Lia McNairy and Azar Fattahi of design studio LALA Reimagined are at the forefront of Playfulism, using the trend to soften even the sharpest of edges, as they tell our editor Pip Rich
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Pip rich OK, tell me why you love waves so much – they’re in every project you do, and almost every room. Lia McNairy They really are! We’re motivated by what doesn’t fit into a box, and waves just simply don’t. They create a fluidity of movement, they take a space out of the rigid mode of everything being on an angle. Azar Fattahi In California, we battle with new builds. The homes are all cookie cutter, rectangular, there’s a formula. We get hired to deconstruct that, to remove the rigidness, and the first thing we bring is waves and scallops. PR They’re such an important part of the Playfulism movement, and you’re the first people I can think of who really embraced them. AF Well, they create a curiosity, a beautiful circus. They feel more luxe. Even on something as simple as a shoe rack, Lia came up with the concept of giving it a wave. LM I just couldn’t find anything I liked, all the shoe racks on offer would have been mortifying to be the first thing anyone saw in an entryway. So I had one custom made, black with a merlot-toned cushion on top.
PR Are there any caveats to adding waves? Times you wouldn’t use them? LM In Malibu, we had a waved sectional sofa custom made for the family TV room. We just had to make sure the back was a bit higher on the wavy parts so there was something you could actually lean back on and sink into. Covered in a Schumacher fabric, those parts became like personal headrests.
AF We only use them when they’re going to be really impactful. In a formal living room, they possibly won’t make sense, but in a dining room we might sneak them in on the chandelier. But we practise restraint – if it’s not a wave it’s a pop of color or some sort of adornment that feels like a piece of jewellery. In that formal living room, for example, there’s no wave but there is a sconce by Ladies & Gentlemen that arches over the whole space. PR Talking of restraint, that’s why I am so drawn to your work. Despite your use of color and shapes you’re not maximalist – I think of you as great editors who always know exactly where to pull back, how to ground a scheme or stop it feeling cluttered. And that’s hard! AF Well thank you! We balance each other out and pull each other back. But Playfulism is never about being overpowering, there’s a calm to every scheme, perhaps in the neutral color of the walls. LM We’re allergic to bright white, which would feel too stark and make all the pieces we’ve chosen stand out too much, but we like a color called Kashmir from Portola Paints which is warmer – it’s not white, but it’s not quite off white, either.
Playfulism is never about being
overpowering, there's a calm in
every scheme, every color palette
Photography Shane McCauley / @shanemccauley
stylist Danielle Goldberg / @daniellegoldberg Hair Stylist Irinel de Leon @ Mane Addicts / @hairinel
Makeup Artist Dana Delaney @ The Wall Group / @dana-delane
Manicurist Natalie Minerva @ Forward Artists / @natalieminervanails
Set Designer Cecilio Dolcetto Lara Ramirez / @dolcetto
Director / DP James Ollard @ Amusement Productions / @amusementproductions.la
Director of Production Samantha Rockman / @rockman_productions
Executive Director, Entertainment Jessica Baker / @jbake21
VP of Creative Alexa Wiley / @awiley_creative
Global Brand Director Sarah Spiteri / @Sarah Spiteri
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PR You’re also not allergic to stripes, which often appear… though they’re the opposite of waves! Lots of angles. Why do you like them, too? AF I think it’s the combination of the colors that we get by using stripes, and how unexpected they can be. Pink and green, or burgundy and light blue, we’re so attracted to that graphic style. LM We never tiptoe around stripes – we’ll never not have them. Perhaps it’s a pillow cover or a painted tile, but it’ll add an extra element that Playfulism is all about. Oh and we love checks too, we often sneak in a good check. AF Stripes are like rattan – timeless. You almost can’t go wrong. LM Using them is like being an artist. Focus on building a palette around the softer color, the one that feels like a background, and that’s how you start to curate, to create a perfectly playful home.
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Left Image: The designers strive to get waves and scallops into as many areas as possible, as long as they’re “really impactful.” Right Image: “We’ll never not have stripes,” Lia says. “They’re timeless,” Azar adds.
Lia McNairy, left, and Azar Fattahi, co-founders of LALA Reimagined
Lead image: The living room of Rancho Pelicano in Malibu, a recently completed project by LALA Reimagined which embodies the Playfulist trend
Photography Shane McCauley / @shanemccauley
stylist Danielle Goldberg / @daniellegoldberg Hair Stylist Irinel de Leon @ Mane Addicts / @hairinel
Makeup Artist Dana Delaney @ The Wall Group / @dana-delane
Manicurist Natalie Minerva @ Forward Artists / @natalieminervanails
Set Designer Cecilio Dolcetto Lara Ramirez / @dolcetto
Director / DP James Ollard @ Amusement Productions / @amusementproductions.la
Director of Production Samantha Rockman / @rockman_productions
Executive Director, Entertainment Jessica Baker / @jbake21
VP of Creative Alexa Wiley / @awiley_creative
Global Brand Director Sarah Spiteri / @Sarah Spiteri
PR You’re also not allergic to stripes, which often appear… though they’re the opposite of waves! Lots of angles. Why do you like them, too? AF I think it’s the combination of the colors that we get by using stripes, and how unexpected they can be. Pink and green, or burgundy and light blue, we’re so attracted to that graphic style. LM We never tiptoe around stripes – we’ll never not have them. Perhaps it’s a pillow cover or a painted tile, but it’ll add an extra element that Playfulism is all about. Oh and we love checks too, we often sneak in a good check. AF Stripes are like rattan – timeless. You almost can’t go wrong. LM Using them is like being an artist. Focus on building a palette around the softer color, the one that feels like a background, and that’s how you start to curate, to create a perfectly playful home.
AF We only use them when they’re going to be really impactful. In a formal living room, they possibly won’t make sense, but in a dining room we might sneak them in on the chandelier. But we practise restraint – if it’s not a wave it’s a pop of color or some sort of adornment that feels like a piece of jewellery. In that formal living room, for example, there’s no wave but there is a sconce by Ladies & Gentlemen that arches over the whole space. PR Talking of restraint, that’s why I am so drawn to your work. Despite your use of color and shapes you’re not maximalist – I think of you as great editors who always know exactly where to pull back, how to ground a scheme or stop it feeling cluttered. And that’s hard! AF Well thank you! We balance each other out and pull each other back. But Playfulism is never about being overpowering, there’s a calm to every scheme, perhaps in the neutral color of the walls. LM We’re allergic to bright white, which would feel too stark and make all the pieces we’ve chosen stand out too much, but we like a color called Kashmir from Portola Paints which is warmer – it’s not white, but it’s not quite off white, either.
Pip rich OK, tell me why you love waves so much – they’re in every project you do, and almost every room. Lia McNairy They really are! We’re motivated by what doesn’t fit into a box, and waves just simply don’t. They create a fluidity of movement, they take a space out of the rigid mode of everything being on an angle. Azar Fattahi In California, we battle with new builds. The homes are all cookie cutter, rectangular, there’s a formula. We get hired to deconstruct that, to remove the rigidness, and the first thing we bring is waves and scallops. PR They’re such an important part of the Playfulism movement, and you’re the first people I can think of who really embraced them. AF Well, they create a curiosity, a beautiful circus. They feel more luxe. Even on something as simple as a shoe rack, Lia came up with the concept of giving it a wave. LM I just couldn’t find anything I liked, all the shoe racks on offer would have been mortifying to be the first thing anyone saw in an entryway. So I had one custom made, black with a merlot-toned cushion on top.
PR Are there any caveats to adding waves? Times you wouldn’t use them? LM In Malibu, we had a waved sectional sofa custom made for the family TV room. We just had to make sure the back was a bit higher on the wavy parts so there was something you could actually lean back on and sink into. Covered in a Schumacher fabric, those parts became like personal headrests.
Playfulism is never
overpowering, there's
scheme, every
Return home
Return home
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