Alas we were the victims of our own bad planning today... by the time we got to the third home on the tour, the battery on our digital camera had conked out. And such a cool house it was... we'll redeem ourselves somehow on this one.

In addition to the home tour we attended two speaking sessions and did some more browsing at the exhibits. Carry on then for the details...

Reference: CA Boom - Day 1 (L+L)
Reference: CA Boom Opens! (L+L)
Reference: CA Boom: A Festival of Contemporary Design (L+L)
Link: CA Boom


I went to SCI-Arc with Khoi Vo, a member of design firm Studio Four Los Angeles whose work includes landscapes, architecture, interiors and the cast concrete water features, planters and tiles on display which they produce themselves.

Ladislav Czernek Furniture
Furniture designer/craftsman Ladislav Czernek, who recently relocated from Brooklyn to southern California, does beautiful work.

We attended an interesting discussion entitled "To Outsource of Not to Outsource; Where's the Bang in Your Buck?" The panel included designer Sami Hayek (brother of Salma), Marty Bailey of American Apparel and furniture designer Reza Faise. The participants agreed that producing a quality product with a focus on service oriented to a targeted market was key to success. They also talked about issues of social responsibility and the desire to make products for the masses while production costs in the United States can often be prohibitive, though American Apparel has succeeded in keeping all work in house and in Los Angeles. Hayek contrasted with a low income housing project where products were purchased from China in order to meet budget. Renza talked about challenges associated with producing a piece of furniture for Crate and Barrel which they wanted to sell for $99 but cost him $100 to produce locally.

The second talk we heard featured architects Lorcan O'Herlihy and Lawrence Scarpa moderated by Venice Paper editor/publisher Tibby Rothman. The discussion, entitled "Density is Not a Dirty Word: Life in the Big City," is especially poignant in Los Angeles (and Venice in particular) as local growth is outpacing the typical sprawling suburban model of housing being produced in the region. O'Herlihy noted that change is needed in the current planning model of a dense center surrounded by sprawling suburbs creates a problem of certain program such as schools are excluded from dense areas because of land values. Scarpa spoke about a non-profit group that he is involved with called Livable Places and the work they are doing in high density, sustainable, low income housing. He noted that current zoning rules in the U.S. were written in the post-war era and are no longer relevant. Scarpa also stated that too many decisions are made by politicians who lack planning knowledge and too few architects are involved with politics.

Home Tour:

Home of Architect David Hertz
"When it was built, the residence lead the way in demonstrating and employing many integrated environmental strategies including: solar hot water and radiant heating and cooling, natural ventilation by automatic electric skylights and windows, whole house ventilation and screened combination doors and hopper windows, and natural and nontoxic interiors and finishes."

Architect Glen Irani & Edith Beaucage
"This unique home, a residence for four with guest quarters and a swimming pool - all on a 30 x 95 foot lot -on one of the Venice canals is a wonderful study of light, color, water and art. The house was conceived to have all the facilities needed for the creation of architecture and art."

Home of Architects Angela Brooks and Lawrence Scarpa of Pugh + Scarpa
"The Brooks Scarpa residence boldly establishes a precedent for the next generation of California modernist architecture. Located on a 41' wide x 100'-0" long through-lot, the Brooks Scarpa addition transforms the architects' existing 850 square foot bungalow into a 2200 square foot residence equipped for responsible living in the twenty-first century."