When the Design Miami fair came to Los Angeles

Rolling lawns, cocktail bars and a clientele from music, film and tech: Design Miami’s first Los Angeles presentation was a little different from other collectible design fairs when it opened last week. Invitation only, the photographers were dressed in Rick Owens; the valets were mostly parking Porsches.

The venue was a 3-acre 1930s Holmby Hills estate with a pool, Japanese garden and tennis courts. It was designed by Paul Revere Williams, the first Black architect to join the American Institute of Architects in 1923, whose clients included Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball.

Los Angelenos have embraced high-end design with enthusiasm. “Ten years ago, the collectible market was pretty niche here,” says Ashlee Harrison, curatorial director. “Now people here are very savvy, very aware, whether it’s the more pop cultural tastes of the music industry, or a very sophisticated group of art collectors.” Indeed, Harrison had been sure to cater to the latter with a section called “Master Works: Important Design, 1938 to Present,” which offered significant pieces, including a pair of 1933 bronze lamp stands by Alberto Giacometti (for sale via US gallery Salon 94).

Last October, the digital marketplace Basic. Space acquired Design Miami, and its founder Jesse Lee became chair of the board. A Los Angeles tech entrepreneur, Lee had noticed an increasing interest in high-end design on the invitation-only site, which is favoured by moneyed millennials and Gen Zs (users include Diplo and Steve Aoki). He has injected a similar energy into the fair.

“Post-Covid, people want experience,” said Lee, clad in a baggy, faded pink Balenciaga sweatshirt, as we sat on a white garden bench whose slats curled away into elaborate metal swirls (by Pablo Reinoso and for sale through Carpenters Workshop Gallery). “But they’ve also become more invested in their homes, and the cool objects in them. People used to post selfies taken in the mirror. Now they’re posting the mirror.”

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