National Forest’s Design Hub
Name: National Forest // Co-Founded by Seven Harrington and Justin Krietemeyer
Location: Atwater Village; Los Angeles, California
Size: 2,400 square feet
Years lived in: We’ve been in this building for seven years. We were down the road before that and a home-loft in the very beginning.
National Forest is a design firm and creative consultancy located in Atwater Village. Co-founded and co-owned by Steven Harrington and Justin Krietemeyer, they have had the opportunity to collaborate with some incredible talent and brands such as Target, Roxy, Urban Outfitters, and French retailer Colette. Welcome to their design hub.
This is a creative firm that clearly believes in fun, artistic expression and the use of color! Having occupied this incredible space for the past seven years, they make great use of its square footage. Part gallery, part work shop, part office…they even have an outdoor space large enough to host parties and wonderful photography studio set up.
When it comes to such a collaborative space such as this, aesthetic and design are everything. They believe the “vibe” of the space is most essential. “The vibe has to fit the function. It comes down to how big is the space, who’s in it, how is music played, is there a dog, etc…”
Collectively they believe that the most significant thing about their office is the people that occupy it: “It is a privilege to come in every morning.” Lifestyle and culture play a huge part in their design aesthetic— “The weather in Los Angeles is mostly sunny, and always warm. The beach is 35 min away, and the mountains are 25 min away in the other direction. These simple facts create a very chill and easygoing lifestyle and culture to the city, which also finds its way into our design and work.”
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: We like the space super-clean with as much light and optimism as possible. We try to keep space for big physical projects and little moments of rainbow-color to keep the work-vibe fun.
Inspiration: Saul Bass’ studio, Stanley Kubrick sets, sunshine, BBQ, good friends, good conversation, and an endless wall ride.
Favorite Element: We have tons of skylights everywhere. It is rare that we turn on the lights. In our old studio, we would come back from lunch and need a nap but with all the natural light we can now go HAM all day long.
Biggest Challenge: Live / work balance.
What Friends Say: Where’s the party, or where’s the beer, or maybe I should let you get back to work.
Biggest Embarrassment: We have a storage unit that houses some really strange things such as 4 foot tall Kid Robot vinyl toy, and too many collaborative products to count. We just like all our past projects so much we can’t get rid of anything.
Proudest DIY: We are working on a Jamaican dub sound-system. It is a mix of furniture, sculpture, and acoustics. It has been a long haul sourcing all the components, but we’re pretty excited about the results.
Biggest Indulgence: Our speakers are bigger than the space requires.
Best Advice: Make work you believe in, in a space you enjoy doing it.
Dream Sources: Our brain—when we purchase a space, we would definitely want to design it out ourselves instead of purchasing.
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
- Benjamin Moore: White
ENTRY
- Aola Board: Steven Harrington x CSS
- Desk: Ikea x Home Depot
- LSD FOR YOU AND ME: Cody Hudson
- Clothing: Client work from The Times.
- Sofa: Modernica Case Study
- Fabric Chair: Vintage
- White Chair: Eames Rocker from Modernica
- Wooden Art Pieces: Todd St. John
DESIGN SPACE
- Magenetic wall: X paint
- & sculpture: Steven Harrington
- SOUNDSSYSTEM: Altec Lansing A4, hand-made subwoofer cabinets by Rod Foreman, Jah Tubby AN4 preamp
- Peace Promise: Justin Krietemeyer
- Wally – Wall Planter
- Skateboards by National Forest over the years
- Meeting Chairs: Modernica Fiberglass Eiffel Side Shell chairs
- Desk chairs: Herman Miller Aeron chairs
ART SPACE
- Art Supply Holders: Little Giant Shelf Trucks
- DIY Home Depot / CB2 workspace hacks
POSTER ROOM
- Poster Shelves: Justin’s Mom Betty
- Artwork: All by Steven Harrington & Justin Krietemeyer
- Shoes: Steven Harrington X Generic Surplus
- Goggles & Helmets. Justin Krietemeyer x Giro
Thanks, National Forest!
(Photographs: Bethany Nauert)
• HOUSE TOUR ARCHIVE: Check out past house tours here.
• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour Submission Form.
• Are you a designer/architect/decorator interested in sharing a residential project with Apartment Therapy readers? Contact the editors through our Professional Submission Form.
Updated daily with fresh tours full of photos for you to pin & enjoy!