The HAIDER table from Kelly Martin’s ATELIERxKM furniture collection PHOTO BY MEGHAN BEIERLE-O’BRIEN
From fresh furniture lines to the latest in luxury hotel living, California’s current design finds are here to uplift and inspire. By The Editors
Los Angeles interior designer Martin poses with her GIGLI coffee table. PHOTO BY MEGHAN BEIERLE-O’BRIEN
“I’ve always been a fashion addict,” says L.A.-based designer Kelly Martin, who started out in a wood shop, building showroom displays for Christian Dior, Nike and Juicy Couture. After founding her interior design company in 2014, Martin’s parlay into furniture design arose from a personal need. “I initially designed the [SONIA] daybed for my own house, so I had a place to lay with my dog,” says Martin, who began crafting high-end pieces from natural walnut and oak and blackened steel. Inspiration for ATELIERxKM, the bespoke home collection she debuted in summer 2020, came from fashion designers like Sonia Rykiel and Coco Chanel. “I really loved that high-end has an element of darkness to it, almost a mysterious tone, and I wanted to embody that in my designs.” The COCO table references a woman’s hourglass shape, and Martin sees herself in her fall 2021 tables, which she calls “elegant with a dash of weird.” She’ll next unveil a sofa created for Una Malan’s showroom and a spring collection with a console table and sculptural bookcase. Says Martin, “Launching a brand-new company at the beginning of a pandemic sounds absolutely insane, but I’m so glad I did it.” atelierxkm.com–Jasmin Rosemberg
House of Léon’s debut collection, Ojai, features 19 modern organic pieces PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLIFFORD FOR HOUSE OF LÉON
Twin brothers and L.A. natives Jordan and Steven Neman named their indie design company after their father, Léon. PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLIFFORD FOR HOUSE OF LÉON
Twin brothers Jordan and Steven Neman had an inclination for design and expressing individuality, so they began designing friends’ homes for fun. Discerning a gap in the market for aesthetically elevated furniture at an accessible price point, the L.A. natives founded House of Léon—featuring pieces handmade at a family-owned atelier in Turkey from natural materials like Mediterranean woods that improve with age. “Our inaugural collection, Ojai, was inspired by the California enclave where our parents built a home and which has become such a special place in our lives,” note the brothers, who named their indie design company after their father, Léon, a woodworking hobbyist. “The collection, like Ojai itself, embodies a simple beauty in harmony with nature.” Favorites from the 19 modern organic pieces, which launched in November 2021, include the geometric chestnut Valley side table and the chipped-edge Sofi ta marble coffee table. Next, the brand is collaborating with retailer The Invisible Collection to expand into Europe and will release globally inspired collections of sofas, chairs, tables, decor items and more annually. They add, “Our second collection, due out in early March, will be an exercise in elegant minimalism.” house-of-leon-furniture.com–JR
The Ojai outdoor daybed is made of chestnut wood PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLIFFORD FOR HOUSE OF LÉON
Designer Cooper Reynolds Gross’ F.R.F.G. dining table from his debut CRG collection combines brass and stone. PHOTO COURTESY OF CRG
“I have a particularly earthy, almost raw aesthetic,” says artist, designer and furniture-maker Cooper Reynolds Gross—who takes an honest approach to materials like leather, wood, stone and metals, and leaves finishes “living,” so they improve with age. “I like the Japanese approach to refinement: leaving imperfections in the raw material visible. I also have a strong aesthetic mix of brutalist and Scandinavian shapes.” After a decade of collaborating with interior designers including Vanessa Alexander, Jake Arnold and Amber Lewis, the L.A. native and luxury furniture studio founder launched his freshman CRG Collection—Feels Right, Feels Good—exclusively at Fred Segal last fall. “Fred Segal is a legacy Los Angeles luxury brand, and Los Angeles is a huge part of what makes us who we are,” Gross says. The striking sofas, tables, chairs and more combine soft and heavy materials in a boundarypushing way, and among Gross’ favorites is a brass and stone dining table that’s “perfect in its simplicity.” Next, he’ll release a Late Night Thoughts sophomore collection. “Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, my team and I worked with shapes and materials we already loved. It’s an evolution and refinement of existing concepts as viewed through my lens.” studiocrg.com–JR
A rendering of Coup D’Etat’s L.A. design gallery PHOTO COURTESY OF COUP D’ETAT
Coup Studio Mekong cocktail table; a rendering of Coup D’Etat’s L.A. design gallery PHOTO COURTESY OF COUP D’ETAT
When Darin Geise founded Coup D’Etat in San Francisco in 2004, he was immediately praised for his keen eye and unique offerings—reimagined antiques, handcrafted pieces by local artists and designers, and more. Now, he’s bringing that dazzling sense of discovery to L.A. this winter with Coup D’Etat’s first outpost, located on Robertson Boulevard across the street from The Ivy. “Coup D’Etat L.A. will present a highly customized environment fusing contemporary highend furniture designers, exclusive collaborations with cutting-edge artists and curated vintage offerings,” says Geise. “We will also bring our distinctive flair for merchandising that can only be described as theater, including captivating window displays, inspired vignettes, curated music and gallery fragrance.” Look out for a number of pieces by Southern California artists and designers created exclusively for the debut, and expect the showroom design to change several times a year—ensuring that repeat visits will never become boring. “We might show a $112K textured bronze and blackened stainless steel ‘Rubble Outcrop’ cocktail table by metal artist Douglas Fanning alongside a real triceratops skull fossil and we know the response will be positive,” says Geise. “There is a playfulness and risk-taker design aesthetic in L.A. that we are excited to entertain.” coupdetatsf.com–Laura Eckstein Jones
Konekt x Cameron Welch Relic stools and bench. PHOTO COURTESY OF COUP D’ETAT
Two new stand-alone residences from top hospitality brands raise the bar for luxury living in Los Angeles.
By Jasmin Rosemberg
Four Seasons Private Residences Los Angeles features a tiled saltwater pool and private cabanas PHOTO BY PETER VITALE
Residents can enjoy a sleek lounge PHOTO BY PETER VITALE
Four Seasons Private Residences Los Angeles
All North American Four Seasons Private Residences existed inside Four Seasons hotels—until now. “I saw Los Angeles emerging as a global gateway city,” says Genton Development Company CEO Jonathan Genton, who developed the inaugural stand-alone residences steps from the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. “Removing the hotel component allows for a much higher level of service and emphasis on art, design and luxurious handcrafted materials.” The luxe new 12-story tower features 58 bespoke homes and a posh two-level penthouse—plus an indoor-outdoor Harley Pasternak-designed fitness center, a tiled saltwater pool, private cabanas, an immersive IMAX Private Theatre Palais, valet and 24/7 concierge services. Inspired by midcentury modern design, Martyn Lawrence Bullard custom-designed each clean, sophisticated abode with high-quality stone and terrazzo flooring mixed with leather, glass and steel. Elegant residences averaging 2,400 square feet epitomize California indoor-outdoor living with sliding glass walls and rooftop gardens, and experiences from personal trainers to celebrity chefs are available. Says Genton, “Living at the Four Seasons Private Residences Los Angeles is best described as living in a private hotel, designed and curated specifically for homeowners’ needs.” reflectionsofla.com
Martyn Lawrence Bullard custom-designed each clean, sophisticated abode PHOTO BY PETER VITALE
The new 12-story tower houses 58 bespoke homes and a penthouse. PHOTO BY PETER VITALE
The sprawling 323,000-square-foot Mandarin Oriental Residences, Beverly Hills is located at 9200 Wilshire Blvd. MANDARIN ORIENTAL PHOTO BY DBOX
Mandarin Oriental Residences, Beverly Hills
One of the first new condominiums to be constructed in Beverly Hills in a decade, 9200 Wilshire Blvd. is the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s debut West Coast property and first stand-alone residences in the U.S. The sprawling 323,000-square-foot development is a collaboration with luxury development and investment firm SHVO; Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud, who’ll operate his first L.A. restaurant—designed by L.A.-based designer Marc Ange—on the ground level; and interior design studio 1508 London. “The design is deeply rooted in its surroundings, the Californian sun, nature and the idea of bringing the experience of living in the hills to the heart of the city,” says Leo Bertacchini, 1508 London’s design principal, of its first U.S. assignment. The 54 luxurious homes all feature outdoor space and hotel accessory packages from Mandarin Oriental with Frette sheets and Georg Jensen silver. Swiss landscape designer Enzo Enea’s outdoor landscaping, Palm Courtyard and interior bonsai gardens in select homes reflect Asian and Southern Californian influences, and residents will also enjoy an expansive rooftop pool, a wellness and fitness center, indoor-outdoor yoga and meditation spaces, valet parking, concierge services and, per Bertacchini, “all the amenities of a five-star hotel in the comfort of your own home.” mo-residencesbeverlyhills.com
JOAN BEHNKE PHOTO BY KATHLENE PERSOFF
SOFT LANDING
“Inspiration, for me, always comes from travel, art and nature,” says Joan Behnke, principal at Joan Behnke & Associates. “It is never one single thing, but more about shapes and combinations of textures, colors and a timelessness from forms that may be found in something organic.” The L.A.-based interiors veteran has recently launched a collection of beautiful rugs with Scott Group Studio inspired by nature—such as California tide pools or the process of a plant in bloom—and kintsugi, a Japanese art for repairing broken pottery. “I’ve always wanted to design carpets as they are very much like paintings on the floor and can add texture, warmth, color and inspiration to any room,” says Behnke. “The whole expert team at Scott Group Studio made the design process so easy, always willing to collaborate creatively and provide support to me throughout the process.” joanbehnke.com; scottgroupstudio.com–LEJ
Joan Behnke Collection for Scott Group Studio’s Reiya II (left) and Matera rugs. JOAN BEHNKE PHOTO BY KATHLENE PERSOFF
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