Drive-by Design: Phyllis Morris, 'SuperStar'

"What would Phyllis do?" That's the question printed on the showroom windows of the late, legendarily over-the-top West Hollywood designer Phyllis Morris (1925-1988), a blond bombshell who built her business by peddling pink plaster poodle lamps from her pink Cadillac in the 1950s. 

The answer: She'd paint her pets to match her outfits and really put on a show. Actually, this display at 655 N. Robertson Blvd. is meant to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Morris' Pop Art creation "SuperStar." Created as a poster in 1964 by Morris, the one-eyed beauty queen (equal parts Andy Warhol and Mary Quant) has now become a graphic wall covering designed by Morris' daughter and torchbearer, Jamie Adler.

"No Botox, no Rejuvaderm, not even Photoshopping," says Phyllis Morris rep Greg Frilotte. "That's the staying power of an alluring face."

See photos of the original poster and a recent installation of the wallpaper after the jump.

Alexander Girard shows you the way to the facilities at Herman Miller's new L.A. showroom

If my Alexander Girard-loving colleague Deborah Netburn should ever go AWOL, I know one place to look for her.

While touring the new Los Angeles Herman Miller showroom (full report chock-full of photos to come) I encountered a sculpture in the entry courtyard entitled "Daisy Face." It's a three-dimensional version of one of the folk-art modern designs that Girard created for Henry Miller, the manufacturer of midcentury classics by Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson.

The sculpture was constructed by Propp and Guerin, the San Francisco firm in charge of the showroom's graphics. Their giant mural shown here is based on a Girard illustration called "Black and White" created for Herman Miller in 1971. It's a mix of Picasso and the universal visual language signs used to indicate restrooms. And, wouldn't you know? It's in the hallway where the ladies room is located, making that facility incredibly easy and delightful to find. (No, I didn't see how it was decorated inside.)

See "Daisy Face" after the jump.

-- David A. Keeps

Photo credits: Jay Clendenin / For The Times

Drive-By Design: King Kong-meets-donkey mural

Some levity for your weekend: Driving down Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake, I was stopped in my tracks by this ferocious-looking ape-mural overlooking a six-space parking lot at Westerly Terrace. Now the King Kong with crown and donkey ears catches my eye every time I pass. I climbed the stairs leading to the early Craftsman home above to ask about the odd painting. I got few details, but my guess is that the lot was painted to scare off non-tenants from parking there. I wouldn't leave my car there if you paid me. The ape gives me the heebie-jeebies. To catch a larger glimpse of the mural, go with the jump.

The Moreton Bay fig, 100 years old and still giving

 

The stately Moreton Bay fig on the 1300 block of Carroll Avenue in the Angeleno Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles holds its own among the historic Victorians that line the street. The tree, right, is an original planting from the turn of the 20th century, when ladies strolled with parasols and the horse and buggy were the order of the day. Today, its magnificent canopy offers shade on hot summer days, and its bodacious roots are large enough to sit on. The tree, Ficus macrophylla, originally from Australia, grows to about 75 feet tall by 150 feet wide.

A while back, the Home section wrote about a Santa Monica street, above, where the lovely canopy of Moreton Bay figs turned out to be a happy accident -- one that ultimately became a link among neighbors. In case you missed it, we've posted the story after the jump.

-- Barbara Thornburg

Photo credits, from top: Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times; Barbara Thornburg / Los Angeles Times

Drive-By Design: A garage library? Well, sort of ...

Garage doors generally fall into the not-terribly-interesting category. At least that's what I used to think. While walking with my dog this week on Mulholland Highway under the Hollywood sign, I spotted this garage door painted as if it were a library. The trompe l'oeil is the brainchild of Lee Dembart, a former editorial writer and book reviewer for the L.A. Times. (I swear I didn't know when I knocked on his door at 8:15 in the morning.) He had the mural painted in 2005 by artist Don Gray, who now resides in Oregon. How come? "I love books," was Dembart's answer. "They're my passion."  Seems like a good enough reason to me.

Maybe painting your passion on your garage door will start a trend. It is like a large, blank canvas. More photos, including details of the mural, after the jump.

The Empty Vase: the story behind the topiary

 

I shift to a crawl when I'm driving past the Empty Vase on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. I can't resist owner Saeed Babaeean's take on topiary animals -- a brontosaur (sans tail), mom and daughter giraffes, a large rabbit and more.

Topiary, the art of clipping live shrubs or trees into decorative shapes, has been around for centuries. Think Louis XIV's gardens at Versailles in France. But growing a hedge and shaping it into balls, cones and spirals -- let along a life-size horse -- can take years. Babaeean has sped up the process, fashioning metal forms in the shape of animals, then stuffing them with moss and planting them with ivy. Depending on the climate, a piece will be covered in three to six months.

Bestor Architecture's mural at Thomas Starr King

When the students at Thomas Starr King Middle School in Silver Lake go back to school Sept. 9, they will receive a warm welcome courtesy of their neighbors at Bestor Architecture. The firm designed a vibrant "welcome" mural at the entrance to the building.

“We wanted to do something that was bold and graphic and environmental,” says architect Barbara Bestor, who volunteered her firm's services pro bono. It all came together, she says, in a week's time: The firm designed the mural, a fine painter outlined the details -- "welcome" in 12 languages reflecting the diverse student body -- and volunteers at the annual Big Sunday community service event finished the painting. "We wanted to enliven the space and make it friendly and warm,” Bestor says.

Look for more positive changes along Fountain Avenue, as Bestor hopes to tackle the front of the school in the future. In the meantime, for a peek inside Bestor's own home, built across the street from Frank Lloyd Wright's landmark Ennis House, check out staff writer David A. Keeps' photo gallery, story and sidebar on her resources for lighting, fabrics, furniture and more.

-- Lisa Boone

Photo credit: Selena Linkous

Only in L.A.: El Conquistador in Silver Lake dons Lakers' colors

Not long ago, we blogged about an enthusiastic Lakers fan who painted his house in purple and gold. Recently I spotted another building following suit: El Conquistador Mexican restaurant in Silver Lake.

The eye-popping color scheme is accented with imagery of a dancing señorita and a caballero with his horse for an only-in-L.A. drive-by experience.

The fountain in the tiny greenspace next door also got a coating. Do three sightings in two months make a trend? To see more (if you're up for it), click to the jump.

-- Barbara Thornburg

Drive-By Design: Mona Lisa reinterpreted at Traction and Rose in L.A.

 

While driving around the Arts District in downtown L.A., I passed this wistful-looking Mona Lisa at Traction Avenue and Rose Street. She's definitely not the Renaissance painting by Leonardo da Vinci hanging at the Louvre in Paris, but a newly reinterpreted version complete with Salvador Dali mustache and goatee. She -- or should I say he? -- is still as mysterious as ever.  L.A.'s neighborhoods never fail to surprise. To see other views, click to the jump.

Furnishings al fresco at Kreiss' 40th annual parking lot sale

   

At Kreiss' 40th annual parking lot sale, floor samples (sofas, chairs, lamps, mirrors, umbrellas, tables, desks, etc.) are slashed up to 70%. The store, known for its California contemporary look (sofas are often overscaled with comfy down upholstery), has been supplying furnishings for Southern California homes since it began in 1960. The cost is a bit on the pricey side -- this is no IKEA -- but the quality is excellent and all the furniture is made locally at the company's headquarters in San Diego. Should you decide you don't want to buy samples that have been occasionally sat on or laid upon -- ewww! -- Bob Kreiss will give 40% off on any new purchase. Now that's a bargain. To take a peek at a few items you'll see at the sale that runs until July 31, click to the jump.