David Netto on Pillow Lust and Where He Drinks Manhattans

Raised in New York among design’s elite (his father owned the fabric house Cowtan & Tout), David Netto first studied at Harvard Graduate School of Design before dropping out to set up his own studio in 2000.

Since then, he has specialized in interiors that don’t follow conventions, infusing warmth into modern spaces and adding wit and exoticism to traditional interiors. His projects have appeared in the pages of Vogue, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, House & Garden, and Veranda, and he’s penned a book on the work and life of François Catroux. (Don’t miss David Netto speaking at Legends X this May)

Along the way, he created (and later sold) a beloved modern children’s furniture line, Netto Collection, and worked as a contributing editor to the Wall Street Journal and T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Netto currently writes for Town & Country. Based in Los Angeles since 2009, you can catch him zipping around the LCDQ on his way from his family’s Neutra home in Silver Lake or his Koreatown office in The Talmadge building. He stopped long enough to share a few of his favorite things, past and present.

Favorite thing about visiting & shopping LCDQ is…

“Seeing everybody I know from the design world on the street. You can learn a lot walking in L.A. ”

Biggest design weakness and where I get my fix…

“The pillows for sale at Hollywood at Home. They are better than the ones I custom make and agonize over.”

Where I like to take clients (or myself) before/after shopping LCDQ…

“Croft Alley, the restaurant on Melrose Place. My 27-year-old Studio Director introduced me to it and it’s now my 11-year-old daughter’s favorite restaurant. Nobody my age knows about it, and they have some of the very best food in L.A. I like secrets.”

For non-design browsing around the LCDQ…

“A.P.C., Book Soup, and the Rick Owens store on La Brea. L.A. has a democratic instinct for quality and style. If you are unique, you will be loved on those merits. These stores are examples of that.”

Where I like to have a post-LCDQ cocktail…

“A Manhattan at Jumbo’s Clown Room. (Hint: It’s a bit east, but well worth it.)”

Hotel I’d recommend to visitors…

“The Palihouse. It’s walkable, sort of ironic, the rooms are big and have kitchens, and everyone you know will be at the Sunset Tower.”

Inspiring place to see close to LCDQ…

“The Hollywood branch of the L.A. Public Library and the garden in the back of Hollyhock (now closed). Because Suzanne Rheinstein, with her beautiful understated traditional taste, stood for something that’s very hard to find anymore.”

The hidden gem of LCDQ is really…

“Elizabeth Layug, my friend who works at Jasper. She has been in the design world for ages and knows what everybody is up to and has everybody’s number. And she was married to somebody VERY happening in the ’80s in another life.”

Biggest misconception visitors have about LCDQ is…

“That it’s just happening on La Cienega. LCDQ stands for the best of something much bigger. L.A. is a vast agglomeration of resources, mainly to the east, from Galerie Half to JF Chen and Blackman Cruz and Lawson Fenning and OK. It is one of the coolest design resource cities in the world.”

David Netto: My LCDQ

Do what David Netto says…

davidnettodesign.com


@davidnettosays