Mission: accomplished

If you rebuild it they will come.

After three years on South Pasadena’s antiques row, Marc Jager has moved a few blocks east and renovated the former El Centro Drive-In Market, filling the space with American folk art, Navajo rugs and jewelry, tramp art, Mexican colonial furniture and European antiques. Constructed more like a solarium than an emporium, Jager’s interior design features open truss wooden ceilings, concrete floors and casement windows that fill the room with natural light.

Among the offerings at the store (1040 Mission St., [626] 799-2640) since its opening earlier this year are, as shown here, a green Spanish colonial candlestick ($850), a 19th century fabino wood table ($900), an oil heater fan by Chicago’s Lake Breeze Motor Co. ($1,800) and 1920s decorative plates ($100 and up) from Tlaquepaque in central Mexico. Even more impressive is the extensive collection of 19th and 20th century California Arts and Crafts and Batchelder tiles, which occupy one corner of a space in which treasure hunters are just as likely to find a 200-year-old marble Buddha head as hand-painted Mexican santos.

“I like to find objects that either have historical interest, aesthetic appeal or soul,” says Jager, a former painter. “If it has all three, that’s a bull’s-eye.”

-- David A. Keeps

Green havens across the globe

Armchair gardeners, dig in. Photographer Mick Hales’ new book, “Gardens Around the World: 365 Days” (Harry N. Abrams, $29.95), features more than 150 private and public gardens from 16 countries in a format that resembles a glossy travel diary.

Compiling photographs that Hales took during 20 years of magazine work and other assignments, the book celebrates gardens “from the grandest to the most humble.” Southern Californians will be familiar with some, such as the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino and Lotusland in Montecito. Others are half a world away, such as the Mughal-style Rashtrapati Bhavan gardens in New Delhi, shown above.

All are arranged in alphabetical order, one for each day of the year, starting with the Abkhazi Garden in British Columbia and ending with a Zelun garden in Chengdu Province, China. The 744-page, 6 1/2-by-9 1/2-inch book is intended as both a travelogue and an inspirational guide -- with a list of public gardens and a variety of insights.

“As our society moves faster and faster, with technological advances each year, it is hard for us to keep our connection to the land,” Hales writes. “Keeping a garden is one answer to this loss -- having one’s hands in and smelling the soil.

“Watching plants grow, flower and die back reminds us of our own humanity.”

-- Tina Daunt

Blending utility and philanthropy

Jenn-Air’s Attrezzi line of mixers and blenders is taking its concept of “works of art for the kitchen” a step further by having Baltimore glass designer Michael Weems create a limited-edition series that will help raise funds for the anti-hunger charity Share Our Strength.

Launched last year, the appliances let consumers mix and match colors to taste: pearlescent white, black, stainless steel, satin platinum or antique copper for the bases; Merlot red, aqua beach, verde green, amber tortoise, “dolce” and a clear etched pattern for the bowls and pitchers.

The Weems edition -- featuring frosted- and etched-glass bowls in gold, on antique copper bases, and signed by the artist -- is limited to 500 mixers and blenders. They’ll be for sale in July at www.frontgate.com and www.chefscatalog.com, but you can get a sneak peek now at www.jennairattrezzi.com. The blender and pitcher retail for about $300; the mixer and bowl, about $400.

-- Abra Deering Norton

IX marks the spot

At your next party, you can keep the guest count under control with Roman-numeraled chair slipcovers from Eccola, a European antiques showroom on La Brea Avenue. Owner Kathleen White-Almanza, who lived in the Italian capital for a decade working as a set decorator, designed the linen covers to form-fit upholstered dining chairs with fancy kick pleats and cotton lining. They will make their first public appearance tonight at Elle Decor magazine’s “Dining by Design” event, a yearly benefit dinner and auction in Los Angeles for which local decorators are enlisted to create the ultimate, and often outrageous, table settings.

Looking to bring a bit of Rome home? The slipcovers can be custom-made to fit most upholstered dining chairs. You choose the colors, the numbers and, of course, who sits where, designating everyone from your No. 1 guest to the perfect 10.

Prices start at $350 each. Eccola is at 330 N. La Brea Ave., L.A., (323) 932-9922.

-- Alexandria Abramian-Mott

Make sure it’s safely wired

With air conditioners and fans running full blast lately, it’s a good time to think about electrical safety -- something many homeowners apparently don’t do often enough.

One in four never checks for hazards such as frayed or overheated cords, overloaded outlets and circuits, and lightbulbs of the incorrect wattage, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America. One-third of homeowners said they checked at least monthly, and slightly more than that reported checking at least once or twice a year.

For tips on spotting hazards, visit the nonprofit Electrical Safety Foundation International at www.electrical-safety.org.

-- Scott Sandell