GARRICK RAMIREZ
The Mission’s eye-catching design destinations
After discovering felted lamb’s wool rugs, a handmade nomadic tradition that predates weaving, Melina and Dodd Raissnia established a workshop to give the lost craft a stylish reboot. Their dense, tactile rugs, dyed in warm earth tones, resemble large modernist paintings. Remnants get a second life in the form of choobs, felt poufs named after the Farsi word for “log.” The shop owners plan to follow up their recent Heath collaboration with a series featuring local designer Alison Damonte and architecture-design firm Marmol Radziner. 2235 Mission St.,
A Renovated Tiny Victorian with 21st-Century Interiors
JOANNE FURIO
In San Francisco, the tug between new (slick, contemporary condos) and old (wood Victorians) plays out in Dogpatch, a historic district that houses a large collection of turn-of-the-20th-century homes that survived the 1906 earthquake. One of those Victorians is an 1890 cottage that caught fire in 2008, destroying everything but the shell. That allowed a young couple who’d been searching for a single-family home to have the best of both worlds: a Victorian with 21st-century interiors.
7x7 Magazine
MIKAELA LUKE
Felt ottomans, called choobs, are among many of the felt products in Peace Industry and Heath Ceramics' recent collection.(Courtesy of Peace Industry)
The Softer Side of Heath
There's nothing like felt to make a living room feel warm and fuzzy. For this snuggly comfort vibe, SF rug-maker Peace Industry has teamed up with Heath Ceramics to bring forward a collection of felt baskets, ottomans, and rugs all designed in SF and handmade in the ancient tradition of Iranian felt rug-making.
Craftsmanship & Geopolitics BY REGINA CONNELL There’s been a buzz in the world of craft and artisanship of late, and I’m not talking about a new artisanal brew, air-dried hachiko persimmons or hand-turned foraged wood beard combs. No: I’m talking about Cuba and Iran. Many friends are buzzing about going to both countries to see what’s what in the world of craft in these long-isolated countries (at least from the US); to discover and bring back new and exotic treats and processes; and to tell all those good stories. (More on all those efforts later.) But for some people, this isn’t about discovery. It’s about getting back to their roots. And that’s the case with Dodd and Melina Raissnia’s Peace...