I've been on a search for an appealing, space-saving dish drainer for my small apartment in San Francisco (when you live in a tiny space, every detail counts). I saw just what I was looking for recently when I came across this Scandinavian kitchen photographed by Stuart McIntryre. While this wooden dish drainer is vintage, Williams-Sonoma has a stand-in (made in France of beech wood) that I'm considering.

Above: This simple dish rack adds a sculptural note to the countertop.

Above two photos by Stuart McIntyre.

Above: This beech-wood Dish Rack is hand-assembled in France and can accommodate up to 20 dishes; $79.95 from Williams-Sonoma.

Designed in 1991, the Crux blanket by Swedish artist Pia Wallen is a coveted design classic. Produced by a small family company in Sweden, the wool blanket is available in limited quantities, with new colors introduced yearly; it's hard to come by (Skandium in the UK sells out before the blankets hit the floor) and high-priced (nearly $1,000). So we were interested to spot a cotton flannel version at Mjolk in Canada for a quarter of the cost.

Above: The Crux Blanket is available from Skandium in the UK for £583; the Crux Blanket is also available from the Scandinavian Design Center for 5,500 krona.

Above: Made from ecological Peruvian cotton, the Cross Blanket by Pia Wallen is available in black, orange, and gray; CA $245 at Mjolk.

Count down the days until Christmas with this trio of advent calendars, which can be used year-after-year and customized according to whim.

Above: Farmhouse Advent Calendar Garland Kit in Kraft Paper with Red Baker's Twine from OhHelloMagpie; $25 on Etsy.

Above: We like the idea of choosing your own sweets or trinkets, and then saving the pouches for next year. 24 Advent Calendar Pouches made by Nuvonova (choose your own font and ribbon); $112 on Etsy.

Above: Another reusable option is the 10-foot-long Garland Advent Calendar from Danish toy maker Maileg, with stockings, envelopes, and little bags, all made of cotton; $98 at My Sweet Muffin.

Calling all California-based readers and shoppers: This December, we're reprising our Remodelista Holiday Market in Marin and adding a new one in Los Angeles. Each will feature a brilliant array of goods from some of our favorite Californian creators and small local businesses. While the emphasis is on goods for the home, there will be plenty of other offerings, including fabulous food, clothing, sublime ceramics, jewelry, foraged flora, and more. Admission is free; we look forward to seeing you there.

• Saturday, December 3rd: 10am to 4pm at the Marin County Mart. For more details, see Remodelista Holiday Market in Marin.
• Saturday, December 10th: 10am to 4pm at BIg Daddy's Antiques near Culver City. For more details, see Remodelista Holiday Market in Los Angeles.

Thank you to our venue hosts Marin Country Mart and Big Daddy's Antiques.

When San Francisco Bay Area designer Kriste Michelini, a member of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory, overhauled her New England–style home in Northern California, her goal was to create a sense of openness and blend in modern elements within the house's traditional context. With the help of architectural designer Esther Suzuki Arnold, she updated a layout of small rooms and narrow hallways, creating a spacious floor plan that gracefully accommodates modern family living. Armed with a spare palette of colors and finishes, she tied the tried-and-true together with the modern in a warm and welcoming fashion.

Photography Lisa Duncan and Wayne Miller.

Above: Michelini integrates a modern fireplace into a wall with traditional molding, adding a cantilevered shelf that displays artwork and holds firewood.

Above: In Michelini's study, the curved lines of the midcentury Cherner chairs and a Saarinen table provide a welcome contrast to the architectural detailing of the room.

Above: Dark wood floors and open shelving add warmth to the predominantly white background.

Above: The kitchen cupboards are traditional in design, but painted white for a contemporary feel.

Above: Minimizing the color palette lends visual consistency to the large, flowing spaces.

Above: Michelini removed existing walls to create light, spacious rooms.

Above: The dark wood floor continues into the bathroom to emphasize the continuity of the space.

Venice, CA-based Faye McAuliffe of You Are the River "grew up in a minimalist household full of original art, which shaped my design aesthetic," she says. After studying fine arts and fashion design and then working as a wardrobe stylist, McAuliffe segued into interior design. "I am constantly redesigning my own space and have been doing so for as long as I can remember. Friends and coworkers started asking me for advice on what they could do with their own rooms, homes, offices, and gardens. I love working with them—and their artifacts—and helping them to discover their own personal style."

For this project, McAuliffe designed the interiors for a couple in the entertainment business who were burned out after a renovation that "brought the house up to date but left them exhausted and unable to get to the the next step," she says. "They wanted a relaxing space to come home to after a long day. I implemented a subtle color scheme, focusing mainly of textures and finishes, so as not to compete with the original details of the house." See more at Faye McAuliffe Design.

Photos by Pascal Shirley.

Above: "The house was built in 1978 by architect Frederick Fisher, while he was working under Frank Gehry," McAuliffe says. "The homeowners kept many of the original details, including industrial materials like chain link fence, as well as the towering exposed ceilings, which are meant to reference the underside of a boat."

Above: A Lotus Floor Lamp by George Nelson.

Above: "When you're standing in the living room, you can see almost every other room in the house, so it was important to make the space feel cohesive," McAuliffe says.

Above: The Cross Extension Table, by UK designer Matthew Hilton, anchors the dining space.

Above: A set of Marko dining chairs surrounds the dining table.

Above: A wall-mounted Cord Lamp by LA designer Brendan Ravenhill provides illumination.

Above: A pair of farmhouse-style tables anchors the workspace.

Above: A detail shot of the workspace.

Above: A floating sideboard provides storage opportunities.

Above: The exposed-beam ceiling adds a note of rusticity to the minimalist bedroom.

Above: McAuliffe used a simple palette of white linens with contrasting black throw pillows in the bedroom.

New from Ferm Living; the Candleholder String, ideal for the non-traditional holiday table (the cheery mix of colors is Christmasy without being cliché).

Above: The Candleholder String is €100 directly from Ferm Living.

On a recent visit to Pot & Pantry's new location in the Mission District of San Francisco, I was taken with owner Donna Suh Wageman's collection of new and mildly used kitchenware: "It's the concept of a vintage store applied to kitchenware," she says. Pot & Pantry offers everything from kitchen linens and local food products (INNA jam and Sightglass Coffee) to Le Creuset and Calphalon cookware. With a custom staircase and shelving by Richard Hubbard of Hubbardfoss, the store feels as though you've stepped into a small Scandinavian kitchen.

Photos by Alexa Hotz for Remodelista.

Above: Pot & Pantry's new location on Guerrero at 18th Street. Photo by Lydia Chavez for Mission Local.

Above: Canister Trio from Wade in the UK ($50) and Mortar & Pestle set ($28).

Above: Framed antique pewter and copper measuring spoons, $96 per set.

Above: Wooden rolling pins in a wooden crate, with copper teaspoons and other kitchen utensils.

Above: Enamel colanders are $16 each and Common Good Dish Soap (in unscented or bergamot) is $5.

Above: The stovetop-safe Japanese Slim Pot is $65; the wood-handled kettle ($59) is a favorite of Wageman's: "It reminds me of an oil can," she says.

Above: An array of textiles for the kitchen: vintage aprons are $14, Wolfum Coaster Sets are $35, and Printed Dishtowels are $11 each.

Based in Nantes, in Brittany, France, Andrée Jardin has been making bespoke brooms for more than 80 years. "Our brooms are like Proust's madeleines," they say, "evocative of household memories." To see the full line and for ordering information, go to Andrée Jardin.

Above: Mr and Mrs Clynk, a Nantes-based design duo, collaborated with Andree Jardin on a line of brooms and brushes, available in orange or blue; to see the line, go to Mr and Mrs Clynk.

Above: The handcrafted 43 cm Traditional Soie Noire Brush made of varnished French beech and horsehair is €43 directly from Andree Jardin.

Above: The Mr and Mrs Clynk brooms are available in a dust brush as well.

Above: More views of the Andree Jardin brooms for Mr and Mrs Clynk.

For the gadget lover in your life: holiday gifts that will help them up their style quotient.

Above: Kenton Sorensen's iPhone Leather Sleeve protects both third- and fourth-generation iPhones. The leather is tanned with a six-week-long bath in oak bark, then hand-cut and hand-sewn in Wisconsin; $80. Also available at Mjolk.

Above: The Felt Laptop Cover protects the MacBook Air perfectly, enveloping them in Swedish felt made out of recycled plastic bottles. The enclosure features a brass button and leather tie. It's available in dark brown, light and dark gray for €42 from P.A.P.

Above: The Walnut Model One Radio from Tivoli Audio is an AM/FM radio with an iPod adapter; $150 at OK.

Above: Transform an iPad into a hardback book with the Dodocase for iPad2, shown here in charcoal black Moroccan cloth. The case is handcrafted in San Francisco using traditional bookbinding techniques; $59.95 at Amazon.

When Ronnie and Vidal Sassoon (he's the British-born pioneer of the architectural haircut, she's a student of midcentury design) moved from Beverly Hills to a Richard Neutra-designed modernist pavilion located off Mullholland Drive, "perched atop the largest boulder east of the 405," as Ronnie says, they were seeking a quieter life. Built in 1959 for the Singleton family, the house had fallen into disrepair and required a complete overhaul, which was orchestrated by LA–based designer Tim Campbell (a member of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory) and contractor Scott Werker.

I was lucky enough to take a tour of the house not long ago and speak with Ronnie about the historical preservation process and how she balanced her aesthetic with the formidable history of the house.

RM: How did Neutra approach a design project?
RS: Neutra was greatly influenced by nature, and if you look at his work, most of his aesthetic decisions are guided by the surrounding landscape. He started as a landscape architect in Vienna before he moved to Los Angeles to work with Rudolf Schindler.

RM: What were the design challenges when you purchased the house?
RS: Since it had been a rental property for years, the interior was quite neglected. The flat roof was filled with water that could not drain properly because of all the leaves and debris that had been allowed to collect in the gutters. The original aggregate around the swimming pool had been replaced with buff bricks, and the Japanese reflecting pool had been badly patched, requiring extensive attention.

RM: Why did you choose to use midcentury European furniture in an American midcentury home?
RS: I felt that the American approach to furnishing midcentury architecture was too predictable and ubiquitous, so I turned to pieces by European designers who were focused on embracing a simple life surrounded by nature.

RM: Who are your favorite furniture designers?
RS: I've been collecting Prouvé, Perriand (her tabouret stools can be seen in the kitchen area above), Ponti, and Mollino for quite some time.

RM: How would you define your aesthetic?
RS: I'm attracted to minimalist designs—simple shapes without a lot of clutter or detail. Biomorphic shapes please me the most as they come directly from nature.

RM: Who were the Singletons?
RS: They were pioneers of a new way of California living, led by one of the fathers of American modernism. They were a young couple starting a family, and Neutra designed the house accordingly.

RM: How do you define a home?
RS: I believe a home is a space where you feel most comfortable, surrounded by the things and people you love.

Photography by Andrew Bush.

Gabriel Abraham of Atelier de Troupe has added a new line to his repertoire of lighting, inspired by fixtures found aboard old luxury yachts. Made by hand in Los Angeles, the fixtures will be on offer at the Remodelista Holiday Market on Saturday, December 10.

Above: The A de T Navire Brass Scone Jib Lamp is made of brass and powder-coated steel; $525 from Atelier de Troupe.

Above: The A de T Navire Table Lamp in black and brass features an 8-inch-long twisted fabric cord and is $625 from Atelier de Troupe.

Above: The A de T Navire Floor Lamp in black and brass is available directly from Atelier de Troupe.

For those who spend their time composing inspiring spaces and for those who appreciate them.

N.B.: To make sure we've got everyone on your list covered, we're running a new gift guide every weekday from now until Christmas. You can see all of our gift guides at Remodelista Daily: Holiday Gifts.

Above: For appreciators of Brutalism: the Concrete Shaving Kit; $98 at Mjolk.

Above: Vintage plumb-bobs, used to keep walls level, can be found on eBay; a Vintage Brass Plumb Bob is $44.95 at Miliki's Shed.

Above: The Ruler Brush, designed by Veronika Becker for USE Handwerk in Berlin, has natural boar-hair bristles to brush away eraser or graphite dust; $15 at Canoe.

Above: Architects have embraced the iPad as a tool for showing photographs of their built work; a Leather iPad Sleeve would be a perfect complement. It's $90 at White Sycamore (which also makes an Architect's Plan Carrier for toting plans to job sites.)

We've been admiring the work of Vancouver-based designer Lukas Peet for a while now; on our wish list: his Maple Hanging Clock. The simple design has a solid maple face, carbon-fiber hands, and a rope hanger. The hour markings are plated in 24k gold (Peet is the son of a goldsmith), adding a hint of glamour. The clock is currently in limited production; contact Lukas Peet for further information and pricing.

Shane Brown, the vintage and antiques impresario behind Big Daddy's Antiques, got his start in LA more than twenty years ago selling garden goods. Since then, Big Daddy's has become the go-to source for prop stylists, set designers, and interior designers looking for one-off, not-seen-everywhere pieces, which Brown sources on his visits to US, European, and Asian markets. A few weeks ago, Brown relocated his LA outpost (he has a showroom in SF as well) to a 25,000-square-foot former film sound stage located just off La Cienega Boulevard, near Culver City. In both his LA and SF locations, Brown creates compelling in-store vignettes, prompting people to see objects in a new way; he also creates custom light fixtures using unexpected vintage pieces (copper baking pans, for instance) and operates an on-site workshop for custom-built orders and for repairing and refining vintage pieces. For more information, go to Big Daddy's Antiques.

N.B.: Big Daddy's Antiques will be hosting the Remodelista Holiday Market this Saturday, December 10th.

Above: Big Daddy's warehouse is located at 3334 S. La Cienega Place in Los Angeles.

Above: A black vintage drafting table sits in front of weathered urns and a custom mirror.

Above: Antique industrial carts, garden planters, and architectural elements.

Above: Custom lighting and bird cages are among the vintage architectural finds.

Above: An entire wall created of stacked wooden crates contains various antique objects.

Above: Vintage picture frames and mirrors line a wall.

Above: Antique fan covers are displayed against the side wall.

LA-based Alexandra Loew of From the Desk of Lola is known for her edgy, intellectually rigorous interiors featuring a fearless use of color, shape, and form ("fantasy is a critical dimension of contemporary life and culture," she says). Loew's client for this renovated bungalow in Santa Monica, a mother with two young girls, "wanted lots of color, and she wanted her children—ages six and eight at the time—to participate in the design," Loew says. "The house, which had been renovated by Hope Alexander, reminded me of a Frank Gehry experiment; the materials were unfussy, and the ceiling featured several folded planes. My theme was to inject triangles everywhere; to percolate them down to the ground plane, the drapery, the furniture choices."

Photography by Justin Bernhaut.

Above: A Noguchi lantern hangs about the dining table, which is flanked by Breuer chairs ("my client, who is from a family of artists and art dealers, grew up with these chairs," Loew says).

Above: In the open-plan living area, Loew painted the door frame bright green and covered the built-in seating unit in five different shades of lavender (in both velvet and linen) with contrasting welting. The Feltri chair, made entirely of thick wool felt, is by Gaetano Pesce, and the carpet is from Kea Carpets and Kilims in Brooklyn.

Above: A triangular curtain references the house's many folded angles.

Above: "In the bedroom, we did an ironic take on an Upper East Mario Buatta–style boudoir," Loew says. The plaid bedding is from Matteo.

Above: The custom bedside table features a top made of striata marble.

Above: The plywood in the children's rooms is glazed pink; for the window shade, Loew used Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa fabric trimmed with pom poms.

Above: The curtain valance picks up the triangle theme; the client's daughters chose the Saul Steinberg for Schumacher fabric covering the alcove bed.

Above: In the guest bedroom, Loew commissioned a chevron mural from Dorian La Padura "as a way of bringing folded planes into the space," she says. The balloon curtains are made of Tyvek fabric ("it's about $3 a yard, and it repels dirt and dust," she says). The hand-felted Eames wire chair by Tanya Aguiniga is from Reform Gallery. Both the rug and the bedspread are from Dosa.

Above: In the study, Loew covered the walls and ceiling with silver Claudia wallpaper from Swedish company Sandberg's Kaspar & Saga line; the Antibodi chair is by Patricia Urquiola. On the ledge, the homeowner mingles a work by Raymond Pettibon with drawings by her children.

My friend Brian, who is generally frugal, has a rule: "I allow myself to buy whatever I want if it's a form of self-powered transportation," he says (in addition to a bicycle, he also has a kayak and a paddleboard). We think Brian would approve of these accessories for the dedicated cyclist.

N.B.: To make sure we've got everyone on your list covered, we're running a new gift guide every weekday from now until Christmas. You can see all of our gift guides at Remodelista Daily: Holiday Gifts.

Above: The Bike Shelf by San Francisco-based Chris Brigham is available in solid ash and walnut and starts at $299 (custom sizing available).

Above: The Bicycle Bell from Danish Sögreni comes in zinc, copper, and brass; $65 at Mjölk.

Above: From the Peterboro Basket Company, the Woven Hardwood Bicycle Basket is handmade from Appalachian white ash and comes in a natural, cherry, and honey finish; $42 at Public Bikes. (Remodelista readers can receive 20 percent off bike gear from Public Bikes. Simply type in the promotional code "REMODELISTA" at check-out. Offer is limited to non-sale items and runs through Dec. 15.)

Above: Limited Edition LMNH Christmas Ornaments shaped like bike parts; £15 from Look Mum No Hands.

Above: For the wine country picnicker: the Bicycle Wine Rack by Oopsmark in Montréal is made from vegetable-tanned leather; CAD $29 via Etsy.

Our friend Justine at Design Skool gave us her picks for holiday ornaments; we love their classic shapes and handcrafted qualities—and the fact that there are alternatives to what we see in the stores all around us.

Above: A selection of Delicate Wooden Snowflake Christmas Tree Ornaments from Quite Alright Designs; $12.50 each at her Etsy store.

Above: Snug Stars Christmas Card includes three wooden ornaments that are actually the asterisks from three fonts—Arial, Times New Roman, and Verdana—packaged together in a Christmas card; $17.90 at Snug Studio's Etsy shop.

Above: The Reclaimed-Art Garland Kit features circles cut from leftover letterpress prints and enough jute twine to make three 6-foot garlands; $15 at Branch Home.

Above: Blitzen Ornament from Royal Buffet, cut from a page of a vintage French magazine and embellished with gold glitter; $7 via Etsy.

Spotted at Alder & Co.: a special holiday version of the popular cotton Bowl Over covers, ideal for keeping leftovers covered (previously covered in Kitchen: Refrigerator Lids from Bowl-Overs). The Christmas Bowl Overs are $20 for a set of six (includes two each in small, medium, and large sizes).

You wouldn't think that an old concrete-block Shakey's Pizza with a big asphalt parking lot could suddenly be a cool handcrafted kind of hangout, but LA architect Barbara Bestor was able to pull off that hat trick for Pitfire Pizza. For the Culver City location, she stripped down the building to its shell and reoriented the structure toward the parking lot, so the space now opens through oversized sliding doors onto a garden of grasses, olive trees, and herbs. "We accepted the reality of parking in LA and repurposed this generic freestanding box to create a new type of building," says Bestor. The industrial bones and plywood booths underscore the artisanal nature of wood-fired pizza, while the custom furniture and sculptural pizza oven speak to the attention to detail of the whole undertaking.

Photography by Ray Katchatorian.

Above: Bestor was inspired by archiitect Lina Bo Bardi's work in São Paulo when she designed the pizza oven with two tiers of red steel. The yellow powder-coated steel bar stools are a custom design by the firm.

Above: The whole space, including the kitchen, is one big room; the open layout has proved to be very popular with parents, who are able to keep a visual bead on their children.

Above: Vintage chairs sit across from plywood booths outfitted with silver vinyl cushions. The tabletops are made of end-grain blocks of Douglas fir, a popular choice for industrial flooring.

Above: The simple lighting fixtures are Muuto's E27 Pendant Lights, available at DWR.

Above: The restaurant now opens to a garden, with the parking lot beyond.

Above: Bestor is known for her love of strong graphics; on the exterior, she plays up the building's pattern of concrete blocks. "A bold graphic move sets the atmosphere and allows you to be fairly minimalist with the rest of it," she says.