The pull of good hardware

WHEN Cristi Page looked for replacement knobs for a Victorian desk that her grandmother had given her, she felt pulled in two directions. “Either they looked cheap and boring, or the price was outrageous,” she recalls. Page, left, spent so much time researching reproductions, she made it her business: Top Drawer Hardware in Santa Monica. With merchandise mounted on panels and hung like artwork, the gallery is a resource for 800 hard-to-find handles in Bakelite, bronze, brass and 13 shades of glass. 1419 5th St.; (310) 319-6291; www.topdrawerhardware.com.

*

REDISCOVERED

Carving out his niche

When Arthur Espenet Carpenter died this year, he was remembered as one of California’s top post-World War II studio woodworkers. His pieces were functional yet had “a sensuality and sense of fun,” says Angela Past of Bonhams & Butterfields. The L.A. auction house will offer six pieces by Carpenter as part of its fall sale of 20th century decorative arts, including this roll-top black walnut desk (Lot 2325, estimated at $25,000 to $35,000). Previews begin Friday at 7601 Sunset Blvd.; the auction begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday. (323) 850-7500; www.bonhams.com/us.

*

HAPPENING

Tribal art on parade

To see this 19th century shark’s tooth sword and coconut fiber body armor from the Pacific island of Kiribati, you’d have to visit a museum, says its owner, Michael Auliso of www.tribalmania.com. “To have one on the market is pretty much a miracle, they’re that rare.” The ensemble (asking price: $38,000) is among the treasures at the Los Angeles Asian and Tribal Art Show, running Friday through Sunday. Auliso will join more than 60 dealers of Chinese robes and snuff bottles, Native American art and Asian textiles. Admission is $12. Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St.; (310) 455-2886; www.caskeylees.com.