Garden collectibles make cool buys for a hot August; 'distressed look' very popular.

Garden collectibles make cool buys for a hot August; `distressed look' very popular

Gardens, balconies and patios are never more appealing than during the hot days of August. While it's too late to put in a summer garden, and too early to plant for fall, late summer may be the perfect time to look around for outdoor antiques, one of today's newest and hottest collectibles. You might be surprised at what's "in," and even more surprised at the prices these pieces are fetching in the few specialty shops that carry them.

Garden collectibles come in many shapes, sizes, materials, and ages. Furniture ranges from hand-wrought iron Victorian, the most pricey of the lot, to Art Deco chairs of the 1930s and 1940s. Flower pots by local potteries such as Bauer and Gladding McBean are hot items. Glass-top iron tables with matching chairs are reminiscent of garden rooms of the 1940s and 1950s. It doesn't even matter if rust shows through the paint.

"The distressed look is very popular," says Susan Ashbrook of Ashbrook for the Garden, a shop on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica.

She must be right. A weathered wooden arm chair denuded of paint sits out-front priced at $300. Inside, a hand-made, one-of-a-kind child's chair of rough wooden boughs runs $335.

Chairs and benches are popular garden pieces.

"People look for something that has integrity when they sit on it," said Stephen Johnson of Main Street USA, a Venice antique store. Johnson holds a month-long sale of collectible garden items each June. In his shop, you'll find an assortment of iron Art Deco arm chairs. Many have been stripped and powder-coated, a technique which renders a surface similar to that of a new car.

Wrought-iron gates, hammered and welded by hand, are popular items. Depending on size, Victorian and turn of the century gates will run $350 and up. Gates from the 1920s start around $150. Use them for gates, as originally intended, or use them as stunning wall sculptures.

Cast-iron furniture, beloved by the Victorians, was mass-produced in a small number of elaborate designs. Horticultural themes such as fern fronds and bunches of grapes, were popular design elements.

Authentic cast iron furniture from the 19th century is expensive.

At Ashbrook's, I saw a small, black cast-iron table with a slate top for $860. A child-size chair was $275.

Glass topped iron tables and chairs of the 1940s and 1950s have an airy feeling and would be attractive indoors as well as outside. Some combine cast decorative elements with the more linear wrought-iron backs, and most have cushioned seats, redone in bright colors. Some of the furniture was made of galvanized iron which resists rust.

A table and four matching chairs with new cushions will run around $875. Most of this furniture is white, although a few pieces are an eye-catching bright turquoise blue.

Oak or iron occasional tables topped with art pottery tiles are also great conversation pieces for covered patios and balconies. Made in the 1920s and 1930s when local potteries such as Catalina, Bauer, Malibu and Gladding McBean were at their peak, the tables have a Craftsman look. These small tables begin at $350.

At Main Street USA, I saw an attractive table set with Catalina tiles in the famous parrot design. These tiles were the originals. The price was $400.

"I find that discriminating clients want unique pieces," Ashbrook said. "They don't want garden furnishings that look just like their neighbors."

A word of caution: It's probably best to stick to one style of garden-furniture. The sophisticated Art Deco or ornate Victorian iron pieces may not mix well with rustic, wooden, handmade furniture.

Furniture is not the only category of gardening collectibles. Pots for plants made by many local potteries are quite popular. Glazed Bauer pots with a lion motif cost $95 at Main Street USA. Unglazed pots in the same design were $40. The pots are marked on the bottom with maker's name incised into the clay. Cast concrete pots retrieved from an Adam's district mansion of the 1920s were $125.

Look for ornamental sprinklers that attach to the end of a hose, cast concrete animal sculptures, bird baths of concrete of stone, or sundials. Sculptures in stone, iron, concrete, or pot metal can be tucked into plantings. Decorators also integrate columns rescued from building demolitions into garden settings.

Garden collectibles probably haven't hit their peak in the United States. In Los Angeles only a few dealers specialize in them, although you might find good examples in other antique shops and even in such unlikely spots as yard sales and thrift shops. In Britain, they're so popular that Sotheby's holds two auctions annually.

Current Prices

* 1957 black and white Philco Predictor TV which turns in different positions sold for $750 at Hans Korthoff shop, Melrose Avenue.

* Amethyst necklace with large, marble sized beads and 15 karat cabochon amethyst clasp set in 18 karat gold at Antiques on Melrose, for $350.

* Chinese porcelain statue of seated Buddha, 19th century, 12 inches high, $350, at Marco Polo Oriental Antiques, Atwater.

* Porcelain vase with Fu dog decoration, 15 inches high, 19th century, $250 at Marco Polo Antiques.

Antique Shows in August

Aug. 9, 10, 11, 12

* Bustamante Antique Show, Pasadena Center, 300 East Green St., Pasadena, 1-9 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m. 235 dealers will show their wares. Admission $4.

Aug. 18, 19

* The All American Collector's Show, Glendale Civic Auditorium, 1401 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale. Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Toys, Disneyana, political Americana, slot machine, and advertising art. Admission $4.

Aug. 30, 31 Sept. 1, 2

* Bustamante Antiques, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, corner of Pico and Main. Daily 1-9 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m., 95 dealers. Admission $4.