Too Perfect

Blurred boundaries are a defining feature of our age, whether that means a hotel lobby that’s a temporary office for nomadic workers, or a home spa that’s as good as a professional set-up. So it is with Casa Perfect, a design gallery masquerading as a private residence.

The work of David Alhadeff, founder of The Future Perfect, it’s just unveiled its fourth iteration, taking over an early-1970s house in Beverly Hills: this is Casa Perfect’s third consecutive space in LA, while a New York City outpost has been operating since spring 2019. Visits are by appointment only, and the roster of work on show includes collectable art-meets-design pieces by designers such as Piet Hein Eek, Dimore Studio, Floris Wubben and Marta Sala.

“It’s not a store at all, but rather a home showcasing works within a residential context,” says Alhadeff, who resides at each Casa Perfect as well as running his business from there. “It is completely immersive and an incredible way to enjoy amazing architecture, alongside contemporary design.

“I think brands have to really think about why clients, who are busier than ever, need to stop in and browse. That habit has gone to social media and online. I very rarely ‘go shopping’ any more as a recreational activity for the sake of browsing. If we want our clients to come visit us, it’s our task to create incredible experiences for them that they need to see in person.”

The interiors are refreshed regularly to keep it interesting, says Alhadeff: “We are always changing things, so every time a client walks in, even if it’s weekly, something is new or different. We work very hard to be sure that if our clients come visit us, we wow them every time.” Artist Matthew Day Jackson received a special focus for the opening: his Wonky collection (main image, top) is made with basic tools and without taking precise measurements, resulting in furniture that looks deliberately unskilled in its creation.

Day Jackson’s work sits alongside a new collection of door and drawer pulls by Chen Chen and Kai Williams, a cabinet by Piet Hein Eek, Cody Hoyt ceramics and lighting designer Lindsey Adelman’s Drop collection.

The LA property was originally designed by architect Raul F Garduno, best known for the early-1960s Hillside House in Silver Lake, which features a vertiginous cantilevered deck and spectacular views. The interiors of the latest Casa Perfect retain original features such as stone-clad walls, to which new rust-coloured carpets have been added to really amp up that 1970s vibe.

How does Alhadeff know when he’s found a property that’s ‘the one’? “We are looking for special architectural spaces that have amazing stories,” he says – case in point, the previous LA Casa Perfect once belonged to Elvis Presley. “I like to say I’m open to new architecture, but I always want to feel the space in my gut and that’s how I know I have a great space.”

New York’s Casa Perfect, meanwhile (pictured above), was harder to come by; Alhadeff finally alighted on a West Village townhouse built in 1901, refurbished by architect David Chipperfield for former owner Nat Rothschild. The more modern, minimal interior makes it fractionally more gallery-like than LA, but still homely. “In NY it took a really long time to find the right home,” he says. “I do live in these places as well, so it has to work for me personally too.”