In Los Angeles, June is the month for design. Coinciding with Dwell on Design (June 20-22) at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Los Angeles Design Festival (LADF) celebrates local and international talent with a series of events. Last year, LADF introduced the Julia Morgan Icon Award, intended to recognize a bold woman and her outstanding contributions to the design industry. This year’s recipient is Gere Kavanaugh, one of California’s pioneer female designers.

Kavanaugh earned her BFA from the Memphis Academy of Art and was one of the first women to receive an MFA from Michigan's Cranbrook Academy of Art. She began her career working at the architectural arm of General Motors in Detroit. Then she became head of interiors for shopping mall design pioneer Victor Gruen. When Kavanaugh began her studio in the 1960s, she shared office space with Frank Gehry, Don Chadwick, and last year’s Julia Morgan Icon Award recipient Deborah Sussman.