New restaurant and vinyl-only listening lounge in West Hollywood's Design District featuring a custom sound system and hand-cut tile details.
West Hollywood, California, August 31, 2025
A roundup of recent moves in West Hollywood’s design and hospitality scene: a local interior design studio is hiring a senior Project Manager to oversee coast-to-coast projects; a chef-driven restaurant with a vinyl-only listening lounge is opening in the Design District at 631 N. Robertson Boulevard; a stretch of Melrose Avenue is being marketed as a design retail corridor amid mixed public reaction; the city approved changes to the Pacific Design Center plan to broaden tenant and event uses; and a major hotel completed a large redesign that rethinks public and event spaces.
The West Hollywood design and hospitality scene saw several big moves this month, from a local interior studio hiring for a senior project role to a chef opening a new restaurant and listening lounge, continuing debate over a branded Melrose stretch, a city plan to revive the Pacific Design Center, and a major hotel redesign unveiled downtown. Below are the key developments, organized from most to least urgent.
West Hollywood–based interior design studio Adam Hunter Inc. is hiring a full-time Project Manager to oversee custom residential and commercial work across the country. The role covers all phases of projects from concept through installation and emphasizes keeping design intent intact while meeting schedules and budgets.
Core responsibilities include managing multiple projects day to day, tracking timelines and budgets, coordinating contractors and fabricators, preparing schedules and progress reports, and leading client meetings. The studio wants someone proactive who can foresee issues weeks ahead, integrate contingency plans, and handle client-facing communication with clarity and diplomacy.
Required qualifications include at least five years of related construction or design project management experience, familiarity with FF&E procurement and construction administration, strong organization skills, and comfort with project software such as Gantt charts, Asana, Slack, and Adobe Creative Suite. PMI certification is preferred; knowledge of AutoCAD or Revit is a plus. The role offers work on high-profile, published projects. Applicants should send a resume, cover letter and portfolio to hello@adamhunter.com. More information is available on the studio website.
A new restaurant called darling opened on Sunday, August 31 at a former restaurant space on N. Robertson Boulevard. The venue pairs a small tasting-style food program with a vinyl-only hi‑fi listening lounge.
The kitchen is led by the restaurant’s chef with a supporting chef de cuisine who has past experience at notable Southern restaurants. The menu will rotate monthly and open with a compact set of a dozen dishes. Opening items include oysters with melon juice and borage, venison tartare with lovage and a zucchini cornichon, and citrus wood-grilled quail served with huckleberries and an avocado-nasturtium purée. A limited daily run of 24 dry-aged steak burgers will be offered.
The bar program is run by an experienced bar director who intends a hyper-seasonal cocktail approach, with creative seasonal drinks on the opening menu and rotating zero-proof options. The adjacent listening lounge features a custom sound system built with a DJ and speaker craftsperson, blending custom speakers, vintage equipment and a Swiss-made mixer. The lounge plays a range of vinyl from jazz to cumbia drawn largely from the chef’s personal record collection.
The interior was designed by a Los Angeles designer and uses raw walnut, hand-cut tile and a set of artworks. A 23-foot mural depicting California farmworkers anchors the dining room. Reservations are available via an online booking platform.
A stretch of Melrose Avenue from La Cienega to Doheny is being discussed as a rising commercial corridor, sometimes called Melrose High Street by a local developer. The streetscape is described as wide, clean, and walkable in some accounts, and a string of coffee shops and retail brands has been noted along the route.
The developer behind much of the push is said to own a majority of commercial property on a key segment of Melrose and has used the “Melrose High” name in storefront branding even though the city has not officially adopted that label. The same accounts include a claim that the developer influenced a recent streetscape decision that removed planned trees at a local plaza. Multiple retail, fashion and dining tenants have been listed as present in the corridor, and the area is described as drawing celebrity foot traffic and paparazzi.
Reader comments and local reactions show a split. Some commenters say the corridor is cleaner, safer and more accessible than before, while others claim empty and poorly maintained buildings, daily presence of people living on the street, and traffic and design choices that they consider problematic. Suggestions range from pedestrian-only streets to continued commercial investment.
The Pacific Design Center (PDC), a 1.6 million–square-foot complex known for its red, green and blue buildings and a long-standing local landmark, received city approval to amend its specific plan to encourage reuse of vacant space. Changes broaden the types of tenants allowed, remove strict showroom size rules, and expand permitted uses for two restaurant spaces that had been limited to banquet functions.
Officials said the amendments aim to activate a complex that has struggled with vacancy in recent years. The approval allows more city events on the campus and requires the PDC to provide additional public parking at night and for special occasions. The center already hosts design showrooms, florists, textile libraries and a popular new ground-floor coffee shop that drew the city to create temporary quick parking to support takeaway traffic. A mobile food unit also operates on the campus.
A New York design firm reimagined W Hollywood, updating a 300,000–square-foot hotel property near the Hollywood Hills. The redesign leans into local film and music history and Los Angeles style, adding dramatic public spaces, 319 updated rooms and large event areas.
The triple-height Living Room features sculpted seating, a standout bar beneath translucent rods and a monolithic fireplace framed by tall, textured concrete drapes. Guest rooms use a bright yet relaxed color palette and mixed materials; several suites offer residential-style layouts. The rooftop now includes destination bars and a rooftop venue with a bespoke 3D spatial sound system. Public fitness and meeting spaces were refreshed with artful, playful finishes.
West Hollywood’s design and hospitality fabric continues to shift: local studios are hiring for senior roles, new dining concepts combine food and music culture, public debate over streetscape branding continues, the city is moving to repurpose a large design complex, and hotels are investing in fresh public-facing design. These moves may affect retail mix, foot traffic patterns, and demand for design and construction services in the near term.
Submit a resume, cover letter and portfolio to hello@adamhunter.com. The position asks for five or more years of relevant experience and familiarity with project management tools and construction administration.
The restaurant opened on Sunday, August 31, in a former restaurant space on N. Robertson Boulevard. Reservations are available via an online booking platform.
The controversy centers on a branded stretch of Melrose Avenue promoted by a developer. Supporters highlight new retail, cafés and a cleaner streetscape. Critics point to empty or poorly maintained buildings, ongoing street homelessness, and design choices they find problematic. The city has not formally adopted the “Melrose High Street” name.
The city approved amendments to the PDC specific plan to allow more varied tenants, eliminate some showroom size rules, expand restaurant uses, and enable more public events. The deal also includes additional public parking commitments for nights and events.
The hotel redesign updated public bars and lounges, refreshed 319 guestrooms and suites with mixed materials and color, added rooftop bars and a venue with a 3D spatial sound system, and remodeled fitness and event spaces with playful textures and finishes.
| Topic | Key points | Action or status |
|---|---|---|
| Adam Hunter Inc. hiring | Project Manager for nationwide custom projects; 5+ years experience preferred; software skills required | Accepting applications via email |
| darling restaurant | Small rotating 12-dish menu, hi‑fi vinyl lounge, custom sound system, reservations available | Open as of August 31 |
| Melrose High Street debate | Branding by developer, mixed retail mix, contested streetscape changes and community reactions | Ongoing public discussion |
| Pacific Design Center plan | Specific plan amendments to diversify tenants, expand restaurant uses, allow more events | City approved changes; implementation ongoing |
| W Hollywood redesign | 300,000 sq ft refresh, dramatic public spaces, 319 rooms, rooftop venues and updated amenities | Project completed and unveiled |
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