Icons of the garden
THE L.A. ceramics studio Architectural Pottery changed the shape of garden accessories in the 1950s and ‘60s. Molding clay into minimalist forms that echoed the curved silhouettes of Scandinavian modernism and the angular work of sculptor Constantin Brancusi, designers such as LaGardo Tackett and Raul Coronel produced the studio’s iconic planters, birdhouses and lanterns, now reissued by the San Diego company Vessel (www.architecturalpottery.com). On Sunday, the Museum of California Design will honor Architectural Pottery founders Max Lawrence and his late wife, Rita (shown in this 1954 photo with Tackett), at a fundraiser at Lawrence’s home. A silent auction of vintage ceramics and the new edition of Coronel’s 1962 lantern will follow. Tickets are $100; (323) 930-2700, www.mocad.org.
**
MADE IN CALIFORNIA
Kashwere on Melrose
Kashwere, the Northridge-based inventors of the faux cashmere found in Four Seasons spa robes and Oprah’s linen closets, has set up shop in L.A. The first Kashwere At Home Boutique in the U.S. carries signature clothing and bedding, as well as the kind of lounging-around furniture you’d find in pre-massage “quiet rooms” at a resort. The Spa at Home collection includes cubes, chairs and chaises ($450 to $1,795) with zip-off covers made from machine-washable Kashwere. For more formal rooms, the company offers seven shades of the fabric on tailored upholstered pieces such as the club chair ($2,095) and 4-foot diameter ottoman ($1,650) shown here, by L.A. furniture designer DaVinci. 8121 Melrose Ave., (323) 782-0859, www.kashwereathome.com.
**
FINDS
The stained-glass look, oozed from a glue gun
Tony Wurman is stuck on good green design. His Hula Hula lamp is a minimalist wire base topped with a shade made from recyclable, nontoxic hot-glue sticks that are melted and stretched into vibrantly striped translucent pieces, then assembled like stained glass. Inspiration came from Venice Beach skate and surf graphics and the “Missoni meets International House of Pancakes textile design” of L.A. diners from his youth. The rest of Wurman’s collection of lighting, clocks and vessels also emulates op art and contemporary art glass. “It allows me to attempt complicated styles,” he says of his chosen medium. “If they succeed, the result can be a Venini- or Tiffany- or Chihuly-style object that can be drop-kicked across the room.” To order Hula Hula ($680) and view other works: www.wunderwurks.com.
**
HOME PAGES
Issuing creative tidbits
If you are fond of greeting cards and made-for-TV weepies, you likely will hail the birth of Hallmark, a bimonthly magazine aimed at middle-class American moms and “the joy of lives that are busy and full,” says editor in chief Lisa Benenson. Filled with bits about family relationships, cooking, self-renewal and good Samaritanism, the premiere issue leans heavily on the experiences of published female authors and includes an excerpt from the new Alice McDermott novel. The design section, titled “Nest: The Place Life Happens,” has articles on postcards, cultivating wildflower seeds and turning autumn leaves into refrigerator magnets. Don’t look for high-style furnishings and daring decorating here. That’s not a Hallmark hallmark.
**
OPENINGS
Vintage essentials
Long Beach’s historic California Heights neighborhood has a new home depot: B&B; Hardware, a small but well-stocked resource for old drawer pulls, Craftsman and Spanish Revival street numbers, salvaged doors and other essentials for vintage houses and wannabes. It’s just north of the San Diego Freeway at 929 E.Wardlow Road; (562) 490-2669, www.bnbhardware.com.