July 27 > Going Greek Fraternity House Tour > Exposition Park

( Photo courtesy Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times )

When you think "frat house" you're probably more likely to think of beer and bongs than great design. Yet Mass Architecture and Design has managed to transform USC's Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity house into a modern masterpiece. Think less "Animal House" (goodbye stripper poles!) and more Alvar Aalto.

( Photo courtesy Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times )

This Dwell-worthy housing, featured in the LA Times, reflects a new sensibility for the next generation of design aficionados. After undergoing a $903,000 renovation last year, the house features contemporary design flourishes like cedar ceiling paneling, redwood slats and a cool gray color palette interjected with shots of color. Yet the house stays true to its mid-century bones, maximizing light and open space. It's a house that visibly stands out on "The Row." More photos here.

Join us as we take a tour of the house with Frank Acevedo, alum and president of the Central Area Planning Commission and MASS Architecture and Design principal, architect Ana Henton.

Afterwards we'll head over to modern gastropub The Lab for craft beers and bites in a former Sizzler.

The event is free, cash bar at The Lab, but space is limited so be sure to reserve your space early.

Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity House Tour
Saturday July 27th
11:00 a.m.
938 W. 28th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90007
Corner of Hoover

RSVP here

Followed by food and drinks at The Lab
3500 Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90007



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July 16 > Invention Bar at the Los Angeles Athletic Club > DTLA

Down on 7th and Olive in the Historic Core, the Los Angeles Athletic Club has been entertaining its exclusive membership since 1880. With a brand new makeover by interior designer Tracy Beckmann (Mas Malo, Hotel Lautner), the third-floor restaurant and bar maintain the space's Art Deco charm with mid-century flourishes. With a new cocktail program by master mixologists Liquid Assets’ Marcos Tello & Aidan Demarest, Invention is set to become one of downtown's hottest spots for a tipple. 

While the LA Athletic Club is still members-only, the Club now offers a social membership for those who want to make Invention (and the adjacent restaurant Famous Players) their preferred drinking destination.

Tracy Beckmann honed her skills as a designer during her four-year collaboration with Kelly Wearstler of KWID and the renowned KOR Group.  In addition to an impressive collection of LA-based design projects, Beckmann has also recently garnered global media attention for the impressive restoration of the famed Hotel Lautner that she and business partner Ryan Trowbridge own in Desert Hot Springs (that we toured earlier this year at Modernism Week).

Join us for a tour of the bar with Tracy Beckmann, and stay for the special -- $7 Manhattans for de LaB.

The event is free but space is limited, so be sure to reserve a spot early. 

Invention bar tour at the LAAC with Tracy Beckmann

Tuesday July 16th
Tour begins at 7:30pm
Los Angeles Athletic Club

431 West Seventh Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014

SOLD OUT (and waitlist is full, too)

Parking is available in the structure on Olive just past 7th Street for $4.50.

June 13 - 30 > Los Angeles Design Festival

The Los Angeles Design Festival kicks off this week, signaling the beginning of two weeks worth of citywide design celebrations.  The festivities range in size, scope, and splendor from large-scale design conferences to more intimate gatherings in studios, showrooms, and shops across town.  With over 40 events scheduled in June, the LADF continues to grow with each year.  Here are a few of de LaB's top picks.  For more info and a full schedule of events, check out the LADF's website or their new mobile app.  Happy festival-ing, LA!

LADF Opening Night Party with Wiles Magazine - June 14

LADF and Wiles Magazine kick off the festival by honoring the inaugural recipient of the Julia Morgan ICON Award, the inimitable Deborah Sussman.  Learn more and RSVP here.

Big City Forum - June 19

Our friends at BCF host one of their signature salons for design intellectuals.  They'll explore visual language in the public sphere and much more.  Join them for the conversation and stay for cocktails.  Learn more and RSVP here.

Never Built Los Angeles Preview - June 20

Join Sam Lubell and Greg Goldin for the last fundraiser before the much-anticipated Never Built Los Angeles exhibition opens at the A+D Museum next week.  Learn more and RSVP here.

Dwell on Design Eastside Home Tours - June 22

Don't miss this hot-ticket home tour which includes stops in Atwater Village, Silver Lake, Downtown LA, and Glendale.  Buy tickets here.

Pecha Kucha x Ping Pong - June 26

Don't miss de LaB's first-ever Pecha Kucha x Ping Pong Night, curated by Santino Medina.  Buy tickets here.

Design Shopping Night - June 27

Shop your favorite design haunts for one special night across town, in neighborhoods like DTLA, Highland Park, Venice and Culver City.  No RSVP necessary.

Chinatown Design Night - June 29

Chung King Alley brings back the annual design street party which also serves as the closing party for LADF this year.  Galleries and stores stay open late.  Music, art, and even some dragons.  No RSVP necessary.

June 26 > Pecha Kucha x Ping Pong > DTLA

As part of the third annual Los Angeles Design Festival, de LaB is collaborating with Santino Medina of Gehry Technologies to co-host the first-ever Pecha Kucha x Ping Pong Night at The Standard's new ping pong social club, a fun "spin" on the fast-paced open mic night that we've all come to know and love. Medina has handpicked a variety of presenters from across the design disciplines in honor of the LADF's spirit of creative inclusion.  We didn't think it hurt to add a bit of sport either, so once the design chatter ends, presenters are invited to put down the mic, pick up the paddles, and join the rest of us in an epic battle for ping pong supremacy.  

Originally devised in Tokyo in 2003 by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham Architecture, Pecha Kucha is a japanese term that loosely means "chit-chat."  It's a simple presentation format wherein 20 brave presenters from various design disciplines, ranging from architecture, design, fashion, and art are invited to show 20 images, each for 20 seconds.  Pecha Kucha was brought to LA by the LA Forum in 2003 which has produced over 30 successful sessions over the years.

The lineup curated by Santino Medina is...

1. Danielle Rago - Writer/Curator
2. Jeffrey Eyster - Abrahams Eyster Architecture, Inc., Principal
3. Christian Prasch - Community work in Ghana
4. Oliver Hess - Materials & Applications, Director Emeritus
5. Yohannes Baynes - Farmland Media, Creative Director
6. Mariana Zarate – mzb, Fashion Designer
7. Steve Fuchs - Design Professor at Orange Coast College
8. Julia Cerrud/Aaron Gutierrez - Amorphica Design Research Office
9. Alvin Huang - Synthesis Design + Architecture, Principal
10. Steve Purvis – Jones, Partners:Architecture, Associate
11. Josh Moratto - Maximal/Moratto A+D, Principal
12. Charissa Santos - Graphic &; Interior Designer
13. Orhan Ayyuce - Architect
14. Jeremy Levine - Jeremy Levine Design, Principal
15. Neely Shearer - Parade by neely shearer, Designer/Owner
16. Daniel Cardoso - PhD Fellow at MIT School of Architecture and Planning
17. Patrick Shields - Designer
18. Jonathan Louie - Academic Researcher at UCLA AUD
19. Greg Goldin - A+D Museum, Curator
20. Liliana Castro – ARCHeffect, Principal
21. Lucas Walker - South Park Studios, Technical Artist

SPiN at the Standard is a ping pong social club owned by Academy Award-winning actress (and ping pong phenom) Susan Sarandon.  Sleek and sexy by design, SPiN elevates the game of ping pong to a new level of cool.

Pecha Kucha x Ping Pong
Wednesday, June 26th
8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

SPiN at The Standard
550 S. Flower @ 6th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90071
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PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

$10 if purchased online in advance / $15 at the door

Cash bar. Complimentary non-alcoholic beverages by Alova. Ping pong is being offered at the awesome low price of $5 table (it's usually $30). This event is open to ages 21 and over. A portion of the proceeds goes to support future de LaB programs.

We'll take cash only at the door. See you then!

And be sure to check out all the de LaB picks for the Los Angeles Design Festival, June 13-30!


Images from LADF, Brendan Shigeta via Flickr, and Time Out.