No one can argue that Californians know how to enjoy the outdoors. If you’re looking for proof, Santa Monica-based direct-to-consumer outdoor furniture brand, Outer, recently announced their second collection: Teak. Made using sustainably-sourced teak grown in Java, the collection takes its inspiration from the automobile world, using flowing lines and forward movement in its design. Another detail is the integrated seat and back that features a smooth curved transition and kicked-back legs for comfort and security.

The Teak Collection is made up of eight products and configurations: an armless chair, armchair, armless 2-seater sofa, corner chair, sectional chair, tapered leg coffee table, square leg coffee table and concrete inlay coffee table. But let’s talk more about the wood the collection takes its name from. The teak used by Outer has a tight grain and natural oils that act as a protective barrier, creating durable furniture that’s ready to … Read the rest

Photo: Sophie Mathewson

Arielle Assouline-Lichten is the founder of Slash Objects, a design studio that explores the intersection of material and form. She’s passionate about design as a way to transform how humans experience the world, and her work aims to reframe our understanding of resources through tactile stories that create a sense of intrigue into our material world.

Arielle holds a Master of Architecture from Harvard University with commendation, and a Bachelor’s of Arts in Critical Theory and Visual Media from New York University. While at Harvard, she was selected to study under Toyo Ito in Japan. Since then, Arielle has worked for internationally renowned firms such as BIG, Kengo Kuma & Associates and Snøhetta. She’s been published in Metropolis Magazine, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Architectural Record and Architectural Digest, among others, for her design work and activism. She’s also been … Read the rest

Years ago while hosting a picnic, I made a bold request among my friends. I asked if they’d do me a small favor for the day and put away their phones while we were hanging out together. In lieu of their phones, I handed out a pair of Fujifilm instant film cameras to share/use during the duration of the afternoon. Over the span of several hours, and armed with several packs of instant film, these friends used the cameras to capture numerous moments of warm smiles and raucous laughs that I still often bring out to admire today, reminiscing how we had all once gathered to watch as our photos developed, eager with a level of anticipation no Instagram ever conjured.

While sharing photos by text, DM or via social media accounts have all become par for the course in the era of the smartphone, there is still a certain … Read the rest

Every month we share some of the most interesting and promising announcements from the realm of tech, including personal entertainment devices, the intersection of art and tech, home appliances trends, health tech and smart home solutions.

1. LeGrow Desktop Garden
Imagine piecing together a modular indoor house plant system that interlocks like LEGO bricks, but also is outfitted to take care of watering, maintaining ideal humidity and providing additional grow lighting automatically.

2. LACMA x Snapchat: Monumental Perspectives
Do you miss going to museums as much as we do? Though not a replacement for the slow contemplative pleasures of walking through a gallery, we do commend the efforts of the Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art for thinking out of the box. LACMA’s partnership with Snapchat has resulted in five new augmented reality outdoor monuments strewn across Los Angeles, each visible using the Snapchat Camera.

3. Apple TV 4K Color … Read the rest

This week’s DMTV Milkshake guest is Jean Brownhill, trained architect and founder of Sweeten.

Any homeowner dreaming of a brighter kitchen, a bigger bathroom, or a gut renovation on a lovely piece of land has a single challenge: to find and partner with a contractor capable of doing the job right, for a fair price. To help navigate that often intimidating conundrum, Jean Brownhill founded Sweeten — a product of her long experience with the world of architecture and construction. Sweeten was the product of her own effort to perform a gut renovation on a wood-frame house in Brooklyn’s Bedstuy neighborhood. “We’re a two-sided marketplace that helps homeowners and small business owners connect with the best general contractors,” Brownhill says. “We offer expert advice, financial protection, and platform tools, all the way to completion of your project.” It’s all engineered to streamline an expensive, often messy process. “When I … Read the rest

Last month, we became enamored with Kelly Wearstler’s new paint collaboration with Farrow & Ball. The eight color collection, entitled The California Collection, marks a fresh palette of hues inspired by the Los Angeles-based designer’s home state, from the palm trees to the terracotta tiles covering many of the roofs. The collaboration got us hunting for ways to incorporate one or all of these colors into our own spaces without painting, because painting isn’t always an option. So we rounded up 16 modern accessories in the eight colors to inject that dreamy California vibe Wearstler captured so perfectly.

The California Collection palette: Top Left: Tar, Sand, Citrona, Palm Bottom Left: Salt, Hazy, Stoke, Faded Terracotta

>>> FLEXI 6 Hooks Shelf – Grey by MARdiROS

>>> Charcoal XL Orbis 3-Wick Concrete Candle by KONZUK

>>> Delta Oak Wood Clock by Lawa Design

>>> Orient Sand Shower Curtain by Quiet … Read the rest

There are few restaurants in the world as honored for its architecture as its menu as Los Angeles’s Vespertine. Designed by lauded architect Eric Owen Moss, first impressions of Vespertine’s umber steel structure often evoke pronouncements of a wildly conceptual structure – an “insane architectonic utopia“, a design garnering numerous architecture, interior and industry awards since its unveiling in 2017. But upon closer and studied inspection, the design in its entirety reveals a highly controlled and conceived space that has evolved to operate as the spatial accomplice to its culinary counterpart as conjured by Chef Jordan Kahn. There is a method to its madness. And embracing the abstractions entrusted by its architect, Chef Kahn has adopted Moss’s work as a physical totem to his own spirited work within the kitchen.

Located in an industrial corner of Culver City’s Hayden Tract, Vespertine’s sculptural imprint began with a … Read the rest

Carl Baker, West Coast Director at Ike Kligerman Barkley, grew up with a passion for residential design. After studying architectural history at Vassar College, he earned his Bachelors of Architecture at UC-Berkeley and his Masters of Architecture at the University of Washington – Seattle. At UW  – Seattle, he was the recipient of the Valle Scholarship, giving him the opportunity to study sustainable design in Stockholm, Sweden. But before he ever practiced architecture, Carl apprenticed with a wooden boat builder in upstate New York. There he crafted his own skills as a woodworker, seeing how finely crafted machines come together. He also honed his ability to collaborate, all experiences he brings to his architectural work today. In the past, Carl worked at ROMA Design Group, where he was on the winning project team for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial at the National Mall, as well as for … Read the rest

April is when the world not only commemorates, but pushes initiatives to help restore mother Earth. At Pinch, our work is as much about sustainability as it is about taste + presentation. And thus, we are always looking for ways to keep our upstream supply chain as clean as possible to ensure we provide the same great parties, and a healthier planet.

Now, in this pandemic time of individual portions and take-out culture, we are seeing the desire for single-use products rise. Dedicated to our zero waste pledge, we are constantly on the lookout for alternative solutions. And so when the Design Singapore Council shared Forest & Whale’s most recent project Reuse, officially launching in August 2021, to combat the use of single-use plastic in Singaporean food courts, we couldn’t keep it to ourselves.

Founded in 2016 by Gustavo Maggio and Wendy Chua, Forest & Whale is a multi-disciplinary … Read the rest