Burning Man

Murray Moss opens his first L.A. store

August 3, 2007—Between new fashion-forward boutiques, Mario Batali's recent openings, and an upcoming Gordon Ramsay restaurant, Los Angeles is starting to resemble, well, New York. Today marks the arrival of another East Coast institution, with the opening of Moss' first-ever sister store. But rather than simply bringing a slice of Gotham out west, the longtime New York design shop—known for selling modernist decor alongside the occasional stuffed animal-covered chair—is going full-on Hollywood. The 4,000-square-foot location will showcase blockbuster-scale limited-edition exhibitions such as Glitter & Smoke, which features 18 chandeliers designed by Georg Baldele for Swarovski Crystal Palace and a 1938 Steinway baby grand piano blackened with a blowtorch by longtime Moss contributor Maarten Baas. (In this case, form follows function: The Dutch designer will play the piano on opening night.) The space itself is more minimalist, with an airy feel enhanced by six skylights. But that's all offset by two blazing white neon MOSS signs, each stored inside a rolling seven-foot-tall glass box near the front. "It has an oversized, almost cartoonish theatricality," co-owner Murray Moss says. Sounds like he'll fit right in.

Moss Los Angeles, 8444 Melrose Ave., (323) 866-5260, www.mossonline.com