It’s all in the name

JUST so you know, F*art stands for Functional Art, according to owners Steve Cindoyan and Karina Macias. “We pronounce it Eff Art,” says Macias, who isn’t bothered by alternate pronunciations. “Shopping should be fun, not an intimidating chore.” After noting a lack of design destinations in their booming Eagle Rock neighborhood and growing tired of trekking to museum stores, the partners opened their doors as “a gift shop for people who gift themselves.” Among the eclectic goods: the Voodoo knife holder set ($120) by the Italian firm Viceversa, top, and, hanging above Cindoyan and Macias, Blik wall decals ($25 to $50) jazzed up with repainted thrift shop picture frames. 2120 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 254-3278; www.shopfart.com.

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SPLURGE/ SCRIMP

Two ways to shine

Left: Ted Muehling, the New York industrial designer and jeweler, has applied his neoclassical sense of line and proportion to Steuben glass and Nymphenburg porcelain. His candlesticks for E.R. Butler & Co., made of silver-plated bronze with a satiny brushed finish, add timeless elegance to the best-set tables in town. Price: $637, at Arp Inc., 8311 1/2 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles; (323) 653-7764.

Right: The design firm Roost of Sausalito, Calif., offers Silver Spindle, made from nickel with a glossy but unsealed silver plating that requires regular polish. It is a heftier version of a Muehling stick with a lightweight price: $55, at Lawson-Fenning, 1618 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 660-1500; www.lawsonfenning.com.

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HAPPENING

The international take on Japanese ceramics

A lustrous Japanese ceramic technique is the subject of “Raku: Origins, Impact, and Contemporary Expression,” a new exhibition at the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona. The show features an international roster of potters including Rick Hirsch, whose piece is shown here, and Southern Californians Patrick Crabb and Paul Soldner, who is often hailed as a trailblazer in reviving and modernizing the ancient craft. The displays will be up until Jan. 6; the museum also has raku pieces for sale. 340 S. Garey Ave., (909) 865-3146, www.ceramicmuseum.org.

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INNOVATIONS

Woodsy and recyclable

The Tradewinds collection of disposable dishes is a stylish solution to the standard paper plates stacked on buffets this time of year. Made from an insulated material that’s recyclable, the bowls and platter-shaped dinner plates shown here are available in dark reddish teak and honey-colored maple patterns that resemble real wood. They add a funky forest vibe to traditional or modern tables. A pack of 50 plates is $19.50; a 50-pack of 32-ounce bowls is $29. Both can be accessorized with snap-on plastic lids ($17 to $19.50 per pack) for the to-go crowd. (866) 882-4300 or www.impressionsinflight.com (search for “Tradewinds”).