INSIDE & OUT : DISCOVERIES : Furniture Forays : Shirt Lamps and Window Shelves
Who says functional furniture can’t be fun? Not Dan Janotta and Marian Drahnak, the husband-and-wife team that created the Hawaiian Shirt Lamp and the Walking Window Display Case, pieces in their Janotta furniture line.
Frustrated by soaring prices and what they see as a lack of quality in furniture today, Janotta and Drahnak decided to come up with designs of their own, which are based on items like rocking horses, Hawaiian shirts and toasters.
The Hawaiian Shirt Lamp ($200) is made of solid mahogany, with a fishing lure for a pull switch. Janotta and Drahnak choose only colorful, uniquely patterned shirts for the lamps.
An open window is the idea behind the Walking Window Display Case ($1,700), which is a shelving unit that could also be used as a room divider. The shelves are attached to the frame in much the same way that blinds hang in a window.
All of the wood elements are maple and coated with an environmentally safe varnish. The legs and curtain rod are made of steel that has a satin silver powder coating. The plumb bob-shaped base is a necessary counterweight to balance the upper frame. The imported lace curtain is included.
Janotta and Drahnak--whose pieces are shown in art galleries in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Ft. Lauderdale--opened their own studio in February in Hermosa Beach.
Janotta, 39, a senior architect for Johnson, Sand and Pereira Associates in Los Angeles, was a member of the team that designed the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa.
For more information or to order, call (310) 379-4051.
House Calls
Do you have deep scratches in your baby grand? A leg or two broken on your dining room table? Is the furniture too big to lug out the door?
It’s not a problem for Roger Pigott, also known as the Finish Guy.
When you have larger pieces that you can’t or don’t want to move, Pigott, 33, of Poway, will come to your house to repair, touch up and finish your furniture.
Pigott, who averages between three and eight house calls a day, including an 18-chair job in Laguna Beach recently, specializes in repairing high-gloss lacquer finishes, such as those found on pianos and entertainment centers.
He started his mobile service for offices about 1 1/2 years ago, but his home-repair business has taken off, so he’s concentrating on that end of the market. He also does work for antique and consignment shops.
Originally from El Segundo, Pigott has been in the repair business for 12 years.
His minimum varies depending on the distance, but the customer “gets an hour of advice or work, their choice,” he says.
To reach the Finish Guy, call (619) 679-8837.
New Degrees of Leather
Traditional styling takes on a fresh look when paired with leather. A chair and ottoman from Natuzzi are made of a super-soft leather that looks and feels as smooth as butter. The chair and ottoman are typical of Natuzzi’s lilt on furniture, using traditional themes and mixing them with leather in unexpected colors--such as banana yellow, butternut and lime green.
Pasquale Natuzzi, who is based in Italy, is the company’s owner and principal designer. The company is the world’s largest leather furniture manufacturer and offers more than 400 designs in leather.
The chair and ottoman, priced about $1,000, are available in Orange County at Moda Italia in Huntington Beach and at Plummers stores.