Real Not Real

I was in Hong Kong recently. Well, not so recently now. But recently enough to see Detour, a design consortium/conference that had some legs, namely some red lacquer bamboo scaffolding that was erected over the show’s courtyard in the old police building.

The show was good… a mix of installation and exhibition and interaction, it embodied what design is seeking now. I wouldn’t put this show on the mind-blowing level… I can’t really say there was much new other than that scaffolding, but it was worth an hour walking around, seeing what had been made. I have to say, the site/exhibit/event design surpassed what the contributors made, but it was nice to see thought going into actual user experience beyond the website or gadget or printed page or sculpture. Hooray for community, for thinking about the impact of space, of events, of time and proximity.

If you’re interested, some of my flickr pics are here and some information about the show is here.

Rose and Radish on San Francisco’s Embarcadero is closing after the holidays. They’ll be around from January 5 until the end, and merchandise will be discounted 20-60% (to start with). This makes me sad. The new space is lovely, their merchandise has always been incredibly thoughtful (if pricey), and the store has been a keen memory for me in SF. It was one of the first little shops I discovered walking around by myself after I moved to California, and I’ll miss it.

***UPDATE FROM ROSE AND RADISH ON 1/7/10

Items have been flying out of the store since we started our sale and we just marked everything down an extra 10% today. On Tuesday we will be marking things down by 10% again, then another 10% on Thursday the 14th. The week of the 19th we will selling all of our fixtures. If you are interested in stainless steel tables, computers, cabinets, warehouse shipping supplies, etc., stop by the gallery to see what we have.

We will also be taking down the webstore in the next day or two, so if you are not in the bay area and have been planning on ordering, please do so soon.

Last week I was in Hong Kong for a short break, and I am so glad I was able to stop by After School. A small cafe in Causeway Bay, After School used to be a work space for designers and a cafe for the public, but the work space has now moved out. The cafe remains as a multi-use space for events, and a side room sells domus and artit magazines.

The space is lovely. School-style desks (with tilt tops) make the tables, paired with matching ladder back chairs. The menus are printed on blue books (exam-style), there’s a piano by the entry, and the vibe is laid back, open and airy. I adore creative spaces that serve a combination of uses, and After School accomplishes this beautifully, without feeling over-designed.

After School // 2F 17 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Wednesday-Sunday: 4pm – 1am

The After School photostream on Flickr
Pokit/After School website

Rose and Radish has reopened its doors on The Embarcadero in SF, and the new space is lovely. After closing their Gough St location last fall due to flooding, they’ve reemerged in a space that is (refreshingly) less designed. Wooden divider walls and pull-out drawers with tabletop goods give this space an ad hoc feeling, making the contrast with the refined, fragile merchandise a balanced show.

Rose and Radish, open T-F 11-7, Sat 9-7. Pier 3, The Embarcadero.

Park(ing) Day is happening today across the US (LOVE this). Here in SF, IDEO has created a workspace on the Embarcadero to take in some (productive) sun time.

The benefits of Web 2.0 and the detritus of globalization have spurred companies to be more authentic and transparent with consumers. This is no secret, but it’s a concept that presents unique challenges to large consumer-facing businesses, and it sits in direct opposition to economies of scale. As the world has become more designed (for better or worse), the need for individuality and localization has become more dire. This yearning for individuality has been addressed by everything from the local food movement to the rise of Twitter to handwritten headlines on magazines’ covers (see Domino, NYLON and Rachael Ray). Consumers crave forums for feedback and a feeling of involvement and conversation. And corporations (the smart ones) know the basics of consumer behavior: the greater customer involvement, the more loyal a customer becomes. It doesn’t hurt that, in the end, customer care is a benevolent cause.

Outside Starbucks' new 15th Ave Coffee & Tea in Seattle's Capitol Hill

But enough theorizing. I’m wrapping up the summer with a quick trip to Seattle–a new place for me. Granted, I live in San Francisco, a city with a similar eco-friendly, power-to-the-people vibe. But I’ve been impressed with Seattle’s various neighborhoods, each with a well-designed but unpretentious feel. This city is a nice one.

After a trip to the obligatory Pike Place open-air market, a friend and I headed to Capitol Hill to check out one very earnest attempt at corporate authenticity: Starbuck’s new stealth store, 15th Ave Coffee & Tea. Say what you will about how this store has ripped-off the design of other local coffee shops (of which I’m not familiar since I don’t live here), but I thought the shop did a decent job of being true to their mission of serving individual cups of coffee and tea.

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