HAPPY CAMPER: BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE’S NEW CAFE IN JAPAN IS “ACCIDENTALLY WES ANDERSON” PERFECT! THINK WE’RE IN LOVE!

Like something out of a Wes Anderson film, this Blue Bottle Coffee cafe in Nagoya, Japan, is a too-perfect, polished, … More

PARKS AND REC: A QUICK VISIT TO TOKYO’S POPULAR “ROBOT PARK”!

Tucked away on a hillside between two leafy residential blocks of central Tokyo sits Sakurazaka Park. Better known colloquially as … More

ARCHITECTURE 101: WHAT IS “GOOGIE” ARCHITECTURE?

Googie architecture is a style of modernist architecture that emerged in the United States in the mid-20th century, predominantly in … More

DEUS EX MACHINA: THIS TOKYO VENDING MACHINE SOLVES OUR THIRD-WAVE COFFEE LUST!

A cluster of vending machines stands on a Roppongi street corner next to a small public parking lot a few … More

HOUSE BEAUTIFUL: MR. DOODLE TURNS 12-ROOM U.K. MANSION INTO TRULY EPIC GRAFFITI ART CANVAS!

British artist Sam Cox, better known as Mr. Doodle, spent roughly two years during the COVID pandemic painting black-on-white doodles … More

PRINTED MATTER: THE TINY TOKYO BOOKSTORE STUFFED WITH AMAZING COLLECTION OF ART-PHOTO BOOKS!

It’s the little bookstore crammed with enough books to fill a shop twice its size. It’s the Shelf bookshop in … More

ON THE SCENE : DESIGN VISION, STYLE & SURF CULTURE AT MOLLUSK!

The Mollusk surf shop in Santa Barbara, California is a beautiful showpiece of a retail space. It’s the recent addition … More

ARCHITECTURAL DEATH: THE DEMOLITION OF ICONIC TOKYO BUILDING!

The Nakagin Capsule Tower Building in Tokyo is an unmissable architectural oddity and gem in the heart of the Japanese … More

NEW ISSUE OF BELOVED, ARTSY INTERNATIONAL SHELTER MAG HAS ARRIVED AND WE FEEL BLESSED!

The new issue of Apartamento magazine arrived in the mail from Barcelona, Spain last week ands we’ve been savoring its … More

BEAN HERE NOW : OUR NEW COFFEE STATION UNVEILED

Here’s the coffee set-up at our headquarters. We put up these shelves above the counter where the coffee-making gear is … More

SHAMEFUL OR SMART? : TOKYO OLYMPICS ARCHITECTURE LACKS OVERPRICED, PRETENTIOUS NEW TROPHY BUILDINGS!!!

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will open this week in the here and now of 2021. The world’s biggest sporting and … More

TRANSPARENT THINGS: THE MINIMALIST GLASS CUBE THAT TURNS THE WORLD RED!

Artist Larry Bell’s red, glass cubes at MOCA Los Angeles are a masterful use of color, materials and space. The … More

PUMPIN’!: THE MOST BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED GAS STATIONS IN THE WORLD!

Gas stations tend to be pretty bland and merely functional when it comes to architectural design. Many are drab, dirty … More

WATERING HOLE: HOTEL BAR EVOKES BYGONE ERA OF CALIFORNIA DESERT GLAMOUR!

“Hola, Amigo!” That’s what you should say when you enter the hotel bar of the Ace Hotel and Swim Club … More

ARCHI-TORTURE: SOMEBODY’S BUILDING A MEMORIAL TO THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC

An architecture firm in Montevideo, Uruguay is building the worlds first memorial to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The firm is … More

CAFFEINATED MINIMALISM: ON THE SCENE AT SUR COFFEE

We made a stop at Sur Coffee over the past weekend. It’s a cafe with a roastery in San Clemente, … More

IN TOKYO: SIGN ON BUILDING LEAVES LITTLE DOUBT AS TO CONTENTS WITHIN

As you approach Little Darling Coffee Roasters for the first time, you’re not sure you’re in the right place. It’s … More

SMOKING DOG IN BATHROOM

MINIMALIST CONSTRUCTION HOARDING

ARCHITECTURE: IF PAUL SMITH DESIGNED AN OFFICE BUILDING IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE THIS

ADDICTIONS: NEON SIGN PERFECTLY EXPRESSES COFFEE VICE

But first, coffee! Absofuckinlutely! Before anything, we need our espresso. In the summer, preferably four shots over lots of ice. … More

BEACH CULTURE: AT THE VENICE BEACH SKATE PARK

“LIKE MAN I’M TIRED (OF WAITING)”

ON THE SCENE AT TORTOISE

ARCHITORTURE: GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY, WHERE TOURISTS AND NERDS BEAUTIFULLY COLLIDE!

One of Los Angeles’s great landmarks is the Griffith Observatory, an architectural gem that mixes art-deco and Mayan aesthetics. It’s … More

GAMEY: VINTAGE PACHINKO MACHINE HAS SEEN THINGS

This vintage Japanese pachinko machine sits on the floor in the corner of a small conference room at the L.A. … More

HOTNESS: BUILDING-ON-BUILDING ACTION

High-rise condo building reflected in windows of a modern glass-and-steel skyscraper in Akasaka, Tokyo.

ARCHITORTURE: ART-DECO MOVIE THEATER MAKES US WONDER IF WE’VE GONE BACK IN TIME

The Aero movie theater on tony Montana Avenue on Santa Monica’s northside is a Los Angeles treasure. A working cinema … More

ARCHITORTURE: MODERN-CONTEMPORARY BUILDING TOO BEAUTIFUL TO LOOK AT

Somebody do something, PLEASE! This building … it … it .. hurts our eyes. It’s just too damn beautiful. Must … More

SPACES: HIPSTER-MEXICO SURF CHIC

Salt Fish Surf Co is a surfy boutique in Venice, in Los Angeles, run by the effusive and friendly French … More

BRUTALISTS IN LEGOLAND!

You, savvy reader, are probably a fan of architecture. If not of architecture in and of itself, then perhaps as … More

ARCHITORTURE: WHEN DESIGN WENT GOOGIE-EYED

Architectural styles are subject to the tastes, fashion and trends of a given era. Some architecture stands the test of … More

ARCHITORTURE: PERFORMING ARTS VENUE GOES POST-POST-MODERN

“I WANT A PRESIDENT”

Artist Zoe Leonard’s 2016 public art project under the Standard Hotel building on the High Line in New York City … More

NEWS FLASH: “SPANTO IS A ‘KOOK’” AND OTHER MYSTERIES OF DEEP VENICE

Sooooooo … Spanto is a Kook. “Who is Spanto? Why is he a kook?” you ask, savvy reader. These are … More

KICKS: GIANT FOOT STICKING OUT FROM ROOF OF HOLLYWOOD STORE “TOO INSTAGRAMMABLE”

Can something be too Instagrammable? That is the question, savvy reader. Our initial thought is, “Yes, yes something can be. … More

CITY LIFE: BIRD MURAL RUINS OTHERWISE COLD, SLEEK, OVERPRICED MINIMALIST CONDO & PERFECTIONIST LIFESTYLE

Text by Van Corsa Imagine. You’ve made it. Went to school. Got a job in a tech start-up. Paid off … More

LUST: A VISIT TO “LONE WOLFS’” LOS ANGELES MUSIC STUDIO

The hyper-aesthetically single-minded and stylistically dialed-in guys who started Lone Wolfs (sic), a surf shop and brand in Los Angeles, … More

CLICHE UPDATE: YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF SURFBOARD AS DECOR

A few months ago we posted on the phenomena of shops and restaurants upgrading their space with the simple act … More

RETAIL DESIGN: WHEN YOUR “SHOPPING EXPERIENCE” IS A WORKING GARAGE FOR MOTORBIKE REPAIR

The idea is genius, if maybe accidental and gimmicky to the extreme. HWY is a shop on Sunset Blvd. in … More

GINGERBREAD HOUSES: IS KITSCHY HOLIDAY CRAFT ON CUSP OF BECOMING LEGIT FORM OF SERIOUS ARTISTIC EXPRESSION?

We are fans of architecture. Even more so we are fans of “architectural design.” However, kitsch and the aesthetics of … More

DECK THE WALLS: SKATEBOARDS AS DECOR – THE HORROR!

There’s really no excuse for this. Unless it’s a college dormitory or your parents’ basement or the living room of … More

ART OF OUR TIME: “MERELY DECORATIVE”? JAPANESE ARTIST YAYOI KUSAMA’S BALLOONS

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s current exhibition at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles is a sensation. It’s a huge bona fide … More

POLITICAL BORDERS: THE AESTHETICS OF GEOGRAPHIC DIVISION

The New York Times has just published a fascinating article titled “Eight Ways to Build a Border Wall” that looks … More

CONFUSION: “ART-NOT-ART” STREET ART

A funny thing about “art.” Sometimes the happiest of aesthetic accidents happen as a consequence of totally non-artistic impulses. Take … More

Informative: Tips on Retail Decor Part 1 – Surfboards

Want to add a bit of sexy, aspirational flair to your retail / dining / third-wave coffee establishment, something with … More

Daydreaming A Little Daydream at Dreamy Daydream

The space at Daydream Coffee and Surf in Costa Mesa, California is great, but it’s missing a few things that … More

New Issue of International Hipster Design-Porn Mag “Apartamento” Arrives!

We love Apartamento magazine. And so should you. The new issue of this mag devoted to “everyday interiors” and design/designers … More

Unbearable Cuteness x Freakishness: Artwork at a Venice Beach Surf Shop

Mollusk is the wonderful name of a wonderful surf shop in Venice Beach, Los Angeles. It’s one of three such … More

“Mirage” at Desert X

Like a shiny extra-terrestrial bobble tucked into the foothills above Palm Springs, “Mirage” by Los Angeles-based artist Doug Aitken is … More

The Awesomeness of the Pacific Design Center

The collection of buildings that make up the Pacific Design Center is a bold, massive landmark of West Hollywood, in … More

Common Room

The branding of coffee roaster and cafe Common Room in Costa Mesa, California is a simple two-dimensional, flat icon of … More

Massive Street Art in L.A. Arts District

We love it when artists create street art that incoporates the architectural elements of the building, like the epic-scaled artwork … More

Pop-up for David Hockney

Maximalist German publisher Taschen, producer of epic coffee-table books devoted to all things art and design, has recently given its Los … More

“Rock the Dots” Minnie Mouse Mural at Alfred Coffee

Murals of iconic Disney cartoon character Minnie Mouse recently have been popping up at locations of the hip Alfred Coffee … More

Bicycle-Shaped Bicycle Rack

There must be a word in the English language for when a thing is designed to look like another object … More

The Vista

A classic example of Los Angeles movie-theater architecture from the early days of cinema, the Vista on Sunset Boulevard in … More

Skull of Converse

This decorative installation artwork at the Converse concept store in Santa Monica, in Los Angeles, is a spooky and clever … More

Minimalist Architecture in the Evening

In terms of architectural minimalism in Los Angeles, the picture speaks for itself.

Warm Minimalist Shelf Architecture at A.P.C.

The Parisian clothing and retail brand A.P.C. recently opened a shop in Silver Lake in Los Angeles. Like may of … More

DIY Taco Stand Architecture

This taco stand popped up at the biannual Echo Park Craft Fair in Silver Lake this past weekend. It seems … More

Entrance to MOCA / Geffen Contemporary

We’re not religious. But museums are our cathedrals, our churches and temples, our shrines. MoMA may be the modern art … More

Monrow at Dusk

The clothing brand Monrow will soon be opening a retail concept store in this tiny, old California-style bungalow near Venice … More

Street Art as Office Decor

We recently went to a series of meetings at a creative agency in Southern California. The walls of the conference … More

What the Original Gold’s Gym in Venice Looks Like Now

The original location of the iconic and legendary bodybuilding mecca Gold’s Gym is a block away from the sands of … More

On the Scene at Menotti’s Coffee Shop in Venice

The cafe at Menotti’s Coffee is a third-wave espresso joint and a friendly little hub for the legion of caffeinated … More

Los Angeles Contemporary Architecture

On the Scene at Arcana Books

Among our favorite places in Los Angeles is the Arcana bookstore in Culver City. It’s specialized in “books on the … More

“Love Wall” by JGoldcrown at Alfred Coffee … Silver Lake, Los Angeles

UK artist J Goldcrown has made these “Lovewall” / “Bleeding Hearts” murals of simple, spray-painted hearts part of the urban … More

Mystery Boy Sticker … Venice, Los Angeles

We’ve seen these mysterious circular stickers of a boy’s face around Los Angeles in recent weeks. The face is drawn … More

Epic Mural by Sol LeWitt at SFMoMA … San Francisco

The artwork of the late American conceptual and minimalist artist Sol LeWitt dominates the new mezzanine-level ticket lobby of the … More

Halloween Expression on a Campground RV

Some campers at the Carpinteria Beach campground near Santa Barbara, California decked out their camper with some funny, inventive Halloween … More

Thatched Hut Video Art Installation by Simone Leigh … Hammer Museum, Los Angeles

The work of Brooklyn-based artist Simone Leigh explores many themes. Among these are the African diaspora and identity. A small exhibition … More

Cool Spaces – Enclosed Work Park at TBWA Offices … Los Angeles

The work space at the Los Angeles offices of mega-global advertising agency TBWA (a.k.a, TBWA Chiat Day) is epic and … More

“A Quick Perspective”

Kevin Wisbith runs a YouTube series called “A Quick Perspective” and has posted a series of images on Imgur that show … More

Plain Minimalist All-White Leather Sneakers … Venice, Los Angeles

We recently popped into the Rag & Bone store on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice, in Los Angeles, to try … More

The Oculus Bridge at SFMoMA … San Francisco

One of the distinct features of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art ( SFMoMA ) is its architectural design, … More

“Love” by DFace … West Adams, Los Angeles

Alongside Interstate 10, otherwise known at the Santa Monica Freeway, there’s a massive mural by street-art star DFace on the … More

“256 Colours” by Gerhard Richter at SFMoMA … San Francisco

We’re fans of German visual artist Gerhard Richter, perhaps best known for his “capitalist realism” and his photo-realistic and “blur” paintings. … More

Tourist Architecture + Scene … Waikiki, Honolulu

Graffiti Art Next to Vacant Lot … Shibuya, Tokyo

Street Art at Sneaker Emporium “California Street” … Daikanyama, Tokyo

Japanese Election Campaign Posters on a Wall … Naka-Meguro, Tokyo

The optics and media of Japanese political election campaigns are fascinating for their restraint and orderliness. Campaign posters for the various … More