This week I've been drooling over designer Richard Shapiro's LA garden. In a not-to-distant past, I considered myself a fan of modern design, and despised anything that rang the least bit fussy or inauthentic.
Then, while I was reading up on architect and designer Ettore Sottsass, I came across this quote, which just "clicked".
"When I was young, all we ever heard about was functionalism, functionalism, functionalism. It’s not enough. Design should also be sensual and exciting."I haven't looked back since. And that idea is exactly why I love Shapiro's garden. Is it a little inauthentic to reconstruct a neoclassical portico in your SoCal backyard, let ivy cover part of the main home, and line the grounds with ficus trees and organically shaped boxwoods? Perhaps. Is it awesome? Hell. yes.
