Countless creatives have found inspiration in California—authors, musicians, actors, screenwriters, artists, and performers of every type imaginable—and attempted to capture the enduring allure of the Golden State in their words, images, movies, and other output. Certainly the fields of architecture, interior design, and landscape are no less immune to its seductive call. The mountains, the ocean, the climate, the desert terrain, and the fantasy of an idyllic indoor-outdoor lifestyle at one with nature have proven irresistible to a whole host of legendary design talents.
From architects (Wallace Neff and Paul R. Williams in the heyday of Hollywood; Richard Neutra and the Case Study crowd at midcentury; and later trailblazers like John Lautner and Frank Gehry) to superstar West Coast interior designers like William Haines and Michael Taylor and later Rose Tarlow and Kelly Wearstler, their influential visions of the good life continue to reverberate. AD, which was founded in Los Angeles over 100 years ago, has documented all of these luminaries and continues to plumb the state, which is fertile with spectacular projects and masterful practitioners in every discipline.