A sloping hillside lot provides a dramatic site for this 4,100 square foot contemporary home where dramatic views of the city and Pacific Ocean beyond fill the two story great room windows. Simple but sophisticated geometries interconnect to create generously proportioned living spaces while the transparency of the space is celebrated.



A steep, lushly wooded canyon lot provides a dramatic background to this new, 5,500 square foot contemporary home where the connection to nature is celebrated, and the living is easy. Simple geometries and generously proportioned living spaces interlock to create a unique environment that respects it's site while maximizing on the opportunities for view, space, and privacy.



A lush, wooded site offers dramatic views to Big Bear Lake from this three level modern cabin. Here, the language of a mountain cabin is reinterpreted into a series of minimal forms, each respecting the other while together, forming a consistent whole.

Elevated above the desert floor to capture breathtaking views of the San Jacinto Mountains and the Coachella Valley below, this nearly 7,000 square foot award winning home was extensively remodeled, re-imagined and transformed from an awkward Tuscan style into a crisply modern and sustainable desert oasis. Shaded by new canopies or deep overhangs, new frameless glass doors pivots open or fold back on themselves to erase the boundaries between indoors and out. Lustrous recycled glass terrazzo floors extend out to the patio terraces, further dissolving the separation of inside and out. Beyond the glass walls a landscape of cactus and native succulents that were carefully selected to provide a modern, water wise garden that is easily sustainable in the desert environment.



Set majestically into a cliff above Woods Cove beach in Laguna, this extensively remodeled property boasts over 70 feet of ocean frontage, making it a Laguna oasis that ideally epitomizes oceanfront living and entertaining. With 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, dramatic ocean view decks, and an open floor plan this home provides more than enough room for comfortable luxury and entertaining. Nearly every room frames glorious ocean views, including sit down views from the spacious formal living and dining rooms. Over 1,000 sq. ft. of exterior decks come complete with full amenities creating a space of true indoor/outdoor living.



On a steeply sloping lot in Laguna Beach sits a tall, barn-like house, designed in the early 1970s by Fred Briggs, a revered and respected architect whose influence is seen throughout Laguna Beach. This project, an addition to the “Barn”, was meant to both provide the owners with the room they needed, while respecting the autonomy of the work by Briggs. The addition more than doubles the square footage of the home but sits respectfully next to the Barn, touching it only with a new entry bridge that delicately lands alongside of the old structure. A separate guest house across the street respects the language and material of the old Barn while reinterpreting its architectural DNA to create a new structure rooted in the vocabulary of its elder neighbor.



An enchanting 1930s Spanish style cottage is remodeled to create a unique home where interior and exterior blend, and the charm of the original is contrasted against the modern style of the new kitchen, baths, and outdoor terraces.



An authentic Hawaiian plantation compound, where several small buildings gather to form a village of living space focused on the views to the ocean beyond.



Viewing out to a lush garden, bubbling water feature, and the Pacific Ocean beyond, this well appointed bedroom and bathroom suite occupies what was once a dark and forgotten corner of “basement” space under the existing home. Custom mahogany doors and windows open out to the garden, allowing the bedroom and bathroom to embrace the view, extending the interior space outward, and blurring the line between indoors and out.



A charming 1930s California Cottage style home is remodeled to create an open and spacious plan to accommodate today's modern lifestyle. The character of the original house is maintained and enhanced by the lush gardens and planted lath houses adjacent the home.



Resting gently below the tall, barn-like house that architect Fred Briggs designed for a steep Laguna hillside in the early 1970s, this infinity edge pool reflects the colors of the sky above while extending into the landscape as a platform of pure suspended water. Both inviting and mysterious, the shimmering surface beckons you to fall in, and find for yourself where the pool ends and the sky begins.



A small patch of yard adjacent an existing home proved the perfect site for this modest pool and spa. Floating delicately above the ground the pool appears as a sheet of glass, reflecting the sky above, inviting the passer by to run their fingers across the surface, breaking the stillness with a thousand ripples. Marking the line between a crisply defined patio and a lush yard this infinity edge pool promises a welcoming oasis for those who slip into the still waters.



A cramped beach house kitchen and dining room are transformed into a gourmet's haven, while simple materials and unique details bring an otherwise ordinary bathroom to life.



A collection of past additions and remodels had left this home in need of a cohesive design concept to bring together the individual pieces of the house into one, well conceived home. A new stone entry wall and water feature begin to organize the plan and set the tone for the rest of the design while a new master bedroom suite and spacious kitchen provide the everyday living spaces that the original plan had lacked.

Defined by the crisp, white edges of the outer walls and the 12 foot tall ceilings, this gallery space unfolds and interconnects as one moves from front to back and side to side. Hidden spaces invite exploration and reward the adventurous with a sense of discovery and intimacy where the artwork finds repose in a dynamic, yet remarkably quiet setting. Here the architecture steps aside from the art, letting the works shine on their own.



A cutting edge dental implant clinic is envisioned as a gleaming white space where technology and a doctor’s skill converge to provide the patient with an experience like no other. The warm cherry floor provides a perfect foil to the crisp white walls. The walls in turn reflect and scatter the daylight which streams in from the many windows framing the skyline of Fashion Island and the Newport Beach coastline.



Part hair salon, skin care spa, and beauty laboratory, this salon uses technology in a unique and immersive manner to heighten a patron’s beauty experience. Envisioned as a crisp, white space where simple elements, colors, and forms are celebrated, the salon’s form manifests the concept of the owner who believes that beauty, both material and personal, can be found when one removes the extraneous and reveals the elemental parts of the whole.



A 1930s art deco styled façade is cut open to reveal the interior space where, like paintings in a museum, high fashion clothing is displayed on custom wall brackets bathed in the glow of the warm sun shining in from the skylights above.



An early 20th Century fire station is converted into a light filled clothing boutique where the historic fabric of the existing building adds a level of depth and texture to the lush colors and casual style of the beach wear for sale.



After more than 18 years in service, the Tustin Ranch shopping center was in need of a fresh look and a more carefully concepted identity. This investigation sought to understand how to achieve this while maintaining as much of the existing architectural elements as possible. What the investigation reveled was that, at its core, the center was a swan waiting to reveal itself from behind its ugly duckling appearance. With the simply application of color, texture (in the form of some new accent materials and site furnishings), and a more appropriate landscape design the center could easily become a landmark property without a major financial outlay.

At the corner of Cress Street and Coast Highway the Casa del Camino Hotel has stood as a landmark in the middle of Laguna Beach for nearly eighty years. As her eightieth birthday approached the owner of the hotel commissioned this document to highlight and feature the hotel’s storied past and the lives of those who’ve made her the special place she remains today. Faithfully researched in the archives of the Laguna Beach library this document views the hotel’s history through the lens of the local newspaper articles of the time.



A dramatic concrete wall serves as the backdrop for the colorful patron banners that honor those who have helped to make the Nix Nature Center a reality. The vibrant fabric signs cling delicately to the massive wall creating a juxtaposition of material and scale while over head a taught shade sail offers respite from the afternoon sun. This project was a collaboration with SoLa Creative of Laguna Beach, California.

(These are projects either in design, or under construction. More info or photos are available on request)

Milhous Residence - Laguna Beach
An existing ocean front home is transformed into an Italian Villa inspired compound where living, entertaining, and the Southern California lifestyle come together.

Gallo Residence - Laguna Beach
An existing Laguna Beach cottage was in desperate need of repair. Luckily, the owner saw a diamond in the rough and helped to bring back to the old home it's past magic and glory. A 2,000 square foot addition adds bedrooms and play areas for the children and compliments the home's original character by keeping the forms and scale small and appropriate. A glistening pool finishes the scene, ready for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Trimarche Residence - Laguna Beach
An existing Tuscan style home is expanded with a new ground floor master suite and entertaining deck above. The new deck overlooks a shimmering pool and spa which nestle into the rocky hillside rising from the back of the home. Play areas for the kids, and informal decks terrace up the hill to capture views of the Pacific ocean beyond.

Cox Residence - Corona Del Mar
A large breezeway between the existing main house and detached garage of this Spyglass Hill home offers the perfect space to craft a generous guest bedroom and bathroom suite.

Carradore Residence - Newport Beach
An existing Newport Coast home with a dramatic ocean and city view is expanded and refined to allow for the owners large Italian family to gather and celebrate like they did in the old country. Outdoor spaces for cooking and entertaining are defined while inside the home's open floor plan makes living everyday simple.

Kroesche Residence - Newport Beach
An existing row house looking out to the Newport Channel is updated with a soft, contemporary feeling. An addition to the upper level living space accommodates the bachelor owner's pool table and media room and opens out to a deck overlooking the street.

Sisco Residence - Costa Mesa
A 1950s post war cracker box is expanded into a 21st century entertaining compound. Indoor and outdoor areas converge into one continuous space promoting freedom of expression, and a lifestyle that is uniquely Californian.

Wiesen Residence - Laguna Niguel
A 1970s tract house is expanded and tailored to take advantage of the owner's large lot and their casual beach lifestyle. A new gourmet kitchen, generous great room, and outdoor cabana make entertaining easy, while the spacious play room addition upstairs moves the kids just out of earshot of the guests enjoying dinner on the patio.

Zarinelli Residence - Aliso Viejo
A young family's realization that they had outgrown the home they loved led to a carefully planned remodel and addition. With a budget to be mindful of this project had to make the most of what the existing house had to offer, while providing a large kitchen and dining area, additional child's bedroom, and a semi-private play room that could also serve as a casual guest room.

Dolgin Residence - Fountain Valley
A mid 1970s tract house is given new life with a comprehensive interior remodel. New kitchen, baths, flooring and landscape transform the otherwise generic house into a unique environment that reflects the owner's lifestyle.