Real Estate by Design, L.A.

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

This is our FINAL item!

24: “Ombre Silk Caviar” rug, by Rosemary Hallgarten

From jewelry maker to textile artist, British born Rosemary Hallgarten's designs have always celebrated the tactile sensuality of her materials. She is a second-generation crafts person. Rosemary's collection of rugs, fabrics and accessories reflects her varied inspirations, from ancient and modern textiles to art, furniture, and fashion. When starting her company in 2001, two of Rosemary's primary directives were to provide sustainable product to her clients as well as support to textile artisans in indigenous cultures, such as Peru, Brazil and Nepal. Today, this commitment to craft and craftspeople remains central to her firm's mission.

This beautiful, hand-knotted silk rug uses multiple, blended colors to create over 20 tones in its subtle, fully customizable ombre gradation. With the deepest colors traversing the middle length and fading out towards the edges, this delineation creates a direct line of sight to the custom fireplace in our design. This central division also helps to further define and emphasize both the symmetrical and asymmetrical collections of the featured furniture in both halves of the room. Overall, this is a piece of abstract art, further abstracted in its creative use and horizontal placement as a lavish floor rug. With both an etheric and sensorial qualities, it’s the ultimate luxury for bedrooms and formal living rooms.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: Interiors Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, Erika Heet, & fellow designers; Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jiun Ho, & Madeline Stuart.

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

23: “Masai” side table, by Jiun Ho

Jiun Ho is an interior and furnishings designer based in San Francisco. He is the Founder and President of the innovative, multidisciplinary Jiun Ho Inc., which includes furniture, lighting, textile, interior design, and a gallery / atelier showcasing hand-selected art and antiques. His inventive, balanced, harmonious designs utilize contrasting textures, clean lines, rich woods, and sumptuous fabrics. An ardent traveler, Jiun has visited more than one hundred countries, and this globetrotting has informed and enriched his prodigious output. His work is celebrated not only for its refined aesthetics, but also for its global worldview.

This low, and wide drum shaped side table is created by cast bronze with a variegated, ombre-like patina, showcasing the materials natural beauty. This heavy, round, and voluptuous base exhibits a scarred up, eye-catching mottled and textured surface, which reflects light in subtle and varied ways. The top lip of the base is a tight curve, which then steams over the edges like a waterfall, flaring into a slight taper that widens at the bottom where it catches the light. It then transitions to an inward, undercut curved base, which slightly obscures its connection to the ground in shadow. The warmth and imperfections of the thick cast bronze is contrasted with a cool, milky, and serene marble top that appears to both sink into and almost float atop the liquid-like bronze base. This raw and primitive-feeling side table contrasts beautifully and counteracts the floating-like quality of the accompanying John Pomp chairs.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: , , , and .

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

22: “Rift” chair, by John Pomp

John Pomp is a design-driven artisan manufacturer focused on creating abstracted organic works of furniture and lighting. Inspired by elemental materials in transitory states and informed by almost otherworldly natural phenomena, John Pomp’s work combines molten glass, warped metal, and refracted light to create imaginative, organic forms. With a sculptural, experimental approach to design, the work develops through a non-linear process explored through various methods. Each piece is made from scratch in their 65,000 sqft Philadelphia studio using a combination of modern techniques and old-world craftsmanship.

Mysterious, sexy, and very masculine, the Rift chair exhibits some interesting juxtapositions. It’s both chunky, yet also visually lightweight, with an overall stance suggesting that it could float away due to the bulk of its proportions being top-heavy. Even though this is a very moody and adult piece, with a sort of naughty undertone, it is also weirdly reminiscent of a playground swing. Another juxtaposition is in the very straight, rigid and cubist frame, paired with a thin, slung leather seat, which creates an interesting visual tension. This combination also creates several negative spaces. The oil rubbed, matt blue-black steel, exhibits a subtle variegated rainbow effect, and also features areas of high polish and reflection on the edges of the cut outs, surprising the observer as one navigates around the object. In terms of visual rhythm, the number 3 is repeated in the legs, and in the design of the leather sling and how it forms the seat.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: Interiors Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, Erika Heet, & fellow designers; Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jiun Ho, & Madeline Stuart.

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

21: “Taos” floor lamp, by Tuell + Reynolds

Tuell + Reynolds is a small design studio and fabrication facility that specializes in exquisitely handcrafted lighting and furniture. Their collection features natural materials, hand-oxidized finishes, and one-of-a-kind sculptural objects made of bronze and iron. The studio embraces both traditional hand techniques and modern technology, such as 3D printing and digital scanning.

The Taos floor lamp is a substantial statement piece, referencing brutalism, cubism, and assemblage. The base and neck are architectural, asymmetrical, and reminiscent of a deconstructed Eiffel Tower. There’s a subtle sensibility of organic form, meets machine-made object and the overall piece reads both as a sculpture and a lamp. The abstract structure is juxtaposed with a perfectly proportioned, rectilinear shade which balances the overall piece. There is also an interesting interplay of texture, structure, and materiality between the Taos floor lamp and the Jackson Lounge Chair, especially in the verticality of the lamp shade and its proportions, with the horizontality of the upper most portion of the chairs head rest. The overall structure is created from an interesting combination of thick, intersecting, patinated bronze plates with subtle burnished edges to help catch the light and define form. The negative space / sculptural cut-outs create an interplay throughout the lamp, while also visually lightening the composition, and highlighting the relationship to other pieces in the room.

Tune in next week for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: Interiors Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, Erika Heet, & fellow designers; Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jiun Ho, & Madeline Stuart.

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

20: “Dubuffet” table, by Chista

Chista, founded in 1990, explores the roots of primitivism and modernism, the found, and the sculptural in the everyday and the monumental. Expressed through furniture, lighting, and installations, Chista's collections can be found in showrooms nationally.

This super organic coffee table was created from a sliced section of a massive, natural tree root. This biological specimen from deep within the earth, now looks like its erupting from the floor. Low, with natural tendrils that seem to move in all directions, helps balances out the taller, more solid monolithic structures found elsewhere in the room. Finished in ebony, it also thematically and visually ties into, and relates to the Black Vines wallpaper.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: Interiors Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, Erika Heet, & fellow designers; Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jiun Ho, & Madeline Stuart.

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

19: “Jackson” chair / ottoman, by Troscan

Combining industrial methods and hand craftsmanship, Troscan’s manufacturing process is keyed to respecting the inherent qualities of the chosen materials to achieve a purposeful and beautiful relationship between how a piece is made and how it looks. Committed to unadorned simplicity, Troscan strives to produce furnishings that are authentically original, sound, and pleasing to the eye and body. Each piece is constructed with an eye to eliminating waste and adverse effects on the environment. In addition to an in-house team of woodworkers, finishers, and fabricators, they partner with local independent master craftspeople and expert rural workshops to realize thoughtfully designed products, executed at the highest levels to achieve furniture of enduring value.

Nordic influences are evident through the softly profiled wood frame, reminiscent of exposed beams or architectural trusses, to the plush cushions in cream toned boucle, which creates a comfort and warmth that is both formal and informal. An overall rectangular structure is created through scale, shape, angles, and substantial width, all softened with rounded edges. A multi piece arrangement between top, mid-back, seat, and ottoman, with negative space in between each, along with deeply curved seating and backrest sections, contributes to its sculptural presence. Its open, lightweight appearance is juxtaposed with the scale, and flanking width of its upper head rest, yet the piece finds balance with the addition of a well-proportioned stool, creating an interesting, modernist / minimalist take on a lounge chair.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: Interiors Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, Erika Heet, & fellow designers; Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jiun Ho, & Madeline Stuart.

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

17: “Audrey” drink table, by Salgado Saucier

Inspired by a cigarette table from a vintage image of a Christian Dior Couture salon presentation. The sleek and simple Audrey drink table comes standard with a starburst inlay of exotic Shagreen leather encased in clear resin creating a jeweled finish, and a post reminiscent of ornamental, turned wood, all in a sexy, high-gloss black finish. Available in several shagreen and metal finishes. Natural variations in leather are an inherent characteristic of the handmade process.

Peter Salgado and Kip Saucier are the founders of Salgado~Saucier.

Peter Salgado started his design career as a fashion designer in Florence, Italy. There, working alongside master artisans, he honed his eye for detail and the craftsmanship of luxury goods. He then worked for several high-end fashion houses in New York City before eventually starting his own interior and product design firm.

Kip Saucier started his career as a visual merchandiser in Houston before moving to Los Angeles, where he was recruited by the Beverly Hills specialty store Bonwit Teller & Co. There, he was responsible for the visual image of the store’s interior and window displays.

Established in 1997, Salgado~Saucier was initially a residential interior design firm working with high-profile clients. The firm later broadened its vision to include lighting, and recently added furniture and accessories to its offerings. The brand’s design inspiration includes vintage Hollywood films, modern art, jewelry, and mid-20th-century furniture.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: Interiors Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, Erika Heet, & fellow designers; Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jiun Ho, & Madeline Stuart.

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

16: “Aiden” bench, by Joseph Jeup

Driven by an instinctual ability and innate passion, Joseph Jeup embodies exceptional craftsmanship. He believes that every detail is a design opportunity and that uncompromising standards yield incomparable results. An engineer as well as a designer, he embraces both equally and uses them to tackle design from a broad perspective. It’s this perspective and dedication that has made Jeup one of the most forward-thinking furniture designers today.

The Aiden Bench is made of patinated cast bronze and channeled upholstery that wraps over the top of its sinuous, linear form. Curvaceous and sculptural, this visually light weight bench is horizontal and low slung, with a flowing frame that draws your eye in an endless loop. Its minimal physical connection to the floor, and the vast negative space below, creates an openness, while also exhibiting a clearly defined overall shape. The seat features multiple rows of double-stitched seaming brings a subtle tension into the upholstered top, and draws your eye to the fireplace, mimicking other design details found in the room.

It’s a beautiful, sophisticated object with timeless references to both nature and the feminine figure, yet with a decidedly man-made elegance evident in its minute surface imperfections. In contrast to the more monolithic elements in the room, this bench has a more delicate presence, yet still exhibits a proportional and volumetric relationship to the overall room scheme. This juxtaposition in counterbalance is why it works so well.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: , , , and .

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

“Openwork” side table, by Liaigre

For over 30 years, the Liaigre signature has been synonymous with high standards and refinement. From the beginning, a thought process about design, drawing on natural materials and excellent workmanship, matches a concept that privileges arts and crafts in the same spirit of excellency as the French furnishing’s tradition. His furniture and objects with their clean lines, simplicity of shapes, fluid design style, sophistication and enhanced by high quality, refined materials, reflects his dedication to beauty, a search for balance, an accuracy for proportions and perfection in detail. Christian Laiagre prefers to let his designs speak for themselves, the modernity is revealed without any kind of affectation.

Designed by Eric Schmitt for Liaigre, this cast bronze side table draws its strength from its contained shape. Squat and bulbous in form, yet perfectly proportioned, this visually balanced piece with its concave, middle /interior, open volume exhibits a timeless quality. Its subtle Asian influences, simplicity and quality further reinforces Liaigre's signature characteristics. The curvaceous, glossy, and deeply reflective surface accentuate its near black color, which is developed through a hand-applied patina and tinted wax and is meant to age over time. The overall feel is both sexy and stoic with a visual weight exhibiting details of both of convex and concave form, creating a sculptural piece that is usable as both a side table and/or stool.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: Interiors Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, Erika Heet, & fellow designers; Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jiun Ho, & Madeline Stuart.

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

14: “Kailash” coffee table, by Chista

Chista, founded in 1990, explores the roots of primitivism and modernism, the found, and the sculptural in the everyday and the monumental. Expressed through furniture, lighting and installations, Chista's collections can be found in showrooms nationally.

We paired two of these free-form objects to create one massive sculptural coffee table installation. Reminiscent of cut slabs from a gnarled, funky mangrove tree trunk, these monumental bronze specimens exhibit an organic rawness elevated through its surface preparation. Cast in a foundry using the lost wax technique, they are then highly polished. These raw forms exhibit a juxtaposition of materiality in their transformation from wood into metal, creating beautiful and practical object(s). Notice how the highly textured and tapered sides contrast with the perfectly smooth and flat, top surfaces. These multiple textures and surfaces reflect and refract a golden hue throughout the room in a variety of ways, adding another unique element to the room.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: Interiors Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, Erika Heet, & fellow designers; Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jiun Ho, & Madeline Stuart.

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

13: “Caldera” console, by Tuell + Reynolds

Tuell + Reynolds is a small design studio and fabrication facility that specializes in exquisitely handcrafted lighting and furniture. Their collection features natural materials, hand-oxidized finishes, and one-of-a-kind sculptural objects made of bronze and iron. The studio embraces both traditional hand techniques and modern technology, such as 3D printing and digital scanning.

Rising from just behind the center of the sofa, this console is simple and formal, yet with some rawness and funk. Featuring a top comprised of thick slabs of cast bronze with an undulating, sand-dune like surface, similar to that of the sideboards (also by Tuell + Reynolds). These silky slabs of metal are divided into six separate pieces with a small gap in between each, the lines of which draws your eye to the main artwork on the wall directly behind, emphasizing perspective and depth. These six lusciously textured surfaces appear to float above the industrial hot rolled steel base, reminiscent of structural I-beams, with a variegated blue-black fire scale texture.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: Interiors Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, Erika Heet, & fellow designers; Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jiun Ho, & Madeline Stuart.

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

12: “Symbols” fabric, by Zimmer + Rohde

Fine furnishing textiles with sophisticated designs: Textile company Zimmer + Rohde has been successfully shaping the intersection of tradition and innovation for more than a century: always high-quality work, always modern, always timeless. Their carefully coordinated colors and subtly combined designs exude long-lived and timeless elegance.

We utilized this textile on the back sofa cushions to add an organic, yet structured pattern into the mix. This fabric customizes the look of the sofa and adds another element of funk into the environment that’s both earthy and tribal in nature. It also compliments and accentuates the linear verticality and rhythmic aspects of the overall space reinforcing the offbeat and primitive nature, yet contemporary touch of the “Black Vines” wallpaper,

The concentrically arranged bow-shaped motifs exude a mystical and meditative feeling. They awaken associations with prehistoric cave painting or ancient jewelry motifs. A special accent is set by the metallic shimmering paintbrush strokes, adding colorful highlights to individual motif details. The symbolic elements seem to repeat like a mantra, but are nevertheless each slightly different and therefore unique. This is the decorative and magical appeal of the elegant jacquard fabric.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: Interiors Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, Erika Heet, & fellow designers; Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jiun Ho, & Madeline Stuart.

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

11: “Beluga” sofa, by Liaigre

For over 30 years, the Liaigre signature has been synonymous with high standards and refinement. From the beginning, a thought process about design, drawing on natural materials and excellent workmanship, matches a concept that privileges arts and crafts in the same spirit of excellency as the French furnishing’s tradition. His furniture and objects with their clean lines, simplicity of shapes, fluid design style, sophistication and enhanced by high quality, refined materials, reflects his dedication to beauty, a search for balance, an accuracy for proportions and perfection in detail. Christian Laiagre prefers to let his designs speak for themselves, the modernity is revealed without any kind of affectation.

With its strong clean lines, this structured sofa is both formal and casual due to its modern sensibility of balancing form with function. The overall visual heaviness of the piece is offset with its subdivision of multiple components, thin metal frame and legs, as well as the negative space underneath. The overall rectangular structure adds a sense of formality, while the deep brown colored fabric, combined with the wood slabs of the chunky arm rests give the piece an earthy, organic, natural vibe. The luscious, luminescent fabric on the back cushions protrudes above the low-slung back structure and conveys an upscale, sophisticated aesthetic, while evoking a sensual, lounge-like comfort.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: Interiors Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, , & fellow designers , , and .

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

10: “Dinka” floor lamp, by Liaigre

Grand and sculptural, the Dinka floor lamp is made of satin Macassar ebony, black patina brass and an aquarelle paper shade. This tall and lanky human proportioned piece both accentuates and helps to balance the height and visual relationships of the “Black Vines” wallpaper. We added a pair of these monolithic, architectural lamps behind each of the side tables and flanking each side of the sofa creating even more symmetry against the “Black Vines” backdrop. The slab-like frame tapers as it increases in height, which further highlights the elongated nature of this substantial three-dimensional object. The heavier bottom helps to balance out the large visual weight of the shade, and is overall visually lightened by a keyhole detail.

For over 30 years, the Liaigre signature has been synonymous with high standards and refinement. From the beginning, a thought process about design, drawing on natural materials and excellent workmanship, matches a concept that privileges arts and crafts in the same spirit of excellency as the French furnishing’s tradition. His furniture and objects with their clean lines, simplicity of shapes, fluid design style, sophistication and enhanced by high quality, refined materials, reflects his dedication to beauty, a search for balance, an accuracy for proportions and perfection in detail. Christian Laiagre prefers to let his designs speak for themselves, the modernity is revealed without any kind of affectation.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: Interiors Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, Erika Heet, & fellow designers; Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jiun Ho, & Madeline Stuart.

Showcasing design selections from our recent award-winning entry for the Thomas Lavin .real.thomas.lavin New Wave design competition.

The prompt for this competition was to create a dream room using only lines carried through the Thomas Lavin showroom. Each day we’ll be spotlighting one of the 24 pieces we selected.

9: “Franklin” side table, by Douglas Jennings

Flanking each side of the sofa are a pair of side tables consisting of a wood frame in a wide, unbroken line starting from the ground at one end, and traversing through six different directional changes, ending with an upward trajectory. This intricate figure forms the legs, sides, and overall base, creating a geometric, puzzle-like form. The snaking, asymmetrical, walnut frame suspends a thick slab of burnished antique brass, set like a gemstone in prongs. The thick edge of the brass top is both partially obstructed and exposed from the wood frame, and showcases a small section that has a slight overhang. The overall form is a slightly extruded cube void of most of its volume, which shares similar visual proportions to the bookshelves.

Douglas Jennings, a furniture designer based in L.A, CA. Born in the U.K. and raised in L.A., he had the benefit of being exposed to fine furniture from a very young age. In college, his passion for design led him to study Architecture and product design. After graduating, his father, a furniture designer and Antiques expert became his mentor and inspiration. Despite his love for architecture, he found freedom in furniture design, realizing that every day presents a new challenge, both creatively and physically. Traditionally trained, Douglas believes that drawing is the heart of design, and every great design should start with pencil and paper. His collection ranges from traditionally inspired silhouettes to clean-line modern pieces, all with the same thought in mind; “Details should be discovered, not overstated”.

Tune in tomorrow for discussion of our next piece.

Thanks once again to the judges for their support: Interiors Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, Erika Heet, & fellow designers; Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jiun Ho, & Madeline Stuart.