Ah it’s that time of year again, as evidenced by the arrival of the invitation to the always fabulous Kneedler Fauchere for a reception after the Jack Lenor Larsen event…

I can remember the first day I ever entered the Pacific Design Center. I was an intern working for Trisha Wilson and Associates in the summer of 1997. I was in my fourth semester of design school in New Orleans and at some point in February it occurred to me that in inevitably hot New Orleans summer was fast approaching, and that I really had to learn more about the eclectic architectural styles of Los Angeles. I got on the phone and called my Mississippi boys who lived in Los Angeles, and well, honestly most of them are gay and I thought “surely ONE of you has some interior design contacts!”

Well, I was not wrong, and they did not disappoint. By Easter I had three interviews: with Disney Studios‘ interior design department, with Kreiss furniture, and with Trisha Wilson and Associates. I flew to LA and spent a four day weekend to play a little and meet the people who may shape my career. The Disney interview really just fell through – they had some turnover, and well, I took it as an omen. I had a fun meeting with Tom Kreiss and the friends who arranged the interview, and determined that I would consider the job if it was offered, Kreiss is nice, but it really was more about sales.

I had never heard of Trisha Wilson and I couldn’t imagine that if I hadn’t heard of her, how big could she be? Oh, how naive was I? As I sat in the board room speaking with the designers, I saw incredible project boards. Design projects like Caesar’s Palace, huge residences in Tokyo, Restaurants in Bellagio – just to name a few. It was exactly where I wanted to be – a place where they actually designed things, had them made and then installed them. I was told at the interview that I would be placed in a pool of interns to work the Library – where all the catalogues and samples of everything the designers would use to plan projects! It was like being in a candy store! I loved them, and hey – Beverly Hills wasn’t bad!

I know I digress – the post is supposed to be about WestWeek at the PDC and I promise to wrap it up in time for you to make it to the parties.