A sweet sale
Known as Hollywood’s White House, Pickfair was the home of the movie colony’s first lady, 1920s silent-screen star Mary Pickford, and her swashbuckling husband, actor Douglas Fairbanks. Royals and rascals, artists and athletes made the Wallace Neff-designed residence (believed to be the first in L.A. with a built-in swimming pool) the social center of the city. Years after Pickford died in 1979, the property was largely razed by a subsequent owner, actress Pia Zadora, but furniture, art and personal effects from the estate survived and will be put on the block by Julien’s Auctions. As befitted her reputation as America’s Sweetheart, Pickford, left, had an old-fashioned and feminine taste in home decoration. The nearly 800 lots for sale include scores of reproduction Continental pieces in Baroque, Rococo, Empire, Victorian and Chippendale styles. Some figure to be bargains, including a Hepplewhite-inspired, shield-shaped mirror valued at $150 to $250 and a gilded Italian Rococo games table, above, estimated to sell for $200 to $300. The items will be on display from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free. The auction begins at 10 a.m. Nov. 22 and 23 in the former Trader Vic’s restaurant at the Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 836-1818; www.juliensauctions.com.
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MEDIA
New address for O at Home
O at Home, the quarterly spinoff of O, the Oprah Magazine, is moving back in with its mom. After the winter 2008 issue lands at newsstands this month, O at Home will cease publication and its content will be consolidated into the original O, according to publisher Hearst, whose magazine division also puts out House Beautiful, Veranda and Country Living. Launched as a biannual publication in fall 2003, O at Home became a quarterly three years later and reached a respectable base circulation of 650,000. It often opened a window into Oprah Winfrey’s personal residences with lavish pictorials, including this fall’s cover story, shown here, featuring her canine companion Luke on the Winfrey library sofa. It’s a tough climate for advertising, and Hearst did not disclose whether O at Home was bleeding red ink or cutting into ad sales at O, two theories that industry watchers have floated. Hearst did announce that O at Home’s editor in chief, Sarah Gray Miller, had assumed the same position at Country Living.
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HAPPENING
Wrapped in tribal cultures
In its 18-year history, the Los Angeles Asian & Tribal Art Show has grown to include a world of antiques, sculpture, textiles and other crafts. The annual event opens this weekend at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium with more than 60 exhibitors, including Marina del Rey-based Mark A. Johnson, who specializes in colorful 19th and early 20th century ceremonial wood carvings from Borneo. Philip Garaway of Venice will have Native American basketry, while the Anthropos gallery of Laguna Beach will cast an even broader net with ancient and tribal art from Alaska to Mexico. Included in Anthropos’ offerings: a rare Chilkat dancing blanket, right, originally purchased by Western novelist Zane Grey (priced at $115,000) and a Maya cylinder that dates to 550 to 950 ($12,500). Admission to the show is $12; hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 1855 Main St., Santa Monica; (310) 455-2886; www.caskeylees.com.
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SALE
Floor show
Stark, a purveyor of fabrics, wallpaper and carpeting, is offering savings of up to 75% during its annual warehouse sale running through Nov. 26 at H.D. Buttercup. Broadloom designs such as the David Hicks-influenced quatrefoil trellis pattern ZH Sammy (reduced 50% to $59 per square yard) and the sculpted Graybar, shown here (also reduced 50% to $89 per square yard), can be purchased for wall-to-wall carpeting or made into area rugs. The former Helms Bakery complex, 3225 Helms Ave., L.A.; (310) 657-8275; www.starksale.com.
-- David A. Keeps