Photo: Kelsey Pudloski
Home to creatives, makers, designers and artists, the city of Los Angeles is where trends are born. The ninth annual LA Design Festival, a four-day event “honoring LA’s diverse and talented design culture,” took place from June 20th to 23rd at venues all across the city. The epicenter of this year’s festival was ROW DTLA, a former industrial complex in the Arts District, where indoor and outdoor design installations peppered the pedestrian-only Market Row. Livabl combed the onsite exhibitions to get a sense of the design trends that will shape the rest of 2019 and beyond. Keep scrolling for our top picks from the LA Design Festival.
1. Terrazzo surfaces
Photo: Kelsey Pudloski
Terrazzo has been gaining momentum for some time now, but the composite material is being used in myriad ways — from outdoor furniture by Bend Goods to speckled planters seen at Poketo. Make a statement with large chunks or keep it timeless with small chips of natural stone. After all, the beauty of this material is its endless design options.
2. Bespoke light fixtures
Photo: Kelsey Pudloski
Light fixtures that double as works of art were on display at the Neptune Glassworks installation. Designer Uri Davillier produces functional light fixtures as well as sculptural pieces, but there’s a sense of artistry in everything he does. Here, blown glass combined with brushed brass creates a sculptural wall sconce that emits a soft glow.
3. Nostalgic 90s neon
Photo: Kelsey Pudloski
Trending styles that walk down the runway eventually work their way into our homes — and they don’t just land in our closets. Case in point: Neon, which is now being applied to furniture in addition to Kardashian-inspired bicycle shorts. The Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century vibes were palpable at the Another Human installation, which featured sparkly vinyl upholstery and sculptural accent tables.
4. Cane furniture
Photo: Kelsey Pudloski
Cane is another one of those styles that’s currently ‘trending,’ but has, in fact, been in existence for hundreds of years. This armchair and side table by Skrivo Design x Miniforms are modern iterations of the traditional weaving method, which dates back to the 14th century.
5. Vertical plant displays
Photo: Kelsey Pudloski
In an expensive city like Los Angeles where space comes at a premium, vertical plant displays are the way to go. We came across tons of unique ideas — from colorful, geometric wall planters at Poketo to a residential water catchment system designed by architecture students that houses (and feeds!) growing herbs and vegetables.
6. Upgraded game tables
Photo: Kelsey Pudloski
There’s a reason most game tables are relegated to the basement — they’re not very nice to look at. Manufacturer RS Barcelona is changing this notion with a line of design-forward game tables for foosball, billiards and ping pong enthusiasts. The ‘You and Me’ model, seen above, is suitable for indoor or outdoor use and transforms into a dining or conference table in seconds. There’s even a discreet drawer for storing the net, paddles and ping pong balls when not in use.
7. California “this-century” modern
Photo: Kelsey Pudloski
Eric Trine is the brains behind Amigo Modern, a line of quirky furniture and accessories “in the spirit of California Modernism.” There’s a hint of playfulness to everything he designs, from plant stands to barstools to coat hooks. The woven leather seats of these ‘Rod + Weave’ chairs were hand stitched by another local artist, Kevin Sheby.
8. Curved silhouettes
Photo: Kelsey Pudloski
Overly structured designs have given way to free-flowing, organic forms. Low-profile sofas, round coffee tables and tubular chairs were all on display at the LA Design Festival, in true retro-meets-modern style. We were particularly smitten with the tone-on-tone terracotta installation by ETC.etera, pictured above.
9. Space-efficient Murphy beds
Photo: Kelsey Pudloski
‘The Swing’ by Resource Furniture is no ordinary Murphy bed — it’s a three-seater sectional that transforms into a comfy, queen-size bed. Surrounded by wall-mounted shelves, it blends seamlessly into the living area of this 800-square-foot OASYS tiny home. Also on site was a twin-size bed integrated into a bookcase that folds down when needed; the ideal solution for a home-office-slash-guest-bedroom.
