The Design Event of the Year: Legends 2015

I’m Looking Forward to Legends 2015 the lively and highly influential design event taking place from May 6-8 in the dazzling and brilliant La Cienega Design Quarter in Los Angeles. It’s going to be very exciting –for designers and editors, but equally for anyone passionate about design, ideas, inspiration, trends, and new style directions. Many of the programs are open to the public. www.lcdqla.com

The theme this year is Where Muses Dwell. It’s an inspired concept and vividly interpreted by many of the top interior and furniture designers in the US.

Six thousand guests have already signed up for lectures, panel discussions, parties, lunches, cocktails, gala, and showroom presentations. Many of the events are sold out. Not all. Even strolling around chic Melrose Place, La Cienega, Melrose and style-filled shops and showrooms of the quarter is thrilling.

Designers Kendall Wilkinson and Ken Fulk of San Francisco, along with the great Timothy Corrigan of Los Angeles and design wunderkind Sam Allen of Fairfield, Conn., Ellen DeGeneres collaborators Cliff Fong and Jane Hallworth of Los Angeles, and rising design star Young Huh of New York will be among the 61 interior designers selected to transform the windows in the quarter on the theme of this year's LEGENDS event, Where Muses Dwell. And English interior design icon Nicky Haslam will travel from London for a special appearance at the McKinnon & Harris showroom in the LCDQ.

I’m looking forward to seeing great friends like Newell Turner, Hearst Design Group editorial director, and Michael Boodro, editor in chief of Elle Décor, and their fabulously talented editorial teams, as well as admired designers, architects, stylists, and writers and bloggers from around the country.

I’ll be attending as an Ambassador and Blogger speaking about my experience founding THE STYLE SALONISTE six years ago, and talking about design trends, new directions.

Please be sure to sign up for the Blogger Breakfast on Thursday morning at 8.30pm. Come and say hello!

I’m looking forward to seeing my colleagues and designer friends and fellow bloggers and dear readers.

San Francisco designer Kendall Wilkinson will present her muse, Blondie, at the George Smith showroom, while Patrick Ediger edifies Marie Antoinette at the Gina Berschneider showroom. Nature is a popular muse: Betsy Burnham will unveil animals at Mecox and Jane Hallworth – Mother Nature at Lee Stanton. Some designers are inspired by the ethereal: Annette English will venerate “A World of Beauty” at Downtown and Jeff Andrews – “Proportion” at Fuller & Roberts. (A complete list of designers and their muses is below.)

Top designers and bloggers and talent from around the world will be speaking at special events.

Many of the events are open to the public. See below for links for how to register, and what’s open.

This year, Clinton Smith, Veranda’s editor, will delve into the evolution of the designer monograph and his panel of design stars, Brian McCarthy and Markham Roberts from New York and Windsor Smith of Brentwood, will describe how they navigated the world of book publishing. Luxe Interiors + Design editor Pamela Jaccarino’s keynote will ask her designer panelists who are the craftsmen who serve and inspire them. Domaine Home’s Creative Director Mat Sanders will lead a conversation on repurposing design with Jessica Alba and Anna Brockaway, founder/curator of Chairish.

On the social front, House Beautiful’s new editor in chief, Sophie Donelson, will make her West Coast debut as the guest of honor at a cocktail party, and LEGENDS VIP pass holders will have a reprise of their favorite signature social events, including the Gala on Wednesday, May 6, sponsored by 1stdibs and Coldwell Banker Previews International; the Blogger Breakfast, Elle Decor Power Lunch, Tribute Party and After Party on Thursday, May 7; and the Closing Party on May 8.

Access to the Signature Social Events can be had with a LEGENDS VIP pass, which is $275.

This year proceeds from the sale of VIP passes will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles and the La Cienega Design Quarter Beautification Fund. 

This week at the La Cienega Design Quarter: Exciting New Product

Below is my selection of top new designs. You’ll find new collections at the Jean de Merry showroom on Melrose Place. Also at the Jean de Merry showroom is a glamorous new collection by Philip Nimmo. And below, find the classically beautiful new handcrafted white plaster pieces by Stephen Antonson, which will be on show at Therien on La Cienega Blvd.

Below are highlights from the Jean de Merry showroom. Jean de Merry highlights designers like Jean-Louis Deniot, and focuses on craftsmanship and timeless silhouettes.

Elegant and Timeless New White Plaster Designs by Stephen AntonsonBelow is my special selection of new plaster designs by Brooklyn plaster artist Stephen Antonson, showing at Therien in the La Cienega Design District. These Antonson pieces clearly follow an honorable lineage from Jean-Michel Frank and Serge Roche to the California designer, John Dickinson.

Bob Garcia, the specialist at Therien, where the pieces will be on show, commented: “The Stephen Antonson designs are very sophisticated and minimal with cues taken from design history and thirties Paris aesthetics. Each piece is hand made by the artist himself. Rather artisanal in being first sculpted and then layered with texture giving each piece it's own character. Aesthetically the Antonson pieces easily cross the style spectrum from France 1930 design to the present minimalism embraced throughout the design world.”

New Designs from Los Angeles designer, Philip Nimmo
Philip Nimmo learned about antiques and design from noted Southern California antiquarian Gep Durenberger.

He began his design career in the early 1990s. He created Philip Nimmo Ironworks in 2002. He soon expanded to include furniture and lighting.

Philip currently has about 50 ironworks designs including furniture, lighting, fire screens and other iron works. His work is inspired by his travels, his endless browsing of books and publications, and his own collecting of paintings, sculpture and other works of art.

Philip Nimmo Ironworks was rebranded to Philip Nimmo Design to combine Nimmo’s two occupations: interior designer and product designer.

Philip Nimmo’s chic and dramatic new pieces are shown at the Jean de Merry gallery on Melrose Place.

About Legends

In its seventh consecutive year, LEGENDS has attracted over 60,000 attendees and garnered 130 million+ media impressions in 2014 alone. The parties, lunches and programs are a huge draw, with as many as 800 people at the kick-off party in recent years and capacity audiences of 150-200 at the programs held in LCDQ member shops and showrooms. LEGENDS 2015 presenting sponsors are 1stdibs and Coldwell Banker Previews International. National media sponsors are: Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Luxe Interiors + Design, Milieu, Traditional Home and Veranda. Regional media sponsors are California Home + Design and California Homes.

ABOUT LCDQ:
The La Cienega Design Quarter was founded in 2008 to promote the burgeoning antiques and design neighborhood on one of Los Angeles’ oldest thoroughfares. Since the 1950’s, the La Cienega Design Quarter has been the leading destination for design, shopped by interior design icons William Haines, Elsie de Wolfe, Tony Duquette, Frances Elkins, Chet Chidester, Michael Taylor, Kalef Alaton, Michael S. Smith, Kelly Wearstler, Jean-Louis Deniot, Timothy Corrigan, and many others. It continues to be the leading destination for a broad array of contemporary design and antiques as top designers and selective shoppers from around the world make their rounds of the shops, galleries and showrooms on La Cienega, Melrose Place, and Melrose Avenue. The unique architecture and ambiance of the quarter and the extraordinary selection offered have made the LCDQ the epicenter of design.

VIP passes are sold out. But many events are open to the public.

If you are out and about in the evening after hours—swing by La Cienega and walk around the Melrose Place/ Melrose/ La Cinema design neighborhood to see fantastically creative and inspiring windows and vignettes and displays created by BLAZING talents from around the country. 

Windows of Imagination

One special feature of LCDQ this week will be the superbly creative and witty windows many designers have created in showrooms and shops and boutiques and galleries of the neighborhood.

I’m looking forward to Timothy Corrigan’s Charles de Beistegui-inspired window. And Kendall Wilkinson’s Blondie-themed display.

I’ve persuaded San Francisco designer Ken Fulk to send me preliminary (uninstalled) drawings and views of his window—dazzling—which was inspired by film and a tornado and swirl of movies, books, fashion, style and people. Note his muses include great film directors like Wes Anderson, and actors like James Dean, Marlon Brando and Tilda Swinton. I can’t wait to see the installed and completed whirl of a window. Bravo, Ken.

Alisa Moffett of Domani Designs – Reborn – Audrey Hepburn

Amanda Richards – JD Staron – Edith Piaf

Amy Meier – Marc Phillips – My Mother’s Workroom

Annette English & Associates – Downtown – A World of Beauty

Anthony George – MK Collection – Marrakesh, Morocco

Barondes Morris Design – Egg & Dart – Gustave Eiffel

Betsy Burnham – Mecox – Animals

Cami Wright – Sherle Wagner – Austin, Texas

Christina Rottman – Mansour – Poseidon

Christopher Kennedy – Marc Phillips – Palm Springs

Christos Prevezanos – Hollywood at Home – Cycladic Island of Folegandros

Cliff Fong – Dragonette – Gertrude Stein

Commune Design – Remains – Viennese Secession

Curated – Downtown – Non-Color Colors

Elizabeth Dinkel – Nicky Rising – Julia Morgan

Erika Brunson – Gallery Go – Steven Tyler of Aerosmith

Gary Gibson – Lee Stanton – Sculptor Martin Puryear

Geoffrey De Sousa – Tufenkian – The Sea

Hallworth Design – Lee Stanton – Mother Nature

Hammer & Spear – Woven Accents – Arts District Downtown L.A.

Jeff Andrews – Fuller & Roberts – Proportion

Jeneration Interiors – Ralf’s Antiques – World Travel

John Wooden – Mansour – Diego Giacometti

Julia Buckingham – The Rug Company – Slim Aarons

Kate Lester Interiors – Hollywood Sierra Kitchens – Father Time

Ken Fulk – Therien – The Movie Inside My Mind

Kendall Wilkinson – George Smith – Blondie

Kerry Joyce – McKinnon & Harris – Jean-Michel Frank

KMNelson Design – Egg & Dart – Pauline de Rothschild

Konstantin Kakanias – Jasper

Kristen Buckingham – KB Design – Lauren Santo Domingo

Kylee Shintaffer – Hollyhock – The Blank Slate

Lawrence J. Rizkowsky Design – The Rug Affair – Money

L’Esperance Design – Dragonette – David Bowie

Madcap Cottage – Baker – Nancy Cunard

Maine Design – Jean de Merry – Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg

Matt O’Dorisio – Cote Jardin – Yves Saint Laurent

Maxime Jacquet – George Smith – Andy Warhol

Maya Williams – Marc Phillips – Women of Rock

Michelle Workman – Mehraban – Starlets & Set Decorators of the 1940’s

Molly Luetkemeyer – Jamal’s Rug Collection – Josef Albers

Natasha Baradaran – Claremont – La Dolce Vita

Nickey Kehoe – Hollywood at Home – Wes Anderson

Patrick Ediger – Gina Berschneider – Marie Antoinette & Thalia

Philip Gorrivan – Harbinger – The Military

Platner & Company – Stark – Rose Cumming

Ryan Saghian – Janet Yonaty – Iran

Sam Allen – Hollyhock – Bali

Scot Meacham Wood – Mehraban – Shakespeare’s “Henry V”

Scott Mitchell & Denise Kuriger – Jonas – Charles Gwathmey & Naomi Leff

Serena & Lily – Nathan Turner

Stephen Shutts Design – Jamal’s Rug Collection – Eden

Studio Tim Campbell – Elizabeth Eakins

Susan Cohen – JD Staron – Coco Chanel

Tag Front – Renaissance – Maria Felix

Thomas Allardyce – Janet Yonaty – Old Havana

Tim Barber – Waterworks – Apollodorus of Damascus

Timothy Corrigan – Compas – Charles de Beistegui

Vance Burke – Reborn Antiques – Albert Hadley

Windsor Smith – Arteriors – Renee Perle

Young Huh – Harbinger – Odalisque en Repose

Events That Are Open to the Public

Please register to attend. Here is the registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/legends-2015-where-muses-dwell-tickets-16087554308


Thursday, May 7:

Keynote: Page Turners
9:30-10:30 am
Location: Jonas, 725 N. La Cienega Blvd.
Moderator: Clinton Smith, Editor in Chief, Veranda
Panelists: Windsor Smith, Brian McCarthy, Markham Roberts

Details: Top professionals in design share the current state of designer monographs, both from the creative and business side. Hear how they navigated the world of publishing—from initial concepts to completed books on store shelves—and how they translated their individual points of view onto the printed page.


Trunk Show with Christopher Spitzmiller
10-11:30 am
Location: Hollyhock, 927 N. La Cienega Blvd.

Details: Hollyhock is pleased to welcome back Christopher Spitzmiller for a Spring Trunk Show featuring the debut of the Flora + Fauna collection of Ceramic Plates and Ginger Jars and an array of the latest hand-marbled ceramic accessories.


Keynote: Not Your Mother's Traditional
11 am - 12 pm
Location: George Smith, 807 N La Cienega Blvd.
Moderator: Jenny Bradley, Senior Design & Lifestyle editor, Traditional Home
Panelists: Madeline Stuart, Elizabeth Dinkel, Thomas Callaway

Details: Is traditional design the most radical work today? A panel led discussion with industry greats explores why historical design can be the most daring of all for the 21st Century.


'Green' Luxury - Helping an Actor Take a Leading Role in Sustainable Design
1-2 pm
Location: The Rug Affair, 928 N. La Cienega Blvd.

Details: Several years ago designer John Turturro embarked on a home design project for "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston that became a testing ground for high-end sustainable design without the usual ‘green design’ connotations of macramé and composting. Join Turturro as he describes the process of designing a sustainable house with durable high-end surface materials and furnishings with ‘before, during and after’ images of the 3 Palms Project for Cranston. Coffee and dessert to be served.


Keynote: Makers As Muse
2-3pm
Location: Tufenkian, 501 N. La Cienega Blvd.
Moderator: Pamela Jaccarino, Editor in Chief, Luxe Interiors + Design
Panelists: Betsy Burnham, Joe Lucas, Molly Luetkemeyer

Details: Inventive artisans and creatives provide the fuel that keeps the design industry fresh and forward thinking. Join Luxe Interiors + Design Editor-in-Chief Pamela Jaccarino for a conversation with LA’s top interior design talent as we discover the makers and craftsmen who serve and inspire them.


Branding Beyond the Candle
3-4:30 pm
Location: Egg & Dart, 529 N. La Cienega Blvd.

Details: Designers turned full time product designers, discuss the art of having it all. Learn how the empires of Christopher Kennedy and two of his colleagues in the design world were born, and how these success stories navigate and balance the challenges of business inside the trade, with their work outside to consumer audiences. Book signing reception for Christopher Kennedy to follow presentation and discussion.


Keynote: The Art of Up-cycling
3:30-4:30 pm
Location: Woven Accents , 8674 Melrose Ave.
Moderator: Mat Sanders, Creative Director, Domaine
Panelists: Jessica Alba, Ginna Christensen of Woven Accents, Anna Brockway, founder of Chairish.com

Details: Domaine creative director and interior designer Mat Sanders sits down with actress and Honest Company founder Jessica Alba, Ginna Christensen of Woven Accents and Chairish.com's Anna Brockway to explore innovations in green living and the perks of up-cycling in interior design today.


Fabrics and a Feast
5:30 – 7 pm
Gina Berschneider, 847 N. La Cienega Blvd.

Details: Fabrics and a feast, with tastes of Timothy Corrigan’s new line for Schumacher and Chef Bernhard Mairinger’s cuisine. Timothy's entire collection for Schumacher will be on display in the Gina Berschneider textile gallery, and select pieces of furniture and pillows upholstered in his versatile fabrics will be on view. Timothy will be on hand to show his designs and sign copies of his book, An Invitation to Chateau du Grand-Lucé.

For More Information

To check programs and sign up for VIP access: or a schedule of LEGENDS 2015 events and program highlights, visit www.lcdqla.com.


CREDITS:
All images of Legends of La Cienega events are exclusively used here with express permission.

‘Muses’ designs courtesy the designers.