Give your kitchen a lift
LOOK, Ma, no feet. Bulthaup’s new b3 kitchen system is a group of sleek components that hang cantilevered from the wall. The innovative support skeleton that allows the b3 to float above the floor is concealed by aluminum panels, which can be customized with shelves, roll-top tambour storage units and planters for kitchen herbs. Cabinets are made of solid elm with aluminum pulls and are topped with a thin layer of synthetic stone. Pull-out dish drawers have movable pegs to keep plates of varying sizes securely in place. Even the backsplash is full of possibilities: small, white-glass-fronted boxes will hold bottles, small appliances, spice jars and, as shown here, a knife block and cutting board. The b3, which starts around $25,000, can be seen at Bulthaup, 153 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 288-3875; www.bulthaup.com.
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REDISCOVERED
Second time around for Danish designs
Anyone who grew up with Dansk housewares -- the Congo teak ice bucket, Flamestone ceramics and iron candlesticks that defined 1960s Scandinavian modern -- has already seen the work of Jens Quistgaard. Now, the 87-year-old Danish design master’s Conical Stick furniture made of rosewood, leather and stainless steel is being reissued through Salthoff & Higham. Vintage Conical Stick chairs have fetched $3,000 to $4,000; the suggested retail price for the new edition shown here is $2,000. Orders can be placed at TableArt in L.A., (323) 653-8278, which has a storewide sale running through Saturday. For vintage Quistgaard candleholders go to www.rewirela.com.
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HAPPENING
Looking for cutlery? Just dig in
Buying cutlery should be a hands-on experience. This month at Fitzsu, it will be. Every Saturday afternoon, the design store will introduce forks, knives and spoons from German manufacturer Mono by providing a tasting menu from La Terza restaurant. Mono’s sleek flatware include the Pick Up, an appetizer utensil with a spoon on one end and a fork on the other, and Clip, below, a reissue of a 1970s pattern. The tastings will be held at both Fitzsu stores: 7970 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 655-1908; and 65 W. Green St., Pasadena, (626) 564-1908. www.fitzsu.com
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SCRIMP/SPLURGE
The coolest of ceiling fans
Top: Popularized in South America, the twin-fan fixture is a cool industrial alternative to most contemporary ceiling fans. Matthews Fan Co.’s polished chrome Ar Ruthiane is handmade in Brazil with American motors, aluminum or ecologically harvested mahogany blades and Bakelite knobs. Four feet in total diameter, the fixture has a wide sweep and its fans rotate around a teardrop pendant without wobbling. Price: $942.40, light not included.
Bottom: With an integrated halogen fixture, the made-in-China Gyro offers more glow but not as much show. The look is similar, but the Gyro’s two fans have plastic blades and rotate on a housing that isn’t nearly as shiny or shapely. The fixture isn’t as powerful, either. Price: $399.90. The Gyro and the Ar Ruthiane are available from Y Lighting, 666 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; (866) 428-9289; www.ylighting.com.