INSIDE & OUT : Waste Not

Taking out the trash takes on a new dimension with select waste management systems by Blanco.

With several custom features available, you can turn your kitchen into the ultimate recycle-compost center without opening a cabinet door or heading outside to the garbage cans.

There is a built-in waste bin chute next to the sink. When chopping vegetables, meats and other foods, the trimmings can be disposed of by dropping them through the chute, which is connected to a waste bin below.

For avid recyclers, pullout containers can be installed under the sink for separating aluminum cans, bottles and newspapers. And baskets for storing cleaning products can be added to the system (from $143 to $337, sink not included).

For more information, contact the J.M. Kitchen & Bath Showroom in Irvine, (714) 651-1112 or West End West in Laguna Beach, (714) 494-2264.

At the Plate

Architect David Schwarz, designer of the Ballpark in Arlington, Tex., is stepping up to the plate with Potomac, his line of porcelain china for Barneys.

Schwarz used the same philosophy for his table setting as he did in designing the stadium for the Texas Rangers baseball team.

“The elements of design are universal,” says Schwarz, who also designs tableware for his Washington-based company, Architectural Objects Inc. “It’s just as intriguing and gratifying conceiving a pattern for porcelain as it is designing a building.”

Five-piece place settings ($175 each) will be available early next month at Barneys, South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa.

Crafty Carpets

Color and craftsmanship are still a Tufenkian tradition. Reinterpreting Old World designs and palettes using new forms and materials give the wool rugs a fresh, yet familiar look.

For instance, the Shoowa Panel Autumn rug ($1,150 for a 6-foot-by-9-foot up to $3,200 for a 10-foot-by-14-foot) draws inspiration from African textiles and artifacts and pottery shards. And the Asante ($1,250 for a 6-foot-by-9-foot and $3,600 for a 10-foot-by-14-foot), with its vibrant palette, has a quilted feel.

To retain high quality and give the rugs a lustrous texture, all of the yarns are spun, carded and knotted by hand.

Tufenkian works, of which there are more than 500 designs, are available at Mansour Rugs, 8600 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (310) 652-9999, and Outrageous Rugs, 7126 Miramar Road, San Diego, (619) 536-9118.