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Wonders in unlikely places.
DESIGN SPOT BY ZAHID SARDAR
DESIGNER WARREN PLATNER’S curvaceous
lounge chair and ottoman offered a startling and
fresh counterpoint to modernism’s rectilinear
forms in 1966. Fifty years later, thanks to new
technology, the iconic design (usually made
of nickel or bronze-plated steel wires that provided both structure and decoration) is for the
first time being celebrated with a new electroplated
version in 18-karat gold. About $5,779 for the chair and $2,650 for the
ottoman through Zinc Details and Arkitektura in San Francisco and 2
Modern in Mill Valley. zincdetails.com, arksf.com, 2modern.com
GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND, where sight-impaired people learn
to partner with trained guide dogs, has a new San Rafael campus
designed by Ted Arleo of Studio Bondy. Its 14 wood-sided short-term
residences, with zinc-clad roofs and deep overhangs fitted with glass
solar panels, are clustered around a central courtyard. guidedogs.com
DESIGNS TO HUDDLE WITH around the campfire: the
Cowboy Coffee Kettle for open-flame brewing, by Umbra
Shift, comes in sturdy black or white enameled steel with
beech wood handles and trivet. $90. umbrashift.com
Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa’s sensuous stainless-steel
Cha Tea Kettle for Alessi — with an infusion basket, sugar
and creamer bowls (not shown) and a handle of thermoplastic resin — brings the Zen ritual of tea making from
stovetop to table. $200 at Alessi, San Francisco. alessi.com
For campfire party seating, Blu Dot’s hexagonal Hecks
ottoman (which can be capped with a
powder-coated steel serving tray) comes
in eight colors of soft felted wool-blend
upholstery. $229 each; $69 for the tray, at
Blu Dot in San Francisco. bludot.com
GOLD RUSH,
COWBOY COFFEE
& WABI SABI
