Ken Fulk and 31 Other Star Designers Have Redecorated the La Cienega Design Quarter—And We’re Here for It

Add another event to the list of industry gatherings making a robust return in 2023. While the La Cienega Design Quarter’s Legends festival made a soft return last year, the West Hollywood-based consortium of 45 design businesses just wrapped a robust agenda of talks, parties, and new product launches as part of its 13th edition. (Not to mention, the Quarter has been extended by one-square mile to add Melrose Avenue showrooms west of the Pacific Design Center and San Vicente to the fun.) Our favorite event? The window display reveal, a marquee Legends tradition in which dozens of interior design firms reimagine the La Cienega Design Quarter’s showroom windows.

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Thirty-two design firms from across the country unveiled their inspired interior ensembles this week. “This [year’s] theme, the Fashion of Home, lends itself to allowing all the window designers to be creative,” says Elizabeth Kaplan, an LCDQ volunteer board member and CEO of Paul Ferrante, the Melrose Place lighting specialist and antique dealer that helped plant the seeds of what became the LCDQ. “It doesn’t pigeonhole them into any one design aesthetic, and it’s really open to interpretation.”

Below, take a digital stroll through the streets of the La Cienega Design Quarter and enjoy the newly redesigned window displays.

Mecox by Eric Hughes

Concepting a composite version of Sarah Jessica Parker’s office/dressing room came easy for designer Eric Hughes, who’s shared a decades-long creative partnership with the actress and producer. “I wanted to make it more personal. It’s a lot of winks and nods between the two of us,” says Hughes, pointing to the matchbook from the Plaza Hotel, one of the pair’s favorite Manhattan landmarks. The Townhouse carnation pattern from the duo’s Wallshoppe collaboration envelopes the walls and window treatments, beautifully paired with a Victorian-style wicker peacock chair in Moss Green from Mecox and a Paul Laszlo Basket Weave desk from Harvey’s on Beverly. Completing the fashion statement? A taxi cab and hot-dog stand stationed outside of Mecox during Legends. 

Renaissance Design Studio by Nicole Gordon

In designer Nicole Gordon’s ode to spring, flora and fauna don, drape, and decorate pieces from Obsolete, the Future Perfect, and JF Chen. 

McKinnon and Harris by MLK Studio

Designer Meg Joannides entered a “a Vogue state of mind” when developing her window concept. Colorful figures from Oh Mannequin take on ultra-glam scenarios, outfitted with metallic Ralph Pucci seating, a Suhling table from McKinnon and Harris, a Waterworks bathtub, and Illuminar lighting. 

Compas by CarbonShack Design

“We’re making a cohesive installation and statement about fashion, style, interiors, and sustainability,” says CarbonShack Design’s Greg Roth of his aquatic scene at Compas Stone. The studio’s new Kelp Forest fabric backdrops vines covered in seaweed-based fabrics by Oliver Charles, while a new outdoor furniture collection made from compressed marine plastics (exemplified in the fish-net canopy above it) sits in the forefront.

MASH Gallery by Eddie Maestri

Dallas-based architect Eddie Maestri presents an eclectic, art-centric view for his installation, featuring paintings from the gallery by Haleh Mashian and Cabell Molina, plus various works by the designer’s own hand and Maestri Studio originals.   

Fireside Barbecue Appliance by Lucas Browning 

Pacific Palisades-based designers Katie Browning and Heather Lucas channeled a free-spirit style in their vignette, tapping LCDQ resources Hollywood at Home, Arteriors, Una Malan, and Serena & Lily. Just the funky space to slip off the magenta Bottega Veneta heels and Azeeza gown by Elyse Walker. 

ALT for Living/Remains Lighting Company by 1818 Collective 

Marbled Rule of Three fabrics and vintage pieces from Orange Furniture help craft “What Goes Here? A lustful marriage between a fashionable mystery and her boudoir,” the scheme dreamed up by 1818 Collective cofounders Kristin Fine and Analisse Taft-Gersten. To complete the look, The duo borrowed vintage clothing from fashion expert Cameron Silver to complete the look. 

Cache by R/terior Studio

To bring her “East to West” tale of an Indian maharani getting ready for a lavish West Hollywood party to fruition, designer Rydhima Brar chose furnishings and accessories from Cache, Pearl & Maude wallpaper, mannequins and ceramics from Ralph Pucci, Studio M lighting, Erik Lindstrom rugs among other selections compose the saturated, vibrant scheme. 

Marc Phillips by Studio Heimat

On Marc Phillips’s mezzanine level, Eva Bradley and Alicia Cheung, of San Francisco-based Studio Heimat, use Bonita Goldfinch fabric—part of the Temperley London for Romo collection—to magnificent extent, draping the floral print from ceiling to sofa to dress form. 

Marc Phillips by Augusta Hoffman

Augusta Hoffman curated “a few of my favorite things” from James Mobley, Mous, Ruemmler, Lee Stanton, and floral studio Pretend Plants & Flowers.

Marc Phillips by Edel Legaspi

Edel Legaspi, of Legaspi Courts Design, looked to the late couturier Azzedine Alaia and his signature corseted belts for inspiration. “I wanted to display his celebration of women’s femininity and sensuality with the use of curves in the architecture of our display, along with the furniture shapes and high fashion textures and details found throughout the finishes,” says the designer. To do so, the firm collaborated with Marc Phillips, Una Malan, Arteriors, Coup D’Etat—whose Nuage chair boasts a corseted detail—and other “vendors who exemplified high fashion or fashion oriented details in their furniture and accessory pieces to execute our concept.”

Parachute by Studio MTN

Wanting to project an antidote to the churn of fast fashion and design, L.A.- and Sun Valley, Idaho-based firm Studio MTN took a “descend slowly” approach, draping their composition in neutral textiles.  

Una Malan by Kristine Paige

“Our four-window display is titled ‘The Guest List’ as we unfold a story of a whimsical, chic and avant-garde Hollywood Hills cocktail party that begins the moment the homeowners leave their house,” says designer Jackson Paige, who sourced mostly from Una Malan and Ben Soleimani. “Our inspiration stems from the way our personal style is expressed by both our fashion choices and in the way we design our homes—and how often the two seamlessly meld together.” 

Collective Form by Peti Lau

Peti Lau’s concocted dressing room pays homage to Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, using fabrics from the new and ultra fashionable Temperley London collection for Romo, lighting by Serip and furniture by Agrippa Materials—both sourced from Collective Form, as well as Tak Hau-crafted butterflies. 

Harbinger by Noz Nozawa 

In her pigment-rich space, Noz Nozawa arranged runway-ready looks from her and Harbinger owner Joe Lucas’s enviable closets, then enhanced the ensembles with a Christopher Farr rug and Remains Lighting chandelier. 

Harbinger by Amy Meier

With her display dubbed “Framework,” designer Amy Meier creates a tailored display—quite literally, with the in-the-works dress form—that brings to life a personal reflection. It’s “an unpacking of all the tools I collected over the years,” she says.

Harbinger by Jaqui Seerman 

With “Race for Space,” designer Jaqui Seerman embraces a futuristic style that considers new realms—glitz, glam, and neon included. 

Farrow & Ball by Meg Lonergan

American denim takes many shapes and tones in Meg Lonergan’s display for the British paint brand. Fabrics from LCDQ neighbors Harbinger and Pat McGann complete the blue jean-inspired assemblage.  

Philip Stites by John Ike

Pieces from LCDQ founding member Philip Stites’s antique business, which reopened last year with the PS Made design lab, layer John Ike’s (of Ike Baker Velten) “Fashionable Architect’s Nook.” Treasures such as a 19th-century Italian rock chandelier, custom works by Ike, and accessories from Fornasetti and Svenskt Tenn complement the architect’s collected sensibility, as seen in his most recent book, 9 Houses/9 Stories. 

Modern Rugs by L’Esperance Design

Daelen Cory and Paul L’Esperance, of L’Esperance Design, bring a cinematic dimension to the event with their tribute to Legends 2023 honoree Ken Fulk—including the designer’s beloved dogs. The window at Modern Rugs debuts the firm’s metallic Mezmerize wallpaper collection and Coffered ceiling tiles. An original film shown on loop adds to the immersive concept, which also features work by artist Marwan Shahin.

Modern Rugs by Jen Samson

The captivating work of Cecilia Paredes (available through Salt Fine Art) ties designer Jen Samson’s glamorous space together, from the sheened Romo wallpaper and custom screen by Venetian Plaster Art to the nesting tables by Samson and Madera Build. 

Jamal’s Rug Collection by Madeline Stuart

Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic Jardin Majorelle provides no shortage of inspiration for Madeline Stuart’s window for the LCDQ rug shop. She displays the showroom’s textiles as floor coverings and vertically-hung works, rounding out the lush tableau with a vintage lighting fixture from Paul Ferrante, an early-20th-century Moroccan side table by Blackman Cruz, and a Syrian inlaid chair from Parc Monceau Antiques. 

Waterworks by Studio Life/Style 

In Shannon Wollack and Brittany Zwickl’s “Appetite for Design” setup, patterned plates hang in a color-coordinated assemblage matched to Portola Paints’ 2023 Fashion Colors palette—namely Digital Lavender, Luscious Red, Sundial, Tranquil Blue and Verdigris. At the forefront, a pendant globe pendant fixture from Waterworks suspends above rustic furnishings and accessories from designer-favorite Nickey Kehoe.

Loulou by Carole Decombe by Richard Shapiro

Multidisciplinary designer, antiques dealer, and artist Richard Shapiro’s “Roots” creation infuses the Loulou by Carole Decombe showroom with a gemstone hues. Hewed, lavender wood beams prop us the organic figure made of high-density foam and covered in luxurious, damask fabrics.

Serena & Lily by Georgia Tapert Howe

Serena & Lily’s signature natural materials, a sense of calm and ease, and a well-stocked bar cart set the scene for what Georgia Taper Howe describes as “an homage to the ladies’ dressing room and lounges of times gone by.” 

Visual Comfort by Paloma Contreras

“My ultimate muse is the city of Paris. For a place so rich in history, it is also incredibly modern and forward-thinking,” says Paloma Contreras, who styled her lighting for Visual Comfort in front of the references that inspired them. Her mood board, pinned atop Schumacher’s Views of Paris wallpaper, references favorite architectural and visual touchstones, fashion legends such as Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, French “It Girls,” and some of Contreras’s favorite textile designs.  

Mehraban by Michael Cox

Michael Cox, of Foley & Cox, offers an alternative perspective of Yves Saint Laurent in Marrakech within two Mehraban windows. Stylish yet relaxed moments, with a portrait of the French fashion designer himself, the vignettes feature Brown Jordan outdoor furnishings, drapery from The Shade Store, and a haute bohemian rug backdrop courtesy Mehraban. 

Mehraban by David Frazier

Earthy, natural materials and textures informed designer David Frazier’s layered environment, using vintage kilim rugs from Mehraban, wooden pedestals and antique urns from Lee Stanton, and design classics such as Alvar Aalto screens and a large Noguchi pendant.  

Atacama Home by Breegan Jane 

“Mother Nature’s majesty, whether sought after or subconsciously felt, has always been the muse that allows us to visually represent our most creative selves,” says designer Breegan Jane. It’s also the thinking behind her window display at Atacama Home on Melrose: “It’s a tribute to her influence.” Sourcing from Atacama’s inventory, Jane selected wall hangings and sculptures made of raw cotton fiber, a sculpture by Javier Reyes, fiber art by Angela Damman, and wood totems by Fabrica Astilla.  

Gracie by Alexa Hampton

According to Alexa Hampton and her jewel-box spaces for Gracie, “Tiger is a Neutral!” Hand-painted Tiger wallpaper from the designer’s collection for Gracie sets the tone for the vintage Donghia chairs (upholstered with Gracie’s Greenfield linen) and Michael-Clearly mirrors. 

Woven by Jake Arnold for The Expert

Designer Jake Arnold tapped into The Expert’s vintage inventory and in-house collection to shape his “New Classics” arrangement, enriched with doses of bold pattern, luxurious textures, and a range of periods and styles that, under Arnold’s eye, cohere with a suspended installation of Woven rugs.

The Rug Company by Ken Fulk

With his window display for The Rug Company, the always sharp-witted and fantastical Ken Fulk says “Fulk it,” which translates to neoclassical motifs, disco balls, and of course, his pups emblazoned in neon pink atop a butterfly design from the rug maker.