letter from the GUEST EDITOR When I first started talking to LA Home Magazine about being the guest editor – I was flattered but wondered where I would even begin. After some thought – I went back to a theme that my wife, Heidi, and I have often talked about during our 20 years of living in Los Angeles – what it’s like to be an LA Transplant. The LA story we tell, is of arriving on a late flight the day before Christmas Eve, with a bit of money, a job offer at Disney and a fat, grey cat in tow. We didn’t know if this would be the place for us but waking up the next morning to 80+ degree heat, the palm trees swaying above and all that LA goodness around us, we really never considered looking back. Skip to the present, and we have a family with 3 wonderful boys, a home in Beverly Glen Canyon and a life full of friends, creative activities, favorite hidden spots around town, and the knowledge that Los Angeles is the only option for us.
IRWIN MILLER
In addition to being a partner at Gensler, Irwin Miller’s polymatic abilities include cooking, painting, photography and creating compelling and evocative social media content. His true passion lies in the collaboration with other artists, and his most recent projects include award-winning stop-motion animated films. Not only does he serve as Guest Editor in this issue, but also in the capacity as subject, writer and photographer throughout.
We quickly learned a few things about how people live in LA. Foremost, they feel like anything is possible; the environment plays a big part in that, as you are perpetually wrapped in one season. Our family loves to travel to the UK and visit the East Coast, where Heidi and I are from, but LA has no grey days or cold skies. It is seldom moody and dark, and when the weather does get the least bit chilly, we can’t handle it for long. LA is about possibilities one may never explore but is glad to know exist. Everyone likes to say you can ski on the mountains and swim in the Pacific Ocean on the same day, and although we have never tried, it’s heartening to know that it is possible. I enjoy hearing about a great new restaurant or gallery show from friends – but everything here is about distance. As soon as you learn something is a few cities away, or past something monumental like “East or West of the 405,” or “just past downtown”, you quickly consider if you will ever check out that wonderful place. As a Design Director at Gensler in Downtown LA, I am fortunate to be involved in all types of design activities around the city and outskirts, and I meet fascinating collaborators and clients every week – sometimes every day, if I am lucky. Having studied architecture and design in Providence and Boston, I can’t help but feel the gravitas of this city of Wright, Schindler, Neutra and Charles and Ray Eames. They didn’t just build here but they created components of the LA lifestyle that exist to this day. When you live here a while – you get it. You really feel it in the architecture, the design of everyday life and the immeasurable spirit of the City of Angels. As Spiderman’s uncle famously said; “With great power comes great responsibility,” thus LA sometimes pressures you to do something great and creative with all the power that she gives to her citizens. They create artwork, they collaborate on amazing, complex projects, they compose music and they work in film and television; they inspire others by their ideas and their actions. People in LA try to keep things positive and they focus on what can make us all better in this community of Los Angeles, in the country, and in the world. For this issue, I have assembled a glimpse into the variety of people and places you might be fortunate to encounter if you live in LA. The home tours include Aidan and Andrea Hawken – a prolific musician and his artistic-minded wife – they have curated a life around mid-century modern furniture and artifacts in their Village Green home. Lara Meyerratken is a musician who paints magical watercolors of gems and still life scenes, and she lives with her partner, Eric, in Silver Lake. Allee Willis, a tour de force songwriter and creator, personifies the hidden gems of LA. A winner of multiple entertainment awards, she has encapsulated herself in a wonderful, kitschy world in Valley Village that simply needs to be shared and enjoyed by others. Kai Loebach and Lee Miller have fulfilling lives as a premier chef/caterer and renowned LA doctor, respectively. They celebrate food and a life of experiences amongst their extensive, curated art collection in their Nichols Canyon home. Willard Ford has been involved with design and entertainment for years in downtown Los Angeles. His newly renovated, Strong Sports Gym, has the simplicity and elegance of a spa in Japan. Jon Huck, a locally based illustrator and painter, works out of a sun-drenched, open studio space, which clearly adds to the vibrant tones and playfulness of his work. I have also included some favorite photographers, and I am grateful to everyone who contributed to this special issue. Thank you for stepping inside a glimpse of LA through a transplant’s eyes – I hope you enjoy the view.
Irwin Miller, Guest Editor
8 LA HOME | SPRING/SUMMER 2018