Furniture

In the next week or two, Brandon Birtcher, of Birtcher Development and Investments, said he will be set to announce that the company's new development, the South Coast Home Furnishings Centre, is 90% leased. Construction and lease agreements are all right on schedule for the $90-million shopping center's July 2007 opening date. But customers are already taking advantage of one of the center's stores, which opened the day after Thanksgiving. Wickes Furniture moved into a new and improved space at the Hyland Street shopping center from its old location at Gisler Street and Harbor Boulevard, which will be open for a few more months as a clearance center.

NEWPORT BEACH — Lynne Langjahr and Jose Ahamirano perused the fairly new Ligne Roset store in Fashion Island on Friday in search of new lighting for their Newport Beach home. But it wasn't their first time in the store. Two or three times before, they came in search of light. Langjahr and Ahamirano are just two of many residents who have perused the store since it opened in June. After just five months at the Atrium Court, store manager Anne Chung said the business has attracted young and old customers alike with its modern designs that marry form and functionality while keeping clean, sleek lines.

Barclay Butera Home celebrates its one-year anniversary on Tuesday. Stop by to check out the latest home interiors and taste some great coffee and cookies provided by Martin Diedrich of Kean Coffee. This showroom features selections of furniture from the Barclay Butera Home Furnishings collection, which has a contemporary look. There are more than 80 styles of furniture and 300 different textiles to choose from. That allows you to customize pieces to fit your needs. Don't miss the brilliant orange back room, where a 72-inch, round, custom-built pedestal dining table takes center stage.

GREER WYLDER The most stylish home furnishings store to open in Newport in years, d. kruse, debuted last month in the Lido Village area. Co-owners Dee and Randy Kruse have fashioned their store as a place to find fresh looks to enhance stodgy interiors. Before opening d. kruse, the couple operated a local upscale design house for nine years, creating d. kruse furniture and accessories and offering interior-design service. "So many of our clients say they're just plain tired of traditional interiors," Randy Kruse said.

Alicia Robinson Linda Johnston is probably more fond of dolls than most adults. She also likes tea sets, jewelry, furniture and quilts -- as long as they're antiques. But her love affair with relics, both venerable and obsolete, will come to an end this fall when Johnston and her business partner Pat Alsenz close Castle Antiques after 20 years in Costa Mesa. Johnston, 56, and her husband are thinking about retiring and plan to move to Oregon in November, and Alsenz is ready to retire too, Johnston said.

GREER WYLDER Patina Boutique is having a great sale Saturday and Sunday with merchandise reduced 20% to 50%. Patina offers a fun and funky mix of apparel, jewelry and accessories carefully selected by owner and jewelry designer Jenny Johnson. She's known for her vintage pendants with semi-precious stones. The shabby cottage, located in the parking lot behind the Washington Mutual at East 17th Street and Orange Avenue, is a showcase of designer clothing, shoes, bathing suits, vintage furniture and baby items.

Deirdre Newman A financial dispute between a customer and the owner of Gen X Living, a trendy furniture store on Newport Boulevard, was made public and then resolved Tuesday in two diametrically opposing ways: a blatant protest against the store and the subtle intervention of a neighboring businessman. Anthony Geisler filed a lawsuit against Gen X Living Tuesday morning, claiming the store owed him $5,000 for not delivering the full bedroom set he ordered.

Alicia Robinson "Back to basics" is how Bob Bonanno describes his Costa Mesa furniture restoration company. As a former dot-commer, Bonanno has used his skills to build something beyond a typical small business start-up. After realizing his online produce sales business wouldn't be profitable enough to satisfy investors, Bonanno closed it down and searched for something small he could devote his energies to. Last fall, after searching fruitlessly for someone to spruce up his own teak furniture, he decided on teak furniture restoration.

GREER WYLDER Von Hemert Interiors will celebrate the opening of its elegant Baker Gallery today at their Costa Mesa store. The Baker Gallery features a fabulous selection of Barbara Barry's home furnishings. Barry's trademark look includes classic contemporary furniture in dark mahogany finishes that she refers to as Java. The Baker Gallery also features furniture by Thomas Pheasanta celebrated designer recognized for timeless neoclassic lines accented by swirl mahogany and warm ash burl woods.