Los Angeles’ beloved tastemaking design gallery reboots (again!) with a bold new look and address
Words by MELISSA GOLDSTEIN
Since opening in 2017, David Alhadeff’s nomadic Los Angeles gallery Casa Perfect (an offshoot of his internationally hailed brand The Future Perfect) has emerged as the ultimate source for all things au courant in the design world. True to Alhadeff’s vision for the roving project, Casa Perfect recently packed up its former digs in Elvis Presley’s onetime home in Trousdale Estates to emerge in time for Frieze at yet another architecturally notable address: a 1971 residence by L.A.-based architect Raul Garduno in the same neighborhood.
“The search wasn’t about finding a ‘better’ house. It was about finding a new direction — a more modern-feeling architectural backdrop for our story. And I think the new space absolutely achieves that,” Alhadeff says. “I think some of my favorite things about the space are the same things that, if I had seen the space two years ago, would have made me pass! I am obsessed with the wall-to-wall carpet everywhere and the popcorn ceiling. These decorative details just feel so fresh to me. I know they were de rigueur in the late ’60s, but they found their way out of fashion and until very recently had been despicable. All of a sudden, I think they’re cool again.”
The environment may have changed (goodbye, Hollywood Regency; hello, Japanese-inspired-midcentury) but the ridiculously cool, editioned vignettes persist: The site’s first installation highlights furniture from artist Matthew Day Jackson. “He’s better known for his fine art but started doing a studio-created collection of furniture for us, called Wonky,” Alhadeff says. “The work is exactly that — wonky — and wonderful in the most amazing way.”
There’s also a slew of fresh contributions from the gallery’s esteemed roster — among them, artists Floris Wubben, Chris Wolston, John Hogan, Chen Chen & Kai Williams, Bari Ziperstein, Eric Roinestad, Cody Hoyt, Ben & Aja Blanc, Seungjin Yang, Christopher Stuart and Reinaldo Sanguino. “I’m even showing a selection of Gaetano Pesce pieces from my personal collection,” Alhadeff says. And if it’s coming from his house, we can pretty much guarantee you’ll want it for yours.
Feature image: Outdoor elements at CASA PERFECT include a CHRIS WOLSTON Amador planter chair (foreground), a STAN BITTERS totem (background, left), RYOSUKE YAZAKI’s YAE AURA (background, right) and a PIET HEIN Eek tennis table. All photos by Douglas Friedman.
March 9, 2020
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