The Santa Monica Design District hosts the first annual Design Walk Thursday, October 2 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The public walk will highlight ten area design studios specializing in modern design for home and office, as well as two stores devoted to books on the arts and architecture.

�Santa Monica is the new hub for design studios,� said Amelia Dalgaard, area manager for Design Within Reach. �Many of us found ourselves literally handdrawing maps for our customers of other cool places to shop in the area for home and office design services and products. Out of that came the Design District and the Design Walk to acquaint our customers and other shoppers with all of the great design resources Santa Monica has to offer.�

Santa Monica Design District members include Arcana Books, Boffi Los Angeles, Design Within Reach, Dolce Dormire, Eames Office Gallery, Functions, Hennessey + Ingalls Books, Highlights Lighting, In-Ex, Knoll, Shelter and Vitra.

Visitors to the fall open house will receive a Design Walk Passport and map and are invited to visit each showroom and store for refreshments and to view all of the collections. A passport stamped at all 12 featured design spots qualifies Design Walk participants for one of 12 prizes. Passports and maps may be picked up at any of Design Walk�s participating businesses.

Each location will have on display Charles and Ray Eames� interlocking "House Of Cards" pieces. The original cards were designed in 1952 as a child�s toy. For Design Walk, the cards will be used as the building blocks for a creative execution of the theme, �What is a Home,� by 12 elementary through high school classes from Santa Monica schools.

Design Walk is sponsored by Interior Design Magazine, Metropolitan Pacific, the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Bayside District Corporation. Santa Monica-based artist John Van Hammersveld, who designed the poster for �Endless Summer� and has developed creative for the Kate Mantellini and Broadway Deli restaurants, created the artwork for the Design Walk.

The Bayside District Corporation is a nonprofit entity created by the City of Santa Monica to manage the daily operations of Downtown Santa Monica and Third Street Promenade, a major Southern California outdoor shopping destination.

The Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau offers complete travel and tourist guidance, including comprehensive information on hotels, motels and corporate housing facilities. With a circulation of 54,000 professional interior designers, Interior Design Magazine provides design news and information to 54,000 professional interior designers.

Metropolitan Pacific is a Santa Monica-based commercial real estate company.

Design Walk Participants

Arcana Books On The Arts, 310.458.1499, 1229 3rd Street Promenade Boffi LA, 310.458.9300, 1344 4th Street Design Within Reach, 310.899.6000, 332 Santa Monica Blvd. Dolce Dormire, 310.393.9288, 1345 4th Street Eames Office Gallery, 310.396.5991, 2665 Main Street Functions, 310.451.4284, 1454 Lincoln Blvd. Hennessy + Ingalls, 310.450.9074, 214 Wilshire Blvd. Highlights Lighting, 310.450.5886, 2427 Main Street In-Ex, 310.393.4948, 1431 Colorado Ave. BKnoll Inc., 310.289.5800, 214 Wilshire Blvd., #200 Shelter, 310.451.3536, 1433 5th Street Vitra, 310.393.9542,1327 5th Street

Contact: Amelia Dalgaard Design Within Reach 310.899.6000