What’s Happening: In Los Angeles, a newly unveiled bus shelter prototype to address shade and light concerns within bureaucratic constraints went viral for all the wrong reasons.

The Download: Earlier this month, Los Angeles officials gathered at an unassuming bus stop in Westlake to debut a bus shelter pilot for underserved areas. Designed by L.A. Department of Transportation (LADOT) and the nonprofit Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI), La Sombrita (“little shadow” in Spanish) is a perforated metal structure that attaches to existing bus stops to provide a sliver of shade from the California sun. At night, it becomes a solar-powered light. Its goal was to provide a small-scale fix to concerns residents often cite with the city’s nearly 6,000 bus stops, especially in working-class areas along streets too narrow for full shelters: a lack of adequate shade and light, which leads to dangerous and unsafe conditions.

According to Twitter users and a slate of critics, the 26-inch-wide shade seemed to epitomize government largesse, endless bureaucratic red tape, and clueless progressive wokeness. “It’s something even non-bus-riders and non-Angelenos should see as a symbol of our failures,” Aaron Gordon writes in Vice. “It’s about American cities erecting vast, complex bureaucracies with insanely complicated rules and norms that make it difficult to build literally anything.” The full-scale press conference for a “glorified pole” that critics likened to a Parks and Recreation sketch perhaps didn’t help optics, nor did comparisons to San Francisco’s outrageous $1.7 million public toilet. But there’s more to La Sombrita than meets the eye.

La Sombrita isn’t meant to replace bus shelters. Instead, it originated after a 2021 LADOT study, called “Changing Lanes,” delved into how public transit can be more equitable for women. Many urban transit systems were designed around nine-to-five commuters. Riding habits have changed over time, though, and women constituted a majority of L.A.’s bus riders pre-pandemic.

In neighborhoods with high amounts of women workers without cars, the report concludes, entire transit systems “fail to adequately account for women” and “prioritize men’s experience” by means of inefficient daytime routes and lengthy wait times. To address this, LADOT and KDI partnered to explore quick, small-scale solutions that adhere to entrenched policies—especially ones that require an onerous 16-step process involving eight city departments to install a single bus shelter, which can take years.

Using grant money from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the design teams produced an array of shelter concepts. Among these were prototypes that can be easily installed on existing bus stop poles without additional permits. La Sombrita emerged from these early experiments. In that sense, it’s the outcome of agencies trying to bypass bureaucratic processes—not the outcome of bureaucracy itself. “Ultimately, we prototype something that demonstrates what the constraints are,” says Chelina Odbert, founding principal of KDI. The goal is to identify the greatest impact within mandatory parameters with the fewest resources. Whether or not it will move the needle remains to be seen.

In Their Own Words: “A design solution like La Sombrita is not inconsistent with the criticism that the process for building a bus stop is entirely out of hand,” Kriston Capps writes in Bloomberg. “There’s a galaxy-brain tenor to some of the criticism of La Sombrita: One should simply reform municipal regulations to make low-cost no-nonsense permanent infrastructure approvals instead. Why didn’t anyone think of that?”

Surface Says: If only the city could agree on a universal design solution for bus shelters like they did for ADUs.

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Tucked into the verdant heart of Capri, a Venetian-style palazzo unfurls in all its architectural glory. The recently debuted Il Capri Hotel is the result of a delightful collaboration between designer Graziella Buontempo and architect Arnaud Lacombe, who fashioned the luminous sanctuary as an unparalleled rendezvous with Italian luxury. The duo’s ingenious interplay of modern aesthetics with nostalgic echoes of midcentury Capri delivers a palette of terracotta hues, sumptuous fabrics, and breezy alfresco spaces—all choreographed to pay homage to the island’s innate splendor.

The original pink-and-white facade gives way to chic amenities like the shimmering pool flanked by sun-dappled terraces with loungers shaded by red parasols and the Italian restaurant Vesuvio appointed with caned bistro chairs. Meanwhile, the suites, awash with natural light and boasting sweeping views of the Gulf of Naples, are decorated sparingly to not distract from the island’s dreamy landscape seen from the terraces.

Caleb Ferris’s tongue-in-cheek range of furniture reflects the strange yet familiar elements of everyday objects that give them verve: the ruffled curves of noodles, the glint of fishing lures, and the bounce of inflated cartoons. As a reminder to be receptive to the unconventional beauty that surrounds us and perhaps to stop taking design so seriously, the Oakland-based furniture artist’s portfolio is packed with charm—and explains why he received the coveted Best In Show accolade at the ICFF Editors Awards.

When: Until Oct. 1

Where: The National Museum of Norway, Oslo

What: The enigmatic Italian studio has lately focused on the history and global dynamics surrounding the extraction and production of wool in order to expand our understanding of the material within a much broader ecology. By looking at the development of wool production and material culture, the show aims to unravel the complexities interwoven within the symbiosis between animals, humans, and the environment.

New & Notable is a cultural catchall that highlights interesting new products and projects from our brilliantly creative members of The List. With new releases, events, and goings-on, the below moments indicate the power they have to move the needle in so realms like architecture, design, fashion, and art.

McKinnon & Harris: The furniture brand of choice for outdoor spaces on estates and yachts has teamed up with tile manufacturer New Ravenna to create a line of mosaic-inlaid tables. Each intricate pattern creates an interplay of light and shape that’s particularly mesmerizing when taken in over a poolside aperitivo.

Holly Hunt: Among the furniture purveyor’s latest releases is Moss & Lam’s animal- and nature-inflected lineup of side tables and accessories. Sculptural and whimsical pieces like the Mister Owl and Walking Bear tables offer a reminder to approach design with playfulness.

Louis XIII: This past spring, the King of Cognacs announced the forthcoming release of its first rare cask edition set, featuring an ultra-rare aromatic cognac bottled in custom black Baccarat crystal. The release, named Rare Cask 42.1, follows Louis XIII’s initial debut of the rare cask series in 2013.

Few buildings on the Detroit skyline carry as much history as the Book Building, an Italian Renaissance–style structure designed by architect Louis Kamper that rose in the mid-1920s during the then-bubbling auto industry’s meteoric rise. The building, along with the storied Book-Cadillac Hotel, became one of the crown jewels of the Book brothers’ investment in downtown that aimed to transform the once-ragged Washington Boulevard into a tony destination akin to Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. An adjoining 500-foot-tall tower followed a decade later, cementing the Book Building as one of Detroit’s most prestigious addresses.

The structure cycled through numerous tenants and owners across its lifetime, but has sat abandoned since the late ‘80s as automotive fortunes fizzled and Detroit’s population waned. What was once a harbinger of the city’s prosperity—and its eventual decline—is emerging as a symbol of its rebirth thanks to a $300 million investment by Bedrock, the real estate firm credited with stoking downtown Detroit’s newfound vitality. Under the leadership of native son Dan Gilbert, the firm is undertaking a meticulous revamp of the building’s interior, enlivening drab offices into a residential complex they hope will further galvanize the city’s resurgence.

Founded in 1966, Gufram produces some of the world’s most recognizable radical design staples. Under Charley Vezza’s creative direction, the brand has revitalized its catalog through collaborations with famous designers and brands to keep the radical spirit alive.

Surface Says: Packed with playful irreverence, furniture from Gufram adds a pop to any interior. The brand’s most recognizable pieces, such as the Cactus coat stand and Pratone lounge chair, prove that humor never goes out of style.

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After it sold at auction, a Van Gogh seemingly vanished without a trace.

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Henri Matisse’s famous home on the French Riviera lists for $2.6 million.