Last night was the absolutely fantastic (re)opening of the nomadic A+D Museum, which has had more addresses than a Yellow Pages. As an institution that emcee Frances Anderton rightly called a “permanent pop-up,” A+D has been a fixture in the LA design community for years now but has never had a fixed location. This new space, perfectly situated opposite LACMA and next door to the Petersen Automotive Museum, signals the first time it’s ever had a place to call its own.
And what a place it is! The Streamline Moderne building was packed to its rounded-cornered gills last night with almost 900 of the local designerati. Truly everyone was there, testing out the digs, getting comfy in their new home, sipping pomegranatey cocktails called Blushing Ladies as a nearly-full moon rose out of a hazy horizon.
To raise money for the museum, a balsa wood kit was given to dozens of architects and designers to transform into whatever they pleased and the results were auctioned off. But I was much more impressed by the work of local Carthay Center Elementary students, which, incidentally, is the same school where I shot those photos of that amazing school garden. This must be some school!
There are some seriously inventive ideas in these structures. How does a kid come up with something like this? It’s like Fallingwater!
This one has to be my favorite, a sort of freeway-of-the-future. I love the triangles hanging from the top beam.
Solar panels, a fantastic color scheme, and a welcome mat.
Of course, architectural eye-candy wasn’t the only thing to gawk at…there were also the fantastic designer outfits. Best dressed went to West Hollywood’s urban designer and host committee John Chase with his oh-so-preppy pink and green get-up. It was as bright and optimistic as the museum’s future.
More photos of the evening right over here.
