Highlights of Legends of La Cienega design conference:
• The keynote presentation and panel discussion “Morocco — Unearthing the Design Magic.” Experts such as architect/designer Campion Platt and author Maryam Montague shared the Moroccan influence on their applications in current design.
Using touches of the Moroccan color palette whileavoiding a kitschy, overly literal interpretation was discussed in this insightful design discussion. I was fascinated by the use of space and casual furniture arrangements in Moroccan courtyards, something I plan to apply in my own patio redesign this summer.
This event was held at the showroom of Waterworks (8580 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; waterworks.com), a luxury purveyor of every imaginable fitting, fixture and surface for bathrooms and kitchens.
Waterworks is a must stop for anyone even considering a bathroom redesign. As wowed as I was by all the gleaming, stainless-steel shower heads and faucets on display, it was a simple, artful arrangement of washed linen towels that I will re-create in my own bathroom.
• The Legends kick-off cocktail party at Rose Tarlow Melrose House (8540 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles;rosetarlow.com). For decades, Tarlow has been one of the leading designers of the traditional-meets-California look. Her lines of furniture, textiles and rugs — fusing both English and California sensibilities — are all displayed in this house/gallery.
• The presentation and panel discussion “Visions of the World: Cuba — The Road Map to Designs in Cuba” at Janet Yonaty (8642 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood;janetyonaty.com). Examples of late-16th-century architecture to present-day design detail were all presented by top-notch panelists including Michael Connors, author of “The Splendor of Cuba,” and esteemed designer and Bravo television celebrity (“Million Dollar Decorators”) Kathryn Ireland.
• The panel discussion “The Bucket List — Where to Go . . . Before YOU Go” at Therien & Co. (716 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles: therien.com). This event was standing-room-only, no doubt because one of the panelists was television celebrity (from Bravo’s “Million Dollar Decorators”) and Los Angeles design star Mary McDonald.
The panelists spent an hour discussing their favorite, most inspirational travel destinations. We were presented with fun and enlightening glimpses into the world of the designers’ own inspirations, from obscure Paris museums to Fez, Morocco.
The real draw to this discussion was the amazing setting of Therien & Co. Because it specializes in period European antiques and decorative arts, stepping into the Therien galleries is really like entering an Italian courtyard — complete with stone garden ornaments, olive trees and fountains. During the discussion, my mind wandered to thoughts of mirror placement (high for effect) and terra-cotta planters (ideal for privacy on a patio).
• Hollywood at Home (750 and 724 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles; hollywoodathome.com). This is the showcase for Los Angeles designer Peter Dunham’s unique mix of handmade furniture, lighting, accessories, textiles, art and vintage finds. I fell in love with a series of simply framed, geometric charcoal prints as the perfect foil for heavier antique or ethnic furniture.
Dunham represents what I would consider a very “L.A. right now” style of decorating, layering subtle textile prints with midcentury Mediterranean and Anglo-Indian-style furniture. If I had to pick one place that most embodies the LCDQ, it would be Hollywood at Home.
• Kristen Buckingham (912 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles; kristenbuckingham.com). Of all the LCDQ shops, showrooms and designers, Kristen Buckingham’s aesthetic most closely mirrors my own.
The showroom is like a fantasy of my ideal living room. Her sense of mixing 19th- and 20th-century antiques with modern elements and vintage finds is remarkably effortless and comfortable. Even her use of accessories — Chinese yellow porcelain, malachite boxes, 19th-century English sporting prints — had me mentally rearranging my walls and tables.
The takeaways from just browsing the LCDQ, not to mention the buzz of ideas from the Legends conference, can be huge indeed.
— Eric Susyne
LOS ANGELES — “Design District.”
The term itself has become synonymous with gentrified, hip, happening urban areas where interior-design showrooms, design studios, furniture stores and antiques shops coexist. Miami’s vibrant Design District has famously revitalized a formerly run-down section of Midtown Miami with showrooms, shops and restaurants.
Although Cleveland does not have a specified design district, we do have a handful of tastemakers (think the Red Lemon, Wolfs and others) who have curated their taste and vision into showplaces no less glamorous (and often less expensive) than those in bigger cities’ districts.
After visiting Los Angeles’ La Cienega Design Quarter, or LCDQ, I came back not only inspired by what I’d seen, but also with a greater appreciation for some of our own design sources.
The LCDQ has simmered for decades, more recently picking up recognition as a top destination not only for professional interior designers, but also for amateurs and enthusiasts seeking inspiration.
Since the 1950s, the LCDQ — located on the streets surrounding the intersection of La Cienega Boulevard and Melrose Avenue — has been the stamping (and shopping) ground for legendary “Hollywood Glamour” decorators such as Tony Duquette and Elsie de Wolfe. Now you’ll run into design “stars” such as Michael S. Smith (decorator to the Obamas) or Martyn Lawrence-Bullard (Cher, the Osbournes).
The area is chockablock with high-end shops, galleries and showrooms (often connected to a designer’s office or studio) that mix contemporary, vintage and antique furnishings.
The area has an overall feeling of chic sophistication — exquisitely manicured and landscaped facades, verdant courtyards and charming walkways all add to the charm. One major draw of the LCDQ is its accessibility; aside from a few trade-only showrooms, most of the businesses are open to the public. Staff members are generally welcoming, and there is no intrusive sales pitch. Laid-back browsing is welcome.
On my most recent trip, I had the pleasure of attending the fourth annual Legends of La Cienega design conference. Attracting thousands of designers and enthusiasts, the three-day event has become the high point of the year for the Los Angeles interior-design community.
Unlike the big trade shows such as High Point in North Carolina, Legends is less about commerce and more a fusion of art, fashion, design and culture, providing a unique combination of education and inspiration for those who appreciate design.
The event requires online preregistration, but it’s open to anyone. That said, the crowd is mainly the Los Angeles design elite and their followers.
Design aficionados can attend keynote panel discussions moderated by the nation’s leading magazine editors, book signings, receptions, demos, special exhibits, trunk shows and more. Chic cocktail parties (by invitation only, but not impossible to score if you mingle) each evening lend a glamorous vibe to this event. Legends media partners include prestigious shelter publications such as Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Traditional Home and Veranda.
This year, the theme was “Global Travel,” with most of the shops and showrooms presenting destination-inspired windows, ranging from a Paris flea market to Jaipur, India. In the interior-design world, the words “influence” and “inspiration” are constantly used, so it was quite a treat to get a glimpse into the sources of creativity for the most acclaimed designers on the West Coast.
After spending two days listening to panel discussions, attending presentations and just browsing the displays and showrooms in the LCDQ, I came back aesthetically refreshed and ready to apply my ideas here on the North Coast.
The attitude right now in the design world is very much one of mixing or “layering” (as they love to say) the vintage with the new. The idea of decorating an entire space in one style (say, midcentury or Provencal) is pass ; the designer has become more of a curator of eras. Although each shop and showroom has its own style and aesthetic, there are a few orverarching trends I noticed throughout the LCDQ. These include:
An eclectic mixing of periods and styles; a thoughtful blending of vintage, new, contemporary and traditional.
• Use of a few bold, vintage or antique “statement pieces” such as a gilt-framed Rococo-style mirror or a large Chinese lacquer cabinet to lend drama and focus.
• A thoughtful use of foreign, “exotic” decorative pieces. Anything Moroccan is all the rage with the designers, many of whom travel to Morocco for inspiration (tile work, throw pillows, use of vibrant blue and pink).
Cleveland offers lower prices
Although Cleveland can’t boast of a thriving design district with hundreds of shops and showrooms, we do have some great sources that are similar in taste, style and execution to the places I visited in the LCDQ.
While at Legends, I spotted a simple brass floor lamp with a $2,993 price tag — and at that point quit looking at price tags entirely, safe in the knowledge that I would rather be paying North Coast prices.
The key is that each of the followingoffers a highly edited collection of furnishings and decor items, curated by an owner (or owners) with a refined vision — often mixing antique, vintage and contemporary style.
Of course, Cleveland does have a number of “in the rough” antiques and vintage shops — if you have the time and patience for sorting through the good, the bad and the ugly. What’s great about the following shops, though, is that they’ve done that work already and are often selling at a price substantially less than places in Los Angeles.
• The Red Lemon (12701 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland, 216-631-2222). Owner Rayleen Nanni has an unerring eye for acquiring unique vintage furniture, antiques, art and decorative objects. Billed as “fine and decorative art for the new traditionalist,” her ever-changing, eclectic stock ranges from an English Knole-style sofa to 19th-century porcelain vases to vintage, red Plexiglas side tables.
Unlike a lot of consignment shops, the quality and taste level are extremely high, yet the prices are a fraction of the Los Angeles standard. Like the LCDQ shops, the Red Lemon sometimes challenges my boundaries, and for the better: I’m reminded of a fantastic emerald-green writing desk I scored last year that I never would have considered “on paper.”
• Shaker Square Antiques (12733 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland;shakersquareantiques.com). One takeaway from the LCDQ and Legends was the impact that one or two really good period antique pieces can have in a room.
Shaker Square Antiques is the real deal — owner Fred Bentoff acquires only the best 18th- and 19th-century European and American pieces. This is the place to pick up rosewood Chippendale-style dining chairs or a set of Vanity Fair English gentleman’s prints.
While far from inexpensive, the stock at Shaker Square Antiques has documented provenance, and the owners do make an effort to price fairly. Lately, I’ve been coveting a 19th-century dressing mirror with attached brass candleholders; luckily, space limitations have kept me from splurging on it!
• Wolfs (12732 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland;wolfsgallery.com). Wolfs is a unique mix of art gallery and antiques showroom. Taking over a few spaces on the Larchmere strip, Wolfs is one of the best local sources for fine art (Abstract Expressionist, Impressionist, contemporary and everything in between) and really unique decorative objects.
The company has a great inventory of what I’d call “high-impact” pieces, such as a Venetian Rococo mirror or a Chippendale chest of drawers. As with the other sources mentioned here, the owner’s expertise at curating and collecting only the best is widely in evidence.
• Bingham’s Antiques (12801 Larchmere Blvd. Cleveland, 216-721-1711). Near Wolfs and Shaker Square Antiques on Larchmere, Bingham’s is another source for vintage and antique finds. While mainly traditional (chinoiserie screens, Chinese blue-and-white porcelain, Baroque-style gilt-framed mirrors), the shop also has a back room with a fine selection of midcentury and 1970s pieces.
Bingham’s prices are also much more realistic than you would find in Los Angeles — or in any design district, for that matter.
• Mitchell Sotka (19071 Old Detroit Road, Rocky River; mitchellsotka.com). This boutiquelike shop is the showcase of owner Mitchell Sotka’s ever-changing collection of 18th- through 20th-century antiques and vintage furniture, art and decorative objects.
Personally, I think Sotka has the best taste in the area for procuring and displaying quality decorative arts. He sees things more from a designer’s perspective than a shop owner’s, and he is passionate about enlightening his clients. It’s a rare occasion that I leave empty-handed, even if I buy just one of the Votivo scented candles that I’ve become addicted to.
One thing that sets this shop apart from the typical modern furniture store is that the owners have a distinct point of view, specializing in bold, patterned accessories, clean-lined furniture and unusual lighting fixtures. Overall, the look and feel of the place are much more akin to a design district than what you might expect on Detroit Avenue.
• DuoHome (6507 Detroit Ave., Cleveland;duohome.com). Owned by two design professionals, DuoHome has become one of the best places to shop for contemporary furniture, lighting and accessories in the area.
One thing that sets this shop apart from the typical modern furniture store is that the owners have a distinct point of view, specializing in bold, patterned accessories, clean-lined furniture and unusual lighting fixtures. Overall, the look and feel of the place are much more “design district” than what you might expect on Detroit Avenue.
By Eric Susyne
Susyne is a freelance writer in Cleveland Heights.
To reach Eric Susyne:living@plaind.com
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