CONTENTS
Battle of the Box
Sets
Entertainment
BY RICHARD MARTIN AND LAUREN RUBINGo Fish
Instead of lingerie or smooth music, give your sweetheart a fish lantern ($300, Rejuvenation, 1100 SE Grand St., 238-1900) to help create the right mood. Dark bedrooms are for nervous teenagers; shedding a little light on the situation makes bed play more interesting for experienced couples. Aside from the romantic lighting it provides, this Quoizel lamp is a mesmerizing centerpiece. Forged from zinc with a bronze finish, the base is a subtle rendition of a stingray whose tail acts as the stem, curling upwards to hook the suspended fish (sexy, no?). The delicately crafted fish is made with reproduced Tiffany stained glass. Combining individuality and illumination, the fish lantern is without a doubt the catch of the day (or night). (LR)Think Luminescently
Back in the Dark Ages, man suffered not only from a lack of electricity but also from the misguided belief that the world was flat. Now we can show off our enlightenment with a Replogle globe lamp ($46.25-$740, Captain's Nautical Supplies, 138 NW 10th Ave., 227-1648). A smart, decorative piece that's available in sizes from tabletop to galactic, these light-up globes turn on an axis--either gold or wood with antique finish--but always keep the lamp at the core. Bonus: Replogle's updatable globe program allows us to keep up with those wacky, ever-changing countries in the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. Downside: Globes are terribly hard to wrap. (RM)Snuggle Up
It's a cold winter night, the type of eve that makes you want to throw on a pair of fleece pajamas, slip into a thick pair of socks, burn those pesky legal documents in the fireplace and hide under an all season blanket from Peacock Alley ($72-$165, French Quarter, 1444 NE Broadway, 282-8200; 536 NW 14th Ave., 223-3879). Made in Portugal by well-paid workers of legal age, the year-round blanket comes in four sizes that will fit on any bed (or around folks of any shape), and it's so damned soft it'll make you weep with joy. Know why? Well, does 100 percent Egyptian cotton mean anything to you? Be careful with that steaming cup of cocoa, though, because the blanket is only available in shades of white. (RM)Coffee Time
Usually there's a lapse of several minutes between the post-awakening thought process that tells us to see what time it is and getting up to make some coffee. The fine folks at Fox Klox have bridged this murky gap with a decorative and useful visual aid--the coffee cup clock ($45-$85, Kaboom, 1115 NW Glisan St., 223-1465). Right there in the middle of the clock face is a steaming hot cuppa joe, and the whole shebang is surrounded by a shiny spun-aluminum frame that will lend retro cred to any wall. It'll also buy a few extra minutes of sleep, because one look at this cool clock and you'll know exactly what time it is. (RM)Burma Serve
How often have you gone to a dinner party only to find that the hosts are serving food in boring glass bowls, tacky painted pottery or even--lord have mercy--Tupperware? It's downright insulting when you stop and think about it. While it may be tempting to disown such uncreative friends, there's a more productive solution--a gift of Burmese offering trays ($110-$275, Cargo, 1301 NW Glisan St., 827-7377). Made from hand-turned wood and covered in red or black lacquer, the offering trays used in Buddhist temples can double as clever serving trays. They contain about a half-dozen sections, which can be removed and used as individual bowls or plates. The best part may be that these items allow us to pay homage to an ancient culture that's being repressed by a ruthless government; or as the fictional version of our hero J. Peterman said on an episode of Seinfeld, "They may call it Myanmar, but it'll always be Burma to me." (RM)Red or White?
Since wine cellars are as stuffy as their name suggests and can't be wrapped very easily, give a fellow drinker an attractive wine rack. The wrought iron wine rack at Cosas Y Cosas ($45, 2426 NE Broadway, 280-0862) is as understated and stylish as a connoisseur. This antique reproduction can hold up to four bottles. It hangs from the wall, making wine not only a tasty treat for the palate but a decorative piece of art as well. This gift is perfect for those just beginning to build their repertoires--not to mention for those looking to show off a bit of their wine wisdom. (LR)Pillow Talk
If you're looking for pillows to toss someone's way, go to India. But if you haven't got the time or means, let the wool throw pillows at Dakota ($65-$120, 722 SW Taylor St., 221-1869) bring India to you. Designers in Northern India practice the unique craft of chainstitch embroidery that makes these pillows a must for accessorizing any sofa or chaise longue. Miro and Kandinsky inspire the embroidered themes and shapes that make these pillows a comfy and decorative place to lay your head. (LR)La Boîte Humaine
Decorative items come in all shapes and sizes, but let's face it, there's nothing so perfect as the sleek and functional rectangular structure known as the box. Too often we take boxes at face value, accepting them as bland, colorless and wooden. Now, there's a solution in the form of hand-painted boxes (up to $89, Hunt & Gather, 1302 NW Hoyt St., 227-3400). Made in Oakland, Calif., these decorative boxes add a deft aesthetic touch. There's a folk-art version with cartoonish silverware painted on a weathered white base. Alternatively, there's a more antique-style black box adorned with postcard paintings. And each of these sizable boxes can securely house odds and ends; they feature those cute hook latches that help make these reproductions look like veritable vintage ware. (RM)Dry off, Y'all
It's been a long day out on the range, wranglin' cattle and riding bareback. The sweat's been flowing all afternoon, and it's starting to stick and congeal like ice cream dropped from a cone onto a city sidewalk. When it's time for the cowboy to shower, he doesn't want some flowery, pastel towel; he wants to reach for embroidered Western-themed towels ($67.50 for a set, Desperado, 1321 NW Hoyt St., 294-2952). Available in hunter green, burgundy, beige and navy, these sturdy yet fluffy towels feature depictions of cowboy hats, boots, spurs, horses and cacti, expertly stitched and tastefully rendered. Drying off with one of these babies will have even the most hardened cowhand shouting "Yee-haw!" (RM)Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
For the same price as a classy dinner for two, you could turn someone's home into a medieval castle--or at least light it like one. Chandeliers have been spotted hanging from the most modern of homes lately. It seems that folks are finally eschewing those spacey halogen floor lamps for something a little softer. A slightly different take on these newly popular chandeliers is a mirror with glass votives (Radiance, 1902 NE Broadway, 281-2438). Two swirled glass votives are suspended from an elegant mirror frame of metal alloy. The beauty of this piece lies in its mirror-candle combination. When lit, the mirror reflects the flame, creating warm illumination--not to mention a most flattering light for all those good-night kisses. (LR)It's All About the Textiles, Baby
Our lives have become compartmentalized right down to our interiors; we've got single-use items like the table cloth, curtain, shade, blanket and napkin. At one time or another, who among us hasn't thought about how much better life would be if a single piece of fabric were versatile enough to fill all these roles? Geez, have you forgotten about linen? With vintage linens ($65-$495, Bernadette Breu, 1134 NW Everett St., 226-6565) dating from the mid-1800s to mid-1900s, the decorator can pump a little old-fashioned elegance into any room by draping the material over a table, positioning it strategically across a sofa or placing it over a rod in front of a window. There are varieties trimmed with lace or embroidered in subtle designs, allowing us greater freedom to embellish rooms in any number of ways. (RM)
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Willamette Week | originally published December 2, 1998
