DRIVE IN MOVIE
Newport Beach architect Brion Jeannette, recognized as a pioneer in energy-efficient aesthetics, believes that “architecture should be an honest reflection of the owner’s goals and expectations” as well as “enhance the quality of life for the client and the environment.” And what could be more life enhancing then your own outdoor drive-in movie theater? While Jeannette has designed a number of home theaters, these particular clients, he says, “reminisced about their courtship years and fond memories of dates to the drive-in movies. Because of the way I oriented the house I was able to capture a surprise access to an intimate drive-in theater for them.” (customarchitecture.com)
SECRET SAKE
Each piece from this glasswork art sake set at LIULI Living at South Coast Plaza has the wabi sabi design aesthetics of Chinese landscape art and is uniquely shaped after the contours of natural rock. In “Our Secret,” one jar and four crystal shot glasses have polished and grainy surfaces used in combination with vibrant colors to pay homage to the ritual of sharing a drink between friends and lovers: a sacred gesture made more beautiful with these artistic vessels. ($539; liuliusa.com)
ELECTRIC HUB
A month after Rivian, the Irvine-based EV upstart, rolled the world’s first electric adventure vehicle off the assembly line, the company welcomed its first Hub in downtown Venice, a place to come together, connect and share ideas, as well as learn about Rivian vehicles and the larger company vision: Keep the World Adventurous Forever. The property, which was once home to author Ray Bradbury, an electric-works building and an art gallery, has been reimagined since last fall and now includes open spaces for talks and workshops focused on useable knowledge (plant a simple organic garden or learn how to get the most of your visit to a National Park), adventure travel, meditation and discussions about broader concepts such as sustainable energy or permaculture. The Hub is comprised of shaded gardens and seating out front, an open-air play space for kids, a library deep in both local and iconic titles and locally-made wares, a bright makers’ space stocked with creative materials, and a courtyard area between the site’s two buildings where you can explore an R1T, the company’s 2022 electric pick-up truck. In addition to the Hubs, which will open in other cities, Rivian will be opening adventure-oriented Rivian Outposts in more adventurous locations as well as Rivian Preserves, which are designed to help protect wide tracts of land for future generations. (rivian.com/spaces/venice)
HIPPIE MYSTERY
In 1968, Laguna Beach was home to the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, a group of hippies
who used LSD as a path to enlightenment and claimed to be the world’s biggest suppliers of psychedelics in the 1960s and ’70s. That is the setting for former Laguna Beach resident T. Jefferson Parker’s latest bestseller: “A Thousand Steps,” a coming-of-age story and vivid portrait of a turbulent time and place by the three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestselling author. Parker’s protagonist, Matt Anthony, is 16, broke, and never sure where his next meal is coming from. Mom’s a stoner, his deadbeat dad is a no-show, his brother’s fighting in Nam . . . and his big sister Jazz has just gone missing. The cops figure she’s just another runaway hippie chick, enjoying a summer of love, but Matt doesn’t believe it. All Matt really wants to do is get his driver’s license and ask out the girl he’s been crushing on since fourth grade, yet it’s up to him to find his sister in a town where the cops don’t trust the hippies and the hippies don’t trust the cops. On June 25 at 10 a.m., the Laguna Art Museum presents Hippie Mystery: A Night with Author T. Jefferson Parker, where Parker will discuss his new book, his time in Laguna Beach, and a briefly read from the novel. $7 for members, $14 for non- members. (lagunaartmuseum.org/events)
FLOWERS FOR MOM
For It designer Jonathan Anderson’s Spring 2022 debut on the Paris runways for Loewe, his surreal accessories were full of whimsy, particularly his strappy leather sandals with heels made from pink birthday candles, bars of soap, red nail polish bottles, crushed roses and cracked eggs. According to the show notes, these playful, Dadaist shoes play a key role in a collection that the brand itself charac- terized as “neurotic, psychedelic, completely hysterical.” Imagine mom’s surprise on Mother’s Day when she steps into these goatskin stilettos atop thorny roses with hand- applied crepe petals. ($1,600; Nordstrom.com)
A LITTLE BIT OF ALOHA
An iconic food enjoyed by Hawaii locals and visitors year-round, shave ice is drizzled with a rainbow of flavorful syrups, its roots traced back to Hawaii’s storied plantation past.
Japanese immigrants who came to the Islands to work in the sugar and pineapple fields in the mid-1800s introduced the concept of shave ice, or kakigori, to cool off by using their tools to shave flakes off large blocks of ice before coating them with sugar or fruit juice. Now you can make your own shave ice in your kitchen with Kitchen Aid’s Shave Ice attachment, designed to mount directly to the power hub of any KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Use the four ice molds to freeze your liquid of choice—water, juice, coffee or milk—then add the ice to the attachment, select your preferred texture and shave away. Create traditional shave ice topped with syrups or sauces or add it to drinks for a perfectly cold and slushy iced beverage. ($99.95; williams-sonoma.com)
BLOOMING BULBS
In 2015, the vision of a lighting collection began to form between the late Hinkley CEO Rick Wiedemer and Laguna Beach designer Lisa McDennon, founder of Nuance Home + Lifestyle. The Lisa McDennon Collection officially debuted in 2018, creating some of the most sought-after designs in the Hinkley portfolio. Flora, the latest chandelier from The Lisa McDennon Collection for Hinkley, is a work of art inspired by the delicate nature and beauty of florals. Blurring the line between lighting and sculpture, the handmade, hand-painted blooms mesmerizingly unfold while the bulbs nestle inside. “Inspiration from Flora comes from my love of nature —being surrounded by flowers, plants and trees is an important part of my life and design,” says McDennon. “I wanted to honor this, and create a sculptural and ethereal homage to my muse, while at the same time reflecting a modern coastal influence.” Available in burnished gold or textured plaster finishes, Flora is part of an array of styles McDennon created for Hinkley. ($2,199; lisamcdennon.com/collections)
CANDLES FOR PEACE
Celsius54’s twist candle for Ukraine, a special edition of Netherlands-based designer Lex Pott’s statement homeware candle, combines the country’s flag colors of blue and gold in a sleek modern design. The Celsius54 Candle Co. is donating $25 for every Ukraine Twist candle sold, with funds going to Sunflower of Peace, a Boston, MA based charity directly helping victims of the war. The nonprofit organization has a mission to mobilize support and aid for Ukrainian orphans, internally displaced persons, and those most affected by the current situation by providing medical assistance and other necessities. Due to the current crisis, Sunflower of Peace started a new fundraiser to provide medical and humanitarian aid that will be used by the paramedics and doctors in the areas that are most affected by the violence in Ukraine. Candles are $40. (54celsius.com)
COLORFUL STATEMENTS
Toronto born SoCal artist David Krovblit is equal parts artist and surfer, which is why the imagery in his large format collages use allegory and mythology to tell cautionary tales about consumerism, consumption, and the human condition, especially when it comes to his beloved ocean as seen in this image, “Porthole: Deep Dive.” Krovblit, whose original whimsical and colorfullarge scale images have been featured at The Laguna Art Museum, The Foosaner Art Museum, The Museum of Art and Design at The Miami Dade College, Brea Gallery at The Brea Civic and Cultural Center and most recently at the restored Hotel Laguna, fuses images from vintage books and magazines with his original photography to make luxurious, hand-assembled collages which he cuts and assembles on custom baltic birch panels that he builds in his San Clemente? studio. Krovblit says he considers himself “a curator of lost images,” repackaging the beauty he finds in the world to build an entirely new story. (krovblit.com)
