FIELD. NOTES. LA. 015: Genghis Cohen-Fairfax, Los Angeles

Written By Craig Gritzen

Some places are designed all at once. Others become themselves slowly.

Genghis Cohen feels accumulated rather than styled. Red paper lanterns float against an almost-black ceiling. Deep red booths catch pockets of light. Turquoise glows around the bar and mirrors. Dragons, reflections and decades of visual layers create a room that is festive, intimate and just theatrical enough.

We arrived around golden hour, when Los Angeles outside was still almost aggressively bright. Crossing the doorway felt like changing scenes. Within a few feet, the daylight gave way to red light, shadow and reflected neon.

The food deserves just as much attention: stuffed New York-style egg rolls, incredibly crispy chicken wings, orange peel beef with broccoli, barbecue pork fried rice with great wok flavor, and roasted sesame balls to finish. A lychee martini and phenomenal oolong iced tea completed the table.

What stayed with me most, though, was the confidence of the room.

Genghis Cohen isn't trying to look current. It isn't overly edited or restrained. It knows exactly what it is.

And somehow, that makes it feel timeless.

It creates a world.

Craig Gritzen

Craig Gritzen is the founder and creative director of Curated Style Collective, a Los Angeles interior design and lifestyle studio. His work explores the relationship between design, atmosphere, and the way our surroundings shape how we live, work, rest, and connect.

With a background in project management and a lifelong fascination with architecture, light, materials, and visual storytelling, Craig approaches every space through both a designer's eye and an observer's curiosity. His writing and photography document the details that often go unnoticed—from quiet residential streets and neighborhood cafés to hospitality interiors, evolving city landscapes, and the everyday moments that reveal how thoughtful environments influence the human experience.

Through the Mindful Design Journal and Field Notes LA, he shares reflections on design, culture, architecture, and intentional living from across Los Angeles, believing that the spaces we inhabit become part of the stories we tell about ourselves.

https://www.curatedstylecollective.com/