“HERE IT IS: OUR INSIDER’S PEEK INTO THE WHO, WHAT AND WHERE OF S.D. AND O.C.’S DARE-TO-DREAM DESIGN TEAM.”
– By Gillian Flynn and Melissa Quinlan
Photography by John Dole, Amy K. Fellows, Sal Owen, Ethan Pines, Geoff Ragatz, and Brad Swonetz
Philippe Starck, check Richard Serra, double check, Tony Chi, done. It’s official: Orange County and San Diego’s white-hot design scene is going seriously global, with world-class acts making their marks all over town. But don’t get us wrong: even if we’re going ga-ga for the new Baccarat showroom at South Coast Plaza or Richard Serra’s mega sculpture, we’re still most excited about something else: our own backyard. That’s what we’re still discovering our greatest finds, from local brew house that takes the beer garden to its glass-and-steel max, to a restaurant that’s put all its smarts in some of the hippest matchboxes we’ve ever seen. It’s to set our design-loving hearts on fire. THE HOOK-UP ARTIST
When EnDev—the big bad boys of San Diego’s en fuego nightclub scene—want after dusk design, they turn to O.C.’s Davis Krumins, who is deftly creating an empire of “oontz oontz!” And we do mean empire. EnDev may have started with Side Bar and Stingaree (a multi-level nightclub with water features galore and mod dining pods that can be seen from street level, screaming, ‘Look at me!’). Add to that retro events venue The Witherby and Bar West, the chicest thing to hit the bro-brah land of Pacific Beach this year. Here, Krumins is helping his bros out big time! A metal curtain and a hidden light source create shimmer and lots of s-e-x appeal. Says Krumins: “It’s inviting and personal behind the curtain, making it the place to be.” By the looks of the bottle service reservations on our last visit, the man knows a thing or two about hooking it up! Perhaps he had a design hand in those incredible shrinking waitress uniforms? The next venture—Universal in Hillcrest, set to open this winter—might be the most exciting yet. One word: driftwood. Imported from Bali, towering wood will be intertwined to create a huge backlit wall, going for an “organic feel.” Dow to earth has never been this sexy. www.davis-ink.com and www.endevlic.com
