Design Lessons Learned: Intelligentsia Sunset Junction

3922 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029

Since starting this whole interior design venture in 2017, I have taken notice of a lot more details in my day-to-day. Not too surprising since I’ve already been described as an incredibly meticulous person in my day job by my colleagues. I don’t tell a lot of people this, but when I step into a beautiful coffee shop or restaurant, there are a ton of things I’m taking in around me. Every color, every hue, the lights, the flatware. Sure, it’s great to search Pinterest and Instagram feeds for design inspiration, but i’m trying to make more of an effort these days to take a stroll instead of scroll (see what I did there)! The Silverlake area is one that I’ve passed by many times without realizing there are beautiful interiors in this hipster haven, and this brings me to exhibit A, Intelligentsia Sunset Junction.

WHAT THIS SPACE TAUGHT ME:

1. The color wheel IRL

   The color wheel is one of those things you learn in 1st grade that you really won’t use again in life. EVER. Years later, I find myself filling out a whole assignment on the color wheel in my interior design courses, filling it out tediously color by color. I honestly thought, does this really matter? Needless to say, I half-assed through the assignment thinking I was too good for that. Well, Intelligentsia showed me that it really does matter.

   This blue tile is crazy bold. Even the blue shade is not that subdued. But why does this space work so well? The high gloss orange tones in the ceilings and wall are (surprise surprise) opposite on the color wheel of that pretty blue tile. So yes, I learned that even I am not too good for lessons to be learned from the basic color wheel.

2. BALANCE

   Speaking of that crazy blue tile, it’s overwhelming. But you know what’s not? The simplicity of the hanging light bulbs. The space is also flooded with a good amount of natural light from a glass window (not pictured), so the individual light bulb fixtures really set a good balance in lighting ambiance, opposing the craziness of the tile pattern.

3. Go explore more

   I drove by Intelligentsia Sunset Junction every workday for almost 5 years without ever going inside. I’ve seen it featured on movies. Heck, it’s only a 15 minute walk from where I work. Talk about taking some beautiful things for granted. Last year, I wanted to commit to taking more time to appreciate more of the pretty things around L.A., even as a local, and finally stepping foot inside Intelligentsia taught me that I really need to take some time to go explore more of the neighborhoods around me.