INSIDE & OUT : Stone Swirls
Ceramist Aletha Soule has created a new line of plates, platters, chargers and bowls that have the look of swirled stone.
Soule uses a multilayer technique to apply nontoxic, lead-free paints to create her Agateware line. Usually, Soule brushes on one color or two in several layers before sealing in the pattern with glazes.
Soule, who lives in Sebastopol in Sonoma County, studied ceramics at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, where she became interested in multilayer techniques that add texture and depth to clay pieces.
She has been designing earthenware for more than 10 years. Agateware, introduced in January, is available in moss and natural color.
The dishes range in price from about $30 for an eight-inch bowl to $90 for a 13-inch bowl. Dinner plates are about $40 each and chargers $46. The earthenware can be used in dishwashers and microwave ovens.
The dishes are sold at the Art of Living in Laguna Beach.
Portable Masking
A simple device has become a window of opportunity for Bob Jeffrey of Summit, N.J.
WindowShield, which conforms to the contours of a window, helps to cut down prep time when painting windows.
Jeffrey, a retired sporting goods executive, came up with the idea while painting a house for one of his children. “I figured there had to be a better way of keeping paint off the glass than all that taping and scraping,” he said, “so I started tinkering with a few ideas in my workshop.”
The WindowShield (about $5 in two sizes, five-inch and eight-inch) looks like a right angle-shaped piece of Venetian blind on a red handle. To use, you insert it into the corner of the window you wish to paint. By applying some pressure, the blades expand and snugly match the contours of the pane. It’s held in place with one hand so you can paint with the other. When one corner is finished, the device can be moved to another.
The WindowShield is available at home improvement centers throughout the county.
Linen Line
New York-based E. Braun & Co., known throughout the world for its collection of bedding, table and bath lines, is extending its service and goods in a catalogue.
Owners Stephanie and Frederic Barbatelli will be offering items in fabrics such as Egyptian cotton damask, Belgian linen, Italian cotton and silk, French voile and cashmere.
Among some of the pieces available are cashmere blankets ($1,700 for twin, $2,300 for full/queen) and “Cocoon Silk Lotus Voile” sheet sets ($3,000 for four-piece queen).
“More than any other room in the house, the bedroom is one’s refuge from the outside world,” said Stephanie Barbatelli. “It should be refined, calm and always welcoming.
“You shouldn’t have to do without the best just because you’re not in New York.”
The company’s toll-free number rings directly into the store, where on-site staff assists customers.
For more information, call (800) 372-7286.