Well, I have to admit it was not the the most successful trip. Our goal was to locate several good "art" foundries to cast some decorative metal pieces. We knew the village where foundries were thought to be located, and after asking around a bit, we did, in fact locate them.

But I was unprepared for what we found. Once again - as was the case with stone carving and wood carving - the entire industry, concentrated around a single village, consisted of dozens of tiny primitive backyard foundries, each with very limited production and questionable prototyping abilities. I left unconvinced.

We moved on to a local bird market, where I commissioned a slew of bird cages (container top load), then on to the stone working village, where we found some interesting new items.

A selection of special tables from a favorite source here in Bali. These are from an American Designer based in Bali who does consistently beautiful work. These are available as pre-sale only items, as I will only buy them for this container with a buyer commitment. Call the Artefact showroom for details. 707 933-0660

Yes, I'm back from my annual winter pilgrimage to Maison et Objet, also known as the Paris Gift Show. For three days I walked the endless halls of the Parc des Expostions with attendees from around the globe. Twice a year thousands of devotees converge here to see the best of new European design. The show caters to all tastes and styles, not just contemporary design, so is an excellent general survey of new ideas. I attend every January, gawking and surreptitiously snapping photos, as impressed by the logistics of the immense temporary showrooms and visual display ideas as I am by any of the new products.

With more than 3000 exhibitors, many housed in remarkable 5000+ square foot temporary showrooms, it is a spectacle on an immense scale that dazzles and always provides me with inspiration for the year ahead. Also inspiring this year was the decidedly upbeat mood, a noticeable improvement over last winter's show, and virtually all the vendors I spoke to were pleased with their sales.

In this gallery (set) are photos from the show, grouped in no particular order. Enjoy!