The Style List—February 2009
edited by Tessa Benson
Nigel Cox
SINGULAR SENSATION
Intérieurs, Francine Gardner’s divine, French-flavored (and New York-based) home and garden shop, has arrived in West Hollywood with a personally selected collection of furniture and objets de vertu from around the world. The highlight of her exclusive Los Angeles offering is Curiosites bis, a series of lighting and sculpture by designer José Esteves. Birds, eggs and branches all figure prominently in Esteves’ magical flight of fancy. Black egg lamp, $1,400. 450 N. Robertson Blvd., 310-652-5002. —Mayer Rus
OBSESSED WITH
In the case of jewelry, less isn’t always more. Sometimes more is more. Korea-born designer Sally Sohn’s creations are the perfect baubles for flaunting your bling. Sohn’s one-of-a-kind handmade bracelets and necklaces are crafted from ancient artifacts, timepieces, religious symbols, prayer beads and other sentimental and iconic figurines, making each piece a wearable work of art. Sohn, a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America, garnishes her treasures (which she has collected from her travels to auctions all over the world) with high-grade rocks, like yellow, brown, black and blue diamonds and mine-cut diamond balls. Always aiming to improve upon perfection, Sohn has taken the art of extravagant chic to new heights. Prices available on request. —Tessa Benson
TEMPLE OF TASTE
Baccarat’s Silhouette series—a marriage of old and new brokered by the French design firm 5.5—reinterprets the company’s iconic Harcourt pattern as 24K line drawings etched on sleek, modern forms. Decanter, $790; glass, $225. Gearys, 351 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, 310-273-4741. —Raha Lewis
COLLECTOR'S CATNIP
Good taste can indeed be learned—but you must have a guide. The fabric-bound and boxed Ted Muehling: A Portrait by Don Freeman (Rizzoli) is that exemplar. With ethereally shot copper butterflies, shells, jewelry and tableware, it’s Muehling’s CliffsNotes for the finer things in life. $55. Arp, 83111/2 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, 323-653-7764. —TB
WELCOME TO L.A.
For years, the Hyatt on Sunset Boulevard was known as the Riot House, due to its popularity among rowdy rockers and their entourages. Today, a very different kind of riot is going on—one of haute design. The storied hotel, which came to life in 1963 as Gene Autry’s Hotel Continental, was reborn last month as Andaz West Hollywood, the second property under Hyatt’s new Andaz brand. “This is where Jim Morrison lived when the Doors were the house band at the Whisky a Go-Go, where Robert Plant tossed a television out of the window and Keith Richards mooned the Strip,” says Hal Goldstein of Janson Goldstein, the New York-based architecture and design firm that handled the renovation. “We tried to pull the hotel’s infamous past into its new life by fusing multiple references—midcentury modernism, 1970s rock ’n’ roll culture, international contemporary design and art— to create something fresh.” The hotel beckons with a shimmering screen of black stainless-steel panels and an elegant glass pavilion that is part of the new restaurant RH (a veiled reference to the old nickname). The vision sends a message to West Hollywood’s clique of chic, design-driven boutique hotels: There’s a new player in town. 8401 Sunset Blvd., 323-656-1234. —MR
WORK IT
Relishing an endorphin high at the gym is easier if you’re not fretting about getting home to the sitter, walking the dog or having someone hovering over your treadmill. So if you want a worry-free workout, head for The Bunker. Trainer Adam Ernster, protégé of celebrity body sculptor Gunnar Peterson, offers a no-nonsense, one-hour calorie burner. The kids and pets can come along if they must, but they’ll have to sit on the sidelines, next to the ever motivating “No Whining” sign. Ernster suggests twice a week, but if money is a concern, a once-a-month visit is a no-brainer—after all, cutting-edge equipment like the Expresso Bike, a high-energy videogame for your legs, and the no-impact Quadmill already have L.A.’s elite hooked. Sure beats sweating it in those stuffed-to-the-gills gyms. That’s so last year. $200 per hour. 310-860-0909. —Allison Kornberg
HOMING INSTINCT
Greens going code blue? A+R to the rescue! The trend-forward store has the exclusive on the Vitamin Living IV Planter, a fiberglass pot with an attached refillable IV bag that lets you adjust the flow to dispense the appropriate amount of water to orchids and cacti alike. The genius contraption comes in black and white—and most important, it ensures your bonsai won’t kick the bucket. $375. A+R, 1121-1 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310-392-9128; 1716 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles, 323-913-9558. —TB
ACCESSORY DU JOUR
Nothing says I love you like jewelry. This year, Tod’s has you covered with the Key to Your Heart Bracelet, a red leather wraparound wristlet with silver lock that lets you wear your heart on your sleeve. So this Valentine’s Day, when your lady says all she needs is love, what she means is she wants something to show for it. The heart wants what it wants. $545. 333 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-285-0591. —TB
Categories: Architecture / Art / Design / Fashion / Gardens / Interiors+Interior Design / The Style List
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Posted by: Puss | 01/11/2012 at 06:29 AM