CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Erik Hoopingarner, Alison Miller and John McMonigle; Barry and Brooke Josephson with daughter Shira Leora; Jason Binn, Benny Medina, Chase Naphtal and Brad Beckerman

A Solid Foundation

People who know me well will likely tell you I am obsessed with real estate. It may be that passion that drove me to buy a 350-year-old stone villa on an island in the Adriatic Sea. It’s possible that infatuation is also at the heart of the gritty industrial warehouse my husband and I now call home in Downtown LA. It seems I could spend every waking moment driving through new neighborhoods, obsessing over the seemingly endless and diverse architectural styles available in Southern California, designing and furnishing each one in my mind—right down to the hardware. In truth, I want one of almost every style. If only Philip Johnson’s 1949 masterpiece The Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut, were available! Hey—dreams are free, right? And so it was with this passion and enthusiasm that I embarked on this, our real estate and design issue.

As residents of this great city, we inherit a legacy of experimentation and innovation. From Spanish Colonials to Modernist mansions, California real estate is exceptional. Just ask any of the experts profiled in this issue, who are some of the most influential people in the business today. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many of them along the way: Jeffrey Hyland, John McMonigle, Crosby Doe and many other of the big guns.

If you’re looking for a little divine design inspiration in your own life, explore our local art galleries to discover SoCal’s exciting emerging artists and adorn your walls with their work. Or take your lead from the president of Christie’s Los Angeles, Andrea Fiuczynski—whom we profile in this issue—about ways to curate your home with treasures that will inevitably become family heirlooms.

Whatever your aesthetic, whatever your lifestyle, it can be found here in our incredible city. And it is within the walls of our homes that we rest, love, laugh, entertain and renew. So whether your home is made of glass, brick, stucco or wood, I hope this spring and this issue find it full of health and happiness.

Cheers,

ALISON MILLER
GROUP PUBLISHER