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MASTERS OF CRAFT | JOHN NYQUIST
John Nyquist may start with simple boards of white oak, but after one week he'll emerge from his Long Beach studio with the most graceful of rocking chairs, each spindle in the back shaped just so. For a closer look at that process, check out David A. Keeps' video posted online with additional pictures of Nyquist's home, filled with half a century of classic craftsmanship. These bonus features can be found with this article at latimes.com/home, as well as in a special index with all the profiles from this series to date, at latimes.com/mastersofcraft. >>
NEIGHBORLY ADVICE: NORTHWOOD
The neighborhood places high value on scholastic achievement and abundant public parks. >>
THE SCOUT
FOR HIS $40-million redesign of the Mondrian in West Hollywood, Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz goes one step beyond the "Alice in Wonderland" concept of the hotel's original mastermind, Philippe Starck. "This is what Alice found on the other side of the looking glass," says Noriega-Ortiz, pictured. Indeed, when the new design premieres Thursday, the concierge desk will be shaped like a toadstool. Guest rooms feature an oversized mirror on a swivel pole: One side is a sunset-orange-colored looking glass, and the other side is a TV screen. The neo-Rococo curve of the piece is echoed in headboards and daybeds that referenceMon the peaks and canyons of the Hollywood hills, and botanical motifs sprout on lamps, tables and wallpaper. Backlit bathroom mirrors and vanities emphasize the glamour of sparkly golden Silestone countertops. One of Noriega-Ortiz's brightest ideas to steal: a grand chandelier made from a cluster of nine petite, strategically hung glass dazzlers bought online for $99 each at www.greatchandeliers.com. >>
SALE
Sold as Neva Rust iron patio sets, some of the frilliest outdoor furniture since the Victorian era came from the now-defunct company Salterini. After the death of its founder, Salterini embraced the fab '50s with modern designs that are highly prized -- and priced. Reissued by California Living, this new version of the Ribbon ensemble sports a larger decorative backrest and teak arms on a powder-coated steel frame. The five-piece set consists of a glass-topped side table with pairs of armchairs and ottomans, all marked down from $4,100 to $3,100 through Sept. 15. It's part of California Living's biannual sale, also featuring discounts of up to 50% on vintage pieces. 601 N. La Brea Ave., L.A.; (323) 930-2601. >>
FINDS
Proof that the White House really is wired: this scale model of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., the latest in Design Ideas' Doodles Destinations renditions of architectural monuments hand-made from wire. It will brighten up the mantel or desk of any patriot for $92, lame-duck president not included. It's at Zero Minus Plus in Fred Segal, 500 Broadway, Santa Monica; (310) 395-5718. >>
FINDS
Temptress in a teacup? Designed as a limited edition for the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, this seductive, peony-scented candle from the Australian bath and beauty house MOR does double duty: When the flame finally dies out, the pretty porcelain vessel can be washed out and used with its coordinating saucer. $19.99 each at Provisions, 52 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre; (626) 836-6950. >>
Meet Kelsey the flipper. >>
TRENDS
Amid a slow housing market, Realtors are offering omelet bars, homemade cookies and other delectables to lure agents to their listings. >>
DEALS
Also last chance: Environment Furniture at 20% to 70% off. >>
Man of the House by Chris Erskine
It's time for back-to-school nights, soccer and helping the pumpkins along. >>
THE MONTHLY GARDENER
September can be too hot to think about fall planting -- or to do much of anything but water. Just remember that even if Santa Ana winds kick up the temperatures, the days are short and the sun is low, new plants can still thrive. >>
DATEBOOK
Debra Lee Baldwin discusses how to create a low-maintenance landscape. And more. >>
MASTERS OF CRAFT | JOHN NYQUIST
The influence, and value, of the woodworker's enduring midcentury pieces continue to grow. >>
INNER LIFE
Grandma Gloria Swanson's influence is felt in every room of Brooke Anderson's home, which was designed by Gregory Ain. >>
MAJORDOMO
Dudes, it's as sleek and cool as a certain sports car. There's even a TV. But what if you want toast? >>
POT-POURRI
Dioramas by Anna Goeser of Pot-ted are dish gardens for people with a love of kitsch. >>
BOOK REVIEW
Owning instead of renting, even in the current climate, pays a financial dividend, the authors explain. >>
ARCHITECTURE
Once it is reassembled, the new owner will restore and sell it. >>
TRENDS
Improper installation or product sizing can get in the way of any instant energy savings. Before installing, consider all the specifications. >>
THE SCOUT / Rediscovered
It's a rocking chair for the thoroughly modern porch: Takeshi Nii's minimal Ny chair, designed 50 years ago and now winning over the tired feet and aching backs of shoppers at the Tortoise General Store in Venice. The reissued piece ($450) has a lightweight aluminum frame with a breezy gliding motion, simple beech armrests and a cotton seat in orange or the newly added charcoal. It all folds for easy storage. A nonrocking version ($430) and a matching ottoman ($160) are available too, but it's the rocker that grabs shoppers' attention, store representative Sumiko Watanabe says. "It's so comfortable, you can sleep in the chair." 1208 Abbot Kinney Blvd.; (310) 314-8448; www.tortoiselife.com. >>
THE SCOUT / Craft
Reviving the centuries-old, almost-lost style of traditional Mogul embroidery, Lost City Products employs more than 100 India-based artisans to create dozens of intricate, textural patterns. The result is upholstery that puts a 21st century spin on a traditional craft. Classic vine and floral embroidery is rendered in basic black thread on white cotton or in metallic threads on silk; oversized patterns in bright colors pack a graphic punch that has caught the eye of designers including Tim Clarke of Santa Monica. Such handcrafted luxury does not come cheap: Cotton fabrics start at $173 per yard. The chrysanthemum-style Stencil shown here is $440 per yard. See the collection and get ordering information at www.lostcityproducts.com. >>
HOT PROPERTY
Hot Property >>
ARCHITECTURE
The homeowners, 'complete modernists,' wanted to maintain the ranch-style home's simplicity and add their own contemporary touch. Skylights and wider floor space set the tone. >>
NEIGHBORLY ADVICE: HERMON
Hermon experiences a renaissance as businesses move in and homes are remodeled. >>
PET PROJECT
Seven pieces of plywood, some tread and carpeting may give your pet a leg up on a good night's rest. >>
DESIGN
The striped structure has a hard time blending in to the neighborhood. >>
Getting the look: Santa Monica architect Aleks Istanbullu built a conventional wood-frame building, wrapped it with a black waterproofing membrane, then topped it with CertainTeed, a fiber cement siding. The basic architectural element is a 4-by-20-foot strip of siding composed of two 4-by-10-foot sheets, stacked vertically. >>
TRENDS
Brick-and-mortar stores are closing as dealers -- and collectors -- migrate to the Internet and auction houses. >>
NEIGHBORLY ADVICE: FRENCH PARK
The historic district includes Victorian, Craftsman and English Tudor styles. >>
TWEAKED
The basic hanging unit gets back panels to dress up with colorful decor. >>
Hot Property
GOODTHINGS also come in threes: Nicole Kidman has a beautiful new baby girl, a cool new place she bought in Beverly Hills, and a starring role in the big-screen version of Broadway's smash hit "Nine." >>
INNER LIFE
The Encino home, featured in the L.A. Times 50 years ago, has the architect's signature open floor plan and a design that blends seamlessly with the outside. >>
ON SALE: HOME DECOR
The shops: Zipper Art Form + Function, Allan Jeffries Framing, Tortoise, Classic Tile & Mosaic, Rolling Greens, Brick and Mortar, Smith & Hawken >>
THE MONTHLY GARDENER
Even if the heat comes blasting into your corner of Southern California, there's plenty to do. The biggest task at hand is preparing for planting season: Map out your new trees and shrubs, bulbs (which begin arriving in stores in September), winter vegetables, perhaps some ground cover. >>
DESIGN
A storied party house's design centerpiece comes with a tale of its own. >>
THE CALIFORNIA GARDEN
The artist, creator of the controversial gardens, may no longer have design oversight but his vision has established deep roots. >>
GARDEN
The documentary film 'A Man Named Pearl' explores the Southerner's passion for tree sculpting, which has become his life's work. >>
THE SCOUT
For designer Kelly LaPlante, being green isn't black or white. >>
THE SCOUT
With the popularity of Greek flokatis, Berber tribal graphics from Morocco and other ethnic rugs, it's hardly surprising that Patricia Urquiola has launched her first carpet collection. >>
THE SCOUT
Idea Space Design, which has created interiors for L.A. clients as diverse as football giant Keyshawn Johnson and novelist Bret Easton Ellis, is relocating its office and closing its furniture and accessories showroom in Beverly Hills. In a sale that runs through the end of the month, the firm will offer 50% to 75% reductions on its home decor. Designs emphasize clean lines and heroic proportions, exemplified by the diamond-tufted Cortisan wing chair shown above, with a 5-foot-high seat back; the piece is marked down to $2,150 from $4,300. Prices have been cut by half also for the zebrawood Roma Cube (now $1,050), whose gray vinyl top doubles as a stool and side table, and the rift-cut oak tray (now $198). Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays at 351 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 360-7140 or ideaspacedesign.com. >>
THE SCOUT
His Majesty and Her Majesty crown mirrors from Elena Coleman and Libby Kountzman >>
LETTERS
Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful article and accompanying photos of the Sarkissian garden in Modjeska [Beauty and the Drought,&rdquo, July 10]. You've made me appreciate my gardening friends and their efforts. >>
BACK STORY
A Massachusetts aristocrat saw a quick solution to a lack of lawn chairs while vacationing in New York's Adirondack Mountains more than 100 years ago. >>
INNER LIFE
Architect Lloyd Russell created the home, near Palm Springs, as an escape for musician and surf wear entrepreneur Jim Austin. >>
THE CALIFORNIA GARDEN
A Canoga Park backyard is a calm meditation on its owner's Indian roots. >>
MAN OF THE HOUSE BY CHRIS ERSKINE
You can't get away from the electronic world. >>
MODERN LIFE
As couples wrestle with fertility and adoption issues, many decide to fix up baby's bedroom while others wait until it's time. >>
THE CALIFORNIA GARDEN
Sarah and Geoff Sarkissian's creek-side property thoughtfully reflects its canyon habitat, with hardy, starkly beautiful plants and an intricate water-retaining system. >>
THE SCOUT
Organic, sustainable and energy-efficient products are the stars of the show at Green and Greener, an eco-conscious general store created by interior designer Alegre Ramos. The month-old store in Valley Village offers green design consultations and special-order materials that include recycled glass tile and clay plaster wall finishes. It also sells vintage furniture and contemporary housewares such as cork jigsaw puzzle place mats from Mio Culture, $19.99 for a box of 12 pieces. The low-wattage Bubbly Chandelier, which Ramos made for the store, saves electricity without sacrificing style, recycling Champagne bottles as pendants for compact fluorescent bulbs. As shown here, the made-to-order piece of five bottles and five 1-watt LED bubbles is $1,150, with customers providing their own empties. 4838 Laurel Canyon Blvd. (818) 358-4313 or www.green-and-greener.com. >>
THE SCOUT
It looks like a 1950s set, with 'maybe a little Jetsons mixed in,' says maker Joe Wilkerson. >>
THE SCOUT
At Floor-Model, Danish Modern doesn't necessarily mean designer labels. "The goal is to make the aesthetic of midcentury furniture from Scandinavian countries accessible," says owner David Pierce. And more affordable: Through Sunday, Floor-Model is offering 20% to 40% off its inventory of teak tables, rosewood buffets and upholstered seating in the style of the swivel lounge chair shown here. Mahogany sofas with loose cushions start at $1,400, and oak dining chairs are now priced from $200 each. Floor-Model ( www.floor-model.com) is one of the dozens of vendors participating in the twice-a-year sale of 20% to 70% off at the 150,000-square-foot showroom of H.D. Buttercup, 3225 Helms Ave., L.A. (310) 558-8900 or www.hdbuttercup.com. >>
FINDS
Drop the name Marimekko and most folks will picture the giant fruit and flowers or op art graphics found on bedding at Crate & Barrel. >>
ARCHITECTURE
Michael Burch and Diane Wilk have enhanced the traditional yet modern elements of the 1925 home with their attention to craftsmanship. >>
LETTERS
I enjoyed your piece on Otto Heino [94 and Still Fired Up, June 26]. I'm so glad he's still at it. Thank you for seeking him out and writing that piece. >>
THE SCOUT
Designer uses an Yves Saint Laurent square to top off a high-style ottoman with Lucite legs. >>
INNER LIFE
The 'killer view' drew Marcel Sitcoske and Michael Oddo to the site; free-flowing interior spaces kept them there. >>
PET PROJECT
Landscape architect Stephanie Rubin and sculptor Chris Isner sell such homes with rooftop gardens for $1,000 to $4,000, but you can make your own for much less. >>
THE CALIFORNIA GARDEN
Southern California's climate is ideal for these fruits that originated in Asia. >>
LIVE/WORK
The couple relies heavily on transparent doors and ceiling-floors to let the sun shine in. >>
MAN OF THE HOUSE BY CHRIS ERSKINE
The latest lifestyle: mall as home. Our intrepid columnist tests the idea with an Americana sleepover. >>
THE MONTHLY GARDENER
Find a place in the shade, pour yourself a tall iced tea and take July off. There's not much for gardeners to do this month other than to water. Plants in containers need the most, but even those in the ground need frequent irrigation. That's unless, of course, you were clever enough to plant mostly native and other non-thirsty Mediterranean-climate plants, though even they may need a deep soaking at some point. >>
THE SCOUT
New York-based wallpaper designer Carly Margolis found the inspiration for her latest pattern on a visit to Casa de Milagros, an orphanage in Peru. Using a hand-rendered chakana -- an Inca spiritual symbol representing heaven, Earth and hell -- as a repeated graphic element, Margolis integrated drawings by the children throughout the hand-silk screened print. Available in chocolate brown, olive and turquoise, the wallpaper is $155 per roll. Proceeds will go directly to Casa de Milagros. The paper is sold in a two-roll minimum, which will cover about 66 square feet. www.cavernhome.com. >>
THE SCOUT
They combine elegant and spindly silhouettes with a gentle surrealism. >>
THE SCOUT
The Pasadena designer uses scraps of solid walnut to form a free-standing patchwork. >>
MASTERS OF CRAFT | OTTO HEINO
The Ojai ceramist was at the heart of the 1950s studio movement. Now, six decades later, a new generation is drawn to his earthy, organic pieces with their distinctive forms and glazes. >>
IN THE BACKYARD
An exhibit shows how the 17th century artist's work advanced the study of entomology. >>
Man of the House by Chris Erskine
A coach raises a toast (is it just lemonade?) to his undefeated T-ball team. >>
THE SCOUT
A former antiques dealer, interior designer Windsor Smith re-imagines classic English and American furniture for the California home in her debut collection. "Everything is a little taller, a little deeper, the lines are more relaxed and scaled to how we live today," she says of her designs, which include, left, the lacquered Brittany Secretary, $12,000, with antiqued mirror doors, nickel hardware and a drop-down writing desk and the leather upholstered, nailhead-trimmed Directoire chair, $4,200. The line also has an innovative two-sided sofa and updated Georgian and Chippendale cabinets that can house flat-screen TVs. "Opulence is coming back in a more simplified way," says Smith, left, in her Mandeville Canyon home. "I want it to feel like the cool kids have invaded the ancestral home." The locally handcrafted pieces, custom ordered through Smith, take eight to 12 weeks to complete. www.windsorsmithhome.com >>
THE SCOUT
Other pieces include the Sunbrella cushion and Peter Schaffner's Pix cafe table, all at Design Within Reach >>
THE SCOUT
Modernist architect Richard Neutra anticipated the need for space-saving dual-purpose furniture by creating the Camel table -- so named because with a simple adjustment of L-shaped legs, it rises from low-slung coffee table to a standard-height surface for dinner guests. A 1954 Camel, shown here, custom-made for the Hammerman residence in Bel-Air, will be offered (Lot 120) at at noon Sunday. The Neutra Camel is expected to fetch $15,000 to $20,000. A 1950s Hendrik Van Keppel & Taylor Green version manufactured by the defunct L.A. firm Brown Saltman (Lot 160) is estimated to sell for $1,000 to $1,500. Previews 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Saturday. Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Ave., Suite B538, West Hollywood. (323) 904-1950 or www.lamodern.com. >>
THE SCOUT
The throw pillows are made from flags that were waved during holiday parades in the late 1800s and early 1900s. >>
DESIGN
FOR ALL the buzz surrounding modern prefab architecture, few of these projects actually move beyond the conception stage to become built environments. The number of full-fledged modern prefab houses built nationwide in 2008 will be in the dozens, not hundreds. >>
GARDENSCAPES
Designer Stephen Gabor used desert plants for drama and added fruit trees and roses for playful color. >>
TRENDS
Even in this economy, remodeling projects still call for professional-grade appliances and high-end finishes. How did the kitchen become a way to impress rather than a place to cook? And is change on the horizon? >>
THE SCOUT
Charles and Ray Eames became the first furniture designers ever to be honored by the U.S. Postal Service. >>
THE SCOUT
Ballard Designs' metalwork creates a modern silhouette of the classic manicured trees. >>
THE SCOUT
Pieces from the Echo Park workshop include a Low Table, made from five grain-matched planks of sustainably harvested white oak. >>
HAPPENING
Founded in 1889, the Swedish design and manufacturing firm Kasthall is renowned for its highly textured, richly colored linen and wool rugs. >>
WHERE I LIVE
Cooking in cramped spaces has never been a problem for the cookbook writer, who grew to appreciate the efficient simplicity of petite kitchens. >>
SET PIECES
She welcomes kids into a fantasy world where her whimsical food-art creations include 'sushi' made from Twinkies. >>
THE SCOUT
The home furnishings designer will close its La Brea store to focus on Web sales. Look for large markdowns. >>
LETTERS
AS A proud owner of one of the beautiful Maltman bungalows in Silver Lake, I wanted to thank you for featuring them in your article Little by Little on June 5, about an L.A. ordinance that allows for multiple small homes to be built on certain lots]. >>
PHIL ROSENTHAL and Monica Horan have had a love affair with Italy and la cucina Italiana ever since they first flew there as couriers for DHL in the early '80s. They are especially enamored of the cooking done in the wood-fired ovens once found outside so many farmhouses across the Italian countryside. >>
DESIGN
American Institute of Architects poll shows 33.5% of respondents are building pared-down houses, compared with 17% two years ago. >>
SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA was a prince in India around 500 BC who set out to discover meaning in the suffering he witnessed. Once he found enlightenment, he began to spread his philosophy. He became known as Buddha, a title, since given to others, that means "awakened one." >>
GARDENING
PAT MARFISI calls Esther Deans' no-dig method of gardening "absurdly easy." Here, he offers tips on where to buy alfalfa and straw and how to create a 300-square-foot vegetable garden, which took him only two hours to complete: >>
THE PARTY
The executive producer of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' and wife, actress Monica Horan, have hosted the weekly movie night for years. >>
TRENDS
The religious symbol as decoration? It's complicated. >>
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