Ok, self-professed tree geek back again -sorry but not sorry. Standing here, literally being embraced by one of La Mesa’s Moreton Bay fig trees (Ficus macrophylla), it’s hard not to appreciate the backstory.
In the early 1900s, the developer of this street in Santa Monica, California reportedly ordered magnolias. What showed up instead were Morton Bay Figs. Wrong tree, wrong scale, wrong place… and somehow exactly right. A century later, they define everything - the light, space, and the feeling of the street.
Grateful (and a little humbled) to be designing a home that lives within their canopy.
#mortonbayfig #santamonica #lamesa
Special time today with Sculptor and Architect Pedro Reyes at his home and studio in Mexico City. Not my first visit and not the last with this most talented and driven Inspirer. And a reminder of what a small world it is, especially as he just returned from the opening of the installation of his “Floating Face” at the opening of the new David Geffen Galleries at LACMA where we’ve had the opportunity to collaborate on a number of projects over the years.
@_pedro_reyes_@lacma@_kaa_design
Montecito, California -as close to perfection as a place can be. Special project coming to fruition complete with Santa Barbara sandstone boulder quarry and a blessing from Partner Erik Evens. With DISC Interiors and Unander Construction
A special day layered with meaning.
In the midst of renovating the 1959 historically designated Scott House in Manhattan Beach -clearly shaped by the spirit of the Eames House (Case Study House No. 8) -we stepped inside the source itself. The house remains exactly as Charles and Ray Eames left it. Not preserved as a museum, but held in place as a living glimpse into one of the most remarkable creative partnerships ever, where architecture, life, and design were one. We were invited by my niece Alise Kirkpatrick to join this experience as a birthday gift for her dad. A meaningful day made even more special by family, and a reminder of the enduring power of design. #eames #eameshouse #casestudy
Cambodia -wow, a magical place that reminds us that the most important things in life co-exist harmoniously. Trees, architecture, and people living together in a kind of gentle interdependence. A beautiful reminder that the most enduring design is never separate from nature, but (in this case literally) woven into it.
Sprong tree -Tetramelis nudiflora (Strangler Fig)
Grateful for this annual gathering of creative minds. Our 20th journey!
Thank you @leadersofdesign and @keithgranet@marksafran@danacolla and @marcusmohon for curating such an inspiring group and experience.
Great conversations, new connections, and the electric Bangkok vibe to tie it all together.
Summer in March! KAA’s growing portfolio in Santa Barbara/Montecito/Carpenteria now adding this just finished beauty with @bonesteeltrouthall . Horizon, framing, peace. Thank you Nancy and @oceanhomemag
A special couple of days in Palm Springs for Modernism Week. Beautiful weather, design, architecture, fashion, and people -highlighted by a pilgrimage of architect Albert Frey where we traced the line between past and present with his newly realized Aluminaire house and his classic Frey house. Modernism still alive, still evolving, still teaching restraint, light, and landscape. The desert reminds us that great architecture does not impose, it listens.
“The Zurich-born architect first came to Palm Springs in 1934 in his early thirties for work, and fell in love with the beauty and energy of the area. He found Coachella Valley allowed him to commune with nature, offered a rich testing ground for his architectural dreams, and, intriguingly, played host to a vibrant Hollywood scene. Describing the vibe of the era in a 1936 letter to his mentor, Le Corbusier, Frey recounted being impressed by “the intellectual milieu in Palm Springs”, a dichotomy between civilization and “a wild, savage, natural setting” that fascinated him. He decided to stay.”
Picture perfect evening for a photo shoot on The Strand with the amazing Roger Davies. When curious onlookers ask what we’re up to, Roger’s go-to line? ‘Oh, just shooting a mayonnaise commercial.’ 😂 Cracks me up -and clears the crowd to keep us on track for that golden hour magic✨🌅 #PhotographyHumor
#rogerdaviesphotography #thestrand #manhattanbeach #kaa_design
“The Claw” setting glacial stones -formed over billions of years and carried south by ice -to their new home along the shore of Lake Minnetonka. #lakeminnetonka #duettinterior #coenpartners #streeterhomes #_kaa_design
On site, on the edge. A future cantilevered pool, taking shape, engineered to extend beyond the hillside and frame uninterrupted views of the Pacific and Costa Rica’s northern coast. Architecture as experience, not object. Oh, and not a bad site to have to visit… #puravida #costarica🇨🇷 #costaricaarchitecture #zapotal #discoverylandcompany
