In Los Angeles, Olivia Cognet Crafts a Ceramic Fantasia
Plus, a rugged escape rises from Kyoto’s bamboo forests, Block Shop’s snail-shaped brass hardware for Petra, and more of the best things we saw this week.
SEE In Los Angeles, Olivia Cognet Crafts a Ceramic Fantasia
Painterly movement flows throughout the ceramic practice of Olivia Cognet, the French-born creative force who began as an accessories designer for Sonia Rykiel and Isabel Marant. After absorbing the experimental ceramics tradition deeply embedded in the creative psyche of Southern California, she relocated to the South of France and opened a studio-turned-lab that allows her to fabricate massive works—and brings her impressive artistic range into full view. Now, an exciting array of her sculptural stoneware pieces has taken over the Goldwyn House, a dazzling 20th-century mansion where collectible design gallery The Future Perfect has set up its Los Angeles outpost. The works vary in size and form, ranging from an elliptical dining table marked by protruding curvatures to the shade garden’s fire pit built in situ with a series of surreal, fluid-like white slabs. —Ryan Waddoups
Photography by Conrad Brown…
PLAY At Meo, Nostalgia, Glamour, and Bar Bites Beyond Compare
What do you get when Michelin-caliber restaurateurs try their hand at a cocktail bar? Something like Vancouver,’s Meo, we would imagine. Inspired by its Chinatown location and the vibrance of Hong Kong’s nightlife scene in the ‘70s and ‘80s, local firm Ste. Marie decked the space out in rich wood paneling, blush velvet banquettes, and a vintage jukebox. Meo’s offbeat vibe extends to the menu, where a carrot reduction puts a “carrotini” spin on an espresso martini, complete with citrus-infused cold brew. To really mix it up, try the piscoteca—with apricot brandy, caraway seed bitters, coconut, and kaffir lime. The cocktails’ slightly savory spin plays well with the bites menu, which puts most other bar snacks to shame with its foie gras and blackcurrant jam french toast, and its yukhoe tartare, served with nashi pear, cornichons, and nori. —Jenna Adrian-Diaz
Photography by Daniëlle Siobhán.…
SHOP At Carl Friedrik Regent Street, a Concept Shop-Turned-Gallery
For Carl Friedrik’s first concept shop, the brand laid out a challenging task for Tabitha Isobel studio founder Tabitha Organ. Her interiors firm was to transform a historic, protected Regent Street building into a space befitting the luggage producer’s modern sensibilities. The designer, in turn, didn’t disappoint: calico drapes provide a white-wall effect that allows the product, photography by Daniëlle Siobhán, and paintings by Melanie Anne Haynes to stand out. Chrome accents, like an organic Philippi bowl and those on midcentury armchairs, catch and reflect precious daylight in a city better known for its cloudy skies. —J.A.D.
Image courtesy of By:Matthew—The Book.…
READ A Burgeoning Aesthete Makes an Ode to Fashion
In launching his namesake brand by:Matthew, financier and consultant-turned-imagemaker Matthew Egorov saw an opportunity to separate fashion from its most exclusionary contexts, and instead to focus on its potential as medium for craftsmanship at the highest levels. The brand’s latest launch, The Book, embodies that philosophy. Written text is largely absent from the volume, which is the first in a series of annual editions. Instead, it approaches the categories of style, beauty, culture, design, and travel through photo-driven storytelling by the likes of image-makers Noorunisa Khan, Danny Bird, Josh Payne, and more. Collectively, its contributors capture the splendor of Dior and Carpenters Workshop Gallery’s holdings of furniture by Rick Owens, Jean Prouvé, and Maarten Baas. —J.A.D.
Image courtesy of Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto…
STAY A Rugged Escape Rises from Kyoto’s Bamboo Forests
These days, we most often see Kengo Kuma’s firm connected to civic projects, which makes the architect’s Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto hotel doubly special. Tucked within the Higashiyama mountains of Kyoto, the property is a naturalistic retreat within hinoki cypress and kawara roof tiles. In the guest rooms, which were designed by Yukio Hashimoto, tokonoma alcoves frame ceramics by Eiichi Shibuya, while sliding screens offer views of the surrounding landscape from low-slung seating vignettes and even the hiba wood soaking bathtubs. Some rooms even look out onto Kuma’s modernist take on a traditional Noh theater, whose lack of roof or walls allow it to forge a connection with the woods beyond. —J.A.D.
Image courtesy of Petra…
OBSESS Petra: Block Shop Hardware
Earlier this year, Sight Unseen cofounder Monica Khemsurov made waves when she launched Petra, a platform teeming with personality-packed cabinet pulls, doorknobs, and switch plates from of-the-moment designers. One of Petra’s latest launches is Block Shop’s charming brass cabinet pulls that depict all manner of forest flora and fauna. With a pea pod, dogwood blossom, and snail in the mix, they can uplift even the most drab drawers with whimsy. —J.A.D.
Photography by Garrett Rowland…
SAVOR A Modern Korean Steakhouse Shimmers in Dallas
Art Deco influences abound in Nuri, a recently opened steakhouse in Dallas. Its sprawling interiors, which were crafted by hospitality design firm AvroKO with direction from owner Wan Kim, also take cues from Korean celadon ceramics as a nod to Kim’s heritage as a Texan by way of New Orleans and South Korea. Those influences also shine on the menu, which features fresh interpretations of steakhouse classics like tartare—Nuri’s can be plated with fried noodles and yuzu ponzu in addition to the requisite quail egg. Its Korean Style Lobster is served whole with chili sauce and soy butter rice, while its expansive steak menu sports a dedicated wagyu section. —J.A.D.
