Pacific Design Center is a three-building structure meant to serve the Los Angeles creative community in various creative capacities. The original “Blue Whale” building, which was designed by Argentinian architect, Cesar Pelli, in the 1970s, is where one can find home designer showroom displays ranging from traditional, as well as modern and/or contemporary, styles of fabrics, floor coverings, plumbing fixtures, lighting, wall coverings, and miscellaneous home accessories (think throw pillows, bed linen, coffee table books and furniture). This is a destination place for professional interior designers, architects, office facility managers, even the occasional homeowner looking to gain inspiration for how to furnish a new home. Many beautiful displays of emerging and established designer international brands can be found here. Even if one leaves empty handed, creative inspiration alone would be enough to make a visit to the Pacific Design Center worthwhile.

The 450,000 square-foot Green Building was later added in 1988 to cater to the growing needs of the interior design community. In addition to showrooms and office spaces, mid-size to large venues are here either to serve as potential convention gathering spaces or memorable urban events, such as launch or holiday parties or receptions. There’s even a film screen room available for rental here.

The 400,000 square-foot Red Building was finally completed in 2012, serving as a building housing various creative office spaces for related design and/or art-related disciplines of entertainment, fashion, technology and advertising.

While I have frequented the Blue Whale and Green buildings during my design school days, I have not been back since 2005. I recently found myself having to attend a creative meeting at the Pacific Design Center last week. It was after the meeting that I realized that, for whatever reason, I have never visited MOCA at the Pacific Design Center.

I made a mental note to visit the Pacific Design Center not only to leisurely peruse the beautiful creativity on display in the designer showrooms, but to finally get myself into the 3,000 square foot exhibition space of MOCA at the Pacific Design Center. Even though I by no means aspire to be, nor ever want to be, an interior designer, textile designer, furniture designer, etc., I often turn to art in varying disciplines for inspiration and it was my hope that, by immersing myself in other design disciplines, I can gain creative insight in order to grow as visual artist.

Rick Owens: Furniture, displayed in tandem with a smaller exhibition of the canvas works by Steven Parrino, are the current exhibitions featured at MOCA at the Pacific Design Center. Initially a fashion designer, artist Rick Owens shifted his artistic pursuits into geometric furniture design. Following in the legacy of 1960’s Minimalism, Owens approached his furniture and sculpture design with the expected clean lines and pre-fabricated materials alongside with his purposeful addition of the organic and/or easily attainable, such as the use of camel skin or the use of manmade Gorilla tape, to further add to the discussion of what design originality is.

While a small sampling of exhibition was on display the day of my visit, Rick Owens: Furniture remains impactful by way of seeing how his works can sit alongside the even smaller canvas collection of works by Steven Parrino. Art and design, architecture and art, tactile and pliable — all these notions somehow go together.

Check out the exhibition when you can before it concludes two days from now. I would be interested to hear whether you were similarly impacted by the works.

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Pacific Design Center
8687 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90069
http://www.pacificdesigncenter.com/
Free Admission

Rick Owens: Furniture (December 17, 2016 through April 2, 2017)
MOCA at the Pacific Design Center
8687 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90069
http://www.moca.org/exhibition/rickowensfurniture
Free Admission

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