Intended as both a design project and residency, BLESS N°63 brings home design to an audience in the most immediate way possible — by actually living in it. The designers have installed a show in the Neutra VDL House and are existing in it (Dasein meaning “existing” or “being” in German). Quite the opposite of fast fashion, BLESS N°63 presents slow living. And slow living is quite revolutionary in an age when being deliberately present in one surroundings is no small feat given the multitude of distractions we contend with.

The designs that catch the eye are ones pointed toward living, and living comfortably and airly: warm-weather clothing hangs from a clothing line; similarly suspended, a hammock has been especially designed for furry coziness — an insight into L.A. living where you so often need some warmth in your hammock after the sun goes down. Inside the residence, there is another instrument of relaxation, the massage chair, which is presented in the living room as though one might simply relax on it anytime. There is also a deconstructed work chair resting on an orb, which both recalls other designs we’ve seen from Bless and indicates that the home is a place where work takes on new forms — although here it should also be noted that the aforementioned massage chair also has a desk affixed to it, which could further problematize the living-working dichotomy.

The designers behind Bless are Desirée Heiss and Ines Kaag. If you had been in L.A., it would have been possible to meet them, and participate in the project with them through a series of Welcomebreathing, Cleanstretching activities they hosted on August 11th.

For those who are not familiar, Neutra VDL was created by the architect Richard Neutra for $10,000. It has been commended as a “Nimble Experiment in Urban Living” by Nicolai Ouroussoff. And indeed, Bless continues this experimenting quite admirably.