7x7 editors pick their favorites from the latest shops, goods, and happenings in the Bay Area and beyond.
Forest Den
Autodesk artist in residence Dustin Feider has elevated, so to speak, the micro-home craze. With his O2 Treehouse kits, you can build a 64-square-foot geodesic sphere of cedar and steel, designed for tree-canopy living, in just one day.
View Finder
Across from the Chinatown gates, Leica has opened its first SF camera shop, a 5,000-square-foot space with historical exposed brick walls, double-height ceilings and, of course, plenty of natural light. Stop in to play with an iconic Range Finder, but hang around for a Leica Akademie photographic workshop.
Top Gear
To bring the cyber office into the physical realm, Evernote has collaborated with Oakland designer Eric Pfeiffer on a suite of midcentury-inspired desk accessories, such as this soft-touch plastic Slotted Cup.
Open Forum
Better working through design: Herman Miller’s Public Office Landscape, a new eco-friendly (FSC-certified wood veneers) furniture system by Fuseproject’s Yves Béhar, features storage, desks, and seating that can be arranged for optimum collaboration. Fear not, lone wolves—dividers for privacy are also in the mix.
Adult Swim
As the cold weather cometh, we turn to the inventory of supremely flattering swimwear and lingerie by Paris-based Eres, now open in Hayes Valley, to help us generate heat.
Lovely Hues
Williams-Sonoma hardware brand, Rejuvenation, has partnered with zero-VOC paint pioneer Colorhouse on the Mercantile Color Collection, a toxin-free palette of soft, earthy hues named after bulk items found in general stores of yore: chalk, seed, tea, denim, spice, and flint.
Rustic Rigging
Glampers can appoint their canvas tents by shopping at Acacia, a new Mission boutique stocking such rustic refinements as David Rasmussen wooden trays, cast-iron Sarpaneva pots, and boldly printed handwoven dhurries from Brooklyn-based Aelfie.
Photo Magic
On Saturday, November 1, the annual benefit auction for SF Camerawork, the nonprofit Mid-Market gallery for emerging photographers, will hustle more than 100 works by such celebrated artists as William Wegman and Debra Bloomfield (right) in the name of educational programming. Nov. 1; San Francisco Camera Work.
Shape Shifters
Brooklyn artist Reed Anderson will hang his latest paper collages—blossoming, intricate designs embellished with acrylic paint—in a solo exhibition titled “House of Yes” at Gallery 16in SoMa. Oct. 24-Jan. 17, 2015; Gallery 16.
Mass Exodus
Starting this month, San Diego artist and third-generation Japanese American Wendy Maruyama will show “Executive Order 9066.” The three-part exhibit explores the widespread detention of Japanese Americans during WWII. Oct. 4-Jan. 4, 2015; Museum of Craft and Design.
Free Speech
Ironically, Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonist Art Spiegelman’s Wordless!, a multimedia narration of the 20th century’s wordless novels set to a Phillip Johnston–composed soundtrack of live jazz, is part of the new Cal cultural series Berkeley Talks. Oct. 10; UC Berkeley Zellerbach Hall.
Word of the Month: Gorgeousie
noun, /gôrZHwä’zē/
A social order dominated by the beautiful people, also sometimes classified as "out of your league.” Common to members of this caste: magazine cover-worthy faces, confident posture, air of nobility, dabble in artificial preservatives. See also: Paltrow, Gwyneth.
This article was published in 7x7's October 2014 issue. Click here to subscribe.
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