Describe the featured project.
Indoor/outdoor flow is the focus of this modern Manhattan Beach home. Natural materials enhance the geometric forms and serve as an additional connection to the outdoors. The
vertical stone face at the double-height entry encourages you into the home by continuing
through the glass front door. You are then drawn out to the backyard by a full view of the loggia with its modern, wooden screen. The great room and the master suite have direct access to the backyard space. The all-glass office in the rear, which doubles as an accessory dwelling unit, opens to the outdoors. The indoor kitchen becomes the outdoor kitchen, and the multiple seating areas outside ensure that the backyard is maximized for the California weather.
Do you consider yourself a visual storyteller in your work?
We present each of our projects with a distinct narrative. Our way of gathering information
through client interviews is essential to telling a story that expresses not only the personalized
design but the feeling and reasoning behind each decision. Our state-of-the-art design tools
help as well. We build all our designs in three dimensions on the computer. Between this,
virtual reality and printed 3D models, our clients can now experience their new home during the design process. Executing our philosophy of producing exclusive, individualized homes requires storytelling and careful examination.
What do clients in the beach cities want most for their homes?
Sites in the Beach Cities can be compact; clients look to us to help maximize the site without aesthetic compromise. Our priority is to design homes that are visually pleasing while meeting
all of our clients’ individualized goals. View sites are common in the Beach Cities, so we use drone photography to ensure they are captured in the main spaces, and solar studies help us analyze how natural light affects our designs. Using all of these pieces of information, we are able to create a home that responds well to its surroundings.
What home office trends are you seeing currently?
Home offices are more popular than ever. The trend up until 2020 was toward increased openness and connection for all common spaces. While this is still important, the need for additional private spaces has revealed itself. The office must function as a sanctuary for work while maintaining versatility to accommodate additional uses. Owners expect to spend a great deal of time in their office—requiring openness, light, function and aesthetics to be top priorities.
