My first professional interior design project was The Erotic Museum back in 2003. Good building, good bones (if a might quirky) and a good budget. The project was a complete facade overhaul, retail space and about 8000 square feet of gallery. We worked with Urban Rock architects to spec out custom cabinetry, cash wrap and some curvy walls to accentuate the sensual nature of the museum. My interior design responsibilities involved continuously reshaping the gallery space to accommodate an ongoing program of rotating exhibitions, special events.

The downstairs gallery/theater space was dark and intense ; upstairs was light and airy. We kept the initial part of the experience very dignified and museum-like with a permanent display of antiquities from the east, a history of the last 100 years of sex in America, a Hall of Fame, Picasso etchings, an exhibition dedicated to Hollywood’s own Marilyn Monroe, all the standard tourist fare. On the second floor we got a little more risqué with ever-changing art exhibitions from Tom of Finland to Andres Serrano, historical exhibitions around The Hayes Code, Sex Education Materials and a Profile of the San Fernando Valley and its role in shaping pornography around the world just to name a few.

The exterior of the building had a Banksy painting on it, one of his earlier works I think. Black & red stencil of Marilyn Monroe that looks like she got punched in the mouth. I came in to work one day to find they had painted over it. The founders didn’t have a sense for street art and didn’t know who he was. I would joke that if they had simply cut out that section of the wall and sold it at auction they could have made more money than the Museum made in it’s 3 year run.