Home tour: Expanding a little bit at a time in Atwater

This story begins nine years ago when architect Rebecca Rudolph and her designer-builder husband, Colin Thompson, bought a cottage in Atwater Village. It was cheap ($139,000) and tiny (500 square feet). Someone else might have seen a tear down, but they saw opportunity for a modest expansion.

First came a stylish 300-square-foot detached office, followed by a remodel that more than doubled the size of the house while keeping most of the yard intact. The result is a swoon-worthy home filled with lots of fresh ideas -- a wall of salvaged wood fencing in the living room, a translucent curtain that blocks UV rays but not the view, plus low-water landscaping and a green roof.

To read more about the house check out Lisa Boone's story, or click through a photo gallery of the home.

-- Deborah Netburn

Photos clockwise from top right: Rebecca Rudolph pulls a curtain that blocks UV rays; Colin Thompson waters the roof; the couple's daughter Rei Thompson watches television in the living room. Photo credit: Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times

Todd Oldham's new book 'Kid Made Modern': midcentury modern-inspired crafts for kids

Designer Todd Oldham has officially overtaken Martha Stewart as our leading progenitor of cool crafts with his new book “Kid Made Modern” (AMMO Books, $22.95).

Featuring 52 projects inspired by midcentury artists including Alexander Calder, Charles and Ray Eames and Isamu Naguchi, the book may sound a little pretentious. (“Hey kids! Let’s go build a Case Study House!”) But the projects are ultimately just like the Modernist works they emulate: simple, distinctive and for everyone to enjoy.

My 12-year-old daughter Bridgette propped open the book and sat for hours painting the spoon dolls that were detailed in a series of photographs. I  admire, too, that many of the projects use inexpensive and recyclable materials. The Marimekko-style wrapping paper made with bubble wrap dipped in paint worked great. We also made an arresting window screen out of paper clips and paint chips (stolen from Home Depot in our case) that takes its cues from Russel and Mary Wright. A Vernor Panton-ish shoulder bag – “both space age and sturdy” -- is crafted from recycled padded mailing envelopes wrapped in multi-colored duct tape.

As our readers know, my colleagues Deborah Netburn and David A. Keeps love midcentury designer Alexander Girard -- and they seem to have influenced Bridgette as well. She chose to make the Girard-inspired wooden spoon dolls pictured above. We purchased the wood spoons at Target and used a shoebox, paint and ribbon we had lying around the house. She thoroughly enjoyed this project, but clearly not as much as the people who commented on it as I carried it in to work. Some people understood the Girard connection right away, others didn't, but everyone smiled.

What made this mom smile was seeing my kid totally engrossed in a book, making art, and earmarking projects for the future.

Put this one on your holiday shopping list for a favorite kid. It won't disappoint either of you.

-- Lisa Boone

Photo credits Kirk McCoy/Los Angeles Times; Ammo Books

Apartment Therapy's online house tour highlights fashionable downtown L.A. loft

Apartment Therapy offers great online house tours, especially because they highlight the decorating talents of regular folk. And when there's something in our own neighborhood (not that we don't love New York or Chicago), I get especially excited.

This week's tour features the impeccably decorated downtown loft of Bryan Boone, who describes his 650-square-foot abode as "Midcentury modern meets Jonathan Adler."

Whatever the style or sensibility, his small space is a wonderful example of how to create a luxurious environment without spending a lot of money. Boone (sadly, no relation) says he found nearly every piece of furniture on Craigslist and decorated with vintage pieces from Sunset Bazaar in Silver Lake, window treatments from Ikea and accessories from CB2, Target, Crate and Barrel and Marshalls.

For a peek inside Bryan Boone's loft, click here.

-- Lisa Boone

Photo credit: Gregory Han

Keeping guests happy: Five temporary room dividers

I recently learned that my parents don't like sleeping on the fold-out couch in the middle of my open floor plan living room when they visit. I can't say this surprised me -- but when my outdoorsy younger sister piped up that a room screen might be a nice touch, I felt truly ashamed.

So this holiday season I'm giving my house guests more privacy. I called upon our archives, design-savvy friends and the Internet to help me come up with workable solutions. Here are the best options I found:

  Super basic: DIY sliding curtain
In 2005, the Los Angeles Times ran a story on  how to create privacy in loft spaces. Megan Boynton, pictured blurrily above, had an almost life-sized portrait of an elephant copied onto a 14-by-9-foot piece of nylon polyester and hung it from a rope made of pipe.

More options after the jump ...

Style spotting in Rome: Big buttons and modern hanging scrolls

Don’t hate me, but I spent a recent weekend strolling along the streets of Rome hunting for design inspiration.

I found it at Mia Design, located at Via di Ripetta 224, just a few blocks from the Piazza del Popolo. Run by stylish owner Emilia Petruccelli, this delightful interior design and furniture gallery features a mix of sleek, modern pieces and rustic, hand-crafted and repurposed items.

Two of her wall-worthy collections caught my fancy. The first, a cluster of whimsical oversize ceramic buttons (bottone) by Vietri artist Pepe Design. With two or four holes, they can be “stitched” with contrasting cording to hang from a wall, just like the display at Mia (above). Prices range from 13 to 38 euros; dimensions range from salad- to dinner-plate sized.

Rows of hand-painted and digitally printed wallpaper panels by U.K. designer Deborah Bowness decorate several of the store’s vertical surfaces (right). Measuring 20 to 22 inches wide and 130 inches long, each panel depicts life-size, everyday objects --  lamps, chairs, bookcases or clothing on hangers. These contemporary trompe l’oeil panels aren’t currently sold in the United States, although a spokeswoman for the artist told me the company will be looking for outlets at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York in May.

Anthropologie has commissioned Bowness panels for some of its U.S. stores, and the wallpaper is also featured at Soho House, a New York hotel. The panels can be ordered for 239 euros each from Mia Design or you can contact the Deborah Bowness studio directly for ordering information.

-- Debra Prinzing

Photos: Debra Prinzing

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

Restaurant design inspiration: Rippou-Tai wall at Sugarfish

When the first Sugarfish sushi restaurant opened in Marina Del Rey in June 2008, brand designer Clement Mok worked with architects to create a space that would feel bright and vibrant. But when customers began to compare the results to Pinkberry, Mok knew he wanted something different for the Brentwood location, which opened in July.

Enter the Rippou-Tai wall -- an undulating wooden wall that runs the length of the restaurant. The oceanic symbolism is obvious -- especially with those glass bubble lamps hanging in front of it. The wall itself is gorgeous, at once intricate and simple, watery and earthy.

The restaurant and the wall were designed by Glen Bell of Studio Dex. He calls it a "Rippou-Tai" wall because the phrase means "3-D cube" in Japanese. It is constructed from more than 3,000 individually cut 3-by-3-inch cubes of Douglas fir that vary in depth.

The scale of Sugarfish's wall made it time consuming to assemble, but Bell says the construction is simple enough that anyone could do it. "It's like color by numbers once you have your piles of cut wood ready to go," he said. Bell screwed each piece of wood into a piece of backing (in this case, plywood). The only unforeseen difficulty? The lumber was so heavy it nearly tipped over a forklift.

-- Deborah Netburn

Photo credit: Studio Dex

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.

Landscape designers' home garden is a laboratory (and that retriever is one of the guinea pigs)

When they're at work, landscape designers Annemarie and Matthew Hall dispense advice on how to save water, choose appropriate plants and maximize every square inch. But when they're at home in Laguna Niguel, the Halls are pretty much like the rest of us -- always looking for smarter, more affordable ways to maintain an attractive garden.

The Halls' yard doubles as a professional laboratory where they test ideas, such as planters crafted from steel culvert pipes.

"Good design doesn't have to be expensive," Annemarie said. "It can be budget-conscious and just as creative."

You can read the story on the Halls' home landscape or click through the photo gallery, which includes raised beds where the front lawn once stood as well as craftily deployed artificial turf in the backyard.

-- Emily Young

Photo credit: Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times