Travel Essentials

Marvis — I am not a fan of the overly artificial taste of most toothpaste so I have been using this.

Dr. Hauschka — This is the best lip balm I have used to date. It keeps my lips soft and if I forget it in the morning my lips don’t feel starved like with other brands.

Baxter of California — Deodorant that is aluminum and alcohol free and doesn’t stain my clothes.

Raen — I can’t see without my glasses so I keep a couple pairs with me wherever I go.

Le Labo — Under 100mL that I picked up from the hotel shop, which had its own signature scent!

First Aid Beauty — I keep this next to me at night to keep my skin feeling hydrated. I have used some of their other products and remain a big fan.

Aesop — This is the toner I use for my face before applying any other product.

The Maid’s Version — Set in the Missouri Ozarks this short book (164 pages) is about illicit love, class divide and a tragedy that impacts multiple generations.

Visual Diary: Los Angeles

Getty Center

Casa Perfect

Griffith Observatory

Getty Villa

Maru Coffee

The Broad

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I spent a few days in Los Angeles earlier this month. The weather wasn’t very cooperative and I got quite sick (a common occurrence when I travel), but it was a much needed break from both work and the jam-packed days at Disneyland/California Adventure.

Further Recommendations:

Santa Monica Proper Hotel | Hotel

Sidecar Doughnuts | Cafe

The Butcher, the Baker, and the Cappuccino Maker | Cafe

Onda | Restaurant

Jitlada | Restaurant

Tsujita LA | Restaurant

Pine & Crane | Restaurant

Woon | Restaurant

Hammer Museum | Museum

LACMA | Museum

ROW DTLA | Shopping

Tortoise General Store | Lifestyle

The Apartment by The Line | Lifestyle

El Matador

Overcast weather can be a bit of a bummer, especially when you show up having left behind -20C temperatures. Nonetheless we made a morning of it at El Matador State Beach. I hadn’t been to the beach in over a year (Discovery Bay, Oct 2018) and as much as I like the variety and action of cities, this was a much needed break from the craziness of LA.

On the way back to LA we stopped at the Reel Inn Malibu for a late lunch and visited the Getty Villa (not to be confused with the Getty Center; you need to make a reservation but they let us in anyway). All things considered it was a beautiful day.

El Matador State Beach

32350 Pacific Coast Highway

Malibu, California

USA 90265

Gothic Revival

The Cathedral Church of St. James

Casa Pedregal

Somewhere in the back, from the kitchen, is a clink of pots coming together. The owner still lives here and the house retains the scent of a working domestic space refined by Mexico’s greatest architect. The wooden tables are worn, the light fittings are exposed, and homely ceramics are arranged on the sideboards. We are a world away from the ancient volcanic fields that surround the property ⁠— and yet we are in its mirror image; the walls exposed to reveal a layer of purple-grey rock or bathed in the pale pink of a desert rose. Nature and Man’s creations joined to juxtapose geometry’s logic with with the surrounding somber mountains and the rising wilderness.

The relationship between indoor and outdoor space is one of the central features of Barragán’s work. The house has a specifically small footprint compared to the amount of space devoted to the gardens made within the natural lava formations. This desire to make the world more livable is evident in Casa Pedregal. Windows onto the street are non-existent, as the central focus lies at the back of the house: a large private garden designed by Barragán himself. The idea that each space should be a cloistered piece of earth offering refuge from public life and the breakneck pace of the modern world. It should promote serenity, individuality, and good taste.

For me, Barragán’s work is so incredible because of the way he modulates natural light. The light in most rooms comes exclusively from clerestory windows, which illuminate the walls when viewed from beyond. You only get the slightest suggestion of the light spilling in from above on the floor below. Barragán uses this technique repeatedly to guide the occupant’s attention. This many beautiful moments in Casa Pedregal mark the house as quintessentially Barragán.

Casa Pedregal