City Report

SHOP: New stores seem to open daily in the busy Melrose/Beverly shopping district in west Hollywood. Four architects at Rios & Associates, including principal Mark Rios, have opened notNeutral, a shop that offers its own modernist designs of tableware and accessories. For wonderful contemporary wool kilim rugs, go to the recently opened NU, where the owners Emir Urasand Hassan Majd, an architectural duo, design and curate the wares. Fitzsu Society offers one of the most comprehensive modern design accessories collections in Los Angeles: Alessi, Droog, Hackman, Ikepod, et al. New Yorker Jonathan Adler has ventured to the West Coast with his hip handthrown ceramics, as well as textiles, cutlery and books. The Cotton Box is brimming with high-end textiles from Colfax & Fowler, Brunschwig and Baker; prices range from $14-$45 a yard. And no fewer than five Italian firms have opened showrooms here. Doma's flagship space carries sleek furnishings and innovative storage systems. Poliform offers Varenna ketchens, Ycami furniture and comprehensive storage. Kartell is an eye-candy parade of plastic furnishings designed by the likes of Philippe Starck, Pierro Lissoni and Ron Arad. Then there's Armani Casa's 6,500-square-foot loft and a new home for lighting giant Artemide.