Moguls of Modernism
The bright green dentist’s chair in the window of Privato sums up what this trendy Huntington Beach store is all about. Owners Jason La Bounty and Eric Hanna have carefully selected pieces with a sleek modern design and wit.
Privato (Latin for “at home”) is stocked with quirky items such as antique optical pieces attached to lamps (starting at $175) and colanders converted into lighting fixtures (starting at $60).
“We’re focusing on mid-century modern,” La Bounty says. “We look for design-driven furniture and accessories with a lot of style.”
Why specialize in the ‘50s?
Since La Bounty is 31 and Hanna is 29, the modernist look is fresh to them. After World War II, people wanted fantasy in their home furnishings. Space themes were popular, and furniture was often brightly colored and made of metal or Formica.
Another attraction is that furniture from this period is more affordable than antiques.
“We find special things at estate sales,” says Hanna, citing a rare, white frosted globe floor lamp priced at $800. “We’re always studying to help develop our eye.”
Hanna and La Bounty turn to books such as “1000 Chairs,” by Charlotte and Peter Fiell (1997, Benedikt Taschen), and magazines such as Echoes, the Magazine of Classic Modern Style and Design to increase their knowledge of the period.
“When we have spare time, we’re either searching for new pieces or reading and researching,” Hanna says. “We’ve bought a lot of junk too, but after a while you get trained to pick stuff out.”
La Bounty and Hanna have collected pieces for years. “We were magnetically drawn to it,” La Bounty says.
Hanna is a painter, and his interest in modernism began as an artistic search. “I liked the paintings of Kandinsky and Miro, and from there I started to explore more purity of form and line,” he says. “One thing led to another, and I got interested in furniture design. I think the clean lines are beautiful.”
Their downtown shop opened early this year in an old public works building. Behind the shop are vacant brick jail cells, which Hanna and La Bounty put to use. Solitary Confinement Cell No. 4 serves as storage space for their inventory.
In the store, pieces are arranged in vignettes to represent rooms. “We want to help people visualize how the item would look in a home,” Hanna says. “And we’re able to put things that looked great together. The beauty of modernist design is that it’s something you can use in several design scenarios because it’s so pure.”
Popular items in the store are bar stools, sculptural chairs reupholstered in vintage fabric, and bamboo pieces. The bamboo motif is hot--seen in everything from jewelry to clothes to furniture--because it reminds people of Hawaii in the ‘50s. Strong, durable and affordable, bamboo is also an ecologically sustainable resource, which adds to its appeal.
Privato also has a hi-fi walnut cabinet ($240) that La Bounty turned into a bar by adding taller legs and shelves. The drop-door was turned into a tabletop and redesigned so that it can be used from the back or the top.
“We’re always looking around and seeing things that have possibilities,” La Bounty says.
And they’re looking to the future, like the modernist movement did. Their plans include a garden area near the jail cell where they can sell aluminum, fiberglass and wrought-iron patio furniture.
Privato, 218 1/2 5th St., Huntington Beach, is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, or by appointment. (714) 374-1120.
