03:39 PM PT, Jul 9 2009
 The Renegade Craft Fair,which calls itself one of the nation's largest DIY and handmade art events, has moved beyond its Chicago roots and will make its Los Angeles premiere this weekend. The free-admission show features work by more than 300 crafters, including Northern California ceramist Sara Paloma and local felt-sculpting furniture designer Tanya Aguiniga, who was featured in Home last November.
One booth I'll be visiting: KG + AB, creator of the animal figurines and dessert-shaped stash boxes shown here. Made of porcelain and hand-crafted from vintage molds, they also sell for $30 and up on Etsy. The Renegade Craft Fair runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 11 and 12 in the penthouse of the California Market Center, 110 E. 9th St., L.A.
-- David A. Keeps
Photo credit: Renegade Craft Fair
02:31 PM PT, Jul 9 2009
 Bloomberg News is reporting that Smith & Hawken stores will close by the end of this year:
“The combination of a weak economy and the lack of scale proved too great to overcome,” Jim Hagedorn, chief executive of parent company Scotts Miracle-Gro, said in the statement. “By eliminating the losses from Smith & Hawken, we can invest even further in driving profitable growth.”
Storewide sales in the chain of 56 shops in 22 states will begin today, the company said.
-- Craig Nakano
Photo: A notice announcing the chain's closing is posted on its website.
12:00 PM PT, Jul 9 2009
No, this is not a banner ad. It's the illustration for a story on a Santa Monica flea market vendor found on the new design website Balustrade & Bitters. "We want to provide the same visual experience as a magazine would, with original content, in-depth stories, interviews and rich images," says vintage furniture dealer Coleen Rider, who co-founded the site with design blogger Megan Arquette and custom drapery designer Holli Thomas. The wonderfully L.A.-centric site launched last week with a 1,125-word piece on the restoration of the former 1876 Cathedral of St.Vibiana and Rider's 4,000-plus word Q & A with Hollywood interior designer Peter Dunham, which contains this charming (and completely unsolicited) exchange:
CR: When thinking about your work, how would you describe it?
PD: David Keeps of the L.A. Times called it Merchant Ivory Moderne. That kind of summed it up.
Needless to say, I've bookmarked the site.
-- David A. Keeps
Photo credit: Balustrade & Bitters
11:02 AM PT, Jul 9 2009
Good news, fellow lingerers in the barrel cactus section of the Huntington Gardens -- these round, furry, sculptural plants are making a comeback in residential garden design. (Can you say low-water?) We asked succulent and cactus specialist Debra Lee Baldwin to provide a look at how barrels are being used in the garden these days. Click through for pairing ideas and an example of how one couple designed a front yard tableau around these prickly beauties.
-- Deborah Netburn
Photo credit: Debra Lee Baldwin
10:47 AM PT, Jul 9 2009
NoHo (a.k.a.North Hollywood) is turning 30 this year and as part of the anniversary of the North Hollywood Redevelopment Project Area, CRA/LA has commissioned a gateway spanning Lankershim Boulevard, the entry to its art district. Internationally renowned Echo Park artist Peter Shire -- known for his colorful ceramics and metal sculptures -- has designed the painted stainless steel portal that celebrates the area's history of "behind the scenes" support to the entertainment industry. The 80-foot-wide by 60-foot-tall gateway depicts characters building sets, operating cameras and designing costumes. Its official debut will be today from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lankershim Boulevard and Huston Street, North Hollywood. Treats from Hows' catering will be served and everyone is welcome.
-- Barbara Thornburg
Photo credit: Peter Shire
03:32 PM PT, Jul 8 2009
With its provocative collection of one-of-a-kind furniture, art and objects, Studio City’s Atik is a bit like a Blackman Cruz for the San Fernando Valley. Creepy skulls are scattered throughout the store. An antique acupuncture doll is displayed with its needles underneath a Portugese crab pot turned into a lamp. Owner Janet Bertolus worked in antique jewelry for years and amassed a collection of quirky items so large, her husband encouraged her to open a store. Her formula? "You can’t buy what’s popular," she says, though the skulls did fly off the shelves for Father’s Day. "Rock stars like their skulls," she laughs. "Even the 65-year-olds."
When asked what happened to a beautiful collection of catcher’s masks I saw months ago, Bertolus said Robert Redford had bought them. For a few more photographs of Atik, click to the jump.
03:29 PM PT, Jul 8 2009
 Artist Kelly Lamb’s newest planters are part of her Geo series, based on the geodesic dome structures made popular in the 1960s by architects like Buckminster Fuller.
"I really like the angular clean lines of the dome juxtaposing the unregulated natural beauty of plants," Lamb says.
The tilted top shows off plants at an unusual angle. The Geo-planters are made from concrete here in L.A. They come in three styles: small, hanging small and large. Prices range from $80 to $195. Lamb's birdhouses, terrariums and planters are available at Generic Pop-Up at Space 15 Twenty in Hollywood and www.kellylamb.net.
-- Lisa Boone
Photo credit: Cassie Cobb
12:55 PM PT, Jul 8 2009
 It’s not just the pair of oversized lavender chandeliers that catches your eye as you drive by Salon Goo on Fairfax Avenue, but also those bright blue patterned walls. Here's the story behind the Pucci-inspired decor:
When owner Molly Scargall and stylist Josh Kaplan went to decorate the space, they brought their vintage Pucci items to an artist friend who replicated the multicolored prints on the walls throughout the salon. Each wall features a different pattern.
"The back room is a scarf," Kaplan says, adding that another pattern was pulled from a skirt. The wild geometric artwork creates a vibrant and colorful environment that stands out among the other storefronts. It also serves as a reminder that, when it comes to design, you can simply look to the items you love for inspiration. It's at 459 1/2 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles.
-- Lisa Boone
Photo: Lisa Boone
10:49 AM PT, Jul 8 2009
Using the water that washes your clothes to also water your garden seems to make sense, especially in the current drought conditions. But for years installing such a system legally was prohibitively expensive in Southern California. Well, that may change. As Susan Carpenter reports on our sister blog Greenspace, California may adopt a more lenient gray water code as early as August. It's not a done deal yet, but environmentalists and water-savers have reason to hope.
-- Deborah Netburn
Photo credit: Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times
10:46 AM PT, Jul 8 2009
 After 15 years of creating custom upholstery and furniture for celebrity clients, Ashland & Hill on Main Street in Santa Monica is relocating. To Texas. What that means for you: Markdowns through the end of July, including up to 50% savings on floor-model sofas, tables and chairs. Designer-owner Deborah Thiras also has a great eye for accessories, such as Robert Indiana-inspired "LOVE" pillows (photo after the jump) and these dramatic vessels by San Diego craftsman Ed Thompson. Although they appear to be patinated bronze, the bowls and vases are actually wheel-thrown and hand-carved stoneware. Originally $85 to $185, they're now on sale for $65 to $160.
03:51 PM PT, Jul 7 2009
I cannot get enough of this house, photographed by Ann Summa just outside the Mexican artist colony of San Miguel de Allende. The home belongs to a delightful looking bearded couple -- artist Anado McLauchlin and art historian Richard Schultz -- and I think the best way to describe their decor is "rainbow" and "mosaic-friendly." (One is tempted to use the phrase "on acid," but one will refrain). One final note before you start clicking through: The photo above is a tame one for this shoot. Have fun (and maybe wear sunglasses)!
-- Deborah Netburn
Photo: Ann Summa
03:25 PM PT, Jul 7 2009
UFO is not your run-of-the-mill unidentified flying object. This one hails from manufacturer Studio Italia Design. Brian Rasmussen, who lives and works in Venice, Italy, designed the acrylic chandelier, which premiered earlier this year at Euroluce, Milan's bi-annual lighting show. The lights, each nearly 30 inches, come in shimmery, acrylic orbs of gold, silver or plain white. More fun are the chandeliers you can personalize by selecting an array of red, white, green or dark blue acrylic coverings to match your decor. The out-of-this-world look comes with high-flying prices: $4,622.50 for gold or silver, $3,272.50 for multicolored. Available at www.kenrolight.com and www.sid-usa.com.
03:12 PM PT, Jul 7 2009
 For the glass-is-half-full optimists at Trash for Teaching, an empty plastic water bottle doesn't have to be tossed in the blue recycling bin. Instead, it can be turned into a vase -- and a lesson in repurposing.
The Los Angeles-based nonprofit collects castoff materials from manufacturing operations for use in local school arts and crafts programs. It found that standard 500-milliliter water bottles fit neatly inside these cardboard spools that once held fibers for fabric knitting mills.
The vases are thoughtful hostess gifts. They're $10 each at Zero Minus Plus at Fred Segal in Santa Monica and can also be purchased at Trash for Teaching's online store.
See the vases in action after the jump.
04:06 PM PT, Jul 6 2009
The Times has one of the deepest archives of garden features and advice specifically geared to Southern California. Click on the links below for seasonal ideas, inspiration and planting advice, and check back later in the month as new articles are added.
How-To: In Modjeska Canyon, a low-water garden blooms in the chaparral
How-To: Ways to lighten up on watering
Spotlight:Painted tree trunks and other experiments in a crazy backyard garden
How-To: Bonsai bougainvillea? It can be done.
Spotlight: Exploring the cult of bamboo
Plant it: Artemisia is more about form and foliage than flowers
-- Deborah Netburn
Photo: Mark Boster
12:00 PM PT, Jul 6 2009
In this month's installment of Lost L.A., our columnist explores the now demolished Santa Monica beach house that William Randolph Hearst built for Marion Davies in 1931. The house was modeled on George Washington's home, Mount Vernon, and columnist Sam Watters suggests that Hearst was influenced by nationalist sentiments as he guided his architects, set designer William E. Flannery and California architect Julia Morgan. To read more about this grandiose beach house, see Watters' column, Hearst's Mount Vernon West.
-- Deborah Netburn
Photo: Courtesy of Santa Monica Library
04:10 PM PT, Jul 3 2009
Readers of our print edition last week saw our blurb on Hometta, the just-launched firm that's selling architectural plans for what it calls small, sustainable houses. More than two dozen firms nationwide are offering off-the-shelf plans, including this three-bedroom design called the Seed'Em House from Mike Jacobs Architecture. (Jacobs collaborated with architect Aaron Neubert on a Laurel Canyon house that we featured as a cover story in 2007.)
At $1,195 to $3,195, the Hometta plans are being marketed as a way to get an architect-crafted modern house without the costs associated with custom design. We're still not convinced that such a non-site-specific approach will yield efficient, livable spaces, but a spokeswoman reassures skeptics that for an additional fee, architects are available to tweak plans for specific needs. Click to the jump for more renderings.
03:15 PM PT, Jul 3 2009
They aren't IKEA-cheap, but that's the point. Modern kitchen cabinets from a new venture called Viola Park aim to fill a void in the marketplace: something that's a step up from the Swedish superstore and a step down from the high-end "kitchen systems" that fill the pages of shelter magazines. For those who covet the latter but mourn their 401(k) statements, Viola Park may present an affordable alternative. The company, an offshoot of custom cabinetmaker Henrybuilt, will offer kitchens with an average price of about $15,000, excluding backsplash and counter, spokeswoman Lisa Day said. That's less than half what a custom-built, custom-fitted Henrybuilt kitchen of similar size would cost, she said. We have more details -- and, yes, more photos -- after the jump.
02:31 PM PT, Jul 3 2009
Emily Green, who writes our weekly column on drought-tolerant gardening, points out that a hose nozzle can greatly cut down on wasted irrigation -- as long as it's not watering your arms and shoes. Why is a decent nozzle so hard to find? Green tests 10 of them, and to discover whether you should be running out to buy a purple Dramm Revolver like the one above, click to her column after the jump.
01:19 PM PT, Jul 3 2009
We've received a few comments about Barbara Thornburg's recent post on the Alma crib. One reader felt the slots were too big, making the crib potentially dangerous, and another worried the crib was so small there was no room for baby. All this made me curious: What is the coolest-looking crib for the money? (That one above, designed by David Netto, sells for $2,750.) My 14-month-old sleeps in the cute, modern, but not inexpensive Nurseryworks Loom Crib. (It was our big nursery splurge.) I love it but will admit we did find his little leg caught between two of the bars one morning, and I often wonder if I should have just gone with the $99 basic Ikea metal crib. It's not cute, but it sure is cheap, and Jonah doesn't care anyway.
What crib did you choose and why? If you are a crib maker or seller, we're going to ask you -- politely -- to sit this one out.
-- Deborah Netburn
Photo credit: Netto Collection
06:10 PM PT, Jul 2 2009
Expansive and see-through are two ways I would describe this house owned by sometimes-actor, sometimes-developer Brad Blumenthal and designed by David Thompson and Kevin Southerland at the architecture firm Assembledge. It's got a 180-degree view, an infinity pool, and a whole lot of glass walls. Imagine waking up in this bedroom with the city in all its smoggy glory laid out below you: You'd feel like Aladdin floating on a magic carpet of sustainably harvested Brazilian wood.
Click here for more photos of this Hollywood house in the treetops.
-- Deborah Netburn
Photo credit: Michael Weschler
04:13 PM PT, Jul 2 2009
Leave it to a contractor to come up with a no-nonsense storage solution for a cluttered entryway.
Like most great ideas, Dave Huffman’s wall organizer was born from exasperation. Tired of tripping over his daughters’ things as he entered the house, he simply installed a series of nine coat hooks on the two-by-fours he drilled into the wall. The wood reinforces the hooks so they don't pull out of the wall and adds strength for the daily round of backpacks, lunchboxes, jackets, purses and grocery bags.
The best part? The items are off the floor and organized in an inexpensive alternative to costly baskets, coat racks and space-stealing armoires.
And painted red, this wall makes a statement.
-- Lisa Boone
Photo credit: Lisa Boone
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