Design Matters LA

Category: Local Design

  • Inside LA’s Design Studios: How Local Firms Create Spaces That Reflect Southern California Living

    Inside LA’s Design Studios: How Local Firms Create Spaces That Reflect Southern California Living

    Where California Dreams Take Shape

    Los Angeles has always been a city that defies easy categorization—a sprawling metropolis of distinct neighborhoods, diverse cultures, and varied landscapes from mountains to beaches. This complexity presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the city’s design studios, who must create spaces that respond to Southern California’s unique lifestyle while navigating its environmental demands and cultural nuances.

    “There’s no single ‘Los Angeles style,’ and that’s what makes designing here so exciting,” explains Sarah Williams of Assembly Design Studio. “We’re constantly balancing influences—midcentury modernism, Spanish colonial heritage, Asian and Latin American cultural elements—while responding to the specifics of climate, site, and client needs.”

    To understand how LA’s most innovative spaces come to life, we went behind the scenes at several leading design studios, exploring their creative processes, philosophical approaches, and the distinctive California elements that inform their work.

    Commune Design: Crafting California Narratives

    In an airy converted warehouse in Chinatown, the team at Commune Design begins each project by developing what co-founder Roman Alonso calls a “California narrative”—a story that connects client, site, and context through a distinctly regional lens.

    “We’re interested in what makes a space feel authentically of this place,” Alonso explains, gesturing toward mood boards that juxtapose images of desert landscapes, craftsman details, and modernist furniture. “That doesn’t mean we’re producing the same aesthetic over and over—it means we’re always asking how a space can foster the indoor-outdoor lifestyle that makes Southern California living special.”

    This approach is evident in their work on projects like the Durham Residence in Laurel Canyon, where sliding glass walls dissolve boundaries between living spaces and garden, while carefully selected materials—white oak, concrete, and handcrafted tile—create textural depth that responds to the changing quality of natural light throughout the day.

    The studio’s comprehensive approach extends to the smallest details. For the Durham project, Commune even designed custom house numbers—modernist numerals cast in bronze that develop a subtle patina over time. “Architectural house numbers are often overlooked, but they’re the first design element people interact with,” notes designer Sophie Chen. “They set expectations for the entire experience of a home.”

    These handcrafted house markers exemplify Commune’s commitment to integrating architecture with carefully considered details—a hallmark of Southern California design dating back to Greene and Greene’s Arts and Crafts masterpieces, where every element from light fixtures to door handles was thoughtfully designed. Examples like these from Australian business Peninsula House Numbers are typical of the style.

    Bestor Architecture: Reimagining California Modernism

    In her Silver Lake studio, Barbara Bestor and her team approach each project as an opportunity to evolve California modernism for contemporary living. Large windows face north, flooding the workspace with even natural light as designers move between physical models, material samples, and digital renderings.

    “We’re working within a lineage that includes Schindler, Neutra, and the Case Study architects,” Bestor explains, “but we’re not trying to recreate the past. We’re asking how those principles of openness, connection to landscape, and honest materiality can address today’s challenges.”

    The firm’s process begins with intense site analysis—studying how light moves across a property throughout the day and year, mapping circulation patterns, and identifying opportunities for framing views or creating outdoor rooms. This environmental sensitivity reflects a distinctly Californian approach to design that prioritizes connection to place.

    “There’s a misconception that modernism is cold or sterile,” notes project architect Miguel Gonzalez. “Our interpretation is about creating warm, livable spaces that just happen to use a modernist language. We’re interested in how color, texture, and unexpected details can humanize clean architectural forms.”

    This humanized modernism is apparent in the firm’s Silvertop Pool House, where structural concrete is softened by Douglas fir ceilings, terrazzo floors incorporate recycled glass in vibrant blue hues, and carefully placed skylights create ever-changing patterns of light and shadow. The project demonstrates how modernist principles can create spaces that feel distinctly Southern Californian—relaxed, light-filled, and connected to the natural world.

    Laney LA: Designing for the California Lifestyle

    In their Hermosa Beach studio, Anthony and Krista Laney have built a practice focused explicitly on creating what they call “the quintessential California lifestyle”—spaces that balance privacy with connectivity, indoor comfort with outdoor living, and architectural boldness with environmental responsibility.

    The firm’s design process begins not with sketches or models but with extensive client interviews focused on daily routines, entertainment patterns, and how spaces will be experienced throughout the day. “We’re designing for how people actually live, not how they think they should live,” explains Krista Laney. “That means understanding everything from morning coffee rituals to how kids interact with spaces.”

    This lifestyle-centered approach is particularly evident in their residential work, where floor plans often challenge conventional arrangements in favor of spaces that reflect contemporary living patterns. In their Strand House project, the primary living space occupies the top floor to maximize ocean views, while bedrooms are positioned on lower levels to create a sense of retreat.

    “Southern California living is about fluidity between spaces,” notes Anthony Laney, pointing to a model where sliding walls, outdoor rooms, and multi-purpose areas create flexible environments that can adapt to changing needs. “Our climate allows us to think about homes as systems of interconnected indoor and outdoor spaces rather than rigid boxes.”

    This fluidity extends to the firm’s approach to architectural elements. For a recent Manhattan Beach project, they collaborated with local metalworker Jill Sanders to create architectural house numbers that double as garden art—powder-coated steel numerals that cast distinctive shadows across the façade at different times of day. “Even something as fundamental as identifying your address becomes an opportunity to express the personality of both the architecture and its occupants,” explains project lead Sara Chen.

    wHY Architecture: Cultural Context as Design Driver

    In a converted industrial building in Culver City, Thai-born architect Kulapat Yantrasast leads a team that approaches Los Angeles design through a distinctive global-local lens. At wHY, projects begin with what Yantrasast calls “contextual investigation”—deep research into the cultural, historical, and environmental factors that shape a site.

    “Los Angeles is a global city with its own unique sense of place,” Yantrasast explains. “Our work tries to respect both the cosmopolitan nature of the city and its specific regional qualities—the quality of light, the relationship to landscape, the cultural diversity.”

    This approach is particularly evident in the firm’s cultural projects, like their design for the David Kordansky Gallery in Mid-Wilshire. Here, a seemingly simple box is transformed through careful manipulation of natural light, with skylights and clerestory windows creating an ever-changing luminosity that showcases art while maintaining a connection to the distinctive Southern California environment.

    The studio’s process emphasizes collaboration not just among designers but with artists, craftspeople, and specialists across disciplines. “California has this incredible legacy of craft and material expertise,” notes project architect Maria Rodriguez. “Part of our job is to bring these voices into the design process, creating spaces that benefit from different forms of knowledge.”

    This collaborative approach extends to the firm’s residential work, where they often partner with landscape architects early in the process to create integrated environments where architecture and landscape work as unified systems. Their Hollywood Hills Residence demonstrates this integration, with native plantings that seem to flow into the house through expansive glass walls, creating a seamless transition between built and natural environments.

    Standard Architecture: Balancing Innovation and Context

    In Jeffrey Allsbrook and Silvia Kuhle’s downtown studio, the design process begins with what they call “site stories”—detailed investigations into the historical, cultural, and physical conditions of a location before any design work begins.

    “Los Angeles has these incredible layers of history and meaning,” Allsbrook explains, “from indigenous landscapes to Spanish colonial influences, from modernist experimentation to contemporary multicultural identities. Our work tries to acknowledge these layers rather than imposing a single vision.”

    This sensitivity to context doesn’t mean mimicking existing styles, but rather creating thoughtful dialogues between past and present. The firm’s renovation of a 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival home in Los Feliz preserves original architectural details while introducing contemporary elements that complement rather than compete with the historic fabric.

    “There’s a delicate balance in California design between respecting tradition and embracing innovation,” notes Kuhle. “We’re always asking how we can honor what came before while creating spaces that reflect how people live now.”

    This balance extends to the firm’s approach to materials, where they often pair traditional elements with contemporary expressions. For a recent project in Venice, they collaborated with a local ceramicist to create custom house numbers inspired by the neighborhood’s early 20th century bungalows but executed with a contemporary sensibility—handcrafted ceramic tiles with a modern typeface and glazing technique that references traditional craftsmanship while feeling distinctly of this moment.

    The Details That Define California Design

    Across these diverse studios, certain shared approaches emerge that define a distinctly Southern Californian approach to design. From custom house numbers that greet visitors to integrated indoor-outdoor living spaces, these elements reflect the region’s unique relationship with climate, landscape, and lifestyle:

    Light as a Design Material: LA designers consistently treat natural light as a fundamental design element, using orientation, fenestration, skylights, and screening to create spaces where light becomes an active presence that changes throughout the day.

    Indoor-Outdoor Integration: More than simply adding patios or gardens, Southern California design creates true continuity between interior and exterior spaces through level thresholds, consistent materials, and architectural elements that extend from inside to outside.

    Microclimatic Responsiveness: Rather than relying solely on mechanical systems, the best LA designs work with the environment, using thermal mass, cross-ventilation, shading devices, and landscape elements to create comfortable microclimates with minimal energy use.

    Material Authenticity: From exposed structural elements to handcrafted details, LA designers emphasize honest expression of materials that develop character over time—concrete that reveals its formwork, wood that silvers with age, metals that develop patinas.

    Functional Informality: California design balances architectural sophistication with relaxed livability, creating spaces that accommodate casual living while maintaining design integrity.

    Crafted Details: From built-in furniture to custom hardware and architectural house numbers, LA designers demonstrate a commitment to thoughtfully designed details that elevate the everyday experience of a space.

    A Design Culture in Constant Evolution

    What makes Los Angeles design particularly dynamic is its resistance to becoming formulaic. As the city continues to evolve—demographically, culturally, and in response to environmental challenges—its design studios remain committed to creating spaces that reflect both timeless California qualities and contemporary realities.

    “The most exciting aspect of designing in Los Angeles is that the definition of ‘California living’ isn’t fixed,” reflects Sarah Williams. “It’s constantly being reinterpreted and reimagined by new generations, cultural influences, and changing needs.”

    This ongoing evolution ensures that while you might recognize certain qualities that make a space feel distinctly “Californian,” the expression of those qualities continues to surprise and inspire—much like Los Angeles itself.

    Next week on Design Matters LA: “Hidden Gems: Underappreciated Architectural Treasures in Koreatown and Echo Park”

  • Color Theory in Practice: How LA Designers Use Palette to Reflect Neighborhood Character

    Color Theory in Practice: How LA Designers Use Palette to Reflect Neighborhood Character

    The vibrant facades of buildings along Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice.

    The Chromatic Geography of Los Angeles

    In a city defined by its distinctive neighborhoods, color serves as both identifier and storyteller. From the saturated hues of Boyle Heights murals to the sun-bleached pastels of Venice Beach bungalows, Los Angeles reveals itself through a complex chromatic geography that reflects history, culture, climate, and community identity.

    “Color is never arbitrary in thoughtful design,” explains Maria Rodriguez, principal at Chromatic Studio in Silver Lake. “In Los Angeles especially, color choices connect buildings to place—they can reference historical contexts, respond to quality of light, or make statements about cultural identity.”

    This deliberate use of color is particularly evident when comparing how designers approach different Los Angeles neighborhoods, adapting their palettes to reflect and enhance local character while creating spaces that feel authentic to their surroundings.

    Silver Lake: Modernist Restraint with Strategic Accent

    In the hills of Silver Lake, where midcentury modernism meets contemporary design sensibility, architects and designers typically employ a restrained approach to color that emphasizes architectural form while incorporating strategic moments of chromatic intensity.

    Barbara Bestor, whose firm has completed numerous residential and commercial projects in the area, describes her approach as “California minimalism with moments of joy.” This philosophy is evident in her design for Intelligentsia Coffee, where a predominantly white interior provides a neutral backdrop for the building’s distinctive architectural elements, while a bold geometric floor pattern in blue and white creates a memorable focal point.

    “Silver Lake has this remarkable architectural heritage of midcentury homes by Neutra, Schindler, and others who used color very deliberately,” Bestor notes. “We’re responding to that legacy with palettes that emphasize form and light, but we’re not afraid to introduce moments of intensity that bring energy to spaces.”

    This balanced approach reflects Silver Lake’s evolution from modernist enclave to creative hub, with color choices that honor architectural history while expressing contemporary vitality. Residential projects in the area often feature neutral exterior palettes with carefully considered accent colors used on doors, window frames, or garden walls—creating visual interest while maintaining architectural integrity.

    Interior designer Michael Chan, whose firm has designed several Silver Lake homes, explains that the neighborhood’s distinctive quality of light influences his color selections: “The hills create this beautiful filtered light in many locations, which allows us to use subtle variations of tone that might be lost in flatter areas. We can work with more nuanced palettes because the light here reveals those subtleties.”

    Boyle Heights: Vibrant Expression of Cultural Heritage

    Cross the river to Boyle Heights, and the approach to color shifts dramatically. Here, designers and architects often embrace vibrant palettes that celebrate the neighborhood’s Mexican-American heritage and respond to its tradition of expressive public art.

    At Tepeyac Restaurant, designer Elena Ramirez worked with a palette inspired by Mexican folk art traditions, incorporating saturated blues, terracottas, and yellows that reference cultural heritage while creating a contemporary dining environment. “These aren’t tourist-vision colors,” Ramirez emphasizes. “They’re authentic to the visual language of the community, drawn from both traditional sources and the neighborhood’s existing color identity.”

    This commitment to culturally resonant color extends to residential projects as well. Architect Roberto Sheinberg, whose firm has designed several multi-family developments in the area, incorporates palettes that reference both traditional Mexican architecture and the vibrant muralism tradition that defines many of Boyle Heights’ public spaces.

    “Color here isn’t just decorative—it’s communicative,” Sheinberg explains. “It expresses cultural pride, continuity with tradition, and the vibrant community life that characterizes the neighborhood. There’s a richness and depth to the color language here that tells a story about who lives in these spaces.”

    Local designer Maria Gutierrez emphasizes that these color choices also have practical benefits in a dense urban environment: “Vibrant colors create visual interest in areas where buildings are close together and lots are small. They help define territory and identity in a positive way, creating variety within the urban fabric.”

    Venice Beach: Weathered Naturalism with Eclectic Accents

    In Venice Beach, where coastal conditions and bohemian history shape the design approach, color palettes often emphasize weathered naturalism punctuated by unexpected moments of expression—a combination that reflects the neighborhood’s laid-back yet creative character.

    “Venice has this beautiful quality of natural aging,” explains designer Thomas Clark, whose firm has renovated numerous Venice bungalows. “We work with colors that anticipate and celebrate how materials change over time in the coastal environment—silver-graying cedar, oxidizing copper, softening concrete. The palette is alive, evolving with exposure to salt air and intense sunlight.”

    This embrace of natural weathering is complemented by strategic color moments that reference Venice’s artistic heritage. At a recently completed home near the canals, architecture firm Electric Bowery used a predominantly natural material palette for the structure itself, while introducing a dramatic blue pivot door that references the water features that define the neighborhood.

    “Venice color is about juxtaposition,” notes Electric Bowery principal Stephanie Ragle. “There’s a dialogue between weathered naturalism and moments of expression that reflects the neighborhood’s character—part beach town, part artistic enclave.”

    This balanced approach extends to commercial spaces as well. On Abbot Kinney Boulevard, retail environments often feature neutral backgrounds with carefully considered color accents that create identity without overwhelming merchandise displays. The Toms flagship store exemplifies this strategy, using selective color moments within a predominantly white interior to create a space that feels distinctly “Venice” while functioning effectively as a retail environment.

    Leimert Park: Rich Tones and Cultural Continuity

    In historically Black Leimert Park, designers approach color with an appreciation for both cultural significance and architectural history. The neighborhood’s distinctive Spanish Colonial and Art Deco buildings provide a context that contemporary designers respond to through thoughtful color selections.

    Architect Kimberly Brown, whose firm has worked on several commercial renovations in the area, describes her approach as “culturally resonant modernism,” using rich earth tones and selective vibrant accents that reference both the neighborhood’s architectural heritage and its significance as a center of Black culture in Los Angeles.

    “We’re particularly attentive to how colors perform in this specific environment,” Brown explains. “The quality of light in South Los Angeles has this gorgeous warmth, especially in late afternoon, that brings out the richness in terra cottas, ochres, and deep blues. Our color selections are very much about how they interact with this particular light.”

    This site-specific approach is evident in the recent renovation of the Vision Theatre, where the restored Art Deco façade features a palette of warm creams and rich accents that honor the building’s 1930s origins while creating a vibrant presence appropriate to its role as a cultural landmark.

    Interior designer Marcus Johnson, who has designed several residential projects in the area, notes that color in Leimert Park often serves as a connection to broader cultural contexts: “We’re often incorporating palettes that reference not just local history but connections to the African diaspora—textiles, art, cultural symbols. Color becomes a way of expressing cultural continuity and identity.”

    Downtown: Industrial Heritage with Contemporary Contrast

    In Downtown’s rapidly evolving design landscape, color approaches vary dramatically by district, from the Arts District’s industrial-influenced palettes to the Historic Core’s emphasis on restoration and heritage colors.

    In the Arts District, adaptive reuse projects often maintain the raw materiality of original structures while introducing carefully considered color elements that activate spaces without overwhelming their industrial character. Architecture firm HGA’s renovation of a former warehouse into creative offices maintained the building’s original brick and concrete while introducing a circulation core in vivid yellow that provides both wayfinding and visual energy.

    “The Arts District palette is about selective intervention,” explains HGA’s design principal Sarah Williams. “We’re respecting the incredible material richness of these industrial buildings while introducing moments of contemporary color that help buildings function for new uses.”

    In the Historic Core, by contrast, designers often work with historically informed palettes that respect architectural heritage while introducing subtle contemporary elements. The NoMad Hotel’s restoration of the former Bank of Italy building employed a sophisticated color strategy that highlighted original architectural details through subtle tonal variations, with more expressive color moments reserved for interior spaces that didn’t compromise the building’s historic character.

    “Downtown color is contextual by district,” notes preservation specialist David Chen. “The Broadway Theater District calls for different approaches than the Old Bank District or South Park. Thoughtful designers are responding to these micro-contexts rather than applying a one-size-fits-all ‘downtown’ palette.”

    Color and Environmental Response

    Beyond cultural and historical considerations, Los Angeles designers increasingly use color as an environmental response strategy. In a climate characterized by intense sunlight and significant temperature variations, color choices impact both energy performance and occupant comfort.

    Architect Elena Ramirez, whose firm specializes in sustainable design, explains: “We’re using color not just expressively but performatively. Light-colored exterior surfaces in southern exposures reduce heat gain. Strategic use of darker tones on north-facing elements can absorb and retain heat when desired. Color becomes part of our environmental toolbox.”

    This performance-driven approach is evident in projects like the Silver Lake Library, where the building’s distinctive exterior incorporates varying shades that respond to orientation—lighter on south and west facades, darker on north-facing elements—creating a composition that is both visually interesting and environmentally responsive.

    Similarly, in residential projects across the city, color is increasingly deployed to create microclimates and enhance comfort. Landscape designer Michael Chen describes using lighter paving materials in areas intended for summer use, while specifying darker materials for winter garden spaces where heat absorption is beneficial.

    “There’s a growing sophistication about how color affects the experience of spaces throughout the day and year,” Chen notes. “It’s not just about how something looks in a photograph, but how it performs over time in this specific climate.”

    The Technical Side of Color Selection

    Behind the evocative colors that define Los Angeles neighborhoods lies increasingly sophisticated technical expertise. Designers must consider how materials, finishes, and pigments will perform in Southern California’s distinctive environment, where intense UV exposure can cause premature fading and damage.

    “Color specification in Los Angeles requires particular attention to technical factors,” explains architectural color consultant Maria Rodriguez. “We’re selecting pigments and finishes that can withstand our intense sunlight without degrading, considering how colors will age over time, and balancing aesthetic goals with performance requirements.”

    This technical rigor is especially important in exterior applications, where poor color specification can lead to maintenance issues and compromised design intent. Leading firms employ advanced testing protocols, including accelerated weathering simulations and on-site mockups under various lighting conditions, to ensure that colors will perform as intended throughout a building’s lifespan.

    “There’s this perception that color is subjective or arbitrary, but in fact, it’s increasingly science-driven,” notes materials specialist David Garcia. “We’re making precise decisions based on light reflectance values, heat absorption coefficients, and colorimetric stability over time. The poetry of color is supported by this technical foundation.”

    The Future of Color in Los Angeles Design

    As Los Angeles continues to evolve, color approaches are responding to both changing social contexts and environmental imperatives. Younger designers are often incorporating more explicit color statements that engage with issues of identity, sustainability, and community connection.

    Emerging firm Chromatic Collective, founded by designers from diverse backgrounds, approaches color as a tool for both expression and inclusion. Their recent affordable housing project in Highland Park incorporates a community-developed color strategy that residents helped create through a series of workshops and design charrettes.

    “We’re interested in how color can be democratic and participatory rather than imposed from above,” explains founder Tanya Lee. “When communities participate in color selection, it creates a different kind of investment in the built environment—people see themselves reflected in the spaces they inhabit.”

    This participatory approach represents an evolution in how color relates to neighborhood identity—less about designers interpreting community character and more about community members directly expressing their vision through design processes.

    As climate challenges intensify, performance-based color strategies are also gaining prominence. Researchers at local universities are developing advanced coatings that change color in response to temperature conditions, potentially allowing buildings to adapt chromatically to different environmental states throughout the day and year.

    What remains constant across these evolving approaches is the recognition that in Los Angeles, color is never merely decorative—it’s an essential element of how architecture communicates with its context, expresses cultural values, and creates environments that respond to the specific qualities of place that make each Los Angeles neighborhood distinctive.

    Next week on Design Matters LA: “The New LA River: Design Plans to Transform Urban Infrastructure into Community Space”