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“I like to think that if a brand loyalist blindly walked into our offices, they’d instantly recognize the space as Cult Gaia’s—just as they’d recognize a pair of shoes, bag, dress, or tunic on the beach and know it’s ours,” says Cult Gaia founder Jasmin Larian Hekmat. Visiting the brand’s Los Angeles showroom and studio, guests might be able to do just that—and not because bamboo ark bags and clingy knitted dresses fill the space.
The project, which was a collaboration between Larian Hekmat and interior designer Kevin Klein, fell smack dab in the middle of the pandemic, and somehow it all came together—though much of that had to do with the fact that Larian Hekmat’s husband was able to step in as the contractor. As Klein put it, they “had the complete attention of the contractor.”
Located in West Hollywood, the space, per Klein, was formerly lacking in character. “It’s an older building, but not old enough to have a ton of charm. It had some exposed ceilings, which were kind of fun, but also a lot of closed-in spaces. It felt like this little maze,” says Klein. “The second Jasmin and I looked at it, we thought, let’s just break this whole thing down.”
Now, a series of open, airy, and light-filled rooms make up the offices. A couple of archways were put in place, glossy Venetian plaster polishes the walls, and a colorful terrazzo floor greets visitors at reception. “We didn’t want to detract from her product; if we went and installed all these crazy materials, colors and went really loud material palettes, the space wouldn’t really act as a showcase for Cult Gaia, which is naturally colorful, naturally vibrant,” says Klein. “So we wanted to find that middle ground between creating a space that was like a neutral backdrop, but not so stark that it felt like a museum gallery wall.”
The end result not only serves to highlight Cult Gaia’s wares—and inspire the design team who create them—but also the furniture and decorative arts that Larian Hekmat hand-selected. In her office sits an incredible table, the base of which looks like the head of a classical sculpture, from Milanese design firm Forma Cemento. Encircling the conference room are vintage and refurbished cane Marcel Breuer Cesca B64 chairs, and in the entryway, a pink Osaka sofa by Pierre Paulin. “To me, good design is never over-designed,” she says.
Should anyone happen to ring Larian Hekmat on Zoom, they’ll be greeted with a series of nude female figures right behind her. It’s an artwork by Iranian-American painter Yalda Sepahpour, and the Cult Gaia designer cites it as one of her favorite elements of the new space. (It was originally purchased for her home but found new life in the office.) Beyond her office, it’s on full display through a paned glass arched window that leads to a larger corridor. It’s a sort of anchor of the space, which after all, is named after the goddess Mother Earth. “I wanted everything in the Gaia world to feel magical and soulful but, and perhaps most importantly, effortless,” she says. “We wanted the office space to inspire the team to dream and to create. The result is a light-filled feast for the wandering eye, full of curves and intricacies that make you look twice.”
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