In her Ted X Santa Barbara talk, interior designer Lori Dennis took center stage to provide a comfortable solution to the homeless epidemic: furniture. After years of charitable donations to shelters and even direct giving of goods to the homeless, she grew increasingly frustrated with the lack of results, while the homeless population in her hometown of Los Angeles continued to grow. That’s when she discovered local organizations like Pen & Napkin and A Sense of Home Org – organizations that partner with the design community to furnish the homes of those transitioning out of homelessness. Her talk stresses the importance of segmenting the homeless population to cut down on overwhelm and provide more effective, long term solutions and the pride in ownership individuals have them their homes are furnished. Watch now:

Liz Murray: Homeless to Harvard

From living on the streets of NYC to studying at Harvard, Liz Murray’s story is truly inspirational. Her Ted Talk emphasizes getting to the psychological root of homelessness and how important a belief in possibility to succeed and change is in putting and end to homelessness across American cities. She was fascinated by the question ‘What is it inside of a person that motivates them to take action?’ And how can we help people in need get there? In her talk, she demonstrates how we can teach someone to refuse labels like ‘homeless person,’ in order to prime their brains to begin exploring other possibilities. Watch now:

Richard J Berry: Work + Safety

Richard J. Baum takes an incredibly practical and urban designer’s type of approach to his solution to combat homelessness. Building trust in the community is key to breaking through to panhandling populations. In his Ted Talk, he illustrates the ways his program offering day jobs empowered homeless across Albuquerque, New Mexico. He also provides sage advice on how to donate to help – $5 handed to an individual may buy them a meal that day, but that same $5 donated to a food pantry can be better optimized to serve tens of people, for example. He also speaks to the dignity in jobs and housing selection. Like Lori and Liz, he gets to the motivating mental factors – the discovery of possibility is key here. Watch now:

Jamal Mechbal: Fighting Homelessness, My Way

Jamal makes the point that most homeless people look just like you and I – but the mental image that ‘homelessness’ conjures up is one of the “crazy” bag lady soiled and rambling to herself. Making this distinction is key to understanding how we can segment the homeless population to cut down on the overwhelm of trying to discover a one-size-fits-all solution to the crisis. His ted talk delves into the chain reaction that can cause a seemingly ‘normal’ person to spiral into an unfortunate situation resulting in homelessness and posits that an insurance, like medical insurance, may be the solution necessary to homelessness prevention. Could this be the way of giving people a chance to help themselves? Watch now:

Anne Mahlum: Running Forward

Empowerment is also at the center of Anne Mahlum’s Ted talk. She chronicles her personal history with her gambling-addicted father, who while attentive to her and her siblings, was leading a double life that destroyed her family’s faith in stability. Always an athlete, she turned to running as a source of empowerment to get her through, eventually leading her to organize a running club for the local homeless population. The results were incredible – as she lays out the mental and physical transformations that take place within athletes training. It’s for Type A, perfectionists, competitive people-prideful people. What she discovered through this work was that often noone thinks to give homeless people standards of excellence and by shifting away from a traditionally patronizing approach, they too can be empowered to improve their lives. Watch now:

What Sets Our Beach House Style Apart?

Manhattan Beach is one of the most inspiring places to work because of it’s eclectic architectural aesthetics and indoor-outdoor lifestyle. We love the mixture of modern residences, bohemian coffee shops, and sense of community that beach towns like Manhattan Beach cultivate. Here are some of the features we love to include in our beach houses that set us apart:

1. Seamless Indoor-Outdoor Design

Large windows and doors, flooring and natural, textural materials that carry through the spaces, indoors and out. We like to do everything we can to emphasize indoor-outdoor living, which gives our projects a modern, airy feel and makes them great spaces for entertaining. (More on that in a minute!)

2. Well-Edited Interiors

When you build at the beach, it’s impossible to forget about the beautiful landscape. We seek to emphasize that as much as possible by not distracting from the beautiful ocean views with ocean artwork, for example. We keep the interiors clean and let the understated, but upscale interior architecture do the talking.

3. Party Pads!

Many of our clients, especially by the beach, are single men looking to glam up their bachelor pads and transform them into fabulous entertaining spaces. That’s why we’re fans of an open floor plan with great flow. We like to make the kitchen, pool, or lounges central focal points in the home.

Welcome to Bond at the Beach

Our designer Lori Dennis gives a talk-through of one of our favorite beach projects in this video. It’s come to be known as “James Bond at the Beach” and is full of clean lines, and well-crafted monochromatic custom furnishings. Just an absolute dream! Watch now:

Future Homes in Times Square

If you happened to find yourself wandering around Times Square in NYC during NYCxDesign, you might have noticed a life-sized lego house. Known as FutureHaus, this sexy, prefab house was designed by 100 Virginia Tech students using a cutting-edge technology enabling the entire home to be solar powered. 

The entire home was delivered and installed in just three days. That’s the kind of sustainable, forward-thinking we love! To learn more about the project and to see more smart, sustainable design solutions, make a visit to the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum featuring an exhibition of student solutions to problems in nature. 

The Future of Wellness Space Design

A feature lots of our residential clients ask for is a room dedicated to meditation and relaxation in their home. Check out some of the meditation beds we’ve built for past clients here. But it’s the Inscape meditation app’s studio in NYC that truly takes meditation rooms to the next level. Every level of calm realized, from the materials to the scents, sounds, color palettes and, of course, the staff. 

Photo via architizer

Future of Hospitality Design

Dramatic lighting and full-wall tile features were everywhere in the restaurants and hotels we love! Cosme is a swanky eatery downtown with a perfect lighting scheme – it is elegantly designed, dimly lit, except for the spots you’ll be reading the menu in. This is a place with every detail realized!

photo via TheFatuation.com

A trip to Tile Bar NYC always inspires us. We love checking out the tile they’re featuring that’s selling a lot! We found a few common traits we were drawn to: lots of glam – mirrored and texture ceramic tile walls. These are awesome, budget-friendly, ways of achieving an elegant, high-end hospitality look. One of the reasons borrowing from hospitality design is such a great idea for your home is because they often find the best compromises between big design statement, affordability, and maintainability. The best example of this perfectly on-trend style comes from the new Tonya Comer tile collection for Tile Bar:

Here’s Our 10 Tenets of Southwest Glam Style: 

1. Indoor-Outdoor Connection 

This is  an area where we see the southwestern style evolving. Some of the midcentury glamorous aesthetic from Palm Springs creeps into the mix, seeing more sleek modern designs in the Southwest with large scale windows. On the flip side, we’re also seeing lots of tiny, rustic homes that sacrifice interior square footage in exchange for elaborate outdoor entertaining spaces. 

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Some private time on your private Lautner patio…Yes please 😎 #thelautnercompound #thelautner #lautner #johnlautner #desertliving #desertstyle #palmsprings #desertmodern

A post shared by The Lautner Compound (@thelautnercompound) on Aug 26, 2019 at 10:59am PDT

2. Floors and Countertops 

Another architectural feature that defines a desert glam is it’s flooring and countertops – expect to see lots of terra cotta, ceramic, earthy, patterned tile. Layered warm woods always work wonders in these environments as well, like in this photo from the lobby of the new Santa Monica Proper Hotel designed by Kelly Wearstler:

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Get here fast, then take it slow. #ProperHotels⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #losangeles #santamonicabeach #la #california #luxury #interiordesign #checkingin #hospitality #luxeliving #socal #calilife #travel #santamonica #design #reception #kellywearstler #beautifulhotels #hotels #designhotels #ahotelife #boutiquehotel #urbanretreat #beachoasis #luxuryhotel #lifestylehotel #travelmore #dreamdestination⁠

A post shared by Santa Monica Proper Hotel (@santamonicaproper) on Aug 30, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT

3. Desert Details in the Art

Wall art and sculpture is an excellent opportunity for you to bringing the desert textures into the space: you can get up close and personal with desert details in still life photography that you wouldn’t ordinarily get by staring at a larger landscape.

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I'm always so honored when great designers like @jenhallock use my prints to beautify their spaces. Did you know that Wilder California gives a discount to design industry professionals? Get in touch to get your personal code! hello@wildercalifornia.com⠀⁠⠀ And you can shop this piece (20×24 framed in white) via the link in bio!⠀⁠⠀ ⠀⁠

A post shared by Wilder California (@wildercalifornia) on Aug 21, 2019 at 12:29pm PDT

4. Colors of the Southwestern Landscape

Using the American desert landscape to draw upon color palette inspiration, realize you have a lot more variation than you might thing: Do you want to highlight the sandy, monochrome hues of the desert sand? (a very popular trend right now) or do you want to include the more saturated, hihg contrast of a swirling desert sunset?

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Our White Sands blanket brings the stunning hues of the desert to wherever you may be.

A post shared by Pendleton Woolen Mills (@pendletonwm) on Aug 28, 2019 at 8:38am PDT

5. Textiles and Textures of the Wild Wild West.

Layers in the desert are so important for a myriad of reasons: It’s how you create a lot of visual interest if you’re working with a monochromatic color scheme. It’s also how you keep a space contemporary and livable – versatile during the changing of seasons or day into evening. In the desert expect to see layers of hides and leather, layers of coarse and smooth, prickly cactus contrast with warm Pendelton blankets, macrame accessories.

6. Mid Century Lighting

Whenever you’re trying to infuse a space with a hint of glamour, lighting is going to be your best bet! In trying to bring some of that Palm Springs Rat Pack style into your boho desert den, consider some glamorous, dramatic lighting solutions.

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Neutral, earthy palettes and Southwest textures and prints are #trending up! At yesterday's film shoot with @LampsPlus I shared all my thoughts on the new #Southwest trend. Take a look at my Instagram Story for a sneak peek 😉

A post shared by Celebrity Lifestyle Designer (@loridennisinc) on Aug 9, 2019 at 10:07am PDT

7. Accessories:  Bringing in the Historical and Cultural Influences

Native American patterns, terra cotta pottery, lots of succulents, masks and baskets. The wild west is where hippies and cowboys collide. The intersection of Spanish, Native American, and, much later, jazz crooner influences. Using art and accessories is the best way to include these themes throughout your space.

8. Textured Wall Features

Using Eldorado Stone wall features, we gave this space its organic, unique deserty texture. Stone and tile wall features are a great way to bring the outdoors in and add some verticality to your space.

9. Emphasis on Sustainability

The very idea of an oasis: a respite from the endless desert, a place to rehydrate, rejuvinate, and unwind, invokes an awareness of sustainability. The area, also surrounded by wind farms and, quite often, expensive-to-maintain putting greens, is perhaps a more obvious and constant reminder of the need to conserve and of our dependence on the land. Homes in this region are being built smaller, single-story, with energy-efficient windows, and water-saving smart plumbing solutions. 

10. Lots of Succulents!

Always including plenty of succulents! We included this one towards the bottom because it’s kind of a given, don’t you think?

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Embracing the Endless Summer… Getting ready for outdoor entertaining, adorning the table with @calicocorners @cryptonfabric Catolo Teal fabric ☀️🌴 #CalicoCanDo #CalicoStories #CalicoDesign #ad

A post shared by Celebrity Lifestyle Designer (@loridennisinc) on Aug 5, 2019 at 3:23pm PDT

That was the first question the Flutter Experience gallery owner asked us when we entered his space on South La Brea here in Los Angeles. 

Butterflies. Eyelashes. Lightness.

With the goal of making art fun and accessible, the Flutter Experience highlights contemporary artists in a way that is playful and interactive. Akin to the highly popular 29 Rooms exhibition, the Flutter experience is full of colorful, instagrammable moments, but with a more niche, nuanced, and elevated appeal. 

Flutter & Born This Way

The gallery is partnered with Born This Way – Lady Gaga’s outreach program which aims to end the stigma against mental illness. A share of the proceeds generated from ticket sales go directly to benefit the organization. They say art consumption makes you mentally healthier and happier – the Flutter Experience certainly did!

Flutter Featuring Flavor Paper

We were fortunate to be invited to the Flutter Experience by our friends at Flavor Paper, a boutique wallpaper line based out of Brooklyn, New York, whose fun, evocative prints were the perfect compliment to Flutter’s whimsical art.

Wallpaper is an incredible way to create an immersive experience when designing a room. With wallpaper, you can take advantage of the flat surfaces around you and above you that would otherwise be neglected. We were blown away by Flavor Paper’s installation in the bathroom at Flutter- everywhere you looked, you were inside a mountain scene, the mural was without repeat.  We commend their creativity and ambition to take advantage of wallpapering every surface they could! Every room had its own unique aesthetic, tied together by Flavor Paper’s psychedelic backdrops.

The Immersive Flutter Experience

Every room in the Flutter experience featured something you could touch, listen to, wear, or watch. The tactile, sensory-overladed experience gets you closer to the art itself and highlights the various ways of seeing and experiencing.  It’s also great for all ages- there’s something for everyone. Our group ranged in ages: We had elementary schoolers, college students, and adults all together.

Much of the architecture in Thailand can be described as Asian-fusion. More specifically, what you’ll find in wealthier areas and urban city centers is a lot of Sino-Portuguese architecture. It’s also commonly referred to as Chinese Baroque and Straits eclectic architecture. It’s an an Asian hybrid design style incorporating both Chinese and the Portuguese/European architecture styles. That’s why it’s so yummy to look at – it is anything but minimal. It has a lot going on!

A Sino-Portugese Kindergarten via Phuket 101

Phuket’s old town was one of the epicenters of the tin mining and trade during the era of Western imperialism, during which time Portuguese settlers took over the trade port of Malacca. They brought with them western architectural stylings, and employed Chinese workers to build. Through a mixture of their art and building styles Sino-Portuguese architecture was formed.

Shops in Old Town Phuket via My Radiant City

One of the elements of that intersection is the roof details – the red roof tiling is a particularly western architectural trait, but the curve of the tiles is eastern. Another is in the wooden shuttered windows (western) with elaborate decorative flourishes on the handles or on sidings (eastern). These features are evident both in the urban centers and in the many Sino-Portuguese mansions found throughout Phuket.

Image via Bloomberg

Modern Stylings of Bangkok, Thailand’s Capital

By contrast, when you venture over to Bangkok, the Thai capital, you’re overwhelmed by futuristic, blocky high rises. Like any bustling city, you’ll find a mixture of old and new. But these days, Bangkok certainly leans towards the new, urban decor, with nods to traditional Asian architecture in the form of decorative elements, rather than structural. You’ll see a lot of modern, glass high rises involving greenery – plants growing up the sides, etc.

Image Via The Most Perfect View

Of course every once in a while, you’ll stumble upon something magical – an old temple or fortress, something that looks like it’s out of a fairy tale. From Traditional Colonial to the Ultra Modern, you’ll find it all in Bangkok. Traditionally Thai homes and structures like these, were built in accordance to a spiritual sanctification – rituals to ‘guard against ghosts and evil spirits,’ but of course modernization has diminished these practices, but many of the results of these building practices still stand.

Phra Sumeru fortress as photographed by Photography-Bong

Koh Chang: Asian Fusion Architecture

Koh Chang, Thailand is more remote than both Bangkok and Phuket, thus is written about far less frequently. But the The Dewa Resort, Koh Chang is the perfect example of fusion architecture we were talking about before, combining elements of all of the structures above with a coastal bend. The Dewa Koh Chang resort blends elements of rustic, tropical, and modern contemporary elements and is built to blend with the surrounding Klong Prao Beach.
Throughout Thailand you’ll find a lot of sala Thais – unmistakable, open pavilions people use to duck under during the frequent spells of rainfall.

Designing a Good Flow

Good flow for indoor outdoor living is imperative to the success of the design. You always want to have intuitive walkways between spaces, especially going between indoors and out, and especially around sharp corners and pools, where it’s a safety concern.

Intimate Vignettes

Part of designing a good indoor-outdoor flow is carving out areas to create more intimate moments. A beautiful outdoor rug is a great way to segment off a space and add an enticing, luxurious visual element.

Inviting Seating Areas

Indoor outdoor spaces and entertaining go hand in hand. You’ll want to be sure to have ample, accessible, cozy seating. Luckily outdoor furniture design has drastically improved in the past decade. Long gone are the days of uncomfortable, plastic fold out lawn chairs.

Large-Frame Windows

The #1 thing you can do to optimize your indoor outdoor space is large, full wall to ceiling windows to let the natural light pour inside.

Seamless Flooring

Select a durable flooring to continue both indoors and out. This is one of the easiest architectural upgrades you can make to unite the interior of your home to the great outdoors!

Wall Features

A great architectural feature using natural materials like a wood paneled wall lends a modern aesthetic and continues the indoor-outdoor theme vertically.

Great Landscape Architecture

The garden in the front of the home was designed by talented local garden designer Christy Wilhelmi. We love the way she designed the garden to be both robust and manageable. A great mixture of pavers and green make this space eco-friendly and homeowner-friendly one in the same.

Naturalistic Color Palette

Like a monochromatic impressionist painting, consider selecting outdoor rugs and throw pillows that continue the palette naturally surrounding the home.

Focal Point

Knowing your focal point is imperative in the design of any space, indoor or out. On the roof deck of this beautiful Venice Beach home, the focal point was obvious: the gorgeous panoramic view. So we did everything to not distract from that with low-slung loungey outdoor furniture in muted, neutral color palettes.

Edit. Edit. Edit.

Designing an indoor-outdoor space is all about letting nature guide you. Take a less is more approach. Think twice before purchasing accessories and furniture, your space will look cleaner and sleeker and the environment will thank you too!

We love a good Midcentury home office so we thought we’d share with you 10 tips for getting the vintage look in your own study:

Ergonomic Chair

One of the reasons we still see so many offices done in a mid century style or with 60s influences is because so many great, comfortable chairs were designed during this time. With the influx of women entering the workforce after the war, there was a lot of emphasis on redesigning workspaces to accommodate the changing workforce. To this day, you’d be hard pressed to come by desk chairs more ergonomic than those designed during this time period. West Elm has some wonderful, stylish recreations like this one.

Mid Century Desk

The desk and chair are arguably the most important pieces of your design and you’ll love working in your office all day with a stylish mid century desk like this one. I love this one from Wayfair. For the price, it truly can’t be beat!

Mid Century Lighting

The 60s were a hugely influential period in design, especially when it came to lighting. The lines and styles are iconic and a great desk lamp makes for an excellent investment piece for your mid century home office. This one from Kelly Wearstler…

Embrace the Dated Color Scheme

This is where some people are hesitant, but if you were looking for permission to go big and bold with color and patterns, consider this it! Wallpaper is back in a big way, as are exuberant prints like this Bright orange floral print wallpaper.

Shag Carpet

A rug is always a good place to start pulling in multiple establishing characteristics of the room: define your color palette, op’t for shag, and perhaps a moroccan-inspired pattern. Global influences were abound in mid century designs. Nuloom has some wonderful, playful rugs that are perfect for a midcentury office like this one:

Bookshelves

Every study needs bookshelves, built in or otherwise. We always find great mid century style shelving units from Wayfair like this one. The open-shelving look contributes to the flow of  a room and is especially great in small spaces.

Accessorize With Art

Abstract mid century art is a great way to define the style of the space and introduce more pops of color. If you’re going for a carpet or upholstery with a lot of oranges and browns, you might want to add contrast and cool it down with some art in blues and greens, or vice versa.

Lounge Chairs with a Perfect Pitch and a Coffee Table for Visitors

If you have the space, see clients, or simply entertain in your study or office, you’ll need some additional seating. We love these berghman style recreation lounge chairs that are as comfortable as they are beautiful.

Bar Cart

It wouldn’t be a 60s office without a midday scotch neat within reach, would it? We love this one from World Market (the price point certainly can’t be beat!) for it’s smooth, study, wooden finish. But you may also want to op’t for something more glam like a gold or lucite bar cart for a little added shimmer to your space. This would be a good way to compliment or match finishes on lights or drawer pulls.  

Dowels reinforce Islamic mashrabiya, intricate wooden-carved privacy partitions, which surround the courtyards, shielding guests from residents. The doors and partitions and tiled floors feature lively geometric printed motifs, each more beautiful than the next.  

Colors of Morocco

Morocco is known for its bright colors, especially in its dyes and textiles, but they stand out because they pop against the ruddy, earthy, naturalistic backdrop.

Materials of Morocco

Stucco and clay: Morocco is famous for its old mud-brick structures that still stand today, some of which date as far back as 110 BCE, during the Idrisid Dynasty. Bordering both the Atlantic and Mediterranean, the country has a long history of invasions and settlers, thus European influences of Spanish and France and a bit of Italy can be seen throughout the country’s architecture.

Wood, plaster, metal, and ceramics: The natural materials maintain their natural textures and colors throughout, as though the structures they comprise were as lived in when they were first erected as they are today.

Islamic Motifs in Moroccan Architecture

Tiles, water features, Geometric Patterns, and, of course, the mosques, are hallmark influences of Islam on Moroccan architecture. These elegant and calming touches were the direct result of Idris I of Morocco’s conversion of the Berber tribe to Islam during the Idrisid Dynasty reign from 778-791. He is regarded as the ‘Founder of Morocco’ and his influences are what define the country’s style to this day.

French and Moorish (Spanish) Influences in Moroccan Architecture

The famous archways and overlapping hand-glazed roof tiles seen throughout Morocco can be attributed to the Moorish (Spanish) settlers who reigned over Morocco and Southern Spain through the 12th, 13th, and 15th centuries.

The French ruled Morocco in the year 1912 and their influence can be seen in the way they implemented build codes: more land had to be dedicated to outdoor use and courtyards, roofs should be flat, balconies couldn’t invade neighbors’ privacy, and buildings could no longer be built higher than four stories.

Moroccan Houses: Riads Vs. Villas

When you think of Moroccan architecture, you’re likely picturing a riad: a home consisting of two or more stories that overlooks a courtyard. Comparatively, villas stand alone and don’t have to follow any particular traditional architectural rules.

Shop Rugs & Home Decor Inspired By Morocco

The Basque Region of Spain and France is full of gorgeous architecture dating back centuries, but it’s just as easily defined by rolling hills and ocean views. If you’re a lover of sea food, history, and fine art, the Basque region along the Spanish coastline is a dream!

Architectural Preservation in Madrid

Madrid is a gorgeous historical city full of colorful, well preserved, Fascist architecture, and sculptures all over the streets. You’ll also find streets lined with gorgeous Baroque architecture, like The Royal Palace, erected in 1735, which remains the residence of the Spanish Royal Family to this day and is the largest palace in Western Europe.

The oldest architecture in Madrid is Medieval and from the Renaissance, but very few of these original structures stand today. El Escorial, the Royal Monestary in Madrid is the most famous structure still standing from the Spanish Renaissance. Besides the few Renaissance structures, the oldest influences that still permeate the city’s cobblestone streets is from the Habsburgs, followed by the Bourbons.

Fascist style architecture which emerged prominently in the early 20th century draws influences from ancient Roman buildings: they are large, symmetrical, with sharp non-rounded edges.

Putting Bilbao on the Map Through Design & Art

In contrast to Madrid, Bilbao is known for its avant garde, contemporary buildings, most notably The Guggenheim Bilbao– an absolute must-see when visiting — designed by Frank Gehry and inaugurated in 1997, which elevated the city and secured Bilbao a spot on the tourist’s map.

It is fair to say that Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry is among the most–if not the most– influential architects of the last century. The Guggenheim, Bilbao, in particular has been called the most important piece of architecture since 1980, and coming in second place, is The Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, yet another Frank Gehry structure.

Building Bridges in San Sebastian

San Sebastian is a gorgeous coastal town, known best for its postcard-perfect bridges like the gorgeous Zurriola Bridge, which links the city’s arts complex to the rest of the city.

Historically, San Sebastian was a peaceful, quiet town prior to Napoleon’s occupation, when civil unrest became the norm and bridges like The Santa Catalina, originally a wooden bridge, was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt resulting in what you see today: far more elaborate, regal structure protruding from the cliff sides along the sea.

Cultural Crossover in Biarritz

Venturing just 11 miles farther from the Spanish border, along the Basque coastline, you’ll arrive in Biarritz, France. It’s an elegant, coastal, French beach town with breathtaking ocean views and a laid back attitude.

The quaint fishing village, was made over by Napoleon III and his Spanish empress, Eugenie so both ornate French and Spanish influences weave throughout the town’s design.

The beaches are all incredibly gorgeous and are split by rock promentories.

Just off the beach, you’ll find gorgeous, or ornate cathedrals like the Eglise Saint-Charles and the Notre Dame du Rocher which provide a stark contrast to the calming and understated seaside restaurants and shops.