New design shops up and down the coast offer a wealth of new ideas — plus, our picks for what to buy
Words by ANUSH J. BENLIYAN, MELISSA GOLDSTEIN, MARIE LOOK and ELIZABETH VARNELL
We’re always on the lookout for design shops offering something different. This spring, a crop of new stops up and down the coast feature statement decor curated through a discerning lens, from Mill Valley’s Prevalent Projects, with its in-house line of Japanese- and Scandinavian-inspired furniture, to Graye’s conceptual accents, and more. Below, our editors reveal their shopping list.
PREVALENT PROJECTS, MILL VALLEY
New to Mill Valley, Prevalent Projects is a design studio and shop proffering modern home decor, furniture and gifts. Discover earthenware by South L.A.’s Humble Ceramics, lighting by London-based Hand & Eye Studio, and candles by Swedish perfumery 19-69. Photographer Julia Albee curates the space with both California and international makers while her husband, Floyd Albee (a production designer), runs the interiors firm. Patrons can shop Prevalent Projects’ proprietary line of handcrafted Japanese- and Scandinavian-inspired white oak furnishings with a 100 percent nontoxic finish, and, come next year, the duo’s line of contemporary wool rugs and textiles. 61 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley, 415-888-3257.
EDITOR’S PICK: Sun at Six’s nude Plume Chair is unbelievably stylish and will only look better with age — two things we look for in any investment piece.
HEM, DOWNTOWN L.A.
Stockholm-based online furniture retailer Hem (Swedish for “home”) commissioned an unabashedly jubilant, site-specific installation for its first U.S. showroom, which it shares with wood flooring company Madera, in L.A.’s Arts District. Endemic Architecture’s Clark Thenhaus devised Confetti Courtyard for the site, blanketing the outdoor space in colorful graphic shapes echoing the hues of Hem’s ready-to-ship, unfussy furniture, lighting, rugs and accessories from a roster of international designers, including Max Lamb, Philippe Malouin and Nao Tamura. “The way confetti can be appropriated is so multivalent,” Thenhaus says. “It’s all so playful.” 810 Mateo St., L.A.
EDITOR’S PICK: Hem’s Alphabeta pendants, designed by Luca Nichetto, come in an array of geometric configurations and poppy colors and are the lighting equivalent of a happy pill.
GRAYE, HOLLYWOOD
Los Angeles’ lauded design atelier Graye moved from its Robertson Boulevard perch in West Hollywood to a roomier warehouse-style space in Hollywood earlier this year. Graye founder Maria Cicione continues to spotlight local and European collaborative furniture, and art and lighting collections by makers such as Porro and Linteloo. She still offers architectural, interior design and project management services plus a new focus on customization, including a COM (Customer Own Material) fabrics option. No longer appointment-only, the showroom debuted with Ossimori, a limited-edition range of one-off geometric mirrors, lamps and sculptures by Milanese firm Studiopepe, a line crafted from reclaimed materials including marble. 1026 N. Sycamore Ave., L.A., 310-385-7872.
EDITOR’S PICK: These Glas Italia Illusion side tables, designed by French designer Jean-Marie Massaud, are one part utility, one part art installation.
THE SILL, WEST HOLLYWOOD
New York-based plant e-tailer The Sill has opened a West Hollywood shop, its third brick-and-mortar and first outside of Manhattan. Having simplified the plant-buying game, The Sill delivers succulents, ferns and tropical plants, sized mini to medium, in cheery utilitarian pots, and extends support throughout the experience. “We’ll be offering some special plants that are unique to California,” says founder Eliza Blank, referring to varieties of cacti and euphorbias at the L.A. incarnation. At the new locale, greenery is categorized according to lighting needs and labeled as pet-friendly or best for beginners. There’s also a gifting station, workshop area and an online plant care forum. 8125 W. Third St., L.A., 323-879-9720.
EDITOR’S PICK: Delicate, dainty and with a spring pea sensibility, the String of Pearls succulent paired with The Sill’s blush planter is a readymade (and bright-light-loving) centerpiece.
HONEYED FIGS, HOLLYWOOD
Los Angeles-based film set decorator (she lent her styling to Inception) and interior designer Tamar Barnoon conceived of online interiors shop Honeyed Figs as a collection of modern, minimal furniture “basics,” featuring a select group of L.A. makers and designers. “I like to compare these pieces to the basics in a wardrobe — like the perfect suit,” she says. “Because of that, we offer customizable sizes so that your dining table or your new sofa will fit just right in your home.” Produced locally with sustainable, mostly green materials, the made-to-order pieces include two new additions for April: a grain-showcasing circular side table by Eric Ervin Woodworking and a svelte hardwood frame, loose cushion sofa by EBJoinery.
EDITOR’S PICK: With a midcentury sensibility and a modern attention to storage needs, EBJoinery’s handmade 01 Credenza is fairly flawless.
This story originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of C magazine.
