Westedge Design Fair

By Paul Finn; If you find yourself in the LA area in November, you may be able to catch the Westedge Design Fair. This annual show brings together the cream of the crop of the design world.

Westedge Design Fair

The Westedge Design Fair has always promised something a little different, but this year, the transformation felt more like a metamorphosis. The fair has slowly shed its glossy showroom skin. It has emerged as a bespoke design workshop. A place that not only showcases objects, but demands personal engagement with them. As I wandered the Barker Hangar, I found myself reaching out touching finishes, feeling the cool sweep of metal, imagining exactly where a slab of stone or a sculptural lamp might belong in my own home.

James R. Lostlen

This year’s journey started with James R. Lostlen, whose lighting installations earned him IIDA/WestEdge Design Show winner in the category of accent pieces. His sculptures weren’t just lights, they were atmospheres. They cast haloes and diffused shadows that made even a plain hallway feel like the threshold to something magical.

Elements Room

Then there was the elemental beauty of Elements Room, where backlit stone slabs stood like monolithic canvases. It was as though nature itself had been invited to the gallery, carved into surfaces that would one day be counters, tables, or walls. Nearby, Emtek’s bronze door hardware and hinges gleamed under warm light, little details that felt infinitely more important when framed as the literal interface between you and your home’s world.

Wren & Cooper

Stepping into the booth of Wren & Cooper felt like discovering furniture that doubled as sculpture. Their pieces were equal parts wit and whimsy, with curves and textures that invited touch not because they were fragile, but precisely because they seemed so inviting. You didn’t just see the piece; you wanted to sit, to lean, to live with it.

What strikes me most is how WestEdge has quietly redefined what design shows can be. Instead of sterile display halls, we’ve moved into “slice-of-life” vignettes fully realized rooms that don’t just show you what’s possible, but ask you to imagine living in them. Wandering those booths felt like wearing a VR headset for your home, where every material, surface, and fixture whispered possibility.

Creating Good Design

And that’s exactly what good design should do. When you walk into a space and your eye drifts over a well-balanced composition, subtle layers of light, texture, and form and you pause, maybe even breathe a little deeper, that’s design done right. That’s living well, defined not by hype or trends, but by detail, intention, and conviction.

Westedge 2025 wasn’t about the biggest booths or the flashiest reveals. It was about the quiet power of craftsmanship the understanding that a home is only as good as its smallest details. And those details? They were everywhere.

The WestEdge Design Fair is an annual fall event (November) that takes place in Santa Monica. Visit the website for more info, or to purchase tickets – https://westedgedesignfair.com/