In Los Angeles, a Go-To Source for All Things Stone Furniture

SOURCE
In Los Angeles, a Go-To Purveyor for All Things Stone Furniture

Jordan Mosslar began sketching interior spaces as a child—a passion that encouraged his parents to let him design their family homes in Brisbane, Australia, during his high school years. Following his creative dreams soon brought him to a variety of architecture-related stints in Los Angeles, where he fell in love with modern Italian design and the country’s vast repositories of natural stone. He quickly learned that working with stone can be notoriously difficult for interior designers, so he launched FORM (LA) to streamline the process of customizing natural stone furniture and objects for the trade. This spring, he pulled back the curtain on a dazzling 5,500-square-foot atelier on North La Brea Avenue for designers to witness the material’s intricacies in a calm, warm-toned setting.

Beyond the vast array of monolithic, monumental, and exuberantly veined statement pieces on view, stone is found throughout nearly every architectural detail: flooring, pendant fixtures, light switches, archways, freestanding bathtubs, and even a Calacatta Viola pivot entry door. Ultimately, Mosslar hopes visitors emerge equally as excited about the possibilities of imbuing interiors with dashes of antiquity as he is. “I have a very strong connection to modern Italian design,” Mosslar tells Surface, “and wanted to ensure that the warm and playful feel came through within every element of our showroom.” While the floor is shoppable, Mosslar is still handling custom commissions and has his head down on expanding FORM (LA)’s offerings in the coming months. —Ryan Waddoups

VISIT
Norway’s Iris, in the Eye of the Fjord

In Norway’s Hardangerfjord, the Salmon Eye aquaculture center educates visitors about where local fishery Eide’s practices and environmental stewardship overlap. Quite literally at the center of it all is Iris, where guests travel by boat to dine against a backdrop of stunning landscapes from a steel Brutalist structure crafted by Kvorning Design. Inside, Norm Architects turned to bespoke pieces—both furniture and floor coverings—in earthy palettes to cultivate harmony between the interiors and surrounding ocean and fjord views. Each service begins with a welcome snack at the boathouse of chef Anika Madsen before reaching Iris for a set tasting menu shaped by the future-facing principles of the Salmon Eye center. —Jenna Adrian-Diaz

STAY
A Hotel Where Great Amenities Meet the Great Outdoors

Thanks to New York–based studio Love Is Enough, a getaway to North Carolina’s Blue Ridge mountains doesn’t have to mean going without. A full renovation by the studio has equipped the 1920s-era former residence—and most recent addition to Trailborn’s lineup of destination-worthy nature escapes—with a restaurant and bar, Nordic spa, and a market of local goods to sustain a well-appointed backcountry stay. Its 63 guest rooms overlook the surrounding Blue Ridge mountain range and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, while offering the comfort of Parachute bath robes, Grown Alchemist amenities, and Fellow kettles for tea service after a long day of outdoor adventuring. A tipple by the firepits or a hearty dinner at the soon-to-open Highlands Supper Club will also do nicely. —J.A.D.

OBSESS
On: Fall/Winter ‘24 Training Collection

The Swiss activewear brand’s fall-winter training collection gets a fresh look thanks to the talents of FKA twigs. Ahead of her upcoming album Eusexua, the genre-defying multihyphenate was tapped as the creative director of the collection’s The Body is Art campaign, for which photographer Jordan Hemingway captured twigs in the cool white and mustard tones of the collection’s crops, sports bras, tights, and shoes. The mustard hued Gecko color—seen in the Movement long-sleeve cropped tee, the coordinating short tights, and Cloud X 3 AD trainer—perfectly embodies the summer-fall transitional season. From $60. —J.A.D. 

SEE
A French Artisan’s Heavenly Debut at StudioTwentySeven

Francesco Balzano was one of the first designers that Nacho Polo and Robert Onuska collected; they were immediately won over by the emotional resonance and inner poetry the sought-after French designer’s artisanal furniture draws from basic shapes, noble materials, and simple gestures. It seemed like fate that Balzano became one of the first of many talents the work-and-life partners represented when they launched StudioTwentySeven, the Miami- and London-based collectible design gallery that recently made a splashy entrance into Lower Manhattan’s burgeoning gallery scene earlier this year with a 7,000-square-foot Tribeca flagship. So when the duo was pondering which of their designers could inaugurate their new gallery, Balzano quickly came to mind as someone with whom to establish that foundation.

It turns out that Balzano’s work is largely about foundations, with monolithic forms dictated by pure lines that make room for manifold interpretations. Two collections debut here: Inizio focuses on eye-catching limited-edition furniture like swooping tables, sturdy bookcase, privacy screen, and a rippling bench in tinted hemlock wood; Loci comprises limited-edition brass and onyx jewelry boxes. Polo and Onuska crafted a dramatic yet muted scenography, draping just about every element of the gallery’s neoclassical interior besides Balzano’s pieces in drop cloth. The effect creates an atmosphere of concealed grandeur, not unlike a Gilded Age mansion waiting for its owners to return after their summer decampment from the city. Or a chrysalis of cascading light, depending on one’s perspective. More importantly, it creates a welcome white space that affords Balzano’s sublime gestures the room to fly free. —R.W.

SAVOR
Sway Brings Thai Cuisine to the Rocky Mountains

At first glance, the teak interiors of Sway could be an ode to the cozy log cabins synonymous with Aspen’s perch among the Rocky Mountains. Not so—instead, the restaurant draws inspiration from Nepalese mountain architecture and Thai interiors, which Michael Hsu Office of Architecture doubled down on with mulberry paper, brass pendants, and leather-upholstered sapele mahogany banquettes. The menu’s share plates offer a relaxed and playful approach—just look to the aprés ski menu, which features crispy pork and shrimp, ginger-soy glazed chicken wings, and prawn miange with shiso leaf and grapefruit. —J.A.D.

PLAY
At So&So’s, an Elevated Take on a Hell’s Kitchen Haunt

Behind a blue door on an unassuming stretch in Hell’s Kitchen, So&So’s puts a glamorous spin on the idea of an old-school piano bar. Each week, a crew of crooners and jazz ensembles serenades patrons with live music in the sapphire-and-ruby-hued interiors brought to life by local studio Goodrich. For sustenance, look forward to a family-style menu that goes way beyond bar snacks. Large plates include truffle butter ricotta gnudi served with half a Maine lobster and Wagyu steak frites. The drinks menu is full of clever nods to the nearby Theater District: with enough mezcal Piano Mans, you may find yourself feeling ready to take the stage. —J.A.D.