A worldly quirkiness

STROLL through the new Adesso Eclectic Imports in Pasadena and the treasures inside span continents and centuries: an exceptionally rare Venetian triptych mirror screen from the early 19th century, a marble-topped console based on a 100-year-old-plus iron balcony railing from Buenos Aires, white leather club chairs that epitomize Deco glamour. The eye behind the worldly ensemble belongs to Selma Cisic, left, who with husband Suad has filled their store with an intriguing mix of the antique and modern -- a melange that seems more fitting for the trendsetting showrooms of La Cienega Boulevard than the Craftsman country surrounding Adesso. Pointing to a Louis XVI French armchair from the 1800s that she reupholstered in black velvet and silver leaf, she says, “Here, you have to be different.” Suad’s work as an environmental engineer has taken the couple to Brazil, Egypt, France and other far-flung locales -- and has allowed Selma, whose training is in architecture, to pick up distinctive pieces every step of the way. 34 E. Holly St.; (626) 683-3511; www.adessoimports.com.

-- Craig Nakano

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FINDS

African modern

George Jevremovic calls his project “a melding of ancient craft and modern sculpture, the Flintstones meets Brancusi.” As the owner of a natural dye rug importer for 25 years, he has traveled the world collecting folk art. In Kumasi, the heart of the Ashanti region of Ghana, Jevremovic discovered that the lumber industry had left behind huge stumps of rare papao wood. Ashanti artisans shape and sand papao into bowls, stools and monumental decorative forms. Finished pieces start at $300 and are available from Material Culture at H.D. Buttercup in Los Angeles, (310) 558-8900.

-- David A. Keeps

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HAPPENINGS

Artistic mash-ups

Seattle-based artist and furniture maker Roy McMakin is known for whimsical pieces: A wingback chair works as an oversized Lazy Susan, impeccably crafted chests turn into tables, and patio chairs cast in bronze mix high and low. In his show opening Saturday at Marc Selwyn Fine Art at Domestic, McMakin continues to poke fun at furniture standards. One untitled piece, shown on F1, looks like a refrigerator from the front but turns out to be a chair on the back. “Stove Light,” below, a miniature cast plastic and steel oven, hangs from the ceiling over an ebonized white oak and painted maple kitchen table. An opening reception runs 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday; the show runs through April 20. 6150 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.; (323) 933-9911.

-- Lisa Boone

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INNOVATIONS

Tile’s paper trail

Ever since bathrooms started being called “home spas,” designers have hailed mosaic tile. It looks beautiful, but it also costs a pretty penny -- and that’s before installation. Now there’s a low-cost alternative from the English wallpaper firm Graham & Brown. Contour, its line of textured vinyl wallpaper, hides cracks and unevenness and imitates the look of a tiled surface in three patterns including Mosaic, shown here. All can be scrubbed too. A double roll, 11 yards long and 20 1/2 -inches wide, is $30 at www.grahambrown.com. The site has dozens of pop graphic designs as well as a calculator that tells you how many rolls a job will take. For phone orders, (800) 554-0887.

-- David A. Keeps