Despite most people’s complaints about San Francisco over the years — that it has no style, or too many tech people, or lately, that it feels too empty — there’s mostly just one thing that’s kept me from ever wanting to visit: Whenever I’m there, whatever I do, I’m always cold. Now that I live nearby in L.A. half the year, though, I’ve been trying to give it another chance, which led me to finally make the trip up in January for my first time attending the Fog Design+Art show. The design scene in SF seems to be picking up a bit these days, and we’ve been getting to know its talents — from interior designers like Studio Ahead and Michael Hilal to local furniture and object makers like Kate Greenberg, Caleb Ferris, and Ido Yoshimoto — so I figured it would be a good chance to both network with the locals and see what the out-of-towners were bringing to the fair itself.

I got my fix of Cali design mainly through a few offsite events. First, the Future Perfect and AGO Projects co-opened a show of sylvan-themed ceramics by L.A.’s Myungjin Kim. Then I paid a visit to a new interiors project by Nicole Hollis, and visited the new design gallery that curator Kelly Waters opened inside her own apartment, called And a Tangerine. Finally, I went to the opening for Works in Progress, a group show of local designers curated by Greenberg, Kelley Perumbeti, and Sahra Jajarmikhayat. At the Fog fair itself, my hits included AGO’s booth — where Fabien Cappello launched a new stained-glass lamp, a mosaic-tiled table and cabinet, and some seats upholstered in a custom Lichtenstein-esque fabric — and Demisch Danant, who brought some really great ’80s lamps and paintings. Salon 94 won on scenography, with a baby-blue curtain entrance matching its works by Chinese designer Duyi Han, and a group show of contemporary Korean moon jars on the side. Fumi also showed a beautiful new purple coffee table by Sam Orlando Miller but I didn’t get photos of it sadly. Check out the overview below, which since the fair itself is relatively petite, is nicely succinct!

Fabien Cappello for AGO Projects

Demisch Danant

Jean-Paul Barray, 1968Alain Carré, 1984 Alain Carré, 1980sEugène Leroy, 1980Pierre Paulin, 1984Michel Ducaroy, 1965Vassil Ivanoff, 1960s

Salon 94 Design

Furniture by Duyi HanMoon Jar by Jaiik LeeMoon Jar by Kwangho Lee Moon Jars by Soojin ChoiMoon Jar by Minjae Kim

Rosha Yaghmai for Commonwealth Council

Gallery Fumi

Max Lamb Jie Wu

Ben Sanders for Ochi Gallery

Claudia Wieser for Jessica Silverman Gallery

Nilufar Gallery

Gio Ponti, 1954Giulio Sterbini, 1969Gio Ponti, 1930s

Works in Progress

Works by NJ Roseti, Office of Tangible Space, Yvonne Mouser, and Prowl StudioWorks by NJ Roseti, Caleb Ferris, and Office of Tangible SpaceWorks by Studio Ahead and Kate Greenberg x Sahra JajarmikhayatWorks by Yvonne Mouser and NJ Roseti

Myungjin Kim for The Future Perfect x AGO Projects

And a Tangerine

Iko Iko Hunuko (table) and vintage trayIko Iko

Hyunuko