Setting the Valentine Scene

Think outside the chocolate box this Valentine’s Day with sensuous design for the home. As Ilse Crawford says in her book “The Sensuous Home” (Rizzoli International Publications, 1998), “the home is our emotional heartland, a place where the rhythm of events is under our control, a potential pleasure zone for our sensuous being. The very word ‘home,’ derived from the Old Norse heima, describes a state of being as well as a physical place.”

Lightly scented candles, soft pillows and subdued lighting are the usual ways to make a home more romantic. But here are four other possibilities to enjoy year-round.

“Fred and Ginger dancing together is a romantic icon. They mirrored each other in the fluid way they moved,” says Palm Springs furniture designer Mark Newman.

“After I created my multi-function table, where a cocktail-table-height table slips into an armchair-height one, I decided to call the design after them. To me it fits perfectly because the table has classic details, like tapering legs and scalloped, fluted details, and is a Moderne throwback reminiscent of the interior design in old Fred and Ginger movies.”

Newman admits that he watches those old movies for design inspiration, since many of their sets were done by important designers of the time. The “Fred and Ginger” nesting table, which comes in five finishes, retails for $3,300 and is available at Thomas Lavin, Los Angeles.

“Poppy,” by German designers Ulrich Beckert, Georg Soanca-Pollack and Peter Thammer, is a lamp that looks like a curvy piece of sculpture, with a mouth-blown glass shade, flexible hose and cloth-covered metal base. When it’s turned on, the magic begins. Slowly, the reflector leaves open, turning the lamp into a flower within about 30 seconds. “I love this lamp for its whimsy,” says Pia Deleon, co-owner of Plug on Melrose. “The metal on the petals is a bicarbon that is heat-activated. That’s why it blooms.” “Poppy” is available at Plug for $468.

Art furniture designer Christopher Royal finds humor in romance in his “Loveseat.” Royal began by designing miniature chair sculptures in the early 1990s, and his small versions became so popular that in the fall of 1998 his miniature designs were translated into full-size furniture. “Loveseat” is made from brushed aluminum and has a velvet seat.

“Couples come into the showroom and immediately want to sit on it,” says Cantoni Inc. manager Richard Pabon. “It definitely gets an emotional response.” The chair, available at Cantoni in Irvine, retails for $2,139.

A more traditional home accessory for Valentine’s Day is a heart-shaped silver box with a mother-of-pearl or black-lip shell flip-top. “I found this in Bali when I was there at Christmas,” says Liza Robinson Vidal, vice president at Warisan. “We don’t usually do seasonal things, but I particularly liked this box because it has a simple, understated shape and isn’t too frilly.”

It retails for $110 at Warisan in Los Angeles and Corona del Mar.

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Upcoming Events

for Design Lovers

On Tuesday, the Decorative Arts Society will present Caroline Rimell of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum speaking on “18th Century Furniture and Interiors in England” at the Edwards Newport Stadium Theatre, 300 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. Tickets are $40 at the door, with all proceeds going to the nonprofit New Directions for Women. The breakfast buffet begins at 9:30 a.m.; lecture at 10 a.m. For more information: (949) 722-7880.

Derek Ostergard of the Bard Center for Studies of Decorative Art, Design and Culture, New York City, will give a talk titled “At the Crossroads of Empire: Vienna, Modernism and Design” at the Gamble House, 4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $10-$15, with reservations required. (626) 793-3334. Web site: www.gamblehouse.org.

On Friday from 6-8 p.m. Mexican architect Mauricio Duk will unveil his installation, “The Un-Invited,” on the lawn of the Schindler House, where it will remain through April 14. Sponsored by the MAK Center as part of their international Artists and Architects in Residence program, “The Un-Invited” is a structure designed as a temporary extension of the Schindler House, 835 North Kings Road, West Hollywood. (323) 651-1510. Admission is free to the opening. Web site: www.MAKcenter.com.

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Kathy Bryant may be reached at: kbryant@socal.rr.com.