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    Kelly Wearstler designs Ulla Johnson store to capture the “spirit of southern California”

    American interior designer Kelly Wearstler has paired a towering tree with speckled burl wood panelling and vintage furniture by Carlo Scarpa at the Ulla Johnson flagship store in West Hollywood.

    Wearstler created the light-filled, two-storey shop as the flagship Los Angeles location for Johnson’s eponymous clothing brand.
    Kelly Wearstler has designed the interiors for Ulla Johnson’s LA flagshipThe duo worked together to envisage the sandy-hued interiors, which Wearstler described as “something that really speaks to LA”.
    “A priority for me and Ulla was to ensure that the showroom encapsulated the quintessence of the West Coast, firmly grounded in both the surrounding environment and local community,” the designer told Dezeen.
    The “Californian idea of merging indoor and outdoor” permeates the interiorVisitors enter the store via a “secret” patio garden lined with desert trees and shrubs rather than on Beverly Boulevard, where the original entrance was.

    “This Californian idea of merging indoor and outdoor is evident from the moment you approach the store,” said Wearstler, who explained that her designs tend to nod to the “natural world”.
    Wearstler designed textured interiors to reflect Johnson’s collectionsInside, three interconnected, open-plan spaces on the ground floor were dressed with textured interiors that mirror Johnson’s similarly rich collections, which hang from delicate clothing rails throughout the store.
    Standalone jewellery display cases by Canadian artist Jeff Martin feature in the cavernous accessories space. Clad with peeling ribbons of grooved, caramel-coloured tiles, the cases echo floor-to-ceiling speckled burl wood panels.
    The mezzanine includes a double-height treeThe other living room-style area was designed as a sunroom with a pair of boxy 1970s Cornaro armchairs by modernist Italian architect Carlo Scarpa, as well as parquet flooring with Rosa Corallo stone inlay.
    “Vintage pieces are infused into all of my projects and I enjoy experimenting with the dialogues created by placing these alongside contemporary commissions,” explained Wearstler.
    A lumpy resin table features in an upstairs loungeThe largest of the three spaces, the mezzanine is illuminated by skylights and houses a double-height Brachychiton – a tree that also features in the designer’s own Malibu home.
    A chunky timber staircase leads to the upper level, where another lounge was finished in burnt orange and cream-coloured accents including a lumpy marbelised resin coffee table by LA-based designer Ross Hansen.
    “We collaborated with a variety of local artisans to imbue the spirit of Southern California into every facet of the project,” said Wearstler.

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    Ribbed plaster walls and textured flooring line a fitting room close by, which was created to evoke a residential feeling, according to the designer.
    “We wanted people to feel at home in the store so we prioritised warm and inviting elements,” she said.
    Another striking display cabinet made from wavy burl wood evokes “a touch of 1970s California nostalgia”.
    Wavy burl wood evokes “a touch of 1970s California nostalgia”The Ulla Johnson store is also used as a community space, which hosts rotating art installations, talks with guest speakers and other events.
    Wearstler recently designed an eclectic cocktail bar at the Downtown LA Proper hotel, which she previously created the wider interiors for. Her portfolio also features a 1950s beachfront cottage renovation in Malibu.
    The photography is by Adrian Gaut. 

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    Formation Association transforms series of buildings for Phillips Los Angeles

    Los Angeles architecture studio Formation Association has turned an assemblage of buildings in West Hollywood into a new home for London-based auction house Phillips.

    The West Coast headquarters for Phillips opened in October 2022 and includes three showrooms, a patio and offices created from a set of disparate structures on Santa Monica Boulevard.
    The new Phillips Los Angeles combines several different structures, including a historic doorway that was preservedFormation Association preserved many of the existing architectural elements of the eclectic collection of buildings, ensuring that each section retained its identity.
    “We started with idiosyncratic conditions and buildings layered with history,” said studio co-founder John K Chan, who led the project. “We wanted to keep that sensibility. The building is a varied palimpsest, with traces of the past appearing within the new facade.”
    An oculus punctures the curved overhang above the main entranceThe entrance to the 3,182-square-foot (296-square-metre) showroom is on an acute street corner, beneath a curved canopy clad in grey stucco.

    “This rounded marquee, punctuated by an overhead oculus, evokes the automobile-oriented Streamline Moderne era,” said Formation Association.
    Another circular cutout was created in the first gallery, exposing wooden beams that were painted silverThe textured stucco is contrasted by smooth trowelled plaster that covers adjacent surfaces, intended to add a Southern California identity to the building.
    On the east elevation, the team retained the sheet metal siding and an old doorway of a historic facade.
    Oak floors throughout the building match those found in Phillips’ other international locationsThis side of the building also includes a tall, narrow window through which Phillips can move large artworks in and out.
    Along the south facade, the architects added recessed windows cut at angles into the thickened perimeter wall, which allow more light into the galleries.
    The tallest space in the building, Showroom C, will be used to showcase larger artworks and sculptureInside, the three gallery spaces are laid out in sequence. Upon entry is Showroom A, which features a soffit ceiling and wide baseboards to evoke a residential space.
    A second oculus punctures the ceiling, exposing wooden beams painted silver as a nod to the work of Californian architect Richard Neutra.
    Steps and a ramp lead up to an office space that’s also used for client meetingsThe smallest gallery, Showroom B, is accessed through an open portal, and Showroom C is reached through a similar threshold.
    With a ceiling over 15 feet (4.5 metres) tall, this gallery is used for displaying larger artworks and sculptures.

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    All three spaces feature oak floors that match those found in all of Phillips’ international locations.
    “With the interplay of light and oak wood floors across the three subsequent showrooms, we were thinking about the cadence of an irregular enfilade,” said Chan. “Each of the three galleries has a distinct proportion that we wanted to leverage.”
    At the back of the building is a patio enclosed by grey-stained plywood wallsFrom Showroom C, a couple of steps and a ramp lead up to a small office used for client meetings.
    At the back of the building is the covered patio, enclosed by walls made from plywood that was stained grey to match the exterior stucco.
    Phillips Los Angeles opened in October 2022The opening of Phillips Los Angeles follows over a decade of continual growth for the city’s arts scene, which has seen galleries like Hauser & Wirth and The Future Perfect set up shop, and an annual edition of the Frieze Art Fair introduced.
    Formation Association is led by Chan and partner Grace U Oh. As well as completing a variety of institutional, residential and commercial projects, the studio has contributed several times to a program organised by the Architects for Animals charity that asks LA-based architects to design shelters for the city’s homeless cats.
    The photography is by Eric Staudenmaier.
    Project credits:
    Design team: John K Chan, Nick Miuccio, Carlo ‘CJ’ Guzman, Jay Lee, Colin JacobsStructural engineer: Nous EngineeringMEP engineer: Engineous GroupLighting designer: Fisher Marantz StoneLandscape designer: Ochre

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    Ringo Studio completes colourful cookware store for Our Place in Los Angeles

    Brooklyn-based Ringo Studio designed a store for kitchenware brand Our Place that features colourful tile displays and expressive drapery that hangs from the ceiling.

    The Our Place Melrose store is the brand’s second location in Los Angeles, following the inaugural shop in Venice, and is situated in West Hollywood’s busy shopping district.
    The Our Place store is designed to showcase the brand’s colourful cookwareThe interiors by Ringo Studio are based on the identifiable colour palette of Our Place cookware sets, which are known for in a variety of pastel, neutral and jewel-toned hues.
    “It retains the warmth and intricacy of Our Place’s first store in Venice, concepted by Mythology, while also taking Our Place’s design ethos into new and unique expressions,” said the team.
    Many of the surfaces are covered in long rectangular tiles laid in a straight stack patternElements derived from classical architecture were included, from fluted columns that support a wavy-topped table to arches that curve over shelving units and form punctured openings for showcasing small items.

    Storage cabinets have rounded corners, as do the doors that front them, and many of the built-in elements also feature filleted edges.
    At the back is a space coloured entirely terracotta, which features a table displaying the brand’s productsLong rectangular tiles laid in straight stack patterns cover several of the walls and display stands.
    Each tiled block or surface is a different colour, with large panels including terracotta, lilac and cream, and smaller sections in pale blue and green.

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    An area towards the back is decorated entirely in terracotta, which covers the floor and walls, as well as matching strips of fabric hung in rows from the ceiling.
    There’s also a side room where Our Place products are laid out on a dining table with mirrors on three sides, creating infinite reflections intended to “welcome everyone to have a seat at the table”.
    A side room features mirrors on three sides to create infinite reflections of a dining table setupCovered in mosaic tiles and with an undulating front, the table is accompanied by a pair of purple velvet chairs, and from the ceiling hangs purple drapery.
    “Infused with the cozy feeling of home, the streamlined suite of products are artfully displayed throughout the store, making them feel like chic, sculptural objects,” said the Our Place team.
    Our Place Melrose is located in West Hollywood’s busy shopping district and is the brand’s second location in LARingo Studio was founded by architectural designer Madelynn Ringo, who has created retail experiences for companies such as Glossier, Studs and Funny Face Bakery.
    Last year, the studio completed a store for fitness brand Bala in New York City, which includes scaled-up versions of its products.
    The photography is by Jenna Peffley.

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    Supreme's Los Angeles flagship features its first fully floating skate bowl

    A team of architects and designers has mixed retail with a skateboard facility for clothing brand Supreme’s Los Angeles flagship store, sited in the building that was once home to the iconic record store Tower Records.

    The overall design of the he 8,500-square-foot (790-square-metre) store was carried out through a collaboration of London interiors studios Brinkworth and The Wilson Brothers – and New York architect Neil Logan.
    The Supreme store features its first fully floating skate bowlSupreme, a Manhattan streetwear brand catering to skaters, collaborated with Steve Badgett of SIMPARCH, a New Mexico to outfit, for a fully floating skate bowl.
    SIMPARCH previously constructed four skate bowls for Supreme, including a small peanut-shaped skate bowl in the previous Los Angeles store in 2004.
    Inside, light bounces off the polished concrete walls”We had a much bigger area to work with at this location, so the design process with Supreme’s circle of experienced pool skaters took more time to nail down the final form,” Badgett told Dezeen.

    The clover-leafed sculpted wooden skate bowl has three depths and a pale surface bordered by a darker rim.
    “The previous four bowls we built for Supreme were all considerable challenges but this one was a whole different animal with its greater size and structural complexity,” Badgett said. 
    The white box store sports a red logo on the renovated billboard fascia”Our engineer, Paul Endres, figured out how to eliminate columns anywhere near the bowl so it hung from the deck structure. He was able to do that without compromising the lean, fluid, aesthetic we wanted, and it allows the bowl’s organic form to be seen unimpeded,” he continued.
    Located in the site of the former Tower Record’s West Coast store, the one-storey white box store sports a blocky red logo on the renovated billboard fascia.
    “It was such an honour to take loving care of the historic Tower Records structure while literally raising the roof to accommodate the huge levitating skate bowl,” said Brinkworth founder Adam Brinkworth.
    “The site has gone from the world’s largest record store to the world’s largest Supreme.”
    SIMPARCH created the wooden skate bowlStorefront windows between triangular columns wrap the street corner, turning the sales floor into a display case.
    Inside, steel trusses raise the original roof and open the space with skylights for an illuminated interior. Light bounces off the elevated, wooden bottom of the skate bowl, which hovers on the far side of the store.

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    A metal wall was installed around the bowl to produce blurry reflection of the skaters. The wall also features a jagged black-hole art piece by Nate Lowman.
    On the main floor, clothing racks and product displays wrap around two walls. Sandstone benches were placed on the polished concrete flooring to reference a LA skatespot called the Santa Monica Sand Gaps.
    A Mark Gonzales go-kart is parked in the centre of the roomThe reserved white and grey material palette defers to art installations for colour and texture. A full-size F1 car by Mark Gonzales was parked in the centre of the room, and a colourful grim reaper mural by Josh Smith is splayed across a wall.
    The skate-in-the-store concept has become a signature for Supreme, who works with other architects to install the feature in locations across the country – such as the stilted platform in the Brooklyn store designed by Neil Logan Architect and the elevated reverberating bowl by Brinkwork in the renovated San Francisco store.
    In advance of the new opening, the Fairfax Avenue location in LA closed earlier this month after 19 years in business.
    The photography is by Blaine Davis.
    Project credits:
    Architecture: Brinkworth, The Wilson Brothers, Neil LoganDesign: Steve Badgett of SIMPARCHEngineering: Paul EndresFabrication: Steve Badget, Chris Vorhees, Clay MahnComputer modelling: Peter Eng

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    Hollywood puppet theatre becomes Chief LA members' club

    A clubhouse for women in business now occupies a 1940s theatre in Los Angeles, following renovation work by JM|A+D and TAP Studio, with interiors by AvroKO.

    The three studios collaborated to rehabilitate the former Hollywood puppet theatre to create the Los Angeles flagship for Chief, which offers memberships to women in leadership roles.
    Like Chief’s other locations, the LA flagship clubhouse is designed to have a residential feel”Designed as a space for the most powerful women in business to connect and find community, we re-conceptualized the historic structure as a modern pied-a-terre, reinterpreting the best elements of traditional member’s club environments with a bold, lush palette,” said the team in a joint statement.
    JM|A+D and TAP Studio – both based in California – worked on restoring the theatre building while updating the spaces for their new purposes.
    The former theatre was converted to include two bars, five conference rooms and multiple lounges”From scattered wet bars and mothers’ rooms to carefully scaled seating and meeting areas, our goal was to develop a female-focused environment that brings the membership network’s mission to life,” the team said.

    “We dovetailed original building elements with new millwork, pathways, and technology to create an enfilade of communal and enclosed zones designed to host large events, lingering, chance encounters and focused work.”
    Conference rooms are each identified by a different colourThe interiors incorporate some of the design elements in Chief’s New York and Chicago locations, the latter of which was also designed by AvroKO and was named Large Workspace of the Year at the Dezeen Awards 2021.
    The visual threads between the different outposts include the use of rich colours and mix of furniture styles to create a residential feel, and incorporating many pieces by female artists and designers among custom millwork and vintage finds.
    Nods to the building’s former use include framed signatures of those who performed thereThe 14,000-square-foot (1,300-square-metre) LA clubhouse is split over two levels and includes two bars, five conference rooms, multiple lounge areas, and smaller private rooms for meetings or focused work.
    An outdoor patio is also available for members to sit among the trees or around a fire pit.

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    Inside, another fireplace is clad in narrow, glossy ceramic tiles and forms a focal point at the end of the bar.
    Each of the conference rooms is identified by a different colour, such as a large room with a sienna-hued ceiling and another that’s painted dark blue.
    A mix of furniture styles includes custom pieces, vintage finds and many designs by womenOchre yellow, dusty rose and various shades of green can also be found in upholstery, rugs, artwork and styled accessories.
    Nods to the building’s previous use are also scattered throughout. “We integrated a wall with celebrity signatures from roasts hosted at the theatre into the design,” said the team.
    Chief LA also has an outdoor patio for members to enjoyJM|A+D was founded by architect Jeffrey Miller and also has an office in Oregon. The studio has previously collaborated with TAP principal Tanya Paz on several residential projects.
    AvroKO is best known for hospitality projects and also designed the Mortimer House members’ club in London.
    The photography is by Aubrie Pick.
    Project credits:
    Architecture: JM|A+D and TAPInterior design: AvroKOCivil engineer: KPFFMEP consultant: Interface EngineeringAudiovisual consultant: VanWert Technology DesignLighting consultant: Focus LightingFood and beverage consultant: Sam Tell

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    Alexander May launches Sized Studio creative space in Los Angeles

    Alexander May, the founder of creative advisory Sized, has opened a flexible studio space in a former industrial building in Hollywood that will host photoshoots, events, exhibitions and more.

    Sized Studio was designed over 5,000 square feet (465 square metres) in a former industrial space. The space will host commercial projects, events, dinners, performances and other experiential marketing, as well as public-facing programming.
    Sized Studio offers a variety of bookable spaces, including a loading bay with built-in lounge seating”Sized Studio is an exciting step in the development of the Sized brand,” said May. “It’s designed to create strong collaborations with designers, brands, and creatives. Sized Studio gives another layer of access to the environments that Sized creates.”
    A variety of spaces in the former industrial building can be booked for photographers to shoot campaigns, galleries to put on exhibitions and brands to host activations.
    Located in Hollywood, Los Angeles, the venue is designed to be a blank canvasCeiling heights in the different rooms range from 10 to 30 feet (three to nine metres), and the majority of spaces are white-washed to provide a blank canvas.

    Of the larger spaces is a 1,612-square-foot (150-square-metre) loading bay, which features exposed beams and built-in lounge seating with black cushions.
    Flexible rooms in a variety of sizes are offered to clientsAnyone who rents a space will have the opportunity to enlist Sized’s advisory services, which encompass creative direction, set design, site activation and curatorial consultation.
    “There’s no limit to what kind of activations can be realized within Sized Studio,” May said. “What’s unique about Sized Studio is that it’s adjacent to Sized, which allows the people who use it to become closer to the larger culturally conscious community that Sized embodies.”

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    Although the studios officially open on 17 October 2022, Kim Kardashian’s underwear brand Skims has already utilised the studio, while upcoming public progamming includes a planned showcase of Andy Warhol photography.
    May founded Sized in 2021, following a career in creative direction across a wide variety of locations and industries.
    The majority of the former industrial building interior is white-washedHis collaborators have ranged from interior designer Kelly Wearstler to fashion house Rick Owens.
    Prior to this venture, May founded and provided creative direction for art non-profit Fondazione Converso in Milan from 2017 to 2020.
    Ceiling heights vary from 10 to 30 feet (three to nine metres)Similar creative hubs to Sized Studio elsewhere include Spring Studios in New York, located in a Tribeca telephone exchange building converted by AA Studio.
    Brooklyn venue A/D/O by MINI hosted multiple creative events and installations before it was shuttered due to the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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    Johnston Marklee installs villas inside industrial LA building for Holly Hunt Showroom

    Architecture studio Johnston Marklee has installed a pair of villas inside an industrial building in Hollywood to create display spaces for design brand Holly Hunt.

    The LA-based studio collaborated with Holly Hunt’s executive creative director Jo Annah Kornak to create the showroom on North Highland Avenue.
    A vaulted villa is one of two volumes installed inside Holly Hunt’s LA showroomLed by Johnston Marklee partner Sharon Johnston, the project involved the overhaul of a two-storey, 1940s building into a flagship location for the brand to showcase its furniture and home products.
    Holly Hunt’s design aesthetic and the city’s “characteristic industrial grit” were combined through the use of rich finishes and raw surfaces.
    Furniture from the brand’s Vladimir Kagan and Holly Hunt Studio collections are displayed in the north villaTwo villas were created inside the showroom to present the designs in residential-scale spaces, surrounded by a “promenade” that shows off the building’s tall ceilings and exposed concrete beams.

    “The raw concrete shell frames an interior street,” said Johnston.
    “A double-height promenade space around the villas, together with the villa interiors, creates an atmosphere and experiential narrative for the display of elegant domestic furniture for house and garden.”
    The second villa includes interior vignettes on the lower levelThe villa to the north features a vaulted ceiling and wall niches and is used to display the brand’s Vladimir Kagan and Holly Hunt Studio collections.
    At the other end of the building, a two-level structure is arranged around a large circular atrium at the centre.
    A circular atrium is located at the centre of the second villaThe lower floor comprises a series of interior vignettes, while rooms upstairs house a library of textiles, leather, trim and rugs, along with wallcoverings from a variety of affiliate brands.
    “The visitors’ journey through the spaces reflects a spatial dialogue between exterior and interior, linked through richly finished in-between spaces,” Johnston said.
    A taller space named the promenade surrounds the building’s interiorLight-grey oak flooring runs through both villas, while terrazzo, concrete walls and hand-troweled plaster are all executed in a matte finish in the promenade.
    Bronze details also feature throughout the showroom, including the entry vestibules, stairwell and lighting gallery.

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    Although most of the interior is decorated in neutral tones, a 24-foot (7.3-metre), mustard-coloured sofa follows a curved corner of the building.
    “We approached the interior architecture in the same way that we would design a new product, being very thoughtful with our use of scale, proportion and materials,” said Kornak.
    The concrete of the 1940s industrial building is left exposed”We were very intentional about incorporating elements that celebrate LA’s signature urban aesthetic, like the original exposed concrete walls, beams, and other details throughout the space,” she added.
    Holly Hunt was set up in 1983 by its eponymous founder in Chicago.
    The brand previously operated two spaces within LA’s Pacific Design Center, but has scaled down to just the sixth-floor showroom now that the North Highland Avenue flagship has opened.
    Matte finishes and bronze details are used throughout the showroomJohnston and partner Mark Lee established their studio in 1998, and have since completed many private residential projects in Southern California – including the Vault House and Knoll’s West Hollywood showroom – as well as around the world.
    Lee is also chair of the Department of Architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design.
    The photography is by The Ingalls.

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