Sitting pretty for charity

One local business has been serving up some hot seating for stars.

Modern Studio Furnishings, a Laguna Beach design firm, has taken its wares to the Billboard Awards and the Golden Globes, and is moving toward Oscar.

This week, they are sending an ottoman to the Sundance Film Festival.

The seating is furnished at no charge to the organizations, and celebrities are asked to sign the sofas, which are then auctioned off for charity.

The firm, comprised of designers John Bedford, Mike Embury and Erica Peterson, designed a “mod” interior for the “celebrity retreat” at the awards shows.

That’s the equivalent of a “green room” where the gussied-up entertainers can kick back — and receive gift items — until they are called on stage, or unwind after their star turn.

For the Billboard Awards, the firm fashioned a white Romanesque couch that was sat upon and signed by the likes of Courtney Love and Tony Bennett.

Paula Abdul also put her moniker — and a heart — on the couch. Entertainment news anchor Nancy O’Dell’s name is also there.

One of the chief benefits of providing the interior furnishings — at the firm’s own expense — is being able to hobnob with the celebrities and pitch their products.

“Meeting Tony Bennett was like meeting the president,” Embury recalled.

The duo say they hit it off with some of the rock legends, including members of Def Leppard and ZZ Top, who also inked their names into the white fabric.

Chris Brown, named Billboard’s New Artist of the Year, also monogrammed the sofa. Some of the artists also drew cartoons.

The sofa — which has been insured for $35,000 — will be auctioned on eBay to benefit the City of Hope.

The sofa for the Golden Globes, held Monday, is gold-toned suede, and two of the glamorous bottoms that likely touched it were Jessica Biel’s and Jennifer Hudson’s.

Stars of award-winning television shows like “Heroes” and “Lost” put their names on the seat and seatback.

Howie Mandel’s handwriting is somewhere on the sofa, the proceeds of which will benefit The Clothes Off Our Backs Foundation, a global children’s charity.

“These are the first two award shows we’ve done,” Embury said. “We’re talking about doing the SAGs [Screen Actors Guild awards] and pre-Oscar parties.”

And — just maybe — Oscar night itself.

The firm pays for the privilege of furnishing the backstage party pads, but in return gets to meet and party with the stars, some of whom have expressed an interest in their services.

It’s a chance for the designers to socialize with potential clients, and it’s apparently paying off.

Some of the star clientele have already paid a visit to the Broadway showroom, which features “soft contemporary” furnishings with clean lines and some hard edges.

Carrot Top, the red-headed comedian, has asked the company to furnish his entire home in Las Vegas, and the firm is talking with other entertainers about similar jobs, Embury says.

The pair have been in Laguna Beach for three years, with a showroom on Broadway for the past year. They are planning to branch out into a new location in 2007.

The design firm has created interiors for a hotel in Laguna and is hoping to land a job with a new hotel-casino in San Diego.

They design some pieces themselves, but also have gathered a collection of “mod” Italian furniture and other pieces that fit well into an ultra-contemporary home.

“It’s soft contemporary, modern but comfortable and functional,” said Bedford. “It’s not too far out there.”

Sofas are generous, lighting is muted, and a lounge chair sports an attached glass side table and split seating for legs.

One unusual bed frame features soft blue lights near the floor where one would put one’s feet.

The furnishings can be custom-designed or off-the-floor, but have a built-in quality.

“We work with architects to provide interior design with project management,” Emgury said.

Their entertainment contacts may even be leading the firm in the direction of set designing.

To learn how to bid on the celebrity-signed items, call the firm at (949) 376-0103 or visit their Web site, www.modern studiofurnishings.com

The showroom is located at 290 Broadway, Laguna Beach.