By Lisa Boone
e’ve been fortunate to meet some of L.A.’s most creative female entrepreneurs over the years, from celebrated architects to ceramists who work out of their home studios.
We’ve met their shop dogs, their kids — even their chickens — and been humbled by their creativity. Kelly Wearstler may be one of the nation’s most glamorous interior designers, but we’ll never forget the time we took her bargain shopping at Cost Plus World Market. (She splurged on a black-and-white African pattern rug for $119.)
In honor of International Women’s Day on Monday, we’ve assembled a list of women-owned businesses in and around Los Angeles with a focus on architecture, fashion, interiors, landscape design and houseplants.
This is not meant to be a definitive list but a sampling of some of the women who make the Los Angeles design community so special. You’ll find a longer list at latimes.com/style.
Fashion
Beatrice Valenzuela The Echo Park designer, known for her feminine apparel and accessories, linen separates and minimal sandals, started the popular Echo Park Craft Fair — the annual festival devoted to Los Angeles makers that has been deeply missed during the pandemic — in her backyard with friend and fellow designer Rachel Craven. beatricevalenzuela.com
Carny Couture Brooke Bailey and husband Johnny Wiskerchen specialize in vintage clothing, housewares, ceramics and antique oddities. They recently opened a second showroom, in addition to their West Adams store, in an abandoned apartment building in Santa Monica. carnycouture.com
Christy Dawn The environmentally conscious fashion brand, started by Christy Dawn Baskauskas and her husband, Aras Baskauskas, in 2013, uses deadstock fabric in limited-edition vintage-inspired pieces. christydawn.com
Clare V Since starting Clare V. in 2008, Claire Vivier has ventured into handbags, clothing, footwear, jewelry and beauty products. clarev.com
Esqueleto Jewelry designer Lauren Wolf has assembled an eye-catching array of distinctive handcrafted items in her Hollywood showroom, including custom jewelry, art, decorative objects and colorful vintage kilims. shopesqueleto.com
Lookout and Wonderland Los Angeles-based fiber artist Niki Tsukamoto creates one-of-a-kind clothing and home goods with natural fibers and plant-based dyes, including a recent sneaker collaboration with Stussy. lookoutandwonderland.com
Lost and Found Owner Jamie Rosenthal opened Lost & Found in 2000 as a single storefront on Yucca Street in Hollywood. Now she has six storefronts and a Santa Monica showroom that offer men’s and women’s clothing, home goods, accessories, and children’s clothes and furniture from around the world. lostandfoundshop.com
Rachel Craven Craven, one of the cofounders of the Echo Park Craft Fair, designs minimal silhouettes for all body types at her studio in Glendale. rachelcraven.com
Rachel Pally The Los Angeles native, known for her soft, draped dresses and separates, started her company right out of college 17 years ago “with the goal of dressing women of all shapes and sizes and stages of life.” rachelpally.com
Raquel Allegra The Los Angeles designer has built her boho fashions — sweaters, maxi dresses, even shoes — on her signature tie-dye technique. raquelallegra.com
Home/Design/
Architecture/
Craft
All Roads Studio Self-taught weaver Janelle Pietrzak, the creative force behind the Yucca Valley-based All Roads Studio, went from weaving as a hobby to creating custom pieces for clients like the stylish Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs. In 2014, she licensed her designs to Anthropologie, which now produces All Roads Studio rugs, pillows, throws and duvets. allroadsdesign.com
Amber Interiors In addition to her design studio, Calabasas-based interior designer Amber Lewis offers SoCal-inspired breezy, contemporary furnishings at three bricks-and-mortar home and lifestyle stores. shoppe.amberinteriordesign .com
Barbara Bestor The Silver Lake architect who originated the term “Bohemian Modern” has left her mark throughout Los Angeles, from her John Lautner updates to her Instagram-friendly retail spaces, small-lot housing in the hills of Echo Park and countless private residences. bestorarchitecture.com
B Zippy & Co. Founded in 2008 by ceramic artist Bari Ziperstein, B Zippy & Co. includes functional objects, large-scale installations, site-specific public sculpture and works of fine art. bzippyandcompany.com
Block Shop Textiles The collection of curvilinear woodblock-printed textiles by sisters Hopie and Lily Stockman includes napkins, table runners, prints, scarves and reversible dhurries. blockshoptextiles.com
Bridgid Coulter In addition to her residential and commercial design projects, the Santa Monica-based interior designer has a line of eco-conscious textiles. bridgidcoulter.com
Brigette Romanek The Los Angeles-based interior designer, whose clients include Eric Buterbaugh and Misty Copeland, tackles commercial, retail and residential projects. romanekdesignstudio.com
Cathy Callahan The Silver Lake designer is known for her handmade, eclectic dyed textiles including aprons, patchwork pillows, placemats and linen jewelry. @cathy_callahan
Design, Bitches Los Angeles architects Catherine Johnson and Rebecca Rudolph love to mix design, art and pop culture in their designs for restaurants, homes and accessory dwelling units. designbitches.com
D.L. Rhein In addition to her interior design business, Deborah Rhein-Gleiberman’s store in Palms is a wonderful neighborhood fixture showcasing vintage and new collectibles. dlrhein.com
Emily Farnham The Echo Park architect has updated homes by Rudolph Schindler, her own 1906 bungalow and most notably, actress Mandy Moore’s Midcentury Modern home in Pasadena. emilyfarnham.com
Faith Blakeney The interior designer says her studio’s approach “disregards convention in favor of innovation, collaboration, play, out-of-the-box thinking and social conscience.” faithblakeney.com
45 Three Modern Vintage Home Owner Staci Cain is known for giving vintage furnishings from around the globe a glow-up. Her Little Ethiopia shop features midcentury furniture, art and accessories. 45threemodernvintagehome .com
Heather Rosenman Rosenman’s porcelain and stoneware vessels often feature graphic, etched surfaces and bubble-like lava glazes. heatherrosenmanceramics .com
Humble Ceramics For an artist who calls her studio Humble Ceramics, it’s fitting that Delphine Lippens reduces her dinnerware — a favorite with local chefs — to simple and clean forms. humbleceramics.com
Isabelle Duvivier The Venice-based architect is an advocate for environmental architecture, from her own eco-friendly home to apartments, gardens and urban designs. idarchitect.com
Janel Foo Working alone in her detached one-car garage turned studio, Foo assembles stained-glass suncatchers for West Elm and custom orders. janelfoo.com
Jen E Ceramics Utilizing her background in graphic design, Jen Kuroki crafts bold and colorful ceramics that will make you smile. jenkuroki.com
Judy Kameon Elysian Landscapes designer Kameon, author of “Gardens Are for Living: Design Inspiration for Outdoor Spaces,” is known for creating sustainable public and private outdoor rooms that maximize living space. elysianlandscapes.com
Justina Blakeney In addition to interior design, the Los Angeles-based designer’s Jungalow brand includes a wide variety of collaborations on furniture, accessories, rugs and apparel. Her latest book, “Jungalow: Decorate Wild,” is due out in April. jungalow.com
Kathleen Ferguson Landscapes The horticulturist, certified arborist and landscape designer creates landscapes both private and public. kathleenferguson.com
Kelly Wearstler One of the nation’s leading interior designers, known for her high-voltage interiors, furniture, home accessories and hotels, Wearstler recently released the Kelly Wearstler GIPHY collection, available on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and iMessage. kellywearstler.com
Kishani Perera Author of the book “Vintage Remix: The Interiors of Kishani Perera,” the designer is a favorite with celebrities and is known for mixing high-end furnishings with eBay and Etsy finds, flea market pieces and mass-market purchases. kishaniperera.com
Kneeland Co. Joanna Williams, a longtime vintage textile consultant, recently opened a bricks-and-mortar store in West Adams specializing in one-of-a-kind, globally sourced and handmade home goods and jewelry. kneelandco.com
Little Knittery Shop owner Kat Coyle was one of the founders of the globally recognized pink pussyhat movement, along with Krista Suh and Jayna Zweiman. Her beloved knitting shop has cultivated a devoted and loyal community where Friday Knit Nights were a weekly favorite — before COVID-19 — as were the crochet and knitting classes. thelittleknittery.com
Meredith Metcalf The Highland Park ceramist creates hand-thrown, high-fired stoneware lamps and decorative pieces in her backyard studio. mmhp.squarespace.com
Nickey Kehoe Amy Kehoe and Todd Nickey’s Los Angeles design studio and boutique features handmade furniture, vintage pieces and contemporary home accessories. nickeykehoe.com
The Novogratz Designers Cortney and Robert Novogratz, who split their time between New York and Los Angeles, have transformed everything from starter homes in Silver Lake to their own “castle” in the Hollywood Hills and stylish hotels. The couple also developed a line of “attainable” furnishings and accessories, which will be featured when they open a long-term pop-up on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in April. thenovogratz.com
Oh Joy! Founder and Creative Director Joy Cho’s lifestyle brand offers whimsical products, spanning Band-Aids to soft soap as well as regular editorial content online. ohjoy.com
Otherwild Rachel Berk’s lifestyle boutique and community space in Los Feliz features apothecary goods, jewelry and home goods and serves as a space for everything from broom-making classes to feminist readings. otherwild.com
Parachute Founder Ariel Kaye launched the modern bedding and bath company in 2014 as a direct-to-consumer retailer of quality sheets, towels, robes and rugs, and has expanded to 10 stores throughout the country. parachutehome.com
Pawena Thimaporn Handcrafted and boldly painted ceramics, thrown in Thimaporn’s Woodland Hills studio. pawenastudio.com
P.F. Candle Kristen Pumphrey and Thomas Neuberger’s home fragrance company offers vegan soy candles, reed diffusers, incense and room sprays. pfcandleco.com
Poketo Founded in 2003 by husband-and-wife team Ted Vadakan and Angie Myung, the design accessories and housewares brand has grown from a small startup into a mainstay of the Los Angeles creative community. poketo.com
Pop Up Home Tricia Beanum, known as the queen of estate sales, recently moved her West Adams warehouse to a massive showroom on Sycamore in West Hollywood. Shop for vintage furniture, accessories and art at her showroom or at her staged estate sales. popuphome.com
Rachel Allen Allen, the founding principal of RADAR, has completed residential, commercial and retail projects and will next design and develop five buildings for the Pershing Square renewal project in DTLA. rachelallen.net
Scout Regalia L.A.-based designers Makoto Mizutani and Benjamin Ludd bring a relaxed yet modern look to their products: stylish picnic tables, sturdy raised-bed garden kits for apartment dwellers and colorful stainless-steel wall hooks for indoors and out. scoutregalia.com
Talbot McLanahan The Venice architect is known for her innovative projects, including thoughtful and modern updates of Venice bungalows.
Victoria Morris Pottery The Los Angeles native creates minimal lamps, vases and bowls at her pottery studio in Altadena. victoriamorrispottery.com
Wolfum Los Angeles designer Annabel Inganni’s graphic line of printed wooden tabletop home decor and accessories — bookends, trays and backgammon sets — are handmade in Los Angeles. wolfum.com
Plants/Gardens
Alex Floro The L.A.-based floral design studio Under New Management creates over-the-top bouquets featuring rhinestones, paint, tulle, fruit and more. undernewmgmt.co
Avalon Nursery Maria Luz Lopez built South Los Angeles’ only enduring nursery 33 years ago on a dusty corner lot. @avalonnurseryla
Becky Bourdeau The landscape designer splits her time between designing residential landscape projects and creating ceramics for her Mineral Ceramics line. beckybourdeaudesign.com
Christy Wilhelmi The Garden Nerd garden consultant and author of “Gardening for Geeks” specializes in edible landscapes. gardenerd.com
Edible Gardens Lauri Kranz’s business creates edible gardens for schools and celebrities, and she recently added a farm produce delivery service to her repertoire. ediblegardensla.com
Folia Collective Every plant at Folia Collective, from Peperomia ferreyrae to staghorn ferns, comes with a care card written by owner Danae Horst detailing its specific needs. foliacollective.com
Greenwood Shop In addition to houseplants, Jaime Curtis stocks ceramics, candles and apothecary items in her Valley Village lifestyle shop. greenwood-shop.com
Latinx With Plants Andi Xoch started selling houseplants on her Instagram account, Latinx With Plants, which led to the opening of her first plant shop in Boyle Heights. latinxwithplants.com
Mallory With the Flowers Floral designer Mallory Browne learned her craft by watching YouTube videos and designing arrangements with grocery store blooms. mallorywiththeflowers.com
Lisa Gimmy Landscape Architecture Gimmy founded her practice in 1992 and has worked with residential, institutional and commercial clients. lglalandscape.com
Naomi Sanders Sanders’ background in fine art and interior design influences her landscapes, which are defined by color, texture and sculptural forms.naomisanders.com
Potted Long before “plant parents” became a thing, Annette Gutierrez and Mary Gray specialized in houseplants as well as outdoor plants, outdoor living decor and planters by local artists. Prior to the pandemic, the Atwater Village store also hosted DIY workshops and book signings. pottedstore.com
The Sill Eliza Blank’s popular plant boutique carries houseplants, planters and gifts. Plants are displayed according to lighting, water and pet needs and start at $5. The store offers classes on houseplant basics and kokedama, a plant-care bar and potting table as well as a Plant Parent Club. thesill.com
Sarah Cotta Plants Expect houseplants both familiar and exotic at Sarah Bazik’s boutique plant store in Glendale. sarahcottaplants.com
Whit Hazen Whit McClure’s boutique floral design studio specializes in seasonally inspired florals for weddings and events. whithazen.com
Wyldbnch Plants Pop Annemarie Chan’s plant shop in the downtown Arts District features indoor plants, planters, gifts and potting services. wyldbnchplants.com