Bay Area Made is a community of values-driven makers from around the Bay dedicated to virtues such as craft, quality, good design, innovation, and sustainability. In addition to building community amongst local makers, we’re dedicated to educating and inspiring consumers to support local companies who create quality products that are better for the user, the community, and the planet. From the clothes we wear to the food we eat, to the products we use daily, WHAT WE MAKE locally and HOW WE MAKE IT really does matter.
One of the ways we showcase our community is through our annual exhibition during SF Design Week. This year our exhibition was hosted by Gantri lighting in their beautiful San Francisco SOMA studio. “Bay Area Made: Product Design Stories” featured products from 37 Bay Area Made members, and the stories behind them. The products represented standard, custom, and customized offerings from established and up-and-coming brands spanning home & garden, clothing & accessories, food & beverage, and body & bath, providing a behind the scenes glimpse into who creates the products, and how and why they are made.
In this series we’re featuring select exhibitors and their stories. Here is the second installment.
Check out Part 1 of Product Design Stories.
Lynne Meade Ceramics
Pierced Collection. White Stoneware, Glass, Stone. 2023
Each piece in this collection is wheel thrown and hand pierced. No molds or templates are used.
I map out the patterns and create small holes in the clay right after I throw the piece. Once the clay is completely dry and rigid, I go back and painstakingly enlarge each hole trying to remove as much clay as the form will permit. As this process progresses the once solid form becomes almost transparent. There is something fascinating and endlessly challenging about seeing how much clay I can remove without destroying the piece. These pieces look fragile, but the material is stronger than it seems. For me the contrast between strength and fragility, light and shadow, and positive and negative space is compelling.
– Lynne Meade, Artist/Designer
XYZ Studio
XYZ Studio Shelf. Hardwood Plywood, Solid Maple, Solid Walnut, Steel Fasteners. 2022
Synthetic materials, disposable products, and questionable design are everywhere.
In the 60s and 70s, idealists like designer Enzo Mari and the Arte povera artists offered an alternative path using an authentic visual language, direct use of natural materials, and a heightened sense of the beauty and importance of everyday life. Inspired by this brief period in cultural history, XYZ Studio combines natural materials and craft-based woodworking techniques to create designs that are radical in their flexibility and durability.
The XYZ Studio Shelf is assembled from reusable hardwood components that are milled locally and finished by hand in Alameda. The system can easily be reconfigured to explore design alternatives or adapt to new spaces, making it ideal for fluid contexts such as homes with children or artists’ studios. By replacing single-use products with a flexible system of parts, XYZ Studio Shelf remains relevant over time, extending its longevity.
The first prototype originated in the early 2010s, driven by the birth of my children and the frequent need to adapt our home to their evolving needs. Concerned about disposable design, I set out to rethink storage, a fundamental need for living and working. I began building prototypes in my garage in Oakland, and later refined them in a professional woodworking space in Alameda. The first commercial version was launched in 2022.
Well-designed storage is the foundation of an orderly environment, essential for accomplishing creative work and important for a sense of serenity and peace. XYZ Studio Shelf brings together design, materials, and craftsmanship in a flexible system that transforms the way we interact with physical space and offers lasting enjoyment and value.
– Eric Martin, Founder
PeñaMade
Nonna Stools. White Oak, Zak and Fox Fabric, Custom Finish. 2024
When I embark on the design process, I envision my furniture as distinct personalities. This approach leads me to christen each piece with a name, and in this instance, I present Nonna. She embodies the spirit of my imaginary Italian grandmother, whose culinary prowess shines bright in her Sunday sauce beneath the warmth of the Roman sun. Nonna resides in a quaint apartment nestled within the charming confines of the art nouveau district near Piazza Mincio. Stepping inside her abode, one is enveloped by textures and treasures. Among these, a cherished heirloom appears: an aged photograph capturing Nonna during her modeling days, poised before a sleek Fiat 8V Supersonic. The image exudes elegance, with curves echoing upon curves. Even in the soft glow filtering through her apartment windows, the essence of this remarkable woman endures—a testament to her tenacity, talent, and timeless beauty. She stands, immortalized in that iconic green dress adorned with flowers and lightning bolts, a cigarette held languidly in one hand while the other rests upon the sleek lines of that Italian V8. Go Nonna, go.
– Luis Peña, Furniture Designer
Juniper Ridge
“Lost In The Forest” Collection. Essential oils steam distilled in-house from locally sourced, native plant species- Abies procera (Noble Fir), Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas Fir), Umbellularia californica (Bay Laurel), Sequoia sempervirens (California Redwood), Calocedrus decurrens (California Incense-Cedar). 2024
Founded in Berkeley, California in 1998 by the late Hall Newbegin, Juniper Ridge remains a small team of outdoor enthusiasts who believe in creating fragrances that not only bring the essence of the wild into your daily life, but also contribute to the conservation and protection of the wilderness that inspires us. Utilizing a library of plants that are native to the coasts, mountains, and deserts of the American West, we steam distill our essential oils in small batches in-house. These clean, authentic oils are the sole source of fragrance in our handcrafted and sustainably formulated home and body care offerings.
With a commitment to responsible stewardship, we partner with the US Forest Service, National Parks Service, California Department of Parks, local Tree Services, and private landowners to collect slash piles that are the byproduct of fire suppression, or collect trees that have been deemed dangerous and removed from residential areas. This plant material would otherwise be burned, adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, or sent to the landfill, but instead Juniper Ridge uses steam distillation to upcycle these castoffs into pure essential oils which are used to naturally scent our plant based and 100% biodegradable formulas.
We love the outdoors, and we know that a big part of loving something is standing up for it and defending it. When you purchase a Juniper Ridge product, you are not only getting something from nature, you are giving something back. Every year, we donate 10% of our total profits to wilderness non-profit groups working on campaigns and initiatives to protect and restore wild spaces.
Photos by Medium Small
View the Lynne Meade Ceramics profile
View the XYZ Studio profile
View the PeñaMade profile
View the Juniper Ridge profile
