyed (and gorgeous!).

Even at 250 square feet, Lotus Bleu packs a punch! Specializing in interior design and home decor from France and Vietnam, Lotus Bleu is your go-to spot for all things colorful & printed. Their in-house designs include a lacquer collection made from resin, ceramic, wood, or bamboo. The lacquers are beautiful and come in a variety of different colors. Vases, trays, coasters... those types of things. Even some lighting (that's lacquered!). Lotus Bleu also carries a small furniture collection (shown above) that has fantastic fabrics to choose from. Tons! And they also will make custom cushions or pillows for you. Jonathan Adler and Domino magazine would go ape in this shop. It's that colorful and fun.

We were recently at and we fell in love with their super graphic wall and colorful wall sculptures.

Inside is a furniture store in Hayes Valley that (amongst other things) is the exclusive northern California retailer of Modernica, the furniture company that has the rights to produce some of the most iconic mid-century modern pieces on the market. The shop is owned and operated by a husband and wife team, Emmett and Deanna Marrujo. They opened up shop almost 8 years ago! Emmett and Deanna also provide a platform for a local artists and designers to showcase their work. Our favorite part? Everything in the shop is made right here in the USA, and mostly in California (in the Mission!)!

We stumbled into Isotope (a comic shop) because we thought the decor was cool. Our favorite part? Their toilet seat art, drawn by predominant comic book folk.

The name 'Propeller' was picked for this Hayes Valley store because a propeller is a "perfect example of form beautifully following function - it moves things forward." We couldn't agree more with the affiliation. We've been visiting Propeller since it opened and it has consistently been jam packed with all sorts of fresh, practical goodies. And the classics? Forget it. While the store's owner and buyer loves Eames and Saarinen, he still thinks there are loads of talented modern designers getting started now, and wanted to give them a platform in San Francisco, a city saturated in shops that only peddle mid-century modern wares.

Yesterday we introduced you to Scandinavian Details, and today we're showcasing some of their very cool outdoor products. Lots of products to lust after... after the jump!

We were wandering around Hayes Valley yesterday when we spotted these great plants on display at Frjtz, the newly remodeled crepe restaurant. Tons of close-ups, after the jump!

Many shop owners along Hayes Street in popular Hayes Valley will tell you how difficult it is to open a store there, and even how much more difficult it is to keep the doors open (it's a very competitive market). It must mean something, then, that Scandinavian Details was opened in 2004 by Kristina Runske and is still doing fantastic (everyone raves about the shop). Not only does Kristina have a great eye for Scandinavian design, but she has a great eye for design in general. Her eclectic yet modern taste (with a homage to the classics) can be seen throughout the many gorgeous and practical products she has in her store.

Our Bougainvillea is in full bloom! We snapped this shot this morning from our bedroom's balcony. Isn't it lovely? We love looking at it from our apartment. Truly a treat since the rest of our "backyard" is concrete!

We were browsing for mid-century modern chairs over the weekend and we came across these upholstery and painted cane chairs from the 1960s. While the whole package caught our eye, it was the fabric that we liked the most.

We were trolling Flickr looking for floral inspiration when we came across a certain Flickr set that had our jaw dropping.

We know that organization month has come and gone, but we're sort of in a funk about our current shoe organizing situation. Or, uhm, lack thereof. After the jump, we'll show you what product we're using to try organize our shoes.

Name: Sam Grawe
Location: San Francisco
Size: 950 sq. ft.
Years lived in: Rented for two and a half years

You would assume that being the Editor-in-Chief of any magazine (and in Sam's case, that magazine is Dwell) would take up 90+ hours of your week, so imagine how surprised we were when we found out Sam also makes time to constantly peruse Craiglist (and we all know how much of a time sucker that can be) in order to furnish his pad and also jam out on a weekly basis to the sweet music he creates in his tastefully designed home studio.

>> See Photos Here

Look at them reach for the light (is that what they're doing?)! We woke-up this morning and saw our wall-mounted succulents (common names: donkey tail, string of pearls) in their new position and it put a smile on our face.

We use our Aalto ice cubes more than any of our other ones (hearts from IKEA!). Every time we look down to take a sip we get happy. We've noticed that stores have stopped restocking them (or perhaps they've been discontinued?) so we thought we'd let you know where to get them before it's too late.

We took this photo of this sculpture by David O. Johnson back in 2007, but looking at it again over the weekend (the photo, not the chair) we realized how happy it makes us.

When we were at Given this past weekend we couldn't get over how cool these vinyl bowls were.