Searching for Things to Do in LA This Week? Look No Further Than Julia Wong's 70s-Inspired, Exclusive Design "Lounge"

Offering a sneak peek at her forthcoming project, Hudson House, the acclaimed designer's latest WestEdge Design Fair appearance reunites some of the best names in the contemporary interiors scene to celebrate innovation

A design lounge features 1970s-inspired couches in warm hues of beige and orange, carpets, wide windows, and plants.
(Image credit: Julia Wong)

Widely esteemed for her eclectic fusion of sophistication, lavish elegance, and functionality, Calabasas-based interior designer Julia Wong is bringing her vision to the ninth edition of the WestEdge Design Fair this week with a plush lounge dedicated to discussing the inspirations of her upcoming project, Hudson House.

Launching with an opening party at Santa Monica's Barker Hangar on November 14, this creative parlor, titled the Hudson House Lounge, will offer a unique opportunity to discover how the modern interior design mogul transformed a 1925 California Mediterranean residence in the Hancock Park district into a cosmopolitan, "refined atelier" conceived as a community platform for the wider arts, culture, and entertainment industries.

Open through November 16, the Hudson House Lounge will serve as a testing ground for what Wong's latest design endeavor, set to land in the spring of 2025, aims to be: a crossroads of creative innovation, facilitating new ideas through exclusive events bringing together members from the design, architecture, film, fashion, beauty, wellness, and tech scenes, among others.

Starting this Thursday evening, this buzzy and sumptuously furnished living room will see a number of professionals — from luxury kitchen and bathroom specialists Kallista's Managing Director, Alexander Dornbracht, and Sotheby's International Realty's Luxury Agent, Kristine Miller, to smart home trailblazer Josh.ai's Co-founder and CEO, Alex Capecelatro — intervene in a series of panel discussions that, "celebrating product innovation," strive to set "a new standard of luxury and excellence in design," explain the event organizers.

Acting as a spirited meeting point for both industry insiders and visitors interested in learning more about the biggest interior trends of the moment, the Hudson House Lounge will immerse visitors in a stimulating atmosphere to explore "the latest in design and sustainable innovation".

A design lounge featuring retro-futuristic furniture such as couches, rugs, and Murano glass lamps in a warmly lit room.

(Image credit: Julia Wong)

"With the help of my friends Marc Appleton, Architect, Appleton Partners, LLC, Scott Shrader, Landscape Architect, Shrader Design, Christopher Thompson, Lighting Engineer, Studio Lux and Steve Ferqueron, Builder, and Reside Custom Homes, I am creating my dream home and I'm excited to share it with our industry," Wong says of the soon-to-be-launched Hudson House, which combines her eye for heritage-informed, avantgarde interiors with her partners' finest products, artistic resources, and expertise. At once intimate and forward-thinking, this ambitious undertaking will incorporate "rarely found original hand-wrought iron banisters and high-beamed ceilings anchored by a leaded stained-glass window" with pioneering technological fixtures in an enthralling encounter between "old-world craftsmanship and Hollywood glamour".

The Hudson House Lounge, meanwhile, gives visitors a first taste of the collaborations that will shape the spaces of this new location. With spectacular, cutting-edge lighting by Ketra, a Lutron technology created to mimic closely natural illumination sources, including sunlight and candleight, flooring and Italian cabinetry coming courtesy of luxury lifestyle brand Duchateau, high-end Monogram appliances and Kallista unveiling Guise, "its most contemporary design yet" and latest collection, this two-day interior brainstorming session deserves a spot on your agendas — as does WestEdge Design Fair as a whole.

Julia Wong's Hudson House Lounge opens at WestEdge Design Fair, The Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, CA, on November 14, and continues through November 16. Book your tickets.

Gilda Bruno
Lifestyle Editor

Gilda Bruno is Livingetc's Lifestyle Editor. Before joining the team, she worked as an Editorial Assistant on the print edition of AnOther Magazine and as a freelance Sub-Editor on the Life & Arts desk of the Financial Times. Between 2020 and today, Gilda's arts and culture writing has appeared in a number of books and publications including Apartamento’s Liguria: Recipes & Wanderings Along the Italian Riviera, Sam Wright’s debut monograph The City of the SunThe British Journal of PhotographyDAZEDDocument JournalElephantThe FaceFamily StyleFoamIl Giornale dell’ArteHUCKHungeri-DPAPERRe-EditionVICEVogue Italia, and WePresent.