People

Source: laconservancy.org

Born in 1922, Richard Dorman was raised in Los Angeles and helped shape the architectural landscape of the city. Before he was an architect, Dorman fought in World War II as a pilot, flying 35 missions over the Pacific. After the war, Dorman used funds from the GI Bill to attend architecture school at the University of Southern California. 

Upon graduating from USC, Dorman was invited to work for Welton Becket and Associates where he was the assistant chief designer for five years before leaving to start his own architectural firm in 1956. Initially, the architect primarily designed industrial buildings, but he ultimately moved on to the commercial and residential designs for which he became most popular. 

Dorman was

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William Krisel is among the pioneering architects who helped define and drive affordable, modernist tract housing in Southern California. Born in Shanghai in 1924 to American parents who were working abroad for the U.S. State Department, Krisel drafted his first house at just 11 years old. Krisel’s father sent the drawing to an architect who said that Krisel had the talent to become an architect himself, which is exactly what he did. 

Krisel remained in China until he was 13 before moving back to the United States. When he was 18, Krisel was assigned as a Chinese interpreter during World War II. While in the Army, he spoke with other soldiers about their plans for after the war, which ultimately informed his architectural

Source: inexhibit.com

In addition to October 31st being a day of costumes, trick or treating, and parties, it’s also the day that architect Zaha Hadid was born. Zaha Hadid was an Iraqi architect and the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize, receiving the award in 2004. She also received the Stirling Prize, the UK’s most esteemed architectural award, in 2010 and 2011, and was the first woman to win the RIBA Gold Medal. 

Hadid was born in Baghdad in 1950 to her father, a wealthy, liberal industrialist, and her mother, an artist. The upper-class family took many trips to ancient Sumerian cities during Hadid’s childhood, which she has said sparked her interest in architecture. After attending boarding school in England and Switzerland,

Source: daledoesthedesert.com; portrait by Julius Schulman

Albert Frey was an American architect from Switzerland who created his own style of modernist architecture in Palm Springs, called “desert modernism.” Frey attended architecture school in Zurich in 1924, where he received technical building instruction while studying the De Stijl, Bauhaus, and modernism movements, all of which heavily influenced his design style. 

In 1928, Frey became one of two full-time employees in the Paris atelier, working under the supervision and guidance of architects Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. Frey left Paris the same year for the United States but retained a strong friendship with Le Corbusier throughout his life. 

Being that Frey was the first U.S.

This year, Etsy launched its first-ever design awards, aptly named The Etsies, which honor the best of the best makers and designers on the site. Awards were issued in five categories: Earth-Friendly, Inventive Decor, Festive Celebrations, Signature Style, and Creative Collaborations. Etsy asked the public to nominate their favorite products in each category, then a panel of experts judged the entries on the shortlist to determine the winners of each category. They also chose a special Grand Prize Winner, who took home a $15,000 prize. 

We highlighted the winners so you can see for yourself how innovative, beautiful, and useful these designs are, and potentially add one (or all) to your Etsy shopping cart. 

Grand Prize Winner: Sien Zeng,

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Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier, was a prolific Swiss-French designer, architect, writer, and artist in addition to being among the pioneers of modern architecture. Born in 1887, Le Corbusier grew up with an interest in the arts, which was heavily influenced by his father, a watch craftsman, and his mother, a musician. 

When he was 13, Le Corbusier attended Arts Decoratifs at La Chaux-de-Fonds where he followed his father’s footsteps, studying the art of engraving and enameling watches. During his time there, Le Corbusier learned from Charles L’Eplatteneir, a Swiss painter and architect who taught him about art history, drawing, architecture, and art nouveau. 

L'Eplatteneir encouraged Le Corbusier

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Rudolph Schindler is among the most prominent Southern California architects in history, famous for his innovative contributions to modern architecture. He was born in Austria to a father who was a wood and metal craftsman and a mother who was a dressmaker. He studied architecture at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, graduating in 1911 and becoming inspired by the foremost modern architects of the early 20th century, like Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos, and Frank Lloyd Wright. 

During his time at the university, Schindler met Richard Neutra, who would become a lifelong friend and friendly design adversary. Both architects followed similar career trajectories, moving to Los Angeles and becoming among the most important architects who

Source: East Side Costa Mesa Cliff May home, represented by Todd Bousman

Cliff May is an American architect who famously pioneered the California Ranch House. May was born and raised in San Diego, where he began designing and building Monterey-style furniture. Without a formal architecture education, May began designing homes, completing his first home in 1931 at the age of 23, which was a one-story tile-roofed house with a courtyard inspired by his family's adobe ranch house. 

Despite the Great Depression, May quickly sold his first design and continued to develop his groundbreaking style. May’s designs emphasized livability over facade. He sought to create homes in perfect harmony with the way that people wanted to live, maximizing the experiences

Source: kellywearstler.com

It’s not an overstatement to say that Kelly Wearstler is among the most prominent interior designers in the world. Born in Myrtle Beach, Wearstler attended college in Boston at the Massachusetts College of Art before moving to New York to intern for Milton Glaser. Upon graduating, Wearstler moved to Los Angeles where she opened her own interior design firm in 1995. Uniquely, a year prior to opening her firm, Wearstler posed as September’s Playmate of the Month, which helped her pay off her student loans and open her own business. 

Shortly after opening her firm, Wearstler decorated the home of real estate developer Brad Korzen, whom she later married. This project led her to design many of the residential and hotel

Source: vogue.co.uk

Born in Chicago, Brigette Romanek made her way to Los Angeles after realizing her passion for interior design. The former singer and handbag designer's first interior design project was a collaboration with her friend and cofounder of nonprofit Baby2Baby, Kelly Sawyer Patricof. She helped Patricof outfit her Malibu home and has worked as a designer ever since. She now runs a highly successful design company in L.A. - Hancock Design - with her business partner Estee Stanley. 

Romanek’s inventive work has led her to become among L.A.’s most sought-after interior designers. Romanek is entirely self-taught, which may contribute to why her designs are particularly imaginative and compelling. Rather than stick to rigid design rules and