The Pacific Design Center (PDC), located in the heart of West Hollywood, is a place for those that live and breathe design. Not only is it home to the most famous furniture and interior decor market on the west coast, but it is an architectural marvel itself. Consisting of three main buildings – or centers – that have been popping up since 1975, the PDC is also space where design and art enthusiasts can come together for events, lectures, and special exhibitions. It’s a hub for those appreciating visual aesthetics.
In addition to numerous showrooms and many private spaces, the Pacific Design Center also features the Museum of Contemporary Art. This showcases the impressive work of both upcoming and known artists.
If you imagine having the bird’s eye view, the three buildings look like pops of color – red, green, and blue – drawing in the attention of those passing by. The PDC is a thoughtfully created artistic campus that exudes the spirit of modern design.
A Pop of Color – Center Red
View on Center Red, the last one of three buildings completed in 2013 and serving as an expressionistic office building – Los Angeles, CA, USA
Red is vibrant. Vivid. Alive. It’s a color that gets our attention every time. It simply pops, and when used in combination with a great architectural design, it’s just not something you can casually pass by. Straight lines, red and black, used as appealing contrasts, with a modern subway-like shape (or a tipped-over ship – you decide what your mind wants to see), catch the eye and invite, even demand, you to pause for a minute and look.
Center Red, as it is simply called, is the last and, hence, the newest building of the Pacific Design Center plan. It was only completed in 2013. This is also the reason why it might have the most futuristic of designs compared to the green and blue buildings.
This center is full of bold expressions. It’s fitting because as office space for leading entertainment, arts, and fashion businesses, it needs to present just that: eccentric extravagance. Undoubtedly, Center Red is an expressionistic building from the inside out.
The Blue Whale – A Design Icon
Perspective – a contemporary style lamp in front of part of the Blue Center exuding “coolness” and “freshness” for the mind – Los Angeles, CA, USA
Center Blue was the first building constructed in 1975 in the course of the Pacific Design Center project. Because of its massive size, it was soon given the nickname “Blue Whale“. It takes up an impressive 750,000 sq ft on the 14-acre campus. Argentinean architect César Pelli designed this building.
When looking at the photo, it is almost like a fresh breath of air is coming at the beholder. It’s the impact of the color blue: clarity, coolness, a free mind. In the middle, you see a seemingly large lamp. But don’t be fooled, in comparison to the building, it is rather small. It’s all perspective. And there certainly are many perspectives walking in and out of the PDC on a daily basis. But they all have one major thing in common: clean lines.
The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. – Pablo Picasso
A modern approach to art – hence, design – can oftentimes seem abstract. Yet, interior design is really based on a clear vision with as few distracting details as possible. And leaving out the clutter in the visual is a great work of art in itself.
Simplicity. Because in a world where different colors and perspectives are thrown together, a little bit of clarity is all we need. The Pacific Design Center is exactly the place where the artistic mind can recharge. Here, it can shake off all of the overwhelming impressions. It can think clearly in a space as fresh as the “Blue Whale”.
Clean Lines for a Contemporary Feel
An oversized chair installation next to Center Blue that embodies the heart of the PDC: interior design – Los Angeles, CA, USA
Clean and contemporary structures with straight and symmetrical lines create a very modern, contemporary feel. In combination with textures such as steel and aluminum, a rather industrial image is created. This utterly cool design approach, however, does not just emphasize our modern thinking. Going further, it allows room for our minds to create themselves.
This, in turn, leads to more creativity due to less clutter. Consequently, the Pacific Design Center is a space for free-spirited people. It is for those who need room to breathe in order to let their creative imagination run wild – without any visual boundaries.
Have a look at the oversized chair installation next to Center Blue. It embodies exactly what the PDC is about: clean interior design. It invites the artist to stay a while and possibly create the next new product line that will bring more structure into our lives.
Design, in many ways, is about so much more than just the end product. It’s the emotional component, how it makes us feel. And a modern approach is all about minimalism and straight lines.
And isn’t that what we all need a little more of: structure in an all too hectic and chaotic world?
