A pool with a view
Brentwood Country Mart, Dear John's, Beachwood Canyon, Reality Center, Joshua Tree, best vintage furniture stores, MORE
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shops
Gala gowns and merry-go-rounds
At the 75-year-old Brentwood Country Mart, nouveau high-end boutiques mingle with more casual mainstays. It's hard to pick favorites from the 22 shops that make up the quaint center, but we’re particularly drawn to these four.
→ Sézane: French girls and those who want to dress like them flock to Sézane for silky ruffle blouses, tassel loafers, and Breton-striped everything. You might even forget you’re in Brentwood.
The Ticket: Scoop up your Parisian favorites fast, as inventory moves quickly.
→ Capitol and Irene Neuwirth: The LA outpost of Charlotte, NC's hottest designer boutique features collectable Olympia Le-Tan clutches, raffia totes from Marni, and gala gowns galore. And the Irene Neuwirth jewelry store-within-a-store ensures no good dress goes unadorned.
The Ticket: Big ticket designers are on the docket, but it’s a curated selection of lesser-known names that makes this shop sing.
→ Poppy: All the fancy Westside moms shop for their fancy Westside kids at Poppy, the spot to find fabulous wares for the wee ones (think: cool French and Danish imports, and plenty made-in-America classics).
The Ticket: Aprés-shop, stop by the old-school merry-go-round out front for instant meltdown relief.
→ Sid Mashburn: Our men’s pick: Sid Mashburn, the legendary Atlanta outfitter come West, for fitted plaid button-downs and perfectly tailored sports coats.
The Ticket: Upstairs, there’s an in-house tailor service where one can have pants hemmed and get measured for a custom suit.
→ Dôen: Sisters Margaret and Catherine Kleveland created the ultimate breezy California girl uniform: ditsy floral dresses, puff-sleeved tops, high-waisted denim. For winter, they know their way around cozy knitwear and nubby jackets.
The Ticket: IRL. At the shop, there’s a selection of fun trinkets you won’t find online. –Zoe Schaeffer
REAL ESTATE • Sold
This land is your land
After checking in on Laurel Canyon back in the fall, today our attention shifts to a more easterly alternative: Beachwood Canyon. The neighborhood sees a median home sale price of $1.43M, per Redfin, but in the canyon’s upper reaches — including the area first developed as Hollywoodland — the majority of deals get done in the $1.5M-$4.5M range.
Three notable sales up there in the past month, ‘neath the Hollywood sign:
→ 3001 Durand Drive (Beachwood Canyon, above) • 5BR/4.3BA, 5521 SF • House and guest house with 360-degree views from upper pool deck • Listed: 11/10/23 for $3.748M, sold: 1/24/24 • Sold price: $4.025M • Listing broker: Peter Lorimer, PLG Estates.
→ 2955 Belden Drive (Beachwood Canyon) • 4BR/4BA, 3848 SF • Contemporary with skyline views • Listed: 9/19/23 for $3.395M, sold: 2/13/24 • Sold price: $3.295M • Listing brokers: John Campbell and Matthew Flores, Revel Real Estate.
→ 2859 Westshire Drive (Beachwood Canyon) • 3BR/3BA, 1690 SF • Recently renovated midcentury • Listed: 2/8/24 for $1.79M, sold: 3/5/24 • Sold price: $1.8M • Listing broker: Marc Robinson, Keller Williams Beverly Hills.
LA WORK AND PLAY LINKS: Two of Venice Beach’s Glass Ladies homes are up for sale • Inside CANTA, Silver Lake’s secret wine shop • Ballmer talks Intuit Dome: ‘this is for hardcore basketball fans’ • Salary surge: LA’s newest six-figure jobs.
GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines
Furniture, vintage
Seventh House (Hollywood, above), high-end gallery in a Frank Gehry building
Counter Space (Silver Lake), plethora of old handsome wood
Midcenturyla (North Hollywood), restored furnishings from the 1950s-’80s, born in Stockholm
Galerie Half (Hollywood), highly sophisticated showroom of vintage wares and lighting
Same Old (Arts District), unique design-forward pieces, by appointment only
Pop Up Home (Melrose Hill), brick-and-mortar founded by an estate sale virtuoso
Amsterdam Modern (Westlake), mid-century retailer with Netherlands-focused sourcing
Den (East Hollywood), 20th-century finds include affordable surplus selection
Nickey Kehoe (Hollywood), globally sourced antiques alongside brand-name items
Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundla.com.
WORK • Thursday Routine
Health is wealth
EMILY WAGNER • founder/CEO • Micropause
Neighborhood you live in: Picfair Village
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
My office is a built-in extension of my kitchen, where I stand on my FluidStance balance board hacking away on my computer, doing the early morning ‘get centered and create focus’ task-priority-organization tango. The scene: Post-its, design mood boards, product ideations, color samples, etc. The door to my backyard is flung open, which means I have a steady view of sunlight, grass, and Lolo, my sunbathing rescue chihuahua.
What’s on the agenda for today?
As a young start-up, having launched in spring 2023, the daily business agenda is a never-ending to-do list. This works perfectly with my sensibilities as ‘never-ending to-do list’ is my love language. Currently, we're in the trenches, prepping to launch our new beauty gummy: "All Glown Up.” This is why I prioritize scheduling micropauses — short, intentional moments designed to reset, recalibrate, reduce stress and enhance cognitive function. They’re truly the unsung heroes of daily wellness. I’ll take a quick non-distracted walk which supports and strengthens attention and cognitive processing. I do a 3x a day writing exercise in my Project 369 journal. Lately, I’ve been loving the Lumenate app, designed to elevate your consciousness by turning your phone’s flashlight into a brain-rhythm-altering psychedelic meditation device. Fun fact: Saltburn’s mum, Rosamund Pike, is the app’s creative director.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I learned to love sandwiches at my local organic sandwich shop Rosemary and Thyme. I rotate between The Stanley Turkey and The Fairfax Open Face Tuna. The Black Forest Bakery sourdough is perfectly crisped with a pepperoncini here, a Calabrian chili there, and lemon zest everywhere. My ongoing list of places to conquer is stashed in my Instagram saves folder, a neverending collection that I've shamelessly compiled from food influencers: Layla Bagels, Barra Santos, Old Ferry Donuts, Petramale Pizza (yes, it's in a church parking lot — divine intervention in the form of pizza), Loreto, Motto Tea Café, Saltie Girl, Saffy’s and Levain Bakery, to name just a few.
How about a little leisure or culture?
The leisure activities that excite me the most are usually experiential wellness or biohacking related. I gravitate toward exploring anything that’ll elevate or enhance some aspect of my mental, emotional and physical well-being. Reality Center in Santa Monica is one of these places; Chromasonic is the most gorgeous sound/chroma healing experience. A day at Quantum Clinic is my kind of spa day where deep frequency therapy, scalar energy work and flotation tank therapy are on the docket. I love Pause Studio on Sycamore and even bought my teenager a flotation therapy series. The first time she fell into such a deep sleep, she didn't even wake up to the throbbing whirl of cleaning jets and emptied tub that signal the session’s over. Clearly, there's a recurring theme here: anything that involves the fine art of lying down. Because why stand when you elevate horizontally?
Any weekend getaways?
A few times a year I head to my friends' adorable Airbnb in Joshua Tree for a workcation. I basically do the exact same thing there that I do here on a workday, only add desert walks, dips in the stock tank pool, outdoor movie nights projected onto the casita and nightly hammock stargazing marathons. Plus, it's dog-friendly, and my Lolo deserves a break too. And it’s a short walk to Joshua Tree Coffee. Perfection.
What was your last great vacation?
There’s nothing like the reset I get from a spontaneous mini local vacay. You know, the kind with zero time to overthink, where 48 hours adds five years to your life. I loved my spur-of-the-moment midweek girls' trip to the Sparrows Lodge in Palm Springs. I absolutely adored this spot — private, boutique, not touristy, and the décor is a masterclass in upleveled rustic-cabin-artsy-eclectic chic.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Will we get a 2024 superbloom? (Maybe!) • Epic Ski Passes for ‘24-’25 season now on sale, Mountain Collective too • Delta cutting LA-London route as of May 5 — and delaying universal free wifi rollout into 2025 • Yolo’s Japan travel planner • Damien Hirst takes over Château La Coste in Provence.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Sat Night
Taylor Tomlinson: Tries Out New Ideas, Brea Improv (Brea), GA, Sat @ 7p, $113 per
Madonna, Kia Forum (Inglewood), Sat @ 830p, section 110, $452 per
Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group, Segerstrom Concert Hall (Costa Mesa), Sat @ 8p, orchestra, $272 per
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Frozen in amber
Dear John’s doesn’t feel like sunny LA, and that’s the point. The dim Culver City hideaway is both intimate and convivial, and dinner here feels like an occasion, even if the occasion is Tuesday night. The servers are seasoned, the martinis cold and crisp, and the choices minimal — just Blue Note classics.
Like other restaurants in the cohort of old-school Hollywood glamor, Dear John’s has history. In 1962, it opened as a haunt for stage and screen celebs from the nearby Sony lot, then faded over time only to be resurrected in 2019 by restaurateurs Patti and Hans Röckenwagner and the chef Josiah Citrin. Today, it’s as if the restaurant has been frozen in amber.
Order the iceberg wedge and then the prime sirloin (marked with a subtle Snake River Farms monogram), a standout at a recent meal. The Idaho-based purveyor produces first-rate steaks. While there is a pleasant enough patio, the essential Dear John’s experience is indoors.
The atmosphere is particularly conducive to a boozed-up hang with old friends, shoulder to shoulder in one of the restaurant’s red booths. Original paintings from the ‘50s and ‘60s add to the vibe. But even though Dear John’s is an event, this is Los Angeles, after all, so dress up or dress down — the restaurant is welcoming to aging rockers and Alo-clad Apple staffers alike.
Let yourself dissociate from the real world as time and space slow down, then snap out of it as you exit, remembering that you’re not leaving a nightclub into the dawn light, only that dinner is done. –Colin Nagy
→ Dear John's (Culver City) • 11208 Culver Blvd • Tues-Sat, 530-930p.
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: On Beverly Hills’ emergence as a culinary destination • Roy Choi returns, plans to open new taco stand next week • Culver City’s Mandrake Bar to close, reopening as No Smoking under new owners this spring • Phil Rosenthal teaming with Nancy Silverton to open diner in Larchmont Village this summer • On the (many) vintages of the century.
ASK FOUND
A few FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we are seeking intel:
What florists or subscription flower services should I consider?
You published the best women’s boutiques, but what about men’s boutiques?
What’s your favorite restaurant in LA (if you haven’t told us already)?
Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundla.com.
LOST & FOUND • Behind the Paywall
Dispatches from the frontline, from FOUND subscribers for FOUND subscribers:
→ A handful of favorite restaurants from new subscribers: Camphor (Arts District)• Perilla (Victor Heights) • Te Isshoku Sushi (Downtown)• Speranza (Silver Lake) • Si! Mon (Venice)• Jar (Beverly Grove) • Osteria Mozza (Hollywood) • Wah Gwaan Jamaican Kitchen & Bar (Leimert Park) • Angelini Osteria (West Hollywood).