With knobs on

Spend a day with the artist Fiona Connor in LA and you’re going to see some good art (and we did) but there's more. We also got to visit some of the stores that Fiona uses as references for her work - those sources of hard-to-find details like an unusual hinge or decorative lighting panel. The epitome of this kind of place is Liz’s Antique Hardware in mid-town. This large store is packed floor to ceiling with every item that ever went into fitting out houses in LA from around the 1920s on. The proprietors not only know exactly what is in their remarkable stock but they can lay a hand on it instantly. If you’re into replicating architecture, as Fiona often is, or you're home decorating or you just want to experience one of the great visual treats of LA, Liz’s is the go-to place.

Images: top, Fiona Connor at Liz’s. Middle, the shop on 453 S. La Brea and all the keyholes in the world and bottom, ‘electric candles, you want electric candles?’