Pieter VanTuyl

Oh, ye bench that costs as much as my first car--times 16... you are not only gorgeous, but are carved from sustainably-harvested walnut, too.

Pieter VanTuyl, of Grand Rapids Michigan, truly gets it. We love how he not only incorporates organic shapes, design eras past, and sustainability into his limited and precise collection, but that he also practices handcrafting on the majority of his pieces.

Shown above: the table bench. "Ornamented walnut backrest features carving filled by hand with molten, pigmented beeswax. Available in various sustainable species depending on supply.
55"w 21"d 16"h (seat) 30"h (back) List price $8,800"

p.s. Pieter, you have a cool name.
p.p.s. Make sure you check out the $430 individually-braided Shaker broom.

You Modern Chicken.

Now that the New York Times, two coworkers, an Oakland hipster acquaintance, and the server at last night's fine dining establishment have all come out as urban chicken keepers, we are here to extol its virtues. Here is where all of our universes collide. You can be an organic-egg-in-milkshake-eating vegetarian (seriously, would you eat any more than the eggs of your pet?), compliant with (most) city ordinances, who treats his/her poultry brood to the best in modern coop living (above). At about 18 months in age, your chicken friend will provide you with about one egg a day. And in defiance of the myth, chicken owners say your chicken will be pretty quiet about it all, too.

The sites are everywhere. Scratch the surface:
My Pet Chicken
The City Chicken
Ethicurean

Green Not a Panacea in a Down Market

And really, what is (besides a 4.5% 30-year fixed)? It's cool; it came to SF burdened with great expectations, and it was never able to live up to that original listing price. Still, if green doesn't carry a PRICE premium in a down market, could it carry at least a foot traffic premium? We'd like to (and truthfully, we do) think so.

First, the bad news: SF's first green home hit the resale market this month, with some unfortunate news.