Is North Larchmont becoming a new hub for the design industry?
Staff at this newspaper began noticing a slight influx of design firms occupying spaces near our offices on North Larchmont Boulevard. Perhaps this is a trend that will continue, and maybe the area will become a satellite for West Hollywood and La Brea Avenue showrooms. Who knows?
SURROUNDED by saturated emerald and gold wallpaper is Melissa Warner, at a home she decorated in Windsor Square.
Massucco Warner
Melissa Warner, a partner in the interior design firm, Massucco Warner, says “this is the only place I wanted an office,” when referring to her space at 560 N. Larchmont Blvd. She’s been there for 10 years. She lives just blocks away, walking distance to her office, in Windsor Square.
MASSUCO WARNER design studio at 560 N. Larchmont Blvd.
With her work on Larchmont and her home so close to Larchmont, she spends her free time on the Boulevard, shopping at the Sunday Farmers’ Market, lunching on weekdays or picking up a hostess gift. She plainly states, “I love the Boulevard.”
With an undergraduate degree in business and a graduate design degree, Warner is very conscientious in keeping her projects on time and on budget. Additionally, “I like to make the project fun, enjoyable and exciting for my clients.”
One of her favorite parts of projects is highlighting what she refers to as forgotten spaces, a nook or a pass-through hallway, and making it a surprise star.
She can be reached at massuccowarner.com.
WALNUT WALLPAPER owner Norinne DeGal poses in front of some artisan wallpapers at her store.
Walnut Wallpaper
The Willy Wonka of artisan wallpaper has come to Larchmont. The newest design showroom on the Boulevard, Walnut Wallpaper, opened in October 2023, and it carries scratch and sniff, glow in the dark, Disney, modern art and wallpaper recreating old scenes from the 1800s, just to name a minute sampling. The showroom is a feast for the eyes.
Norinne DeGal started the business in 2004 after transitioning from journalism. While working at design and fabric stores around town, she noticed some very cool and interesting, small-scale wallpaper manufacturers. With her journalistic instinct, DeGal dug deep and found some very underground product being manufactured. At the time, big companies were staying away from wallpaper.
WALLPAPER SELECTIONS abound in Walnut on Larchmont.
All of her friends and colleagues thought she was crazy when she decided to open a wallpaper store. Twenty years later, she’s still in business with a loyal following of trade and retail customers.
When asked about her most recent move, she shared how she loves being on the Boulevard. She finds it quiet and offering pretty much everything you need. DeGal especially likes that she doesn’t need to get in her car for much of anything once she’s at her store.
She also quickly noticed how tight-knit the community is here. “It’s like somebody cares and is watching out for others.”
STUDIO AR&D REMODELED the building at 424 N. Larchmont Blvd., above. Notice the giant window in the remodeled building, at right.
Studio AR&D
Perhaps you’ve seen the amazingly giant, 17’ window on the remodeled building at 424 N. Larchmont Blvd. That is Studio AR&D Architects.
This company first came to the Boulevard in 2007 and occupied 507 N. Larchmont Blvd. As the firm grew, it needed a bigger space. Studio AR&D bought its current location, a fixer a block south of its original location, and gutted and remodeled it and, in 2021, it became the firm’s new space.
The company’s focus is high-end custom homes. That means a minimum $3 million construction budget. Most of the projects are ground-up as opposed to re-models.
Despite being in Los Ange-les, the company started in Palm Springs, and most of its work is still in the desert. However, principal owner, Sean Lockyer, would like to add more Los Angeles clients to the firm’s portfolio.
Check out studio-ard.com for more information.
Category: People