Santa Monica, Costa Mesa try to reduce junk mail [Updated]

Four Southern California areas have joined Chicago, Seattle and a growing roster of other cities working with Catalog Choice to cut the junk from residents' mail. Last week Santa Monica, Redlands and areas served by the Costa Mesa Sanitation District partnered with the Berkeley-based junk-mail opt-out service to help residents stop unwanted catalogs, phone books, coupons, circulars, credit card offers and other unsolicited mail before it's sent. Pasadena will launch in April. [Updated Feb. 16, 2012, 2:15 p.m.: The original version of this post said Pasadena's partnership with Catalog Choice launched last week.]

Each city was given a dedicated website to connect residents to the Catalog Choice program. Such links have more than doubled junk mail opt-outs in Berkeley; Santa Fe, N.M.; Brookline, Mass.; and other cities where the program has been in place since launching last year, according to Catalog Choice founder Chuck Teller.

"The participation rate is what we're trying to drive," Teller said. In the slogan "reduce, reuse, recycle, reduce," he said, "reduce is the Holy Grail. Recycling is not good enough because it costs a lot of energy and it doesn't all get recycled."

Each household that stops junk mail can save a city $10 in disposal costs annually, Teller said.

Since Santa Monica added a link to the junk mail opt-out service to its website on Feb. 6, 83 of its 89,000 residents have signed up. That may sound insignificant, but "it's about 1,500 pounds of paper that we have saved in just those 83 residents," said Kim Braun, resource recovery and recycling manager for the city of Santa Monica.

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The Garbage Maven's goal: A kids' party with no trash

-- Susan Carpenter

Photo: A U.S. Postal Service truck delivers mail. Four Southern California areas are working with Catalog Choice to cut the junk from residents' mail. Credit: Allen Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Garbage Maven: New service stops junk mail before it's sent

Each year, more than 100 billion flyers, circulars, catalogs, donation requests, newsletters and other unsolicited pieces of standard class mail are delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, according to the 2009 USPS Household Diary Study.

Now the website that has processed more than 20 million catalog suppression requests in the last four years is unveiling a new service to stop even more junk mail before it's even sent. Tuesday, the Berkeley-based nonprofit, CatalogChoice.org, unveiled a new MailStop Envelope to prevent not only catalogs but credit card offers, grocery store circulars, phone books and other unwanted solicitations. Using a MailStop Envelope purchased from the website for $6.75, individuals can place as many as 15 labels from unwanted mail into the envelope and send it to Catalog Choice, whose staff will scan the labels and fill out companies' opt-out requests on behalf of its Envelope users. 

"If you have to go to every company yourself, it's so mind-bogglingly difficult. That's why we've built these tools to make it super easy," said Catalog Choice executive director Chuck Teller.

Until today, individuals who wanted to opt out of junk mail with Catalog Choice had to do so online. "But there are a lot of people for whom the Internet is still difficult, so the envelope has really been designed for those people," Teller said, adding that about 2% of American households are opting out of at least some types of mail through Catalog Choice.

Later this month, Catalog Choice will offer a downloadable app to allow users to snap a picture of a catalog or other piece of junk mail with an iPhone, after which the opt out will be processed by Catalog Choice.

Teller estimates that one tree is saved for each MailStop Envelope used to stop 15 pieces of junk mail for two years. He said the recyclable envelopes are locally produced by a "green" printer and printed with soy-based inks.

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-- Susan Carpenter

Photo: MailStop envelope from Catalog Choice. Credit: Catalog Choice

CB2 house: Modern in miniature

The new miniature Neville House from CB2 takes bestselling author Sarah Susanka's "Not So Big House" mantra to the extreme.

The CB2 house measures 10.25 inches wide and 9 inches deep, with a ceiling that soars a towering 8.75 inches. It was created by the CB2 design team and used as a prop in a scene from the company's holiday catalog, above left. Based on the response from shoppers and staff, CB2 added it to its line of accessories. 

The pine veneer house features an open floor plan, of course, and floor-to-ceiling views. It comes with a removable, bright yellow 1950s-era chimney and sandpaper flooring. And at $59.95, or about $94 a square foot, it's certainly less expensive than a Neutra or a Lautner.

-- Lisa Boone

Photo credit: CB2

The Deal: Outdoor furniture 60% to 80% off at Restoration Hardware and Grandin Road

It's that time: Just when you aren't thinking about outdoor furniture, it goes on sale. Right now, major catalog and online retailers are offering sharp-looking pieces at sharply reduced prices.

Take the St. Barts lounge chair, above, on Restoration Hardware's outdoor furniture clearance page. With a nod to Midcentury masters Alvar Aalto and Paul Frankl, the low-slung, 50-inch-deep teak lounger adjusts to three positions and is so handsome that you may want to keep it indoors. The frame is knocked down about 60%, from $1,145 to $459. Cushions are $89 or $109 apiece, depending on fabric and color selection. Coordinating double chairs, sofas and ottomans also are on clearance.

Fans of Restoration Hardware, also take note: The store's friends and family sale ends tonight. Any merchandise that wasn't already on sale has been marked down 20%, meaning everything in the store is at least 20% off. Online shoppers can use the discount code "FFP2010" upon checkout. Just remember: The friends and family promotion doesn't apply to clearance furniture, including the St. Barts teak collection.

If you have a weakness for teak, you'll also find sweet savings elsewhere too. Crate & Barrel's slatted Trovata dining armchair has been reduced from $349 to $149. 

Grandin Road's outdoor furniture page in its Grand Finale outlet also has deals on more decorative designs for patio and porch. The Cecelia dining set includes a chair, below left, that is an imitation of Patricia Urquiola's Re-Trouvé design. Originally $249, the powder-coated iron-wire Cecelia chair frame is now $49; add $9 for the cushion. (To see another Re-Trouvé copycat, check out our previous The Look for Less post.)

Grandin Road's Cambridge side table, below right, is an all-weather wicker piece woven in a Burberry-esque plaid. The frame is aluminum. In season, it sold for $199. Now it's $49. 

-- David A. Keeps

Photos: Restoration Hardware, Grandin Road

Inspired awfulness: $89 faux hay

Over the last decade, as Halloween has joined Thanksgiving and Christmas in a holiday marketing trifecta, home decor companies have devised ever more-spooky products designed to scare the money out of your cold, bony hands. Some of them, however, are frightfully silly -- especially because they can be easily replicated at a far lower cost. 

Take, for instance, Grandin Road's Faux Hay Bales, above. They are made from PVC on a collapsible wire frame for easy storage (although they may not be sturdy enough for all adults to sit on). A 3-foot-long version is 18 inches deep and 14 inches high and costs $69. The 40-inch-long version is 14 inches deep and 16 inches high. That will set you back $89.

By contrast, a 4-by-2-by-2-foot bale of real yellow straw is a mere $7.95 at Stephen's Hay & Grain in Glendale. Although you will have to pick it up or pay a hefty delivery charge, it does make excellent mulch later. (Plus it's not that tasty to critters that may really give you a fright.)

Almost as absurd as faux hay: For $16, Pottery Barn will send you its Chalkboard Rock Vase Fillers, below left, a set of four puny poly-resin rocks and a piece of chalk to write scary messages.

For $6, I bought a can of Rust-oleum Chalk Board paint and sprayed rocks of the same size from my yard. I still have three-quarters of the can left. I used a white charcoal pencil from an art supply store to write on them, but a piece of chalk works just as well. 

I'm just saying.  

-- David A. Keeps

Photo credits: Grandin Road, Pottery Barn, David A. Keeps

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The Look for Less: Adjustable-screw industrial stools at not-so-screwy prices

Nothing says I live in a loft (or would like you to think I do) with more immediacy than the humble work stool with a seat that adjusts on a visible industrial screw. You can find the odd one at various prices from vintage furniture stores and flea markets, but what if you want a matching set for a kitchen counter?

Home decor catalogs have turned up with reproductions of factory classics, above. One of these new versions of old favorites is the Modern Times factory stool from the Sundance Catalog, which sells for $195, the other is Cooper's Small Draftsman stool, $159 from Wisteria.

For those who prefer a shinier version that look more contemporary than the early 20th century reproductions, there are several stainless steel models on the market, right, They all  feature adjustable screw seats and footrests.

The Precision stool from Design Within Reach sells for $550; products from UMF, a metal fabricator that makes hospital supplies are all under $300 and can be ordered through a variety of medical device supply houses.

Which are which and what's the diff?

Answers and more product details after the jump.

Weber's Performer Grill and matching barbecue accessories from Crate & Barrel

Other than the occasional flame-red top, charcoal grills aren't all that colorful. Until now. In a bid to put a little more green in its cash drawers, Crate & Barrel cooked up a new color with the folks at Weber. 

Sold exclusively through Crate & Barrel, the made-in-the-U.S. kettle grill is colored to suit a variety of California patios. The shade of green sits somewhere between the tangy Palm Springs modern lime, Mediterranean olive and Mexican guacamole and is available on two models. The portable Smokey Joe has a 14.5-inch diameter and an entry level price of $49.95.

The 22-inch diameter Weber Green Performer Grill, above, is $329.95, and has a host of upgrades: a hinged grate, built-in thermometer, propane gas ignition to light the coals and a one-touch cleaning system. 

It sits in a steel cart with a lid holder, scorch resistant work surface, wire storage shelf and hooks for accessories. 

And yes, grill masters, there are color-coordinated utensils including tongs, a $14.95 extra-long suede barbecue mitt, right, and a $19.95 hamburger press that makes a pair of half-pounders, far right.

-- David A. Keeps

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Photos: Crate & Barrel

The Recyclist: Kicking the catalog habit

The vast number of catalogs I receive suggest that I must be a shopaholic clothes horse. Couldn't be further from the truth. I like to hang on to my money. But I also like to live vicariously -- to plop down on the couch or into the tub and take a mental vacation to the land of J. Crew, or even Land's End. I'll happily flip through anything from Victoria's Secret  to Harriet Carter. (Who knew I needed an ironing mat?)

My catalogs land in a wicker basket that fills to overflowing. Then they all get tossed into the recycling bin. What a waste. As I try to tame the clutter in my life and limit the amount of stuff I throw in the trash, I have been focusing on one problem area at a time. Now, it's time to kick my catalog habit.

One by one, as each catalog arrives, I call the toll-free number to request removal from their mailing list. Someone suggested I try Catalog Choice, an online service that would allow me to get off many of these mailing lists in one fell swoop. But the thought of creating one more user name and password makes me want to scream. I am probably just being cranky. 

I also like doing it my way because I have a system to sustain my mental vacationing: As I call each retailer, I add a web page bookmark on my home computer. That way, I can still do my catalog "shopping" at the end of the long day -- on my laptop. Well, on the couch. Maybe not in the tub.

Still, I look forward to the day when all my favorite stores offer up i-catalogs. The best example I've seen so far is the Lego catalog, which is actually the real catalog, online. If you click on the lower right corner of the page, it will allow you to "turn" pages. That way, you get to see everything on each page, and you don't feel like you are missing out on anything.

-- Rene Lynch

On Twitter @renelynch.

Stay on top of "The Recyclist": Become a fan of our LA Times Home & Design Facebook page.

The Deal: At Viva Terrra, 25% off eco-friendly decor

Crafted from hand-cut capiz shells edged in metal, VivaTerra's Lotus Flower Chandelier stands out for its great design sense and green values.

In this instance, "green" has economic significance too, as the eco-friendly online retailer is offering 25% off selected home decor items through April 21.

The chandelier, shown above, comes in 13-inch and 21-inch diameters, and is also available in a gray hue called smoke. Normally $329 and $649, the hanging pendant is now priced at $279 and $549. (The larger chandelier has a $40 shipping surcharge).

Other colorful items made from sustainable materials include the hand-embroidered Peruvian wall hanging pictured at right (reduced to $139 from $189); nesting tables made from wood salvaged from old houses (reduced to $258 from $298), and a great selection of rugs made from recycled plastic bottles and packing materials (normally $49-$125; now $45-$115).   

For a look at all VivaTerra items on sale, click here. For more information, call (800) 233-6011.

-- Lisa Boone 

Become a fan: For daily design headlines and sales alerts, click to our Facebook page.

Photo credit: VivaTerra

The Deal: Closing sale at Napa Style in Pasadena includes store fixtures

Napa Style, the catalog and online retailer of culinary equipment and home decor steeped in the Northern California food-and-wine country aesthetic, will close the doors on its brick-and-mortar shop in Pasadena this Saturday. 

"We're selling everything but the walls," says store manager Ali Shodja. That includes fixtures (pictured above, center) such as the cash wrap desk with a soapstone counter,  storage and display units like a wooden ice box  and wine barrels -- some with wheels that would make them great as bar carts. The store also has seven large drum shade pendant lamps with whipstitch edges, above left, and outdoor metal caged lights, above right. Prices have yet to be determined, but interested parties should contact Shodja at the store for further information. 

Select merchandise is also marked down as much as 70%. (Not everything is reduced; leftover merchandise will go to Napa Style stores in Costa Mesa, Los Gatos and Yountville or be sold online.) As of a visit last Saturday, sale items included a wood and leather Madeira wine-tasting chair that sells for $549.99 online and has been reduced to $299, and a stash of 120-ounce Barattolo ceramic pitchers based on an 18th century Tuscan design, right, once $69, now $49.99

Napa Style, 146 S. Lake Ave. #101, Pasadena; (626) 795-8758. Open weekdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

-- David A. Keeps

Become a fan: For daily design headlines and sales alerts, click to our Facebook page.

Photo credits: David A. Keeps