Bright ideas to give string lights a wild, cheeky twist

Artist Anthony Schmitt has put in time stringing lights. Fourteen years ago, he was commissioned to create a holiday artwork for the Edgemar center in Santa Monica (it's a 33-foot "tree" of shopping carts), and each year since, he's personally trimmed it with holiday lights. This year, L.A. at Home asked him to come up with some bright ideas for string lights.

Tree of light: “If you hate cords, hide them,” says Schmitt, who has used materials such as orange plastic construction fencing to create a modernist panel of light. In the picture at left, a simpler concept: Cut a poster board so that it  forms a cone. With the poster board laid flat, use a utility knife to cut X-shaped slits in a random pattern.  The slits should be cut somewhat smaller than the diameter of the bulbs, so the lights don’t slip out. The bigger the bulb, the easier it is; we used low wattage LEDs. Use duct tape to secure the wires to the back side of the board. Carefully fold the board into a cone and secure it with more duct tape. Cut a small notch at the base for the cord, so it doesn’t prevent the cone from sitting flat. Place the cone on a shelf or against a wall, so the taped seam won’t be visible.

Holiday lei: Artificial flowers with flexible stems can be twisted around light strings to make a garland in which wires almost disappear. For a tropical look, Schmitt recommends an LED string in a recently introduced purple shade ($9.95 at Light Bulbs Unlimited stores), which complements the colors of these artificial orchids ($3.99 each at Michaels). Hint: Wrap the light cord around the flower stems so that the bulbs cluster around the petals.

More after the jump...

It's a cubicle Christmas: Holiday decor made easy and cheap with borrowed office supplies

Whether you work in a cubicle farm or at your desk at home, the inspiration for crafty holiday decorating is all around you. Pushpins, rubber bands, staples, paper goods and even padded shipping envelopes can be twisted and trimmed with creativity. Here are five simple projects to brighten your workplace.  How you acquire the supplies is your own business.

File under “creative”: For the tree pictured at right, take a heavyweight hanging file folder (we used a classic dark green one) and lightly trace the shape of a tree.  Make sure  the trunk is fat and the lowest branch also touches the bottom. Trim your file folder and you will have two identical trees.

Locate and mark the centers of the trees (vertically and horizontally). On tree No. 1, cut a vertical slit from the bottom of the trunk to your mark.  On tree No. 2, cut a vertical slit from the top of the tree down to your mark. Slide the two pieces together at a 90-degree angle. Viewed from above, this notch-joinery technique should produce an X-shaped tree that stands on its own. We crowned ours with a red pencil eraser and decorated it with bulbs made of thumbtacks. 

Fruitful thinking: In a variation of a favorite holiday pomander — the fragrant orange studded with cloves — substitute rubber bands for ribbons and pushpins for cloves. The orange is wrapped in a colorful plaid pattern, with the vertical bands layered at the bottom and top. For the red apple, clear pushpins and a paper clip transform fruit into hanging ornament. And instead of setting out a bowl of Granny Smith apples — a decorator trick that has become a cliché — stud them with colorful round-headed map pins.

More ingenious uses of office supplies after the jump ...

Why not try ... a peacock holiday wreath?

Why wait until turkey day to hang the holiday wreath? And why spend a small fortune on greenery when you can quickly and easily create something equally dramatic that will last for years?

These questions were on my mind on a recent craft supply run to Michaels, where I found a $19.99 peacock feather wreath that spoke to me. What it said: Peacock motifs are everywhere these days, why shouldn't they replace Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas cardinals? (The wreath was a fierce name-dropper too, whispering Auntie Mame, Tony Duquette and Bob Mackie in one breath.)

Naturally, I had to have it. With one push of a pushpin it quickly adorned my front door, which happens to be a pale shade of peacock blue. Stylish as it looked, it needed a little something extra. 

That's when I remembered the stuffed peacock I recently found at Mercado in Silver Lake for $23. Made from hand-spun wool by women in the central highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, it was the perfect folk art counterpart to the drag queen glamour of the wreath. And with a pushpin through its feathery tail, it is now happily perched on the wreath. 

Not bad for $42.99. (Tax and pushpins not included.)

-- David A. Keeps

Photo credit: David A. Keeps

Instant Decor: Dash and Albert rugs and pillows

They call them throw pillows and rugs for a reason: Toss them on a sofa or floor for a quick jolt of color and pattern and any room becomes more fetching. This concept was in ample evidence recently at Tumbleweed and Dandelion, a Venice home furnishings store and interior design studio normally decked out almost entirely in shades of cozy cottage white. So these woven cotton pillows and rugs by Dash and Albert really jumped out.

The store offers them in dozens of handsome twill stripes and checks. The 2-by-3-foot rugs are ideal for entryways and bathrooms. They are $39, comparably priced to catalog offerings and considerably more attractive. The 20-inch square pillows are $50, complete with down-filled inserts. Tumbleweed and Dandelion also sells coordinating Dash and Albert throws that I would love to stitch together into a blanket -- if only I knew how to use a sewing machine.

Tumbleweed and Dandelion, 1502 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice; (310) 450-4310.

-- David A. Keeps

Photo credit: David A. Keeps

Bulbs Behind Bars: Design House Stockholm's Work Lamp and Diesel's Cage light

We've put a number of caged lamps in the spotlight recently, but not all of the models flooding the market have an austere industrial appearance.

The Work Lamp, above left, may at first appear to be a literal interpretation of the hardware store variety -- but the cage has the silhouette of a faceted gemstone and shiny finishes in chrome ($100) or gold plate ($120). It is available from the lighting department of Design House Stockholm.

The Cage, above right, by Successful Living from Diesel (a venture between the Italian designer denim label and the lighting manufacturer Foscarini) is a bottle-shaped wire cocoon that can be used as a pendant, $472, or paired with a stand that makes it resemble an old-fashioned microphone, $697. The line can be purchased at select Diesel stores, including the Los Angeles flagship at 8401 Melrose Ave.

Both pay homage to the past while also suggesting a futuristic look, says Beverly Hills-based Sean O'Connor, a lighting designer for diverse clients, including WIlliams-Sonoma, FedEx and jeweler Fred Leighton.

"These are a bit of a tongue-in-cheek reference to old work lights whose designs have evolved to accommodate pared-down luxury," says O'Connor, who suggests maximizing their eye appeal by hanging them in unexpected places, rather than just above a table or in a hall.

-- David A. Keeps

Photo (left): Design House Stockholm

Photo (right): Successful Living from Diesel

The Deal: Retropia garage sale this weekend

This just in my e-mail: Señor Amor and Jonona, owners of Retropia in Hollywood, are liquidating inventory in an Echo Park garage sale today and Sunday, Nov. 14-15 

Amor promises an abundance of vintage china, fabric, wallpaper, rugs, lighting and furniture. Among the cool and kitschy items for sale: A flying saucer pull-down ceiling light with a glass shade featuring a gold snowflake pattern by the midcentury modern barware designer Georges Briard, $65, and a flower-power tea set, $40.

Hours: 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. today and tomorrow at 1040 1/4 Laguna Ave., Los Angeles. 

-- David A. Keeps

Photo credit: Retropia

The Deal: Fine art photography auction at Kopeikin Gallery

Wide-eyed owls and dolls and sad but sweet monkeys are among the fine art photographs being put on the block at Kopeikin Gallery in West Hollywood on Friday at 7 p.m. The subject matter is particularly apt, as proceeds from this fifth annual auction will benefit the Larchmont Charter School. Gallery owner Paul Kopeikin says that the works will have starting bids of up to 70% off the artists' customary asking prices. If bidding on pieces reach a certain price, Kopeikin may offer multiple prints to interested parties.

Among the highlights is "Owl Girl," above, a 24-by-20-inch archival digital print by the Los Angeles-based team Davis & Davis, which has a starting bid of $1,200.
Bidding for Hiroshi Watanabe's "Big With Monkey Doll, Suo Sarumawashi," a 14-inch-square toned silver gelatin print, right, will start at $1,100.

In a work of vérité cuteness, Lara Regan's "Adrift" depicts a puppy floating on an inflatable raft at the bottom of a nearly drained swimming pool. The starting bid: $980. (See it after the jump.)

Other photographs document the geometric patterns found in nature and architecture. Two of the wittiest come from Andy Freeberg's 2006 series of the reception areas in New York's Chelsea art galleries. Defined by monolithic white desks that obscure all but the tops of employees' heads, "Cheim and Reid" and "Metro Pictures" ($1,700 to start) are minimalist abstract compositions -- ideal for clean modernist homes or industrial lofts. (Get a glimpse after the jump.)

A free preview of the work is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday at the gallery at 8810 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. Or see the online preview here. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Attendance is not necessary to participate in the auction, which will accept advance bids until 7 p.m. Friday by phone or e-mail.

Thanksgiving birds: A shapely wine decanter and salt-and-pepper shakers

For wine lovers with a sense of humor and a taste for modern glassware, this bird decanter is a welcome change from the usual streamlined vessels used for aerating your favorite red.  

Balanced on one sturdy yet shapely foot, it reminds me of Perch ceramic designer Amy Adams' Shake A Leg salt and pepper set, a holiday hit in 2007. Those shakers, right, sell for $48 at Velocity Art and Design. They would make a witty table companion to the bird decanter, a new arrival at Fitzsu, priced at $330.

The decanter's chick-like profile suggests Scandinavian design, but, in fact, the glass piece is mouth-blown in Italy. In addition to being fun, it is also functional. The low, wide bowl benefits younger vintages that need more room to breathe and the shape of the piece allows for graceful handling and serving.

See how easy it is to put this bird in hand after the jump.

Mom, dad, baby live happily in 380 square feet

What you see above is most of the home that Kelly Breslin and Ryan Conder share with their 9-month-old son, Thurston. The couple and their baby live contentedly in a 380-square-foot, 1950s Echo Park home. What's their secret to sharing such close quarters harmoniously? Cool decor, spending a lot of time outside and keeping in mind that cheap rent means that Breslin can stay home with her son. A definite bonus. For now, the family shares the bed, and Breslin tells writer David A. Keeps that she's found that babies don't need much -- just diapers, a place to change them, and boobs.

Click through the gallery or read the story, then let us know what you think.

-- Deborah Netburn

Photo credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

Christmas: Marcel Wanders hits Target. (Or does he?)

Dutch design superstar Marcel Wanders, known for bold prints and witty takes on traditional forms in collections like New Antiques, has generated a big buzz for his first Christmas collection with Target. (His clever 314-page online look book of the line, posted alongside high-end pieces from his firm Moooi, certainly helped get design junkies jazzed.)

Wanders' line of 30 products for decorating the table, the bar and the tree is a good deal more accessible than Target's ornate 2006 collection by his whimsical fellow Dutch designer Tord Boontje. About half of the '09 items are already stocked online; more should be posted soon. A quick glance at in-store product availability showed that Target stores in Glendale, West Hollywood, Los Angeles and Burbank were a bust, but the outlets in Culver City, Pasadena and North Hollywood had the goods.

I checked out the collection at the always-reliable Eagle Rock store, which had more than 90% of the Wanders Christmas line in its dishes and gift card aisles. Not everything was a winner, but the porcelain pieces -- some reminiscent of the flowerpot hats that the '80s pop group Devo wore -- were irresistible. Note: They look best in black, gold and silver; white looks a tad ordinary.

I dropped $77.95  to create the tabletop tableau above, filled with pieces I'll be happy to use all year long. From left: taper candle in ceramic holder, $14.99 a pair; a 12.5-inch silver porcelain vase, $29.99; a set of black, gold and white stacking bowls, $14.99; and a packet of 20 red and black printed paper napkins, $2.99.

See more from the collection and get an appraisal of what's worth buying after the jump.