With holiday commercials already running on the airwaves, locals looking for the gifts to upgrade their homes will have a three-day soiree to peruse new style and functionality options.
From Thursday to Saturday, Santa Monica Airport’s Barker Hangar will transform into the home and lifestyle paradise known as the WestEdge Design Fair. Showcasing the best in modern design, guests can shop the latest from the big and small names in home furnishing, while exhibitors have a chance to foster connections in the lucrative West Coast marketplace.
WestEdge Design Fair Principal Megan Reilly stated that a brand looking to find their way into the western markets, particularly California and Los Angeles specifically, can be "kind of daunting" as far as finding out where a store can be opened and how to reach new customers.
The fair lays out the Barker space with networking organizations that can offer one-on-one consultations with up-and-coming names in the industry, pushing along potential showrooms in Los Angeles.
"Both homeowners and design trade professionals, architects, designers, (see) there’s a lot of development and projects going on in California," Reilly said. "(With) hospitality, hotels, the Olympics bringing more eyeballs internationally to the Los Angeles area, we are connecting design brands with people who love great interior design, and a lot of them are new … to the Los Angeles market."
She added that consumers can also use the fair as a "great place" to gain inspiration for home purchases, as well as introduction to new companies that make the home furnishings world "a little bit more easy to navigate."
While the show has no theme other than the overarching sentiment of "innovative interior design," the space is broken down into different sections, such as the outdoor living area outside of the Hangar doors to showcase patio settings and other outdoor equipment. Another feature is the "Made Modern" section, focusing on independent designers and creators in everything from hand-blown glass and furniture to ceramic artists.
"It’s (knowing) that individual who’s the artist behind the product, and is making things by hand, a lot of one of a kind custom work that you don’t necessarily find going into Pottery Barn or one of the main big box retailers," Reilly said.
A new section for this year’s fair is the Connoisseurs Club lounge, a "high style demonstration kitchen and hospitality lounge" that shows off the latest in kitchen trends and color ideas. The lounge will expand outside pure home items by featuring presenters on craft cocktails, chocolate and coffee.
With so much information at once, consumers and designers alike can find a more concise set of facts via panel discussions on single subject areas. Panels include "Unlock Your Color Potential" hosted by Sherwin-Williams, how the 2024 Election results will affect design, and a special panel talking about the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) movement, with Reilly stating people with new homes want to know if they can put ADUs on the property for additional rental income.
"Design can be overwhelming for a newbie … so we want to create these educational opportunities that make the process a little less intimidating and also kind of give updates on things to be aware of … those panels are a way to create educational content that is valued, and it helps people make better decisions in their own projects or planning," Reilly said.
Along with the ADU movement, Reilly stated that design trends include sustainability, "mixing and matching" heirloom pieces with more modern items in order to foster a "unique style," as well as the continued outdoor living trend that started strong during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"During COVID, everybody was spending more time outside, and that’s still continuing," Reilly said. "I think that now it seems like every furniture brand has an outdoor collection, because more and more people want to bring nature into their lives for wellness and health."
The fair kicks off Thursday with an opening night party, serving as a charitable benefit for nonprofit Hollywood Food Coalition. The fair partnered with Priority Bicycles, AmFund and local artists to feature an auction of unique bicycles, travel experiences and art.
"Thanksgiving is two weeks away, we’re all thinking about our holiday entertaining and the season, but the Hollywood Food Coalition is really about fostering community for those people who maybe don’t have a hot meal for Thanksgiving or don’t have a place to go," Reilly said. "We are very much aligned with their mission of providing food equity throughout the city."
To purchase tickets for the WestEdge Design Fair, visitwestedgedesignfair.com.
