Daily Variety LA shops interpret everyday items into works of art. Architect-designed housewares have hit the mainstream: Michael Graves' post modern potato peeler is a hot item at Target. But for tru artisan-made furniture and home accessories, smaller speciality shops are where to find the smartest designs. Midcity shops in LA such as Fitzsu Society and not Neutral as well as Silver Lake's Built offer thoughtfully (and thought provoking) designed objects. If God is in the details, then these stores offer finishing flourishes that are heaven-sent. At Fitzsu Society (on Melrose Avenue), storeowners Su Sazama and Fitz, promote better living through better design. Stocking international brands such as Austrailia's Alloy, Italy's Alessi, Denmark's Stelton and Germanys Dau, the husband-and-wife team present pieces in a minimalist, uncluttered setting on open shelves and tables. Objects are easily accessible. For them, modernism is a lifestyle. "If things are well designed, not overdesigned or over simplemented but really thought about, it does evoke something in the user which makes the use of it that much more pleasurable and spiritual in a sense," says Su Sazama. At Fitzsu, all the pieces are new, though some are reissues of vintage lines. On display is a mix and match of modern design-conscious craftsmanship: stainless-steel carafes by Alessi, titanium and stainless-steel jewelry by Dau, Pantone Universe spiral notebooks from France and a hanging stainless-steel wine tube by Rosendal. Production designers and art directors frequent the store, looking for contempo pieces, which have not been overexposed. An internet site (fitzsu.com) and corporate services augment the street-front retail shop. http://www.variety.com | 
