We have been devoted fans of Trina Turk long before her visit to Charlotte in 2012 as our guest of honor for the Mint Museum Auxiliary’s Fall EnrichMint Forum. Ever since that visit where Trina and her husband Jonathan Skow (aka Mr. Turk) charmed everyone with their fashions and passion for architecture and and design, we have hoped they would open a boutique here in the Queen City. To our delight, that wish is coming true this summer and we have the pleasure of collaborating with them to design their new boutique. See below for the inspiration behind the design….and come visit the boutique opening August 1st at Southpark.
3 days & 30 events…To give a sense of the incredibly content packed schedule at LCDQ’s LEGENDS event, I thought it would be fun to take you through one of the 16 hour days to see just how much creative energy you can absorb at this spectacular event. The logistics behind this event are mind boggling…not only do the organizers recruit and manage multiple speakers at various venues throughout the week, but they also throw amazing parties, each with their own distinct atmosphere. Designers are by nature a very tough crowd to impress and the LCDQ hosts never disappoint.
The La Cinega Design Quarter was founded in 2007 to promote the burgeoning antiques and design neighborhood on one of LA’s oldest thouroughfares. Since the 1950s, it has been the design destination for legends such as Billy Haines, Elsie de Wolfe, Tony Duquette, and Frances Elkins. These creative spirits seem to permeate the atmosphere…especially during LEGENDS.
Scott Meachum Wood, Me, Denise McGaha, Tami Ramsay, Will Taylor, Jennifer Mehditash
Our first official day began at the beautiful Renaissance Tile showroom for the Blogger Breakfast sponsored by Luxe Magazine. Knowing most of the crowd had very late nights, I was pleasantly surprised to see everyone bright eyed early in the morning to greet us.
With fellow ambassadors Jennifer Boles & Paloma Contreras
The first keynote speech was sponsored by Veranda at the Jonas Showroom. Entitled “Page Turners,” editor-in-chief Clinton Smith led a panel with designers turned authors and the highs of lows of publishing. Discussing the creative and business sides of publishing their monographs, they elaborated on how they translated their individual points of view onto the printed page.
Clinton Smith, Markham Roberts, Winddor Smith, Brian McCarthy
Next keynote, “Not Your Mother’s Traditional sponsored by Traditional Home at George Smith. Senior Design and Lifestyle Editor Jenny Bradley discussed the new meaning of “traditional” with entertaining panelists Elizabeth Dinkel, Madeline Stewart and Thomas Callaway.
The Elle Decor Power Lunch at the stunning Compas Showroom is always one of the most elegant events. The courtyard setting beautifully adorned with abundant flowers is breathtaking every year.
Robert Rufino, Michael Boodroo and Guest
Catherine Connelly, Celerie Kemble, Roxanne Hanna, Joe Lucas and Rebecca Dane
The Egg and Dart Showroom hosted “Branding Beyond the Candle” with interior and product designer Christopher Kennedy, photographer turned fashion designer Jonathan Skow (aka Mr. Turk) and moderated by the delightful Kelly Lee of Kelly Golightly. They shared their secrets of building a brand that appeals to a broad audience while staying true to their creative visions.
Matching ensembles with Mr. Turk
Complete with live mermen, the Tufenkian windows were some of the most visited during LCDQ. They hosted “Makers as Muse” moderated by Pamela Jaccarino, Editor in Chief of Luxe Magazine. She lead a conversation with Molly Luetkemeyer, Joe Lucas and Betsy Burnham on the artisans and craftsmen that serve and inspire them and what fuels them to keep their designs fresh and forward thinking.
The final keynote of the day “The Art of Upcycling” was held at the gorgeous Woven Accents showroom. Led by Domaine’s creative director Mat Sanders, actress and Honest Company founder Jessica Alba, Ginna Christensen of Woven Accents, Chairish.com’s Anna Brockaway discussed innovations in green living and the perks of up-cycling in interior design today.
Next up the parties! House Beautiful and the Stark family hosted a cocktail party welcoming Sophie Donelson, the new Editor in Chief in the stunning stark showroom. The gorgeous rugs provided a beautiful backdrop for another insanely attractive crowd!
Lovely Sophie Donelson taking center stage
Sophie Donelson with Nate Berkus
With Tony Buccola, Holly Phillips and Shaun Smith
The Sherle Wagner showroom hosted the Tributes party complete with live jazz, crafted cocktails and hilarious scenarios for photo ops with their products.
Victoira Larson, Amy Meier, Tami Ramsay and Patrick Dragonette
Danielle Rollins and Bill Ingram
Kerry Joyce, Michael Boodroo and Chuck Comeau hosted the official LEGENDS After Party at the exquisite Therian showroom. Knowing that the crowd had experienced and overload of visual stimulation during the day, they made sure to come up with some imaginative and exciting entertainment to capture everyone’s attention.
Fire eating performers…
Dueling musicians perched above the crowd….
And the grand finale…Cirque du Soleil inspired performance artists to cap off an epic day.
And was just the first day! Be sure to check back to read about the final day of LCDQ which was equally as inspiring and entertaining. For more of my design musings, be sure to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. Thanks for reading and please come back again!
Photography by JL Photography unless otherwise noted.
The grand finale to our Palm Springs adventure was a visit to the “Ship of the Desert,” Trina Turk and Jonathan Skow’s beloved modernist home. The house had originally been commissioned by the Davidson family during the Great Depression as a winter retreat. In 1936, California Arts and Architecture magazine featured the home on its cover that had previously only shown traditional architecture and interiors. The house was so unusual that it inspired a transformation of the entire region to embrace modernist design.
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Via Loews Magazine |
The Art Moderne house was built by the architecture team of Wilson and Webster. In addition to the distinctive streamlined architecture, the house was also innovative in that it was designed from the inside out. The interiors and built in furnishings were part of the earliest stages of planning the house. The original designer, Honor Easton, worked with the architects very closely to ensure no details were left out. In fact, when the American Institute of Architects honored the house in 1938, Easton was named in the award, not the architects Wilson and Weber.
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Via Palm Springs Life |
In 1998, Trina Turk and Jonathan Skow previewed the house at the urging of their realtor. It was not in the style, size, or location they had originally wanted, but they fell in love and bought it. Halfway through the renovation, a devastating fire destroyed most of the house and they had to rebuild. This gave them the opportunity to work with Marmol Radziner, a Santa Barbara firm, that specializes in museum quality mid-century modern restorations. They worked with the original architectural plans and followed them to the exact specifications including plumbing fixtures and hardware. The curved walls and redwood balconies resemble a ship’s deck.
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JetSetModernist described the house perfectly…“The house sits proudly on its hill, commanding presence, like a patriarch enjoying the brood of rambunctious mid-century modern children gathered at its feet. Thanks to the foresight of its saviors and current stewards, it will continue to transform the acolytes of architecture who visit it for generations to come.”
After a fabulous tour, we were treated to an amazing meal poolside. All ingredients were locally sourced and included honey Jonathan had extracted himself….very impressive. Their hospitality made our trip beyond memorable. The “Ship of the Desert” wholeheartedly embodies the lifestyle that Trina Turk represents. She claims that Palm Springs is her muse and we could not agree more! Our creative pilgrimage to the desert left all of us feeling very inspired and ready to channel our experiences into our respective fields. Thanks to Trina and Jonathan for making us feel so welcome!
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Until next time! |