Mirror images
PRIX FIXE French furniture? Mais, non! These mirrored tables serve up glamour for two kinds of budgets: under $500 and “just send the bill to my accountant.” Both are shining examples of the Directoire style of the late 18th century, with nearly identical legs that are as stately as an obelisk. At Grace Home Furnishings, a large collection of mirrored tables and accessories includes the multifunctional Margo vanity with a center drawer, below left, that can elevate an entryway or be used as a writing desk. For $2,400, you can select one of 10 painted finishes including the green shown here accenting antiqued mirror inlays. Slightly wider and drawer-less, the Borghese console, right, is available only in a silver finish, for $495, at Z Gallerie.
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FINDS: Sparkling personality
West Elm, the growing chain built on a low-priced, urban contemporary sensibility, has rolled out affordable barware with bling, just in time for holiday parties. A set of four 12-ounce tumblers -- handblown glass banded in platinum -- are $24. An etched monogram (eight styles available through www.westelm.com) can be added for only $5 per set. The banded platinum line also includes larger tumblers, wine glasses, flutes and an ice bucket. Shoppers can peruse West Elm’s other wares at its first L.A.-area store, which is set to open Saturday. 1433 4th St., Santa Monica; (310) 576-7270.
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HOME PAGES: Web’s route from Italy to the doorstep
There are two things often wrong with contemporary Italian design: how much it costs and how long it takes to get. Fortunately, www.europebynet.com has made saving money and time its mandate. The website sells pieces from more than 100 prestigious manufacturers, including B&B; Italia and Poliform. Shipping directly from Europe, the company offers considerable savings on midcentury classics. Achille Castiglioni’s marble and stainless steel Arco floor lamp, part of Europe by Net’s “quick-ship” program, costs $1,665, including delivery within four weeks, compared with $2,588 at Design Within Reach. The click-and-order design resource also is the exclusive U.S. distributor for cheap-and-cheerful lines such as Casamania, which produces the Gum inflatable cushion, shown here, available in nine color combinations and shipped to your door for $19 apiece, plus $16 for packaging and delivery.
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OPENINGS: So comfy and cozy
“I have always been a bedroom person,” Janis Black says from her cozy new Beverly Hills boutique, Pillow Talk Studio. The store opened last month with an emphasis on high-quality bedding priced for the mass market. Four lines of custom comforters sell for $125 to $400, and 600-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheet sets are $75 to $85. Gifts include pillows of all sorts -- hand-painted velvet, monogrammed down and silk aromatherapy ($16 and up, pictured here with Black) -- plus candles and throw blankets for dogs. Black will make house calls, creating a custom sanctuary for a $75 design fee. “When people walk into their bedroom, I want them to have the same feeling they get when they walk into a hotel room and go ‘ahh,’ ” says Black, who was a bedding manufacturer for more than 20 years. First-time customers receive 10% off their purchase and a free honeysuckle soy candle. 317 1/2 S. Robertson Blvd. (310) 289-8008.
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Additional reporting by Times staff writer LISA BOONE