Ilan Dei Venice

 Ilan Dei Venice is such a wonderfully striking combination of indoor-outdoor space. It displays multiple ideas that cause you to ask yourself "how did they think of that?" (Take for example, the hammock constructed entirely of water hoses from a firehouse.) There were succulents in pots, pans, and gardens popping up all over, adding color everywhere you looked. There even was a glass greenhouse in the back that was full of herbs, tomatoes, and other green foliage. They hold workshops where local farms come to teach gardening tactics that are written on a blackboard by their store entrance. I thought the best part about discovering this store on Abbot Kinney was the fact that it wasn't entirely a 'normal store.' It is constructed in a way that showed you the potential you can have in taking advantage of outdoor space in your own life. It is a combination of indoor space full of flooring and furniture as well as gravel patios, stone pathways, and a little clothing section made out of a storage container. The design concepts from this studio are like no other and definitely deserve a look if you are ever on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice.

http://www.ilandeivenice.com

We are pragmatic dreamers and eternal optimists. Our favorite sentence in the English language when we were growing up was “Go outside and play.”

We still love being outside even if it’s doing nothing. So, you can say our mantra is, “Go outside and be.” Be busy. Be relaxed. Be gardening. Be hosting a dinner party, just be.

And when you are being, we want you to be comfortable. This is the entire reason for our existence. To create a retail space dedicated to being outside in the middle of a city, starting with the city of Los Angeles. To share our love of Outdoor Living and our optimism of life with others in a meaningful and relevant way. To offer a range of products and categories that allow you to be comfortable.

The General Store

This store will automatically instill a sense of curiosity in you. You will wonder how items were made, how they got to be such a specific color, and where they are from. As you enter there is a long table, basically a slab from a tree. I want it in my future house. It melds nature to the inside and creates such a beautiful union of nature in those four walls. There were items from all over- from indigo dyed tapestries from Japan to homemade sweet cards from Brooklyn. Creativity of display was bursting from the seams. 

General Store is a collective design community. General Store features carefully curated items from both new and vintage sources. Local Artisans and Craftspeople contribute to the mix of furniture, clothing, tools, plants, household items, books, jewelry, cards and small treasures, a little bit of everything useful. Stop by for a visit!

http://shop-generalstore.com

Deus Ex Machina

Today my friend Hanna and I went to this spot to grab a coffee together. Little did we know that we were going to fall in love with the vibe at Deus Ex Machina. Its a place of creativity, simplicity, clean lines, color, and passion. You can sit out in the sunshine enjoying a latte, (like we did) wander through the store admiring all of the custom made hats, sunglasses, and surfboards, while checking out the art exhibition covering the back wall.  There are five locations throughout the world- two in Bali and one in Milan, Sydney, and Los Angeles. Definitely make sure you stop by if your ever around Venice on Lincoln Blvd.

Here's a snippet from their website explaining their mission:

The Deus philosophy recalls an era before the various pursuits of fun – motorcycling, surfing, skateboarding, whatever – were marketed into fundamentalist factions. All are welcomed under the Deus roof, where there’s simply respect for the honesty and enjoyment of the machine. Inclusiveness, authenticity, enthusiasm. It’s a simple and sincere pitch that has winged Deus ex Machina across the world. Deus ex Machina says simply there’s no ‘right way’ to do individualism, its all the same juice.

http://us.deuscustoms.com