WEST HOLLYWOOD – A long line of hopefuls queued up in the morning clutching photos of their best work and hoping they'd be picked for a starring role.
This wasn't, however, a cattle call for “American Idol,” “Project Runway,” “Survivor” or any other television reality show. Instead, the men and women who waited patiently at the Pacific Design Center had a singular goal: a photo spread in an upcoming issue of Architectural Digest.
Think of it as an off-screen reality competition for designers, without the harsh critiques by judges. Each person had photos reviewed by a panel consisting of six of the magazine's top editors, including longtime editor in chief Paige Rense.
“Over the years people have said to me that their work or their friends would be wonderful in the magazine, but they didn't know anybody there,” Rense said. “So, I thought, OK, this is it, we'll have open auditions so people could bring pictures of their house or their friend's house.”
The idea worked. Hundreds of people attended the recent two-day Los Angeles-area open audition, including Janna Levenstein, who came armed with dozens of photos of a tony home she designed in the hills above West Hollywood.
Levenstein completely revamped the 1950s-era home by adding modern touches such as a fingerprint entry for people who forget their keys and a stylish entrance from the garage, since that's how people often enter their homes. She calls her style “psycho killer modern,” a term that doesn't come to mind when you see a photo of the low-slung house reflected at night by the pool.
“I don't want modern to be uptight,” said Levenstein, 36, a voice actor-turned-interior designer who has never taken a class in architectural design.
The magazine previously held open auditions in New York and Florida and a fourth one was held May 6 in Houston.
“We've seen some really good work and found new people,” Rense said. “It's amazing the number of professionals who have never submitted to the magazine.”
Rense said the open auditions also showed her that a new trend has been emerging: More interior designers are branching out into architectural design, and more architects also trying out interior design.
“There's more of a blurring of the lines, which is a good thing. All too often they are at loggerheads. And then the poor landscape designer is left out there somewhere to do the best they can,” Rense said.
The magazine editors spent at least 10 to 15 minutes with each person going over a portfolio. Being nice to everyone was part of the plan.
“Not only are they designers and architects, but they are our readers,” Rense said. “This has been a reality check for us.”
The nice factor was small comfort to Kurt Schwenk, 46, of Pasadena, who said he was “a wreck” when his time came for a sit-down with the magazine's art director, Jeffrey Nemeroff. “Architectural Digest, it doesn't get much bigger than that,” he said.
Schwenk has seen his work as a Hollywood special effects specialist in trade papers, but said it would be a special honor to appear in Architectural Digest. He's flipped three of his own houses, designed six others and is considering a second career in interior design as an alternative to the up-and-down life of Hollywood.
“I'd be thrilled to be in it,” he said. “This is what I've always done for fun.”
And he wasn't the only contestant with a background in Hollywood. Lyndall Hobbs, 49, said her experience as a Hollywood writer and director has helped with her projects.
“Directing a movie is like directing a big renovation of a house,” she said. “You have to get a lot of things done quickly. I really do enjoy it.”
The editors chose 23 outstanding designs – including Levenstein's – from the Southern California open audition. There also were 20 outstanding designs chosen in New York and five in Florida.
Editors still have to narrow the list of semifinalists before deciding which designs will make it into the magazine.
“I would love to be in it,” Levenstein said. “It would be a huge dream fulfilled. It would be a giant honor.”
Levenstein's home has an outdoor wall converted to an outdoor theater with surround sound, a private outdoor shower, a 30-foot master closet with a rack for sunglasses and furniture that took two years for Levenstein to design. There's also an indoor theater, wine room, an indoor/outdoor koi pond and tiles imported from Java.
Even if she doesn't get in the magazine, Levenstein said she appreciated the feedback during her 10-minute portfolio review.
“I was really thrilled when he saw my deck chairs that collapse into the deck and he said he had never seen that before,” Levenstein said. “I was just so thrilled that I came up with an idea that someone from Architectural Digest had never seen before.”
