This November 3-6th, WestEdge Design Fair returns once again to The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica to showcase 150+ leading design brands ranging from furniture and lighting, to kitchen and bath lines. The annual event brings the best designers, makers and manufacturers from across the nation, and the world, to the doorsteps of Los Angeles’ innovative Silicon Beach.
The West Hollywood Design District is pleased to announce a co-op exhibition of member design brands, curated and designed by César Giraldo of Tag Front at the fair this year. César’s inspired concept will culminate in a piece he has named: Immaculate Conception: One Piece at a Time.
What made you get involved in this collaboration with the West Hollywood Design District for WestEdge Design Fair in the first place, what drew you to it?
The West Hollywood Design District is a very dynamic place. While it’s formed by world-class talent and amazing design brands, it’s also a very tight-knit place, and one that I hold very dear to my heart. I’m extremely fortunate to be personally connected to all the design showrooms. It’s an immense honor to collaborate and give prominence to the design brands that I respect and admire for WestEdge Design.
Regarding your Immaculate Conception: One Piece at a Time exhibition, did the concept reveal itself to you before or after you knew which design brands were participating? In other words, did the brands inspire the concept with their collections or did you have it locked and loaded, ready to hand pick museum-worthy pieces?
The idea was conceived as the project was evolving. I have a great respect and admiration for individuals who represent design brands in showrooms. With all the challenges that the design world faces, the owners of showrooms continue marching on with innovating and relevance. I wanted to honor their perseverance and designs by envisioning myself as a museum curator with the task of selecting an individual piece from each participating showroom, and featuring them with the same relevance and impact that the museum furniture and fashion exhibitions have had on me and the world.
When talking to a non-US designer, how would you describe the California design scene? Which of its features appeals to you the most?
The California design scene has always been very innovative and consistent in retaining its identity. I really appreciate the influential design movements that flourished here when architects and designers, many foreigners, came and found the inspiration to create. Starting with the homes designed by Wallace Neff, who was largely influenced by Spanish and Mediterranean architecture to Richard Neutra and Charles and Ray Eames’s significant contributions to California modernism. We can’t deny that these designers continue strongly influencing the California design scene in architecture and furniture. It’s intriguing to see how the past continues impacting the beauty of our contemporary designs. The same way that our warm climate determines vegetation, it also influences architecture and design. I am so grateful to live in California. Rarely do we complain about the weather. The feature that appeals to me the most is the dialogue that takes place between the indoor and outdoor spaces. Architects are extremely aware of the connection between both atmospheres. If you pay attention to the realm that links both environments, not the separation but the connection of indoor and outdoor, you will find poetry there. I especially appreciate that outdoor furniture is equally as beautiful as indoor furniture. This is due to the perfect weather we have. People spend a lot of time outdoors, so attention to outdoor furniture is crucial. Another feature that I love is California’s rich mid-century modern history. I am deeply influenced by the aesthetics of that period, and I enjoy mixing mid-century modern pieces with our contemporary designs.
Out of all the projects you’ve done with Tag Front, which one(s) do you feel most proud of, most connected to, on a creative level?
I take great pride in every project that I complete. Every project presents a fresh experience, with new ideas and knowledge to gain. It’s always very exciting.
Looking at the California design scene now, do you see any particular trends emerging in 2017? If so, which ones would you like to see more of?
For some time we have experienced the California design scene being highly dominated by white furniture pieces. I noticed that the more popular that style became the colder it got and it lost the magic that it originally represented. Currently contemporary furniture has a retro feeling to it, which I love, with more colors, warmer pieces that present elegance without intimidating; pieces that motivate one to admire and engage with. For 2017, I look forward to seeing more of these contemporary designs that are elegant, innovative and comfortable with soft hints of our rich mid-century modern past.
