MY FAVORITES FROM LA DESIGN WEEK/END

Sound experiments at Neutra VDL, Ceramicah at Granada, and a few studios worth lingering in.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHELBY NICO DIAMOND

Los Angeles-based artist Nancy Pearce casts ordinary objects in solid bronze, creating “future fossils” meant to outlast the digital world and even us. Her work was among my favorites at Block Shop during last year’s LAD/W. I saw the display again this year and loved it just as much.

It’s been a long week of design events. I started Tuesday at the LAD/W friends-and-family party at the Haas Brothers’ studio in NoHo. Wednesday began with the rooftop kickoff party at the Downtown L.A. Proper, followed by Serpentine’s wonderfully wacky haunted house and garden event. Thursday, I took a Terranea spa interlude — my new favorite end-of-week escape. Friday was spent at home with my family. Then I was back out all day Saturday and Sunday for what felt like countless LAD/W events. And still somehow I managed to fit in a Darkside show at Lodge Room Saturday night.

Thank you to everyone who introduced themselves out in the world. I’m excited about all the new features and collaborations emerging from the week/end. Friend of Sanctuaries LA Holland Denvir crushed it for the third year in a row — and told me that applications for LAD/W 2027 are already open.

A more exhaustive guide is coming later this week with Daniela Araya, a close friend and Hudson Valley-based designer and color consultant who traveled to LA for LAD/W. For now, I present a highly edited, very Sanctuaries-coded best of the weekend.

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A RAD Furniture chair sits outside a handmade plywood camera obscura, which turns the surrounding world into a moving image within.

The exterior of RAD Fest, projected inside the camera obscura’s viewing booth.

This year was hot, and the heat changed the shape of the weekend. I have visceral memories of cavorting down Glendale Boulevard in Atwater last year with Holland and hundreds of other people; the streets were packed, and there was a general air of merriment. This year, Glendale felt almost empty except for the handful of locations where everyone crowded inside for air conditioning. RAD Fest was a literal oven, and ORCA — one of my favorite events last year — was simply too hot to exist in.

My favorite event — besides Serpentine, where I was too present to take any photos —was Yamaha Design Laboratory’s exhibition at the Neutra VDL House. I know, choosing a branded activation is so uncool, but it was beautiful and exceptionally well executed.

The Backrest for Sky Viewers, 1995 & 2026, by Yamaha Design Laboratory and Manabu Kawada on the roof of the VDL House. Made from wood, metal, and rubber, the piece invites viewers to lean back and look up: “The sky has no borderline.”

Left: Yamaha and Yuri Suzuki’s Industrial Instruments, turning everyday switches and mechanisms into music. Visitors couldn’t stop playing with them. Right: Fine Rainy Days (2019), an hourglass that creates the sound of rain.

Late afternoon light in the VDL House living room during Yamaha Design Laboratory’s Companionship exhibition. A small vintage television sits among the objects on display.

A guitar nestled in a sculptural wooden stand beneath the VDL House’s bookshelves.

The way the dusk light fell across the exhibition in the VDL House’s entry hall was breathtaking.

On the left of the image: Richard Neutra’s Bach G-dur Suite (Drawing of Dione) (1923), an intimate drawing reflecting the companionship and care of a husband’s love for his wife. On the right of the image: Yamaha’s Real Sound Viewing, 2018, a cello installation exploring how authentic sound is born from the emotion and joy of playing from the heart.

And of course, the most stunning part of the exhibition was the house itself. Saba Salekfard recently took over as Resident Director of the VDL House; I’ll be speaking with her soon about the place and what comes next.

Another highlight was Ceramicah at Granada. I love the studio’s new collection, which translates its iconic forms into cast metal finished with different colored patinas. A little over a week ago, I visited the home of Ceramicah founders Alexandra Cadiz and Micah Blyckert for a home tour and interview with Alex. Stay tuned for that in a few weeks. Granada was an especially fitting setting for the new work; the collection looked beautiful inside.

Left: A lamp from Ceramicah’s new Cuadra collection in an upstairs bedroom at Granada, with bed linens by Coyuchi. Right: The studio’s newest cast-metal lamps, finished in a range of patinas. As a huge fan of metal casting, this may be my favorite Ceramicah collection yet. I have my eye on the green one on the top shelf.

Danny D’s Mud Shop was my favorite first-time stop of Sunday. I’d seen his work online, but seeing it in person and meeting Danny irl felt especially wholesome. There was food for visitors, while a team of four — including his girlfriend Peyton Perron — kept working on holiday orders throughout our visit. I picked up some merch for my husband, my own Danny D, so he can rep his name. And one day I will commission a full set of custom dinnerware. Hopefully, a proper feature on the East Hollywood ceramicist will follow later this year.

The retail side of Danny D’s Mud Shop, with ceramic lamps, clocks, and plates displayed against warm plywood walls.

I also made it to California Dirt’s newly opened flagship. I’ve been following Carmen Kelly’s world-building for a couple of years, and it was lovely to see the brand evolve into a physical home of its own. I left with a bracelet I’d had my eye on for a while.

I’m drawn to people whose motifs move easily across mediums. In Carmen’s case, the same language appears in jewelry, furniture, mirrors, playing cards, and the space itself. She has created an entire California Dirt world. I’d love to feature her and the new store in the future.

All made by Carmen, these pieces reveal the breadth of the California Dirt world she’s created.

LAD/W is always a joyous reminder of the endless creativity here in Los Angeles. Despite the heat, it was a fantastic week/end. Now it’s back to work, with another Terranea visit planned for the end of the week (yes, I’m obsessed) to help me settle and ground after a whirlwind few weeks.

Stay tuned next week for a deeper dive into the colorful world of LAD/W with Daniela Araya. x

Visit the new California Dirt studio and showroom at:
1832 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Shop Ceramicah online and at Lawson-Fenning:
824 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Visit the Neutra VDL house at:
2300 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039

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