Stepping Up to the Corner Bar at Home
Frank and Dino were missing, but other than that, the party at the Cantoni contemporary design studio and showroom in Irvine had all the elements of swank: chrome-based Bombo barstools, spun glass fiber Galileo lamps, polished steel martini bars and triple-distilled gin.
Company founder Michael Wilkov was host to 250 guests last week at a benefit for Cure Autism Now. The gathering point for most attendees was a massive martini station, which was situated next to the smaller, take-home variety.
Sleek, portable bars are becoming popular accessories as more people are creating home entertainment areas, says Wilkov. At $2,600, the Italian-made Sorrento bar, which is exclusive to Cantoni in Southern California, costs less than a built-in wet bar and, at 4 1/2-feet wide, the half-circle silhouette fits economically into a living or dining room.
The bar is made of lightly stained sycamore veneer with a mix of frise and birds-eye gloss grain patterns. Large pieces of stainless steel and glass are incorporated into the design, creating a retro feel.
The bottom shelf serves as the main storage space, with a cutaway shelf above it that offers headroom to tall bottles and decanters. A contoured steel guardrail keeps shakers and measuring instruments in place, and a frosted glass tabletop hides fingerprints.
The Cantoni showroom is at 8650 Research Drive, Irvine, (949) 585-9191; www.cantoni.com.
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Bottles Up
The clear-glass bottle that contains Bafferts gin is more than a premium martini necessity; it’s a home-bar accessory if you listen to loyalists who keep it on display long after the contents are gone. The reason? Fluid design lines that flow in a never-ending, never-beginning manner.
The unusual shape was inspired by a ring that was admired by Robert Reider, who owns the company. An Italian glass manufacturer translated the ebb-and-flow look into a bottle that has people turning it around in their hands in search of a straight edge.
Hayman Distillers Ltd. in London bottles the triple-distilled gin, which uses few botanicals and is light on juniper. The import is distributed by Bishop Wines & Spirits and is spreading across the U.S. It’s available at Albertsons and high-end liquor stores.
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Credit the Design
Discover Card is lightening the load for its users by offering a compact version of its credit card that clips to a key chain or belt, making it possible to leave wallets behind.
The curvy new Discover 2GO card is smaller than a traditional one--it’s 3 inches wide and 1 3/4 inches long. And it’s kidney-shaped, so it fits in a palm and has a cool factor that the rectangular ones lack, even when decorated in bright colors or graphic designs.
When needed, the card flips out of its black plastic case like a pocketknife. When not being used, the case covers the cardholder’s name, signature and account number.
A drawback in design is that the card, developed by Oberthur Card Systems, can’t be used at ATMs, self-pay gas stations and other places set up to accept only the full-size ones, and it doesn’t work in manual embossing machines.
Its magnetic strip, however, can swipe through most other electronic payment terminals. It can also be taken out of the case and given to a cashier. For security, keys can be detached from the card’s case when they’re handed over to valets, mechanics ... or teenagers. For more information, call (800) 347-2683; www.discover2go.com.
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Janet Eastman can be reached at janet.eastman@latimes.com.
