SHOPPING IN PRIVATE
Since 2003, design retailer and curator David Alhadeff has built a reputation for spotting unique talent and then matching makers with buyers. The Future Perfect, his design showroom and gallery that started in Brooklyn before expanding into Manhattan and San Francisco, has been a go-to source for a clientele seeking the unexpected and avantgarde.
Bringing the Future Perfect to Los Angeles, however, required unorthodox thinking that’s resulted in Casa Perfect, Alhadeff’s Southern California outpost housed in a Hollywood Hills midcentury modern residence.
“I don’t really understand Los Angeles retail,” he confessed.
“It’s a very different experiential idea of the drive-by, big stores. You go in, and they’re consistently empty.”
His latest retail project is in a jaw-dropping location: a 1957 post-and-beam, single-family home designed by architect David Hyun with postcard-ready, dramatic city views above Sunset Plaza.
Although this private setting is a far cry from the heavily foot-trafficked and public settings of Manhattan’s NoHo neighborhood and Sacramento Street in San Francisco, it’s proving to be an apt outlet for Alhadeff to explore his design philosophy and collaborative nature.
“We could do it in a space like this that can provide more charm, and something more special for people to wrap their head around our brand and what our collection looks like,” Alhadeff said.
Los Angeles audiences have been receptive to unconventional venues. For instance, the Apartment by the Line blurs boundaries between home and retail on Melrose Place, and at Siglo Moderno, designer Jorge Luis Cruzata’s curated assortment of new and vintage goods stand where pews once lined the interior of an 80-plus-year-old former church building in Silver Lake.
That said, Casa Perfect reflects Alhadeff’s contextual approach to design.
“We’re not setting it up as a house per se, but we are going to tell stories within the spaces,” he said.
“So I wanted lots of rooms to do that in, and I wanted the flow to feel really natural.” The four-bedroom house flooded with light and thoughtful architecture proves ideal for the task.
Los Angeles-specific efforts include a furniture hardware collaboration between jewelry designer and photographer Lisa Eisner and powerhouse firm Commune, and pieces by L.A. ceramicist Eric Roinestad. Some designers and makers with whom Alhadeff has a long-established relationship, such as lighting designer Lindsey Adelman, De La Espada and Calico Wallpaper, will be part of the Casa Perfect mix too.
“There’s no reason to open in L.A. particularly,” Alhadeff said, since “I already sell to L.A. a lot” via the San Francisco and New York City stores, plus the Future Perfect website. “If I didn’t like L.A., we wouldn’t be here.”
Casa Perfect is seen by appointment only. (323) 202-2025. thefutureperfect.com.