May 11, 2012

The Mixology of Design

Hey peeps. If you find yourself wandering the La Cienega corridor tomorrow in search of something to do, come check out a panel that I am a part of discussing how to balance new and old objects of local and far-flung provenance. I am very honored to be included in such esteemed company: Trip Haenisch, Richard Hallberg and William Hefner. Wowza. Needless to say, I have a bevy of butterflies duking it out in my stomach. The panel begins at 2:30pm at the swanky new Galerie XX (665 North La Cienega). It is sponsored by California Home+Design as part of the Legends of La Cienega-palooza taking over the design district for the next two day and will be moderated by CH+D’s witty editor, Erin Feher. Come by and see how I do (and maybe even learn a little something…) Enjoy!

May 9, 2011

Sol LeWitt

I have been immersed in all things Sol for the past few days as we have been installing our LCDQ window and I must say, the man rocks. I have often been accused of being in my head too much (fairly, I must confess) so this curious, intelligent man really gets me going. Mr. LeWitt is widely considered the father of conceptual art – art that is about the idea rather than a single person’s abilities to paint, sculpt etc. The directions themselves were the art. The majority of his work were wall drawings – pieces made directly on the wall by him, assistants, students and local community members – which made each one unique. Many have names like All architectural points connected by straight lines (WD #51, 1970) which, naturally, will make the piece specific to the space it is in or on. Very heady. Very cool.

But hey, enough of my yakking (to quote Marty DiBergi from Spinal Tap). Get into these fantastic, emphemeral, unexpectedly beautiful pieces of art:

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May 6, 2011

More LCDQ!

Today, I’m posting the rest of the available designers’ style sheets for the LCDQ (the event website is acting quirky on a few designers’ pages so I’ll have to keep you posted on those). So many exciting ideas and inspirations!


Mark Cutler – Richard Serra

Ruthie Sommers – Wayne Thiebaud
SPI Design – Donald Judd
Laurie Steichen – John Singer Sargent
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May 5, 2011

La Cienega Design Quarter

I know, I know.  Way too long between posts.  The ladies of M. Design and I have been rather busy of late with clients and prepping our window for the upcoming LCDQ event.  What’s that, you ask?  Well, the La Cienega Design Quarter (the group of swanky shops between Beverly and Sunset on La Cienega) does an event every year where they ask designers to design a window based on a thematic inspiration for one of the stores.  I am thrilled to be included this year.  The inspiration for the vignettes is an artist and the designer-chosen artists are wide ranging and exciting.  Each of us had to turn in a “Legends of Style” sheet, and I thought I’d share them with you.  It’s a fascinating look at the different passions and interests that drive and engage each designer’s work.  Here are a few to start… Cliff Fong – Jean Cocteau:
Commune – David Hockney:
Donna Livingston – Kees van Gongen:
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April 12, 2011

Villa Kerylos

Earlier this week, Kate and I were doing some client shopping and popped into Therien & Co., one of the swankiest shops in the rather swanky La Cienega Design Quarter. A lovely gentleman named Philip showed us around and gave us the background and history on many of their exquisite pieces. After I practically started screaming when I saw a Hellenistic chair with the most divine feet, he asked if I was familiar with the Villa Kerylos. I had never heard of it and when we got back to the office, I jumped online first thing to check it out. Oh. My. God. Thank you, Phillip, is all I have to say…

This divine villa is on the Mediterranean coast between Nice and Monaco. It was built in the early 1900s by Emmanuel Pontremoli for the archeologist and Greek enthusiast, Theodore Reinach and is based on the design of 2nd century B.C. noble houses on the Island of Delos. ”Kerylos” means kingfisher in Greek and these birds were thought to be good omens, according to Greek mythology. Please enjoy the layers upon layers of patterns mixed with lean, classical designs. J’aime beaucoup!

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