Thursday, July 29, 2004

Drawn to the flame

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Thursday July 29, 2004

THE OUTDOOR ROOM
Drawn to the flame

By Steven Barrie-Anthony, Times Staff Writer

The latest fire pits move beyond the classic brass bowl: Cheaper models are spare and utilitarian, all handles and wheels, while high-end granite models with inlaid tile look like they belong in the tribal council pit on TV's "Survivor."

Before buying, decide what you want to spend and whether you want a simple wood-burning fire pit or a fancier, heavier one that runs on gas. Soon, friends and family will gather in your backyard to temper the inky darkness with fire.

PHOTO: Scrimp PORTABLE OUTDOOR FIREPIT If you are willing to sacrifice elegance for functionality, try Whalen's version. The height of the pit allows for a large fire, and the solid-steel lid directs heat horizontally rather than letting it escape skyward. A wheeled tripod makes it ideal for beach getaways and tailgate parties. Costco, $79.99.

PHOTO: Splurge VILLAGE SQUARE For big spenders who don't care about portability, this one by S.B. Grace is worthy of consideration. The 225-pound pit is made of glass-fiber reinforced concrete that resists cracking, even in freezing weather. The Village Square uses natural gas or liquid propane -- just light a match. www.fountainsandfirepits.com, $1,565.

PHOTO: Spend STAR & MOON Growing up on a ranch, Joe Boudreau noticed that fire pits tend to give off more smoke than heat -- so Sojoe president Boudreau started cutting designs into steel pits to aerate the flames. This rustic fire pit burns hot, and throws glowing images of stars and moons onto your deck or patio. www.sojoe.com, $299.

PHOTO: Scrimp CHAR-BROIL FIRE BOWL WITH SCREEN The elegant porcelain-coated dish is elevated from the ground on a sturdy steel base. Weathercoating means you can leave it out all night. At 45 pounds, it is light enough to drag all over the yard or patio. The screen should keep embers from popping into nearby foliage. Target, $69.99.

PHOTO: Splurge DECK AND PATIO HEARTH Warming Trends' stylish behemoth features classy inlaid tile customizable to match your decor. Flip a wall switch or use a push-button remote to ignite natural gas or propane. If a freak gust of wind extinguishes the fire, it relights itself in 3 seconds. www.warming- trends.com, $3,595.

PHOTO: Spend PATIO FLAME The stainless-steel design by Arctic is one of the few fire pits that are sleek, aesthetically pleasing and highly portable. Make your choice of fuels: wood, or charcoal for longer-lasting warmth. When you feel hunger pangs, it converts easily into a grill. www.fire-science.com, $385.

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Maybe there's a future in mixing past, present

LOS ANGELES TIMES
Thursday July 22, 2004

Maybe there's a future in mixing past, present

By Steven Barrie-Anthony

A room full of antiques has "a sameness, a heaviness about it. It offers no relief -- there is opulence everywhere," says antiques dealer and furniture designer Richard Shapiro. So last May, Shapiro debuted Richard Shapiro Studiolo (www.rshapiroantiques.com) -- his new collection of linear, minimalist, modern furniture, designed to temper the weight and lavishness of baroque or Italian antiques.

Say you own this 18th century Florentine sofa, made of tooled red leather. Add additional antique elements, and you're headed for sensory overload, Shapiro says. Instead, using pieces from his own line as examples, Shapiro recommends: flanking the couch with Moderne gilded-iron etageres ($9,500 each), fronting it with a green Art Deco table ($3,840) and completing the look with two Venetian slipper chairs ($3,600 each).

When decorating, Shapiro says, the key is to continually mix antique elements with modern touches. Notice, for instance, the juxtaposition of a 15th century French gothic head atop the Art Deco table with a Hans-Christian Schink print on the wall behind it.

Coexistence of curvaceous antiques with edgy modern flourishes brings out the best in both aesthetics, Shapiro says, and sets up a tension that is striking.

Richard Shapiro Antiques and Works of Art, 8905 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; (310) 275-6700.

One Hundred Houses for One Hundred European Architects of the Twentieth Century

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Thursday July 22, 2004

MIXED MEDIA

By Steven Barrie-Anthony

One Hundred Houses for One Hundred European Architects of the Twentieth Century

Gennaro Postiglione

Taschen, $36

Separating domesticity from the design of a home, even one with a grand architectural pedigree, is like enjoying a painting without looking at it. Homes in architectural books are often stripped naked, in limbo.

This book views architects' homes as living spaces rather than as abandoned shells. Paintings and easels crowd the rubble stone wall of Le Corbusier's studio. A head of lettuce awaits slaughter on a marble slab in Aurelio Galfetti's modernist kitchen.

Each of 100 entries features a separate home: in-depth description, exterior photos, floor plan and bio of its architect. But, as editor Gennaro Postiglione writes, "The status of the domestic interior needs liberating" -- and so the book ventures indoors, and includes shots (in the case of Alvar Aalto, for instance) of the architect's office, working area, living and dining rooms, even Aalto's daughter's room.

For architects, the design process continues indefinitely -- from laboring over the drafting table to picking out the kitchen table -- and it's good to be along for the ride. One complaint: Editors should have included information on furnishings, because readers will want to borrow these inventive ideas.

Thursday, July 15, 2004

A space for tranquillity

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Thursday July 15, 2004

WRITING HOME
A space for tranquillity
* The New Zen Garden: Designing Quiet Places Joseph Cali Kodansha, $32

By Steven Barrie-Anthony

Carl Jung once said, "Nobody, as long as he moves about among the chaotic currents of life, is without trouble." The human condition, it seems, is inherently stressful. When the chaos overwhelms you, find a moment to pick up Japan-based designer Joseph Cali's excellent book on Zen gardens. Photos of classic and contemporary designs -- modest sand-and-stone courtyards and green gardens with waterfalls and ponds -- exude tranquillity.

Read the first chapter about the origins of Zen and its influence on design and you'll agree that Buddhist masters are onto something. Read the next chapters, which interweave Zen history and philosophy with practical instructions for creating your own space, and you'll be ready to transform yourself by transforming your backyard. Detailed diagrams help clarify the process of, say, building a traditional clay wall in the nuru style. And in the end, amid the chaos of the everyday: a quiet space, a taste of emptiness.

-- Steven Barrie-Anthony

Sit. Stay. Fight cancer

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Thursday July 15, 2004

HOMEWORKS
Psssst, did you hear about ...

By Steven Barrie-Anthony

Sit. Stay. Fight cancer

IF only you could harness a dog's energy and put it to good use. That's what the people at Portland, Maine-based Planet Dog were thinking when they came up with the Ribbon Ringo ($9.95), a version of their bestselling dog ball sporting a Saturn ring representing breast cancer awareness. Planet Dog will donate 45 cents per ball sold, with a minimum donation of $10,000, to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

"My aunt has been fighting and winning against breast cancer," says Planet Dog co-founder and chief creative officer Alex Fisher. "And as a human being, I know many people in our office and around that have had this disease enter their lives. We did some research, learned about the need for greater awareness. We started thinking about something small we could do."

Dogs -- and curious owners -- everywhere will soon find that charity leaves a fresh, minty aftertaste. The Ribbon Ringo smells minty too. And also floats in water. It is available at most pet stores.

Thursday, July 1, 2004

Everything's so, like, pink and sparkly

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Thursday July 01, 2004

HOMEWORKS
Everything's so, like, pink and sparkly

Home Edition, Home, Page F-7
Features Desk
20 inches; 730 words

By Steven Barrie-Anthony

SORRY, moms and dads, but it's true: Target's new Stuff by Hilary Duff Home Collection -- including bedding, string lights, beaded curtain, "plush doorbell," lamp and mini-stool -- may soon be appearing in bedrooms down the hallway.

Push the heart-emblazoned doorbell puff, or plug in those string lights and brace yourselves for uber girly, Pepto-Bismol pink, and for stars -- representing stardom, we assume -- on every viable surface. Duff's inscription, too, is everywhere.

"People on the street don't usually want to talk to me. They just want my autograph," says Duff from a Toronto movie set. "My signature just made everything a little more personal. Like, it's something from me."

When that bedroom door finally cracks open, you might notice various not-so-subtle changes in your 'tween: She may be wearing a blue-and-red striped velour skirt (courtesy of the Stuff by Hilary Duff clothing line) and have pink or purple nails and lips that give off an appropriately saccharine "sugar-candy scent" (courtesy of Duff-brand cosmetics). Don't be surprised if Duff provides the soundtrack for this unveiling: "every day is a transformation / every day is a new sensation ... " (the title track of her triple-platinum CD, "Metamorphosis").

Put-upon parents might point out that the real Duff decorates more tastefully. Says Duff of the new L.A. mansion she shares with her family: "It's Mediterranean, lots of arches, very open. We each have our own wing. I want mine to be Moroccan."

-- Steven Barrie-Anthony