There's a subtlety to the creations of L.A.-based designer Brendan Ravenhill, whose lighting fixtures and furniture populate some of the city's hippest restaurants and shops, from Osteria La Buca and L&E Oyster Bar to the Springs spa in DTLA. You might even miss them on a first visit; they almost blend into their surroundings. But the more you look at them, the more their genius literally shines through. Then you can't stop staring at his minimal, paper-thin hood sconces and geometric chandeliers celebrating sleek, industrial simplicity. His Grain pendant sports a flying saucer–like hood, whose golden-fleck interior lights up like the Medieval illuminated manuscripts of the Getty's permanent collection. Then there's his signature bulb, with glass surrounding the socket, too, emitting a warm glow from both ends. His fixtures even cast light inside the South L.A. church designed by esteemed architect Rudolph Schindler, whose functionality-forward design aesthetic inspired Ravenhill. Best of all, he manufactures his pieces in Los Angeles, creating partnerships with the city's best fabricators to make his design dreams come true. Once you recognize Ravenhill's works, you start seeing them everywhere, and with good reason: He's bringing a new light to local design.

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