Up, Up and Away
A RELAXED CONVERSATION with owner Mario Scolari about his Nativa Furniture stores also included chat about the pope and soccer and tennis stars, all from his native Argentina. Front-burner news was that Nativa had taken over the old Kreiss location at Girard Avenue and Silverado Street in La Jolla and should have it fully stocked as a home design destination by the time this issue of the magazine is out. Sadly, that also may mean closing of the Hillcrest store. But, at press time, Mario indicated he still might reimagine one of his dreams for that historic building.
CALIFORNIA CLOSETS has joined the design renaissance along Girard Avenue with its new showroom and design center. Another showroom on the move is Yorkshire Pine. Relocating from Santa Fe Street to Morena Boulevard, they’ll be in the heart of design again. Kristin Lomauro’s design firm, KLID, and her European Trading Co. showroom, however, stay on Santa Fe Street in Janine Brown’s old design space. Meanwhile, Esteban Interiors is closing its retail space and staying on Girard Avenue with a more private design studio, in case
you wondered where the art glass went.
A MORNING I spent in Zandra Rhodes’ Solana Beach studio found her flying off to London for a 10th anniversary show of the Fashion & Textile Museum, now run by Newham College. We saw installation models and dresses that were ready to be packed when Zandra boards another flight for Kuala Lumpur for a retrospective show in Malaysia.
DON’T EVEN THINK of missing the exhibits of Ernest Silva (recently retired from UCSD) and Jay Johnson at Oceanside Museum of Art. The show closes Sept. 15. Opening night in July was truly a Who’s Who of artists and gallery owners. I hitched a ride with Dory and Steve Gibson. Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego had just acquired five of Steve’s paintings, 2004 to present, that went on view in its downtown galleries. The Allied Craftsmen Today show at Mingei International Museum is another must-see. It is up through the end of the year.
REESEY SHAW hosted her annual lunch and sneak-peek of artists to come for 2013/2014 at Lux Art Institute. Matthew Cusick is in the studio creating his work from Sept. 5 through Oct. 5. Reesey also showed plans for the new Education Pavilion designed by Anne Sneed Architectural Interiors.
Eeny, meeny, miney more….Pick your favorite color from hundreds. Devon & Devon of Florence, Italy, colors its cast iron Regal bathubs in 213 hues of matte paint. At Lav-ish, The Bath Gallery in La Jolla.
OCEAN BEACH’S Vignettes celebrates its 18th anniversary on Sept. 28 with Claudia Strasser, signing her book Paris Flea Market Style (July Hot Finds & Cool Stuff).
AFTER MORE THAN 40 years, George Coles, long the friendly face of Coles Fine Flooring family business, is retiring and passing the family torch to brother Steve and Steve’s daughter Lauren. I’m sure all the dogs and cats at the Humane Society (one of George’s favorite causes) are looking forward to more time with Uncle George.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, interior designer Robert Wright was honored with the Designer of Distinction Award at the 2013 ASID National Conference. We already knew he was great; we made him a Star of San Diego in 2010.
Photo Above: Alexandra Hart, Corset II, 2013, copper at Mingei International Museum
Design Riffs: By Phyllis Van Doren
