STAR TREATMENT
Taking inspiration from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and friends who’d gushed about visiting West Hollywood (WeHo) and Palm Springs, I went with my husband and two teenage sons on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to those three Californian hotspots. The reason? To celebrate turning 50 and to explore the great SoCal (Southern California) design and cuisine I had long admired. And in case you’re wondering, we also squeezed in the amazing new Star Wars attraction at Disneyland so the kids really were alright…
I COULDN’T GET ENOUGH OF THE LUXURY FURNITURE, FINISHES AND FABRIC STORES AT THE PACIFIC DESIGN CENTER.
Our plane landed in LA at 6am the day before my birthday, and we hit the ground running in the design district of WeHo. First up was a coffee at Zinqué (), followed by a walk through much of the 150,000-square-metre Pacific Design Center () opposite. I couldn’t get enough of the luxury furniture, finishes and fabric stores there, and seeing well-dressed interior designers with their clients in tow. Just as the boys were feeling snoozy, Laura from Architecture Tours LA () pulled up outside in her comfortable car and drove us to some of the most impressive built structures in the area, including a house by my favourite architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. She was a fascinating source of information past and present, and only one of us slept through it.
