Nesting: Knock Knock, Artist's Haven In Los Angeles
New York and Los Angeles have long been at war: Which is cooler? Which has better restaurants? Which makes better movies? Lisa Dorr, a former New Yorker who now lives in Los Angeles, is split down the middle. "I miss the east coast," says the clothing designer who loves all four seasons. "But right now, in LA, the tomatoes are ripening on the vine, and my daughter is really happy." We visited Dorr to find out more about her handmade clothing line and artsy decor...
So where do you live in Los Angeles?
Venice Beach. I'm from the east coast, and it feels weird here. I'm the first person in my family to come west. It's weird, it's odd. In New York, there's a great freedom to be who you are, and the people I met became my best friends. L.A., on the other hand, is really shallow. I'm looking out my front door, and it's not a pretty place.
Can you tell us about your house?
The house is less than 800 square feet, so we've got a tiny space.
Do you feel cramped?
We've had large houses, too, and surprisingly it feels the same. We just clump together as a little group.
Speaking of cities, what about Paris? The clothes you design feel French.
Right when I was starting to take sewing classes and dying to make clothes for my daughter, I happened upon the clothing line Le Vestiaire de Jeanne from France. Her clothing is simple and uses lots of linen, and I was very inspired.
Have you been to France?
Before I started making clothes, I had a French bistro in Maine--I have a crazy life! Last summer, on craigslist, I read about a cooking school looking for help for two weeks, in the south of France. I quickly answered their ad, and they hired me as a dishwasher. I spent all my free time in Paris. It was incredible.
What do you like about French style?
French women are so beautiful. They don't try too hard, and they get better with age.
I agree, French women seem to get even more chic as they get older.
When I was in France, the new Jane Birkin movie had just come out, and she was everywhere. When our chef wasn't cooking, he was sitting in front of the TV trying to get a glimpse of her. And she's over sixty.
Tell us about your adorable daughter.
Francis is hilarious. She has a sleeping area of her own but ends up climbing into bed with me almost every night.
What do you do as a family?
We don't have a TV, so we play games, especially UNO, and read and listen to music.
What does Frances like to do?
She likes painting, drawing, Japanese animated movies, gardening and flowers. Her day is so busy with school that she comes home, does her homework and hangs out in my sewing room; then we make dinner and go to bed. It's a nice life.
What lovely pots! Where did you find them?
My first credit card purchase ever was a set of Le Creuset cookware. I still love them. The orange and white pot is by Catherine Holm. The rest is from yard sales.
As a former chef, what do you make for dinner?
Artichokes! Frances's favorite food ever. She likes miso soup for breakfast. After school, toast with butter & cinnamon. Tonight we're having a beef daube served over garlic mashed potatoes and some kind of bitter green salad. We use our pizza stone (the best thing ever) to make a simple margherita or a potato, onion, rosemary, salt, olive oil version. So good. I also like simple roast chicken, with thyme and a lemon in the body, garlicky sauteed greens, pan-roasted duck, lentils with mustard, lingonberry sauce, roast pork and gigantic lima beans. We like penne pasta with olive oil, hot pepper flakes, garlic, spinach, a fried egg on top, rice vinegar, and salt. It's nice to have ratatouille on hand, and pesto, pesto, pesto. The farmer's market is rockin' out with tomatoes, and cool weedy greens (nettles!) as well as all the good staples. We have dessert once a week, and it's usually apple crisp, which becomes breakfast next day.
Oh, my goodness, you guys eat so well.
Wait, I left out steak frites! Buy a little deep fryer, and make your own frites.
Yummy, I want to come over for dinner.
I can really natter on about food. I guess our favorite way to eat is like good peasants. We don't buy prepared anything, and I try to channel chef Gabrielle Hamilton from Prune in New York. God, I miss Prune.
How did you approach the decor of your living room?
My boyfriend made the low platform couch, which always looks clean. It's eleven feet long, so even though Duane is six feet, we can both lie on it and not touch each other! I also love the skylight, which lends a natural, Californian feel to the house.
Coffeetables from IKEA.
Who did the artwork?
I did. I majored in art in college but was really intimidated by the other students, so I dropped out. After college, I painted prolifically for a number of years. Frances is really good at painting, too, so we're getting back into it.
What's in the photograph?
The sky in Maine. Frances's father took that incredible shot from the ground upwards.
What a cute mini Panton chair.
I love the real Panton chair. It's a dull plastic, though, and this one is shiny.
Is that your painting, too?
Yes. Most of my paintings have to do with Star Wars. I don't know what it is, but I get great satisfaction from drawing abstract forms of imperial walkers.
The Bill Murray tote is from etsy.
How's the Bertoia chair at your desk?
I hate the damn thing! It's so uncomfortable, but it looks nice.
What's posted on your sewing room inspiration board?
A map of Venice, California, a map of Paris, stamps, a picture of Mick Jagger, a photo of Frances as a baby in a dishpan, a drawing she made of a smiling hugging figure. Also I have magazine tear sheets--I love the model Daria Werbowy.
What inspires you most overall?
Paris, of course, and old European cities. California is like living in Epcot Center; nothing here is old. I'm nostalgic for any place with a sense of history. I have a yearning to get back to an older time.
Related Links from Cookie:
