Cabinetry

Why does Bilbo Baggins live in a round house? That's the question we posed to Dan Hennah, production designer for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," director Peter Jackson 's latest film from the library of J.R.R. Tolkein, which opened this weekend (and already grossed $13 million at Thursday midnight showings). PHOTOS: Architecture of 'The Hobbit' "We used round doors to be true to Tolkien's descriptions in the book and also we used his sketches," Hennah said by email.

Noted Pasadena furniture maker William Stranger will open his studio March 23 and 24 and offer his current inventory at half-off the retail price. “It's nice to have all the pieces displayed in the place where they were built without having to find a gallery,” Stranger said. The corrugated metal building where he works is an old Navy facility where torpedoes were tested. “It's a great looking space and it's filled with tree slabs, and sometimes people fall in love with a piece of wood and get inspired to order a new piece.” For the past 15 years, Stranger's inspiration has been salvaged and recycled wood.

She is 96 years old, all bones and little skin. Her ribs are split and rotted in places and stained by rust. Nonetheless, she is a slightly fearsome presence, commanding her surroundings like a T. rex in a natural history museum. When the Shawnee first hit the water in 1916, she was a striking beauty - a 72-foot sailboat made of old-growth oak and Douglas fir, African mahogany, naturally curved hackmatack and gleaming teak. Her hull had the seductive curve of a wineglass.

FORGET the stiff family portrait, the black-and-white nature photography, the tasteful print so carefully framed. Why hang art when the wall itself can be sculpture? New panels and wallpaper tiles aim to transform boring blank rooms into textured, three-dimensional canvases. These products range in size from 12-inch squares made of recycled paper to 4-foot-by-8-foot panels made of medium density fiberboard.

Game-show host Bob Eubanks and his wife, Deborah James, have put their Westlake Village residence up for sale at $2,595,000. On 3 1/2 acres at the end of a cul-de-sac, the Normandy-style home was built in 2006. The single-story house has custom built-in cabinetry, French doors, four bedrooms, an office and 4 1/2 bathrooms in nearly 5,000 square feet of living space. The kitchen has Viking appliances, granite counters and a marble backsplash. The grounds include an outdoor covered loggia, stone walkways, fountains, a swimming pool with spa and a two-story play fort.

It's no ordinary man who would see a life's mission in cleaning up other people's garages. "I know how I feel when my desk is messed up," said Placentia businessman Bradford Smith. "When I clean it, I feel a lot more clear. In organizing garages, we're doing a lot more than providing storage space. We're helping people organize their lives. It helps people feel better."

Actor Orlando Bloom has listed his house in a gated Hollywood Hills community for lease at $18,000 a month. The listing on Realtor.com shows a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house with more than 3,200 square feet of living space, all set behind gates on a heavily landscaped lot of three-quarters of an acre. Walls of glass flank the double walnut door entry of the house, built in 1940. The kitchen features custom cherry cabinetry and a fireplace. A den/library/bedroom has its own entrance.

A Northridge home originally built as a ranch and retreat by renowned Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons has come on the market at $798,500. The two-story French Colonial, part of a 28-acre farm when it was constructed in 1937, sits on slightly more than half an acre today. A sun porch-family room looks out on the backyard lawn, rose garden and swimming pool. The four-bedroom, 31/2 -bathroom main house has built-in cabinetry in the dining room, a wet bar opening to a den, a kitchen breakfast area and a butler's pantry.

Simon Helberg , one of the five central characters in the ensemble comedy "The Big Bang Theory," has listed his Los Angeles home at $849,000. The restored two-story Craftsman, built in 1910, is entered through a deep-set front porch with a swing. Period features include leaded windows, built-in cabinetry and wood floors and trim. The main house contains a fireplace, a den, five bedrooms and two bathrooms. Guest space above the detached garage has a kitchenette and a bathroom. An additional office with a bathroom sits next to the garage.