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CA BOOM
gets green
california’s design trade fair and exhibition
by troy spurlin
reen, Sustainable, Renewable, Environmentally Responsible,
and Eco Building. These words resonated throughout
my stay in Los Angeles during the fi fth annual CA
BOOM design show (caboomshow.com) held in Los Angeles March
14th through the 16th G
. Sponsored by Metropolitan Home, Modernism,
Wired, and Ready Made, CA BOOM is North America’s only multi-discipline,
non-traditional design trade fair and exhibition combining the
highest caliber of architects, designers and design manufacturers.
The tradeshow kicked off with an opening party on Friday night in the mid-century designed
Santa Monica Hangar. An open bar and the sounds of DJ Valida created just the right atmosphere for
this exciting and cutting edge show. Most partygoers walked the fl oor browsing booths by some of
the top names in the modern design world: Fleetwood Doors and Windows, Poliform, Bloom Baby,
Modern Shed, and TWENTIETH, to name a few.
Being of the more chilled persuasion, I found my way to a most awesome yurt (thenomayurt.
com) fi lled with pillows outside the hangar (in case ya didn’t know...a yurt is a circular domed dwelling
that is portable and self-supporting; originally used by nomadic Mongol and Turkic people of
central Asia). What a great addition it would be to any home to have a yurt in the backyard to gather
with friends or that special someone. The possibilities are endless.
I was laying back inside the yurt and trying to conjure the inner Mongolian in me when I was
quickly brought back to reality by Rocio Romero. One of the leading architects in the modern “prefab”
movement, Romero stepped into my nomadic domain. It was kismet, as I have been dreaming
for quite some time of my little glass pre-fab studio by the marsh and meeting her. Rocio’s designs
16 MAY 2008 | eu jacksonville monthly | at home
at home
of pre-fab homes are environmentally correct, the prices are incredible, and the style is unforgettable
(visit lvseries.com).
The exterior shells start at $35,000 and Rocio says the shipping to Jacksonville is about $5,000
(that is a factory-built kit home). A general contractor builds it on site. Now I just have to fi nd an
awkward piece of property (read: cheap!) with a great marsh view!
The Architectural and Design tours featured some of the most exciting new or recently completed
residential projects from West LA to Pacifi c Palisades. Each day a tour of fi ve residential projects
was offered (a total of 15 homes) with the caveat of meeting and being given a tour of the residence
by the actual architect(s) of the project. The highlight for me was the FELDERMAN KEATINGE RESI-
DENCE. A really nice reinterpreted version of a split-level that blends loft and suburban living. One of
the more striking uses of design in this project was the living room and dining room that are separated
by a 25’ long by 1 1/2” ribbon skylight. This vertical sliver of glass continued down the adjacent
12’ high walls. Not to mention that all of the huge glass doors on the back of the house retracted into
the walls, creating a oneness with nature.
Back on the trade show fl oor, I was overwhelmed at the number of vendors present that offered
products that were “green.” The fl oor was divided into distinct zones that grouped related products
and services together by discipline, including international design manufacturers, national and limited
production manufacturers, studio furniture, modern parenting, modern prefab, indoor/outdoor living,
building accessories, and surfaces and fi nishes. The Modern Kitchen and Bath section featured fully
installed kitchens from Poliform, CHR/Scavolini, New York Loft, Liebherr and Valcucine/Dom.
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Some of the “green” companies that particularly caught my
eye were:
epoxy green
epOxy Green offers the highest quality in sustainable building and design products to support both
residential and commercial applications for all budgets. Flooring, wall fi nishes, contertops, cabinets
and hardware, and sheet and lumber. (epoxygreen.com)
valcucine
Valcucine has been involved in the sustainable design of cabinetry for 25 years. Their products are
as environmentally responsible as they are visually striking. They are non-polluting and versatile recyclable.
(domshowrooms.com)