Lacuna Space

Project overview

Angelenos have always loved to keep their best treasures hidden behind unassuming, single-story façades. Nowhere is this more relevant today than in West Adams, where the quiet streets belie the flurry of activity that is fast creating one of the city's most vital communities. Lacuna Space, a new events venue and hub for creatives from Dre Shapiro, the multidisciplinary artist who helms Dre Design. Renovating an existing warehouse space with vaulted ceilings, Shapiro plays with this concept by preserving the narrow entryway from the street and offering a series of tantalizing cutouts as you proceed into the wider space with its open kitchen and hidden back garden.

The brief

Shapiro, whose roots in minimalist and abstract art inform her boutique design firm, specializes in organic modern interiors and will also serve as the lead curator at Lacuna. Her vision for the space was one of emptiness (lacuna means "unfilled space") but one that felt inviting, organic, and well-considered down to the smallest detail. Even the wall sockets speak volumes at Lacuna.

Ensuring that the restroom -- or bathhouse, as she has styled it, to evoke a feeling of communal ritual and gathering -- followed the same rigor in its design was of paramount importance to Shapiro. Utilizing a progressive restroom design concept, the bathhouse has ingress from both sides creating an open, gender-neutral space with plentiful natural light and access to the outdoors. The trough sink functions as the heart of the room; a true conversation piece meant to encourage the frisson of connection that marks a truly exceptional experience.

The solution

Shapiro was originally drawn to The Splash Lab in search of a really refined sensor faucet. She found most on the market to be too ungainly or bulky for the look of this project. The TSL.882 Radius Sensor Faucet stood out for its slim design, high-quality fabrication, and contemporary colors. While visiting the TSL showroom, she was particularly taken with the flexibility of finishes offered through solid surface and had the idea to adapt The Monolith Basin System to achieve the sink she had designed.

Dre's original planar concept adapted easily from steel to solid surface due to its superior bonding properties. As a bridge between standardization and genuine customization, the Monolith series offers a straightforward way to bring audacious designs to life. The updated design was specified in Corian Sandstone, a variegated off-white and beige finish with a similar organic complexity to travertine stone, without the complex maintenance of traditional stone.

The crowning detail of the sink is the integrated planter box, which makes use of the water-rich environment and plentiful sunlight from the strategically placed skylight to grow a backsplash of feathery grass. Sensor faucets were specified in a matte black to match finishes throughout the space and contrast to the biophilic scheme in the washroom. TSL was able to ensure a harmonious balance between the projection of the faucet and the back deck of the sink so that handwashing still felt effortless. This project is a superlative example of the strength of collaboration TSL can offer for designers with a daring point of view. Learn more about Dre's vision for the bathhouse and Lacuna Space in our video: