Teena Leonardi

The faintest trace of incense tickles the nostrils as one steps into the spacious entry of textile artist Teena Leonardi's home in Calabasas. A candle burns at the feet of a Buddha seated in the place of honor--before a backdrop of Leonardi's "Lotus in Blue." This, Leonardi explains, is her bow to feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of placing furnishings so as to create harmony and favorable energy, thus assuring good fortune.

The faintest trace of incense tickles the nostrils as one steps into the spacious entry of textile artist Teena Leonardi's home in Calabasas. A candle burns at the feet of a Buddha seated in the place of honor--before a backdrop of Leonardi's "Lotus in Blue." This, Leonardi explains, is her bow to feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of placing furnishings so as to create harmony and favorable energy, thus assuring good fortune.

The faintest trace of incense tickles the nostrils as one steps into the spacious entry of textile artist Teena Leonardi's home in Calabasas. A candle burns at the feet of a Buddha seated in the place of honor--before a backdrop of Leonardi's "Lotus in Blue." This, Leonardi explains, is her bow to feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of placing furnishings so as to create harmony and favorable energy, thus assuring good fortune.

The faintest trace of incense tickles the nostrils as one steps into the spacious entry of textile artist Teena Leonardi's home in Calabasas. A candle burns at the feet of a Buddha seated in the place of honor--before a backdrop of Leonardi's "Lotus in Blue." This, Leonardi explains, is her bow to feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of placing furnishings so as to create harmony and favorable energy, thus assuring good fortune.

WEDNESDAY Wine Dinner: Alberto Chiarlo appears at a dinner featuring the wines of Michele Chiarlo Winery. Located in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy, Michele Chiarlo produces Gavi, Barbera d'Asti, Barbaresco and other wines. Wines accompany a dinner of Italian dishes. 7 p.m. Il Tiramisu, 13705 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (818) 986-2640. $65. THURSDAY Winemaker's Dinner: Bruce Cakebread of Cakebread Cellars previews wines and explains Cakebread Cellar's winemaking process.

To dramatize the growth of home holiday lighting into a national decorating frenzy, Homestore.com Inc. is sponsoring its first online home-decorating contest. The company's "Electric Avenue Holiday Lights" contest was launched on its Web site, http://www.homestore.com, last week and runs through Dec. 25, with judging to take place immediately after the New Year. A national winner gets a weekend in Las Vegas.

One Less Worry: Thai restaurateur Tommy Tang has been busy these days with his PBS cooking series "Tommy Tang Modern Thai Cuisine," his cookbooks and his culinary tours to Asia. Unfortunately, he won't have to worry about running two restaurants in the midst of his activities. One of them, the Tommy Tang's at 24 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, has closed. Chef Keith Satha will cook at the original Melrose Avenue Tommy Tang's when Tang is away.

From Basil to Sunflowers: A country French restaurant named Tournesol has just opened in Studio City where Portofino Italian restaurant stood for years. The name, French for sunflower, hints at its southern French decor and Provencal cuisine. Owner Patrice Lambert and his wife, Marie-Doree, owned a restaurant on Corsica for a year and a catering business in France for 12 before moving here. While they were in flight, the 1994 Northridge earthquake occurred.