If you are a decor lover and live in So Cal, specifically in between LA and San Diego, then I’m sure you will rejoice with me at the news that West Elm has finally opened a store at South Coast Plaza! Last week I had the chance to get a little preview of the space before the grand opening. It’s located on the second floor, next in the Crate & Barrel wing of the mall (above Anthropologie). I was pleasantly surprised at how large the space is.
The most striking thing about the space is the huge three sided living vertical plant wall. It has over 3000 plants!! There’s only two other West Elm stores that have this type of wall installed, but this one is definitely the largest.
Right in front of the living wall is the cashwrap. West Elm commissioned California artist Jared Nelson to make a series of beautiful wavy ceramic tiles. Jared used indigenous clay that comes from a location near South Coast in Costa Mesa. Jared drew inspiration from local landmarks, such as the nearby Pacific Ocean, and the sculptures at the Noguchi Sculpture garden plaza (if you haven’t been- you MUST go. It’s one of OC’s hidden gems, tucked inside a business complex that is across the street from SCP).
Another thing that makes the South Coast store special is that it’s the first one to have an in-shop “Market”. The “Market” is West Elm’s new concept, devoted specifically to “useful ways to make life easier, better and a lot more lovely.” Basically, they’ve curated all their favorite items that aren’t just decorative, but functionally beautiful. Things like the best knives or utensils for your kitchen, to their favorite soaps, to metal baskets and laundry organizers.
Anyway- since we’re almost midway into November, the store is all decked out for the holidays and that means it’s a danger shopping zone. So many cute things are on display!
One area that really caught my eye was this diplay of cermaic vases/planters/creatures! As you may know, West Elm has been collaborating with Etsy artists for awhile now. For their retail stores, they’re now bringing in goods from Etsy sellers that are based locally. These adorable pieces are from Los Angeles based Jen Kuroki. This selection is exclusively available at the South Coast store. If you can’t make it down here, definitely check out the rest of her amazing work at her etsy shop: Jen E by lovebugkiko. Read more about the Etsy and West Elm’s partnership here.