La Cienega Design Quarter hosted its 6^th Annual Legends of La Cienega at the beginning of May.  Being one of the most anticipated design events in the country, we were delighted to attend and spend the week in Los Angeles.

Each year, there is a new theme for the event that is communicated in the showrooms and shops window displays. This year the theme was “Novel Interiors: Storytelling by Design.”  We just loved this window display at Holland & Sherry designed by the talented Tom Callaway representing “A Moveable Feast, By Ernest Hemingway.”

Source: Lonny.com

The itinerary for the week included a gala the first night, several keynote speakers’ presentations, luncheons and parties hosted by wonderful showrooms and publications.  We had the pleasure of meeting some of our favorite vendors and artists, and enjoyed catching up with old and new design friends throughout the week.

As soon as we arrived in California, we were eager to visit the Pacific Design Center.

We spotted these colorful antique spinning top accessories from Indonesia at Mark Boone’s, Mimi London, Inc. showroom at the Pacific Design Center.

The greenery in the Kneedler Fauchere showroom was almost as interesting as the beautiful furniture lines they represent. We enjoyed seeing many of the Gregorius Pineo pieces that we love in person.

There were lots of great new tile designs at the  Country Floors showroom. The variety and originality of their collection can’t be beat.

We were delighted to find so many beautiful, one of a kind items at the Minton-Spidell showroom on Melrose.

At Blackman Cruz on North Highland Avenue we especially liked this Italian Bench and these antique Irish Chippendale Chairs.

After shopping all day, we rushed back to the hotel to freshen up for the Opening Night Gala sponsored by 1stdibs and Coldwell Banker Previews International at the Therien Showroom. This was a great way to kick off the three day celebration of design.

We had a lovely lunch at the Rose Tarlow showroom with our Design Trust Group.  Isn’t this four post “Prince Charles Bed” interesting?

It was so nice getting to meet Christopher and Nicola Cox of Cox London at the luncheon. They have such an interesting collection of lighting including this Egg Wall Light and Tremble Floor Lamp below designed exclusively for Rose Tarlow.

The Rose Tarlow showroom was also the setting for a lovely party hosted by Milieu, one of our favorite new home décor magazines that was developed and edited by fellow Houstonian Pam Pierce.  The champagne served with a dash of blackberry liqueur and a generous sprinkle of gold flakes is our new favorite summer concoction!

One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the Formations showroom.  Formations has a diverse line of furniture, lighting and accessories that offers simple, eclectic pieces with extreme attention to detail.  The showroom left us completely inspired. We are especially excited about their new outdoor furniture collection.

Lastly, we stopped in Suzanne Rheinstein’s store Hollyhock on La Cienega Boulevard and found this gorgeous pair of lamps for a client back in Houston made out of architectural fragments.

At the end of our trip, we made our way to the historic Greystone Mansion and spent the morning walking around the exquisite gardens of this Beverly Hills estate.

The rows and rows of cypress trees, slate pathways, fountains and ponds around the grounds were beautiful. It was also a serene and peaceful place to commune with nature and to admire the amazing views of downtown LA.

We loved the classical architecture, exterior stonework, the slate roof and the detail on these brick chimneys.

The design and tone of this painted ceiling in the porte-cochere was cool and refreshing.

Strolling through the delightful gardens of Greystone was the perfect end to our week in LA. We gathered interesting design ideas, visited countless showrooms, all while meeting the most inspiring and refreshing group of people in the design industry. We can’t wait to go back next year!

 “There is no friend as loyal as a book.” -Ernest Hemingway