Miya Ando Stanoff's minimalist paintings on steel panels are on display at Zinc Details' San Francisco location from January 3 through February 28, 2005.

Miya seeks to draw out the natural beauty and elegance in metal through use of subtle shades of silver and greys in her two-dimensional panels. She uses traditional metal finishing methods such as grinding, sanding, patinas, and the application of heat. She also works with metal-based pigments, solvents, and acids to create the varied textures and surfaces on her pieces. In her work, she explores the themes of solitude, nothingness, ethereal tranquility, and the transitory nature of things.

+ Zinc Details, 1905 Fillmore Street

J Schatz is located out in the sticks in New York State; however, their egg lamps (and various other items) are available here in San Francisco at Topher Delaney's excellent Seam Store on Illinois Street.

+ Seam Store
+ 600 Illinois St., San Francisco, CA 94107
+ tel 415.621.9899

Angela Adams new Couture Collection are surreal hand-tufted wool rug murals in bright colors. Pictured: "Rain," adorned with Swarovski crystals; $14,000.

Angela Adams textiles, handbags and accessories are available at a number of Bay Area retailers:

+ rugs at KCC Modern Living, DWR & Zinc Details

from the press release: "Driven by the escalating power of hardware and software advances in prototyping and manufacturing abilities, as well as new materials technologies, Blobjects & Beyond is a ground-breaking interdisciplinary look at the objects that fill our lives, chosen from a rich range of product, furniture, graphic, media and architectural work from across the globe. Inspired by the idea that blobjects (blobby objects) have become the defining products of the new millennium—the best examples of what is considered cool-looking and compellingly curvaceous – the exhibition showcases the talents of today's hottest designers." pictured: Andreu Osika's Candeloo, 2003.

+ Blobjects & Beyond: The New Fluidity in Design
+ San Jose Museum of Art - free admission every day
+ tel 415.294.2787

Ligne Roset has grown from Antoine Roset's 1860 Montagnieu walking-stick business to one of today's foremost contemporary furniture manufacturers, with factories in France and hundreds of exclusive stores throughout the world. A wide range of home furnishings (designed by Peter Maly, Didier Gomez, Pascal Mourgue and many others) - as well as textiles and all manner of accessories - fill out their large collection (I especially like their very sharp shelving units). Until recently, much of their line was available through local outlets like Limn in Sacramento and San Francisco, but in 2000 they opened their own shops throughout North America, including their SoMA showroom in San Francisco.