Studio Choo DIY Holiday Project

More or Less: 21st-century fainting couches L3

Golden Gate Gardener: Uncurling peach leaves L2

Home&Garden San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Sunday, December 6, 2009 | Section L

HOT STUFF

The Bay Area’s interior designers are an artistic bunch, with talents that extend far beyond the realm of furnishings and fabrics — as demonstrated in a new exhibition at ArtHaus in San Francisco.

“The Fine Art of Designers’’ features works in a range of media through Dec. 23.

Intricate ink-on-vellum drawings by Kevin Hackett (Siol Studios); a mixed-media Warholesque “Glitterati Series,’’

by Samuel Fleming Lewis (INSTUDIO); photography

by Frank Van Duerm (Van Duerm Design Associates); computer-generated painting

by Chicago Art Institute alum Ken Leto (Ken Leto Designs); and impressionistic paintings

by Gioi Tran (Applegate Tran Interiors) are among those on display.

Gallerist James Bacchi says he discovered the cache of designer/artists while participating in last month’s “Icons of Design” event at Millenni-

Photos by Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle

Show bridges art and design

Dress up your holiday gifts with frosted succulent “bows” that can be replanted in dirt or sand after the presents are opened.

DECORATING

Happy DIY holiday

Whimsical projects are festive and rewarding

By Chantal Lamers SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Frank Van Duerm

Untitled chromeogenic print by Frank Van Duerm.

um Tower. “We knew some designers did art, but when we started doing the show, we began hearing about more.’’

The exhibition, he says, is all about bridging art and design.

In a salute to film noir, art and mid-century style, designer Lawanna Cathleen Endonino created a plush Collector’s Salon, with accessories from the San Francisco Design Center and works from ArtHaus’ own collection.

During the exhibition, Bacchi says, 10 percent of sales will go to Philanthropy

by Design, an organization that provides design services and recycled and new furnishings for nonprofits.

ArtHaus is at 411 Brannan St. (at Third) in San Francisco.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tuesday-Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday; (415) 977-0223. arthaus-sf.com.

— Deb Wandell; dwandell@sfchronicle.com.

If you find yourself losing your appetite for mass consumption during a typically commercial holiday season, you may be in need of a little DIY therapy.

We asked the duo behind South San Francisco floral design company Studio Choo to devise three festive projects that echo their signature for pulling together thoughtful, wild and fresh arrangements.

They say that the best thing about making your own holiday decor is that you get to start creative traditions with friends and family. And to suit your level of do-it-yourself confidence, these whimsical endeavors range from simple to difficult. (Items required for assembly can all be purchased at craft, hardware and floral shops.)

What’s more, some of the objects can either be consumed or planted once celebrations are over.

CITRUS GARLAND, GIFT TOPPERS AND A WINTER WONDERLAND TERRARIUM ON L4

Jill Pilotte (left) and Alethea Harampolis, owners of Studio Choo, work on a winter wonderland terrarium, pictured finished, above.

Creating organized wildness

By Chantal Lamers SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

For the two women behind the affectionately untamed arrangements at Studio Choo, the whole point of pulling together stems, flowers and foliage is to create something that looks natural and just a little bit wild.

When Alethea Harampolis, 36, and Jill Pilotte, 29, opened the studio in March, they were determined to part from the mainstream neat, tight and structured floral cluster. At Choo (named for Pilotte’s delicate sneeze), bunches reflect their fondness for using locally grown blooms, artisan and vintage vessels with a nod to the do-it-yourself movement.

Weekday mornings start at the San Francisco Flower Mart, where they spend about an hour shopping for orders as they simultaneously contemplate that day’s floral inspiration. “We shop specifically for each one and keep in mind who it’s coming from and who it’s going to,” Pilotte says.

For weekend orders, they opt for offerings at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. In the winter, they’ll pick from

Choo continues on L4

L4 | Sunday, December 6, 2009 | San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com

DECORATING

Happy DIY holiday

Beginner: citrus garland Inspired by colorful holiday paper chains, this inexpensive project is great for children and can be displayed along a table or a mantel.

SHOPPING LIST 1 A dozen or more thick-skinned pieces of fruit, uniform in size. Think lemons, limes and tangerines.

1 About a half yard of ribbon for every dozen pieces of fruit. We selected three to four types of ribbon in two sizes (½-inch and 3⁄8-inch) to wrap the fruit, plus about a half yard of green ribbon (¼-inch) to create the “leaves.”

1 Lei needle or embroidery needle.

1 Thin-gauge, coated wire or fishing twine.

1 Size 17 straight pins with green plastic

Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle

heads.

Jill Pilotte (left) and Alethea Harampolis are the owners of Studio Choo, a studio that opened in March.

1 Fabric or white glue.

1 Pinking or fabric shears.

Organized wildness often takes patience Choo from page L1

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Wash and dry fruit, then set each piece out, as it sits naturally.

Photos by Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle

2. Measure, cut and glue ribbon to each piece of fruit, alternating between horizontal and vertical patterns. (On the two end pieces of fruit, leave about a half inch of space unglued to loop an end ribbon through.) Let dry.

3. Once the ribbons are attached, thread the needle with the wire or twine. Push the needle through the middle of each piece of fruit from one end to the other. Make a knot at each end.

4. Cut 2-inch strips of green ribbon for the leaves; not every piece needs a leaf. Fold the ribbon, and pin to the top or to the side.

5. Cut two 12-inch pieces of ribbon, and loop them through the openings you left on each end. Tie in a knot.

peonies, anemones and ranunculus. They might choose to incorporate bay leaf branches, herbs, grapes or stemmed persimmons and pomegranates. “We like to use things as they come naturally, without too much manipulation,” Harampolis says.

Along with floral design experience from shops including San Francisco’s Rose and Radish (where they become fast friends in 2005), the two bring complementary backgrounds and histories to the mix. Pilotte has a degree in illustration and comes from a family of florists. Harampolis grew up in a family of ardent gardeners and has a rich knowledge of botany and horticulture.

They arrange the day’s picks side by side at their studio, a

converted 1920s wood garage with exposed rustic beams, in the Sunnyside neighborhood of South San Francisco. Containers have either been plucked from thrift stores or purchased from artists, including slender white trophy vases and rustic-looking birch bark tubes. Harampolis makes the hand-knitted sleeves that wrap one selection of vessels.

The result might be whimsical and carefree, but pulling off organized wildness takes patience. Adds Harampolis, “It takes a little bit of time for us to do each arrangement, even though they look straight from the garden.”

Studio Choo, (415) 624-5981. studiochoo.com.

E-mail comments to Chantal Lamers at home@sfchronicle.com.

Advanced: winter wonderland terrarium Scout your neighborhood or local park for fallen branches that can be incorporated into this festive terrarium. Place the terrarium in indirect sunlight and spot water around trees. For a kitschy twist, add figurines such as birds, reindeer or snowmen. (If you want to replant the trees outside later, sprinkle them with hobby snow rather than sticky canned snow.)

SHOPPING LIST: 1 Mini cypress trees in varying heights, 2 to 3 inches, available at gardening centers.

1 Sheet moss, available at craft stores.

1 Holiday snow in a can or hobby snow.

1 Large cylindrical vase.

1 Decorative gravel.

1 Planting charcoal.

1 Slightly moist potting soil.

1 Gardening shears.

1 Thin branches, sticks from trees to make a tiny woodpile.

1 Twine.

INSTRUCTIONS

Intermediate: frosted succulent gift topper Once the gift is unwrapped, the recipient can rinse off the hobby snow, sugar or salt and replant the succulent in dirt or sand. (Even individual leaves can be replanted.) Slice it from its wood or cork base, and it will reroot, even if it’s a tad wilted.

SHOPPING LIST: 1 Floral snips or small craft scissors.

1 Small or miniature succulents, depending on the size of the present.

1 Drill.

1 Wood slices or cork coasters.

1 Clear floral glue.

1 Small paintbrush.

1 One egg white in a small bowl.

1 Hobby snow, superfine sugar or superfine salt.

1 Double-sided tape.

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Using your hands and floral snips, remove dirt and roots from the succulent, leaving a small stem. Rinse and let dry.

2. Drill a small hole through the wood that the stem of the succulent will fit into.

3. Use the floral glue to attach the succulent to wood or cork pieces, and let dry.

4. Use the paintbrush to apply a thin layer of egg white to the succulent. (Egg white allows the succulent to be rinsed and replanted.)

5. Holding onto the wood base, sprinkle on a fine dusting of snow, sugar or salt.

Let dry.

6. Use double-sided tape to attach the topper to gift.

7. Extra credit: Attach a note with instructions for replanting.

1. Start by lightly spraying the mini cypress trees and about one-third of the moss with holiday snow. Let dry for 30 minutes.

2. In the meantime, line the sides of the container with some sheet moss.

3. To allow for drainage, place a ¾-inch layer of gravel at the bottom of the vase, followed by a thin layer of planting charcoal and a few handfuls of dirt.

4. Remove trees from containers; loosen up the roots.

5. Plant the trees. Surround each with additional dirt, pressing firmly as you go to create a hilly landscape.

6. Break snowy moss apart, and place over hills. Cut branches to look like dormant trees and a small stump.

Place among planted cypress.

7. To create mini wood bundles, cut about a half dozen inch-long pieces of wood and tie with twine.