Must-See Events at the Los Angeles Design Festival

Now in its ninth year, the Los Angeles Design Festival has evolved from a small grassroots event to a full-fledged citywide festival with an ambitious lineup of nearly 100 events taking place from June 20–23. Read our exclusive interview with founder Haily Zaki and be sure to add these exhibitions, installations, tours, and panel talks to your itinerary.

Small Office: Intro/LA

Featuring a cross-section of work by emerging and established local designers including Another Human, Stephen Kenn, and Atelier de Troupe, the annual exhibition kicks off the burgeoning Los Angeles Design Week with a series of cohesive installations that eschews trade show conventions and prioritizes intimacy over scale.

June 20–23. Row DTLA: 777 S Alameda Street, Building 2, Suite 132, Los Angeles, CA 90021

On the Edge

On the Edge features never-before-seen work from the 2019 EDGE recipients, which include Cindy Hsu Zell, Eric Trine of Amigo Modern, Kenesha Sneed, Meyghan Hill of (wh)ORE HäUS STUDIOS, and Uri Davillier of Neptune Glassworks.

June 20–23. Row DTLA: 777 S Alameda Street, Building 2, Suite 132, Los Angeles, CA 90021

Jodi Siegal Ceramics x The Wooden Palate

After a successful career as a textile designer for the likes of Ralph Lauren, Anthropologie, and Bloomingdales, Jodie Seigal moved to Los Angeles to create fabric-inspired ceramics. She teams up with The Wooden Palate, purveyor of wooden pieces for the kitchen, on a window installation at Market Row.

June 10–23. Row DTLA: 777 S Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90021

ADU Home Tour

As Los Angeles faces a profound housing shortage, California officials and real estate experts are looking at this housing typology as a potential solution: the Accessory Dwelling Unit (or ADU), aka granny flat or in-law unit. The innovators embracing this new housing typology, including Bunch Design, Cover, LA-Mas, Oasis, and 5+ Design, will present two completed ADUs on the tour.

June 22, 10:00 AM–3:00 PM. Row DTLA: 777 S Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90021

Twentieth x Henzel Studio

Henzel Studio is collaborating with Los Angeles design gallery Twentieth on an exhibition that coincides with the 20th anniversary of both Henzel Studio and Twentieth. Displayed at THE NEW, it’ll rotate exclusive work that lies at the intersection of art and design (and, quite often, on the floor). Read more.

June 20–23. Twentieth, 7470 Beverly Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90022

Epicene

EDGE Award Recipients Meyghan Hill of (wh)ORE HäUS STUDIOS and Uri Davillier of Neptune Glassworks co-curate a special gallery experience showcasing new original pieces and surprise finds from their peers.

June 20–23. Row DTLA: 777 S Alameda Street, Building 2, Suite 162, Los Angeles, CA 90021

Farrow & Ball x Ali Silverstein: SUMMER

Los Angeles–based painter Ali Silverstein has created a site-specific mural in her signature improvisational style that will grace the northern facade of Farrow & Ball’s recently completed La Cienega Boulevard flagship in the brand’s color palette.

June 20–Sept. Farrow & Ball Los Angeles, 741 N La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

The Goods Market by Bend Goods

Bend Goods opens up their Instagram-worthy showroom to present a selection of their favorite local brands, including BTW Ceramics, Stuffed Cookies, and K-Apostrophe.

June 22–23. Bend Goods, 7007 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Hem Fest

Hem celebrates the Los Angeles design community with a raffle auction of reimagined Max Lamb “Last Stools” to benefit local urban design nonprofit LA-Más. Additional festivities include table tennis designed by Formation Association, a group exhibition from Object Permanence, and poke tattoos from artist Anouk Aumont.

June 22, 3:00–9:00 PM. Hem & Madera Showroom, 810 Mateo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90021

Bonus round! Don’t miss these gallery exhibitions around town:

Flutter: Where Art and Happiness Meet

In a group exhibition around the corner from LACMA, visitors are encouraged to embark on a “sensory journey” through VR works, climbable furniture, architectural structures, and other playful offerings from the likes of Katie Stout, Guillermo Santomá, and Liz Collins.  

June 1–Nov. 30. 217 S. La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Virgil Abloh: Coming of Age

The prolific designer’s first curated exhibition, which relates to his SS19 Louis Vuitton campaign, explores the overarching theme of boyhood and youth. Artists such as Nobuyoshi Araki, Sandy Kim, and Nick Sethi riff on the individual effects of social economics, environment, and family experienced throughout their formative years.

June 1–Sept. 3. Little Big Man Gallery: 1427 E. 4th St, #2, Los Angeles, CA 90033

Bauhaus Beginnings

The Getty Research Institute examines the Bauhaus’s early years, when the school’s early dedication to spiritual expression and development of a curriculum based on the elements influenced all forms of artistic practice.

June 11–Oct. 13. The Getty: 1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049

Lynn Aldrich: O, Magnify

From fake rock pet huts and utility plastic hosing to corrugated roofing panels, Aldrich creates a diverse array of nine new sculptural works arising from her fascination with everyday household objects and “specimens” she’s amassed on expeditions to local hardware stores.

Until July 6. DENK Gallery, 749 E Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90012