Southern California Interior Design Scene vs. The South
I had the pleasure of attending the La Cienega Design Quarter’s (lcdqla.com/) annual Legends event last week. Thus, my mind has been comparing and contrasting the LA/ Southern Cal interior design scene with our scene in Atlanta/ The South. Here are a few thoughts - would love to hear your thoughts as well in our comments section of the newsletter.
Overview. Being newer to the world of interior design, I have a fresh perspective on both The South and on Southern Cal. For context, the Southern Cal interior design community used to be highly concentrated in the Pacific Design Center (pacificdesigncenter.com), however, thanks to steep landlord rent price increases, much of the showrooms and designers left that building (i.e. the “big, blue whale”) and took over the surrounding streets in the neighborhood like La Cienega and Melrose Ave (lcdqla.com/map). And with this shift, you see more of a blending of interior design showrooms, design firms, architecture studios, paint stores, etc. into the greater LA community, giving the whole area a hip, fun, high-end vibe. Also, the programming, events and promotions are more grass roots in nature, sprouting up organically from the entrepreneurs, designers and artisans that make up this dynamic community.
Compare this to The South, where we have the benefit of a reasonable and accommodating landlord at ADAC, and have some of the best interior design programming and events in the country, thoughtfully planned and curated by our ADAC marketing crew (adacatlanta.com/design-adac/). These benefits have also kept the showrooms and tenants in the building happy. Thus, no need to spill out into the surrounding real estate and community, keeping the Interior Design hub of the South more concentrated. More tightly knit into the same building, same as it has been for decades. This also means it is not as “blended” into the rest of the surrounding community and scene of Atlanta as what you will find in Southern Cal. I would venture to say that many in Atlanta have yet to learn about ADAC, ?unaware that we have such a strong concentration of interior design talent and artisans right in our own backyard. I have been having great discussions with the likes of Melissa Wilson at The Cultured Sphere (theculturedsphere.com/), who has dreams of creating an Interior Design Event that pulls in other surrounding venues and spaces like the Woodruff Arts Center and The High Museum of art in Atlanta. Let’s keep pushing things in that direction. It seems like a great idea that would only raise the profile of the Interior Design Community in Atlanta.
Things that surprised me. So here I am in LA and everyone I am talking to is from…. Atlanta. And New York. And New Jersey. And then yes, OK, some Californians as well. The event was a true coming together of the interior design community across the country. At our industry events in Atlanta, we get a nice cross-section of the design community across the South, but it would be very rare to see someone in attendance from outside the southern states unless they were the guest speaker or on a national tour and launching their product(s) in the southern market.
General impressions of designers in Southern Cal (and most other regions for that matter) are that our tastes and aesthetic here in the South are conservative. Living in the South for the past 12 years, I see it as a multi-cultural mosaic of different ethnicities and styles. However, when you look at the top 2% of the income bracket, yes, you do find a lot more ‘old money’, whose style and taste leans more conservative – especially compared to California, where you have a much higher percentage of young, tech moguls who have lots of ‘new money’ and fresh and funky tastes to appease. But, like all stereotypes, there are plenty of exceptions to point out. The South continues to explode in population and economic opportunity, so I expect the upper income brackets of The South’s styles and selections to continue to evolve in the coming years as well. Stay tuned.
Next steps. So where do we go from here? I love the concept of a mash-up. Southern Cal has a light, airy, ocean-like style to it, and some of the best names in interior design: think Erinn V., ?Nancy Corzine, and Kelly Wearstler. But the best names in design in the South, like Mandy Culpepper, Suzanne Kasler, and Jenna Gross at Color Drunk Designs, are doing great, giving our local connoisseurs of the finer things everything they desire, along with a side of Southern Charm. At Ernest Gaspard, we blend these two worlds together. Find the best tables and consoles, along with the best fabrics and textiles from across California, and The South, as well as Paris, the UK and other top fine furnishing destinations from the around the world. Stop in to our showroom at ADAC and say hello. We pride ourselves on being the ‘friendliest showroom in The South.’ Now, how southern is that ??
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Southern Cal brands and styles carried at the Ernest Gaspard showroom (ernestgaspard.com):