For the man who wants it all
ESQUIRE may be a venerable men’s magazine, but its design showcase is anything but so-last-century. At 17,000 square feet, the Tuscan-goes-high-tech Esquire House 360 is a celebrity hotbed thanks to charity events that continue into December. With local interior decorators such as Sami Hayek (designing for Louis Vuitton) and Woodson & Rummerfield (designing for Versace), the Coldwater Canyon house is wired for business and pleasure. Cory Grosser’s digital lounge, shown here, includes the designer’s Skate and Spoon bench on Flor carpet tiles. The home office by Idea Space Design is paneled in silver-leafed cork. For inspiration, take a virtual tour at www.esquirehouse360.com.
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FINDS
Eclectic in the canyon
Like many of the businesses in kicked-back Topanga Canyon, Tinker Ltd. is open on weekends and “always by appointment and sometimes by chance,” says owner Tracy Stoloff. The home and garden shop sells faux bois benches, African carvings and concrete planters. Inside a converted shed, Stoloff stocks nicely priced lighting, barware and Asian ceramics along with decorative housewares from classic to kitsch, including these bisque busts, which are a little bit of both. 157 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., (310) 463-1408, www.tinkerltd.com.
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TRENDSPOTTING
Chocolate substitutes that are just as sweet
Having a chocolate brown-out? West Elm, the Zen-for-less furniture retailer, is offering a holiday respite from its signature cocoa color. Nesting cubes ($199 for three, shown here) and step tables ($159) are winners in a high-gloss cinnabar hue. The jury is out on West Elm’s greens, however. The new curved leg side table ($159) and coffee table ($299) look appealing in a shade called seaweed, and the company’s classic Chinese Chippendale-inspired Overlapping Squares chairs in a dark forest green are already on sale; the side chair is reduced to $119.99 (from $169), and the armchair is reduced to $139.99 (from $199). www.westelm.com.
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SEEN
The spotlight’s on Left Coast designers
“Great designs come from happy designers.... Happy designers come from California.” OK, so the slogan in Em Collaborative Studio’s window display may be as cheesy as the cheese commercials it borrows from, but it’s sincere. The storefront on Beverly Boulevard is “a showcase for Los Angeles design talent,” says Marc Yeber, who with partner Emmanuel Cobbet created the Axis and Serius lamps (from $495) with cast resin shades, shown here. Also on display: Rob Zinn’s sculptural sconces, Blik wall decals, a swivel lounge chair by In House and Orange 22’s floral cut-out Botanist tables. 8761 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 289-0181.