Ca Boom Show

We went to the Ca Boom show yesterday and cablam! After almost 4 hours (!!) we came away with plenty of cabloggable ideas. We had heard that people where under-whelmed, but we have to say that we founds oodles of great west coast design. The place was pretty packed and there’s nothing like a funky DJ spinning music while you browse. One thing we noticed was how much of the new west coast design continues to be from Brooklyn. Interesting.

Of course, the natural wood works and beautiful craftsmanship where what thrilled us the most. Some old pals were back, like HollyWood Creations, who thanked us for our helpful and kind words from last year’s show (Check out the quote on their website). We got to meet John from Mesa Custom Furniture, who we have blogged for a while, but was showing for the first time this year.

We have a duffle bag filled with cards, USB web-sticks (!!) and website addresses of interesting shops so get ready, cause we have lots to say.

Comments (6)

i went to the thursday night showing, and agree with you alec that i saw lots of interesting things- i've never been before and, honestly, wasn't expecting much- so i was pleasantly suprised- definitely the showstoppers were the amazing wood pieces- i was especially impressed with the brothers at Bottega Montana- their craftsmanship and energy/passion were truly inspiring- and they make some mean skateboard decks!

posted by jon on 2006-03-27 10:07:22

I went to the show on Sunday (first time to CA Boom). I loved it - wished it was bigger but the quality of the exhibitors was great. I fell in love with the bed designed my Sami Hayek (hidden storage for magazines in the headboard). But I was really impressed by the landscaping/garden designs, especially the metal walls by Ranacreek Living.

posted by Samantha on 2006-03-27 14:21:45

I was not impressed with the show at all. I went on Saturday and maybe stayed for an hour and a half, tops. All the wood was nice, but so uninspired. I did like the decals from Blik www.whatisblik.com and the bags by Silent Revolution www.silent-revolution.com. The whole show was surprisingly un-sustainable (uh, isn't that huge right now in design?)except the Future Resident booth; it just felt like CA Boom 2001. What's wrong with LA?

posted by Hayley on 2006-03-27 18:01:13

I totally agree hayley- I too walked the whole show in 4 minutes and didnt see anything that really caught my eye.

I ended up going to the opening party and could tell many of the other participants were hanging out at the bar more than the booths.

Dont get me wrong everything was nice and beautifully made, but seeing the same peice over and over again is not exciting and found the show to be very boring.

I liked the Blik booth.
I also think they were the only ones that were excited to be there.
Really nice people!

The other sticker/wallpaper company called http://nighttrainunlimited.com/ was pretty cool as well.

Great concept for a show but why couldnt they exciting and not so typical modern vendors.

Sorry to say but next year I am going to pass...

posted by vsch on 2006-03-28 08:32:44

4 minutes = 40 minutes

posted by vsch on 2006-03-28 08:34:24

as a participant at caboom, i guess i'll try not to take too personally the last few comments. contrary to hayley et al, i WAS impressed and inspired by what i saw: other furnituremakers like michael yglesias, rob anderson and william stranger, the guys at inch, all the pre-fab. it's work i rarely see since i'm in the shop all day, totally different than mine, and frankly most of it really kicked ass. over the course of the weekend i made a point of going up to many of the other exhibitors, finding out how they do things, who their vendors are, sharing war stories. believe it or not, people appreciate open minds and genuine interest. it would be great if we could all be superstar designers and artists, but there is actually a learning curve that exists. some people develop their eye or skills faster than others. most never really explode. either way, to me, that's actually part of the beauty of the whole thing - the process, the struggle, making all the awful mistakes along the way like cutting off a finger (guilty). i'm sure the more jaded out there will find that sappy and weak. oh well, i said it anyway. there's also the tiny issue of the courage it takes to put your stuff out there in public view. frankly, i came into caboom terrified. this past weekend was my first time exhibiting my work. anywhere. ever. although i've been fortunate to have had a decent amount of success in the 2 years i've been in business (never picked up a saw before 4 years ago, which might explain the missing pinkie) you can imagine the nervousness and anxiety. my wife, if pressed, could provide a few more colorful adjectives. honestly, though, everyone that stopped by was incredibly kind and encouraging - Alec especially, who's been ridiculously supportive on AT these past few months. in fact i think he was the one who said that, in a way, this is a celebration of all the hard work we've put in, so enjoy that, if nothing else.

anyway, hopefully this gets taken in the spirit it was written. i'm not begging compliments; i know my work is good. improving every day. and here in LA, i'm definitely not alone.

posted by john mcdonald on 2006-03-28 10:24:18