The most highly anticipated attractions of the LCDQ LEGENDS event are the showroom windows that are decorated by 40 top designers from around the world. I am in constant awe and delight of the creativity of the design community and these windows were beyond extraordinary! This year’s theme was “Novel Interiors: Storytelling By Design.”
Now in its sixth consecutive year, the LCDQ LEGENDS event has attracted over 12,000 guests and all funds raised go towards Habitat for Humanity and the La Cienega Design Quarter Beautification Fund. The LCDQ was established in 2008 to promote the flourishing antiques and design community in one of Los Angeles’ oldest thoroughfares. Since the 1950s, it has been a shopping hot spot for designers such as William Haines, Else de Wolfe, Tony Duquette and Frances Elkins.
All of the windows created for the event were spectacular. Below are a few of my favorites in which the designers truly outdid themselves in terms of originality, execution of the novel idea, and aesthetics. Enjoy!
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| Hollyhock Windows |
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| Detail via Mark Sikes |
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| Detail via Mark Sikes |
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Remains Lighting Window  |
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| Ralf’s Window |
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| MK Collection Window |
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| Dragonette Window |
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| Dragonette Window Detail via Quintessence |
Once I read the incredible post by Stacey Bewkes of Quintessence I fully appreciated the effort that went into Doug Meyer’s imaginary dreamworld for his window. Instead of featuring Howard Roark from The Fountainhead as originally planned, Meyer created a fictitious universe at The Enright House, the famed building on which the book is based. In Stacey’s interview with Meyer, he elaborates on the project, “Over its storied 49 year history, the Enright House has been home to some of the world’s richest people. It’s owner self made millionaire Roger Enright, was the seventh richest man when he passed away in 1969. Notable residents included members of America’s first families, European nobility and Hollywood and Broadway royalty.”
His imaginary world includes stories that may have occurred in the building and depicted in his dioramas as seen in the ballroom diarama above.“One night…regular Willem de Kooning taught Julia (an Enright resident) a new dance called the Cha Cha. She was ecstatic and in less than 24 hours had commissioned Gio Ponti to design a ballroom she would name the Cha Cha Room. Many nights the residents of Enright House would start off their evening at Bar Alfred and end dancing the night away at Julia’s glamorous duplex apartment.”
Be sure to read the full story on Quintessence here. The fabulous story would make an incredible screenplay!
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| Waterworks |
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| Harbinger Window |
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| Harbinger Window |
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| George Smith Window |
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| Nathan Turner Window |
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| Woven Accents Window |
*All images via Grey Crawford for LCDQ unless otherwise noted.
