04 Jun The Great Outdoors, Indoors: A Leafy Recap of Dwell On Design
Oh, expos. The swaggy stalls, the scanning badges, the wandering while wondering how a space this cavernous can exist in such a crowded city. We, love, all of it.
Especially when it’s three-day mega mindmeld Dwell on Design. We were at the event last weekend at the LA Convention Center, which hosted 32,428 attendees there to see the latest in beautifying and streamlining your surroundings.
The design mothership for three days: the LA Convention Center.
Julian and I both working the back patch look.
The Lalo Outdoor Cinema, livened up with blocks of drought-tolerant plants like opuntia, was one of the buzziest hubs.
Imagine 400 exhibitors over 200,000 square feet. Stellar interior design and decor (like Cerno’s mod mixed-media lighting, charming GeoNoggins and the sultry Cocoon fireplaces) were in the house, but we of course swooned extra hard for the outdoor design. There were so many plants there. And so many impressive planters and lots of great outdoor furniture under the show lights shining miles above our heads.
Even better, our friend/the incredible, legendary photographer Julian Mackler was in town from Brooklyn to join the fun.
Not gonna lie, we made a beeline first thing for the Loll Beer Garden for some pilsner and mashed potatoes. For strength! Provided by Mountain States, plants also included aloes and palo verde trees.
This year was Dwell on Design’s best-attended in its 10-year history. The event included the exhibition, house tours and talks; we caught Francesca Corra‘s stimulating session on art in the garden, and met lots of exhibitors when we visited last Saturday. The tours we’ll have to save until next time — maybe when the show heads to NYC October 2-4?
While we count the days, here are some of our favorite moments from Dwell on Design LA…
—TH
Wall flowers know how to party, thanks to Bella Builders.
Bella Builders specialize in vertical gardens, and create custom, low-maintenance, water-recycling green walls for homes and businesses.
Also at Bella Builders, swirling succulents.
Echeveria and aeonium, we see you!
It — is — on: the Groovebox multitasks as a fire pit, barbecue, table, stool and planter.
Another outdoor living installation, another Groovebox, another satisfied, pilsner-swillin’ customer.
In fact, the hall was full of the Groovebox planters, even in front of the Airbnb demo.
Behold the cheerfully sophisticated ‘Living Yellow’ installation that artist Justina Blakeney created for YP.com.
Inside Justina’s gorgeous boho Dwell-ing. It’s all yellow but far from one-note.
We adored every textured, leafy, vintage inch.
Next up, we visited the booth for LA-based Potted. Above, a string of pearls succulent poured out of the wildly popular Circle Pot.
Slim and perfect for small spaces: The City Planter at Potted.
Park it on the Fermob Origami Bench.
Your next breakfast could be sweet serenity, thanks to your Fermob furniture.
Moments like this, like when we encounter Kodama Zones — hanging loveseats inspired by geodesic domes and zonodehral polygons — make us want to write a love letter addressed to California living.
Hanging geometrically with Julian Mackler, one of my main amigos since high school days and genius Brooklyn-based photographer.
We were super into Bend’s outdoor furniture.
CRYING with love for this Drum table.
Looking for more vertical gardening inspiration? Pick up the versatile plant pods from Skale Greenwall.
Above, Skale’s fish scale pattern. You can move the pods around, even display them as free-standing pots.
The Smooth planter by ShapeCrete.
Shapecrete by Cheng Concrete is very, very cool: you can mold it like clay, then allow to harden. Check out the tutorial on how to make a draped planter.
You can even make a grill with Shapecrete.
Ryan met his concrete hero (seriously, he’s watched hours of his videos), Fu-Tung Cheng, founder of Berkeley-based Cheng Design.
The earth moves under our feet, just imagining the possibilities.
Get your decorative leaf tutorial right here.
Letting it all sink in amid the Lovesac beanbags.
Whimsy and happy vibes maintain their mod edge in the Sunnyside Collection by Loll Designs.
Until next year! Photo by Julian Mackler.