Paul László is another one of those names that, though familiar, isn’t as recognizable as other Mid Century designers. Largely influential with his fabulous interior design and furniture, László’s designs are still wildly sought after, even today.
Though trained as an architect, it was clear early on his passions and talents lay in interior design. Laszlo’s work was a perfect combination of Hollywood Regency and International Style. His furniture pieces had clean lines and sturdy designs, but he filled his pieces with exquisite details that gave them a luxurious feel. Experimenting with color, pattern texture and shape, he created an incredible body of work that ranged from chairs, to desks, to couches, to bureaus, to tables to many, many other types of furniture. He was an expert with color, often creating palettes that seemed impossible but worked beautifully. And while his projects were simple, they were never underdone. He was also a forward-thinker, often creating ideas that were far ahead of their time.
Born in Hungary, László got his education in Vienna, Austria and Stuttgart, Germany. Though he received praise early for his design work, like from artist Salvador Dali, he was forced to flee the country and ended up in the United States in 1936. First landing in New York City, it’s said one of the first things he did when getting to the U.S. was buy a car and drive to Southern California. This spontaneous drive proved just the right move for László, as he found the perfect following for his work, opening an office in Beverly Hills. He is known to have worked with such celebrities as Debbie Reynolds, Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Taylor, Ronald Reagan, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant and many others.
One of the most important things about László (and what made him so popular), is that although he lived and worked in Beverly Hills, his talents and skills allowed him to design on an international scale and level, not just whatever was trendy at the time. Also aiding in his popularity was his meticulous detail to a project. In fact, he designed everything on a project, from the furniture, to the fabrics and even rugs, lamps, and other design fixtures.
The year 1948 proved to be an important year for László, when he collaborated with other designers like George Nelson, Charles Eames and Isamu Noguchi and began work on a set of designs for the Herman Miller furniture company. The furniture these top designers created is considered some of the most important contributions to the modern style ever created. Always moving forward, László didn’t last long with Herman Miller, going back to owning a design studio and designing department stores. Sometimes known as the “millionaire’s architect” László is occasionally dismissed as a designer to only the rich and famous, but his designs were so brilliant and relevant, they often worked for a whole range of people, whatever their salary. His furniture is prized today for its elegance and quality, and with its sumptuous details, clean lines and amazing style, it’s no wonder why.
The Los Angeles based designer is known for her young, bright, fresh and sassy interior work, working with clients in their homes but also running quite the successful e-design business, where she helps come up with inspiration boards for clients for a fee. That’s only one half of her talents, however, as she is also known for her ingenious and creative revamping of treasured vintage furniture. Not just fixing furniture pieces structurally, de Vargas gives them a touch of her own style, making them the perfect additions to our generation's more modern sensibilities.
As a blogger herself, she shares her take on the top trends in the design world weekly at Apartment Therapy Los Angeles, but also looks to inspire on her own blog. Sharing stories and photos from client projects (both local to L.A. and online), lots of fun home décor finds and creative ideas she uses her blog as more than just a tool to promote her business, but rather help others create their perfect homes.
Our favorite element of de Vargas’ work is her great use of color, pattern and detail. Her work is fun, sometimes feminine and frankly, flirty. She’s not afraid of any of these elements, and uses them all to enhance spaces, not overwhelm them. Flipping through her online portfolio you will see an inspiring array of color palettes with which to inspire your own home makeovers.
Already a strong presence on the Internet, you can also check out de Vargas and her work in numerous publications, such as The Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Sunset Magazine, Washington Post, Instyle Magazine, Architectural Digest-Italy, Lucky, California Homes and Design, as well as other blogs like Decor8 and Stylecourt.
And, you can also check out some of the previous design bloggers we’ve profiled, like Tina Roth Eisenburg of Swiss Miss, Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge, Jane Freiman of AtticMag, Erin Loechner of Design for Mankind, Anh Minh Le of anh-minh.com and Holly Becker of Decor8. 
Together, the Arne Jacobsen leather Egg Chair and Swank Lighting Crystal Murano Lamps make for a dynamic and unexpected combination. The leather chair brings both masculinity and modernity, whereas the lamps bring unbridled femininity and a sassy Hollywood Regency feel. Instead of fighting each other, the lamps and chair heighten each other’s commonalities, making for a gorgeous composition fitting for either a Mid-Century Modern or Hollywood Regency styled room. The power of this combination of décor pieces could even be enough to create an entire space on the premise of mixing two seemingly opposite styles: modern and luxurious. 
Together, the Swank lamps and Laszlo cabinet absolutely sing. Firstly, blue and brown are a classic color combination, and the bright aqua and warm wood brown of both of the pieces are invigorating. Both the pieces also have a perfect combination of Mid Century Modern and Hollywood Regency, with clean lines and lots of fun details. Lastly, we just love the way all three pieces look together. We could easily see this combination in a dining room as a buffet or in a living room as a show stealer. Though it would be sad to see the pair broken up, we could even see just one of the lamps adorning the top of the László cabinet, with perhaps the other lamp taking up residence in another part of room.
