Tree house getaways have been around for some years now, but when did they get so impressive…architecturally? Am I now just noticing them, or have architects and designers been upping their game lately with these small built structures nestled in trees?
Read MorePerhaps the recent wave of women empowerment posts on social media, making news headlines, made me pause to reflect on all the strong women in my life. My mother, of course, comes top of mind as well as other women in my family. I have female friends and colleagues who are wonderful at what they do—moms, artists, professionals, business owners.
Read MoreThere is plenty to sightsee in the city of Los Angeles. After living here for most of my life, one would think that I’ve grown accustomed to all the creative explorations in architecture, construction and design, but I am still intrigued every time I see something new.
Read MoreA fire table is a statement-making outdoor feature that creates an inviting ambiance for entertaining or simply relaxing. These tables come in varying heights, shapes, and finishes, which allows for some flexibility when we design an outdoor space for a client who wants to include a fire table. Many tables are available with environmentally friendly bioethanol or natural gas and therefore burn cleanly and produce fewer emissions into the atmosphere. Here are five fire table styles.
Read MoreYou don’t have to be a Los Angeles resident to appreciate Los Angeles homes and the influential architects who carved out a style that captured the essence of California living. And the architecture team of Greene and Greene (brothers Charles and Henry) could arguably be two of the most famously…
Read MoreBecause of our holistic approach to designing + constructing a built environment, collaboration is extremely important to us when bringing in a landscape architect to work on our projects. Our design and sustainability philosophies must align. Our aesthetic sensibilities must be on the same level.
Read MoreThose visiting downtown Santa Monica for the first time may not know that along the beautiful oceanfront and across from the historic pier is a lush, 6.2-acre park called Tongva. Designed by award-winning firm James Corner Field Operations—known for designing NYC’s The High Line, one of my favorite must-see places in Manhattan—Tongva Park has been recognized for its landscape, structures, horticulture, and sustainability.
Read MoreWithout a doubt we ALL miss our local restaurants, and in my humble (and yes, biased) opinion we have the best here in LA. While we have supported them by way of carryout and delivery these last few months, there is nothing like sitting down at a table in a beautiful, well-designed space and eating delicious food with your favorite person or group of people.
Read MoreI knew at the age of nine that I wanted to design homes. Jeff knew he wanted to be a builder when he was young; he was fascinated with taking apart and rebuilding things. So encouraging creativity early on with our children was really important to us.
Read MoreNearly 20 years ago three of my employees and I moved into a corner suite on the 5th floor of the Central Tower Building in downtown Santa Monica to house my growing architectural design firm. I had already been running my business for a couple of years, but when I signed on the dotted line of the lease, everything suddenly got real…but also got very exciting. I knew there was no looking back.
Read MoreThe right tile selection, whether subtle or bold, can either make or break the flow of a space. But it’s incredibly fun as a designer to search for the perfect size, shape, pattern, texture and color to see the vision through. Thankfully, we have been seeing quite a few inspiring tile designs (some that will be incorporated into our current projects). We’d like to share our favorites with you.
Read MoreWe like giving credit where architectural photo credit is due, which is why we are putting a spotlight on Chang Kyun Kim. When we saw Chang’s photography featured in Dwell a few years ago, we knew we had to have him take photos of SweisKloss projects. The images that he captures is inspiring, showing the essence of the built environment through angles and light.
Read MoreLos Angeles is rich with architectural history, and we have plenty of places to choose from to get our cultural and visual fill. But since many of our favorite places have temporarily closed, I’ve been searching around online for virtual tours of interesting architecture. One well-done tour is of the Hollyhock House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and located at the Barnsdall Art Park on Hollywood Blvd.
Read MoreAs we continue to shelter at home into day/week I-am-not-sure-anymore, I now have a routine down. I’ve adjusted my home to have a more functional workspace. I’ve conducted more design + construct business through the virtual world than I thought possible.
Read MoreTaylor Horton, Designer + Assistant Project Manager, recently hit his year mark with SweisKloss. When I asked him how it has been being a part of the SK team, he told me he really appreciates the detail of work that goes into each project. There’s an indelible satisfaction in seeing these elements come to life through the construction process.
Read MoreEveryone knows about the benefits of having indoor plants—they release oxygen into the air and absorb carbon dioxide. But for many people, it is the simple joy of having them and caring for them. Evidenced by how much we water, feed, and sun (or not) them.
Read MoreAs we move into another week of the California safer at home order, many of us have been using an existing home office or created a makeshift WFH space. Telecommuting is nothing new, but for those new to telecommuting, carving out a workspace—no matter how big or small—to call your very own will bring a sense of order to the day-to-day.
Read MoreI knew that running a design + construct firm would involve an immense amount of multi managing, which honestly, I thrive on. But multi managing also means knowing when to delegate wisely. What Jeff and I discovered early on as business owners is that having the right people in place is imperative to just about everything. Filling a position is not always about immediate need. It’s about projected need and constantly being on the lookout for great people.
Read MoreIf you drive north along the Pacific coast for about four hours—a loose approximation of LA driving time—from Santa Monica, you might think you are in the middle of seemingly nowhere. But you’ll find yourself in a small town called San Simeon with its picturesque shore to the west and rolling hills, albeit a bit barren, to the east.
Read MoreGrowing older in place is something that a lot of our clients are planning on doing. And just like us, they do not want to have to compromise on beauty and comfort now for their future selves. Well they do not have to. We thought we’d take a minute to share a list of design ideas to help make aging in the home as graceful as possible.
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