A Guide to the Best of Southern California : HANDMADE : Waves of Grain

Larry Konis makes dried-flower arrangements. Not wreaths. Not those casual sprays offered in country-style emporiums. Using wheat, lavender, rye, roses, larkspur and oats from Europe (“which are cleaner and of much better quality,” he says), Konis creates “sculptures” of upright flowers or grains. Tied at the midsection--or fit so snugly they don’t need a belt--with raffia and other materials, the bundles are then tucked into hand-rubbed stone pots or willow baskets.

All of the sheafs, $35 to $600, come together in the back of his Melrose Avenue store, where he also creates custom pieces for interior decorators and set designers.

Before indulging his interest in design full time, Konis was a plumbing-supplies manufacturer, among other things, he says. He first found inspiration for his craft in Paris shops, where he was influenced by the work of Jules Des Pres, a pioneer in the art.

Larry Konis Design, 8625 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; (213) 855-0229.