Bell Design Group is hiring in Los Angeles
We’re looking for a Project Architect / Project Captain and a Project Manager to join our studio and help lead the development of architectural projects from concept through construction
If you bring technical expertise, a collaborative mindset, and a genuine investment in the work, we’d love to connect. Details at: /careers
Sometimes the most extraordinary experiences come from having to change your plans.
This custom wood block wall - designed to create privacy while filtering ample light into meeting spaces and conference rooms - was originally conceived as custom-made concrete breeze block. But the bones of this office building in the heart of Soho were weight-sensitive, so we took it as an opportunity to go back to the drawing board for something even better. By switching the material from concrete to white oak, we not only resolved the structural dead load issue, but added a natural warmth and relaxed polish to the overall aesthetic.
When an architect builds their own home, there are always special details. While he oversees numerous client projects, BDG’s founder, Tima Bell, has also been quietly building a surf house for himself and his family in Baja, California.
While the entire 2-story, 4 bedroom home was designed to take in the full beauty of the Pacific ocean, the entry itself pays specific tribute to the surf that breaks in front of the property. Inspired by a lithograph of a wave, Bell envisioned bringing that level of artistic detail to the two, 9ft doors planned for the entrance. He then found a local craftsman, who meticulously hand-carved a wave into the 4 panels of each maple door - to exquisite results.
Handle selection still to come, full project photos soon after. Because some art can’t be rushed.
The hardest thing to design in a resort isn’t the structures, it’s the sensory experience. How to instill a silence, a sense of presence, or the duality of excitement and escapism are questions we frequently ask ourselves. For this luxury property in Greece, our answers began with the site plan. With sea foam orbs as our inspiration, structures are both scattered and clustered across the landscape - creating a cozy, village feel. Guest houses and suites are each oriented to their own slice of the Ionian Sea, cascading down the hillside. Close proximity, but still hyper private.
The most transformative move in interior architecture is often what happens above your head.
The undulating pattern of sculptural tubes at the Dancing With The Stars studio begin at reception, before flooding hallways and meeting rooms. The dynamism and rhythm of the forms sync with the energy of dance and performance, evoking the spirit of movement.
In the meditation room of a tech-company’s headquarters in Soho, we designed a curvature to the edges of the ceiling tray that neatly matched the curved corners of the walls, creating a cocoon-like embrace. In workspace areas, the felt loops we chose provided sound mitigation while remaining true to the soft-grid aesthetic used throughout the rest of the office plan. In a conference room, that focus on grid lines becomes more serious and structured - to match the purpose of the space. A rich shade of dark brown was chosen to encourage meetings and decisions that are grounded and values-based.
At the entrance to the historic Castle Argyle building - where the overall design focused on Hollywood Regency - we restored the original coffered ceilings to a crisp, clean white in order to counterbalance the new, colorful mosaic installation below it.
At BLVD Steak, plants suspended from ceiling trays are used to add a relaxing, welcoming atmosphere to an otherwise bold and glamorous environment.
We understand the power of the ceiling, and the profound impact it can have on framing the energy of a space.
#BDG #CeilingArchitecture #CeilingTransformation
A motion picture stage, empty, is one of the most extraordinary spaces in the world. And one of the least photographed. We design stages to function well and disappear quickly: black walls, controlled light, ceiling grid systems, sound mitigation...canvases for infinite possibility. Yet in the moments before a production moves in, the sheer scale reveals itself. The grandeur is felt. The silence has weight. Before it’s the environment in which art is made, it’s the art itself. This is our Sublime Architectural Moment No. 1 - the first in a series where we slow down and hone in on the phenomenal.
Studios:
Image 1: EES Mission
Image 2-7: EES Glendale
Image 8-9: EES Mission
Image 10: Siren Studios
BDG | Studio Architecture | Los Angeles CA
Desert air. Communal fire. Art that doesn’t leave. Luxurious tent accommodations around a communal hub — curated for groups of 50 to 100, centered on large-scale installations, live music, and open land that invites both gathering and stillness.
Bell Design Group created this concept with a focus on togetherness in nature. As an oasis, an exhale, and a vision for how people gather in the desert.
BDG | Hospitality | Joshua Tree CA
#glampingresort #experientialhospitality #resortdevelopment #desertretreat #retreatdesign
Parking garage. Community theater. Creative studio.
This building in Studio City has lived three lives, and we were asked to shape the third.
We pulled out the mezzanine that was choking the ground floor, opened the ceiling on the second, and wrapped the exterior stairs in a metal cable screen that gave an ordinary facade something worth looking at. The result is a space that backs up to the LA River and holds whatever the room needs to be.
BDG | Studio Architecture | Studio City CA
A hotel perched above the Pacific Coast Highway with breathtaking views of Dana Point Harbor underwent a brand conversion.
We renovated this entire property from a Doubletree into a Hilton Garden Inn, rethinking every space in the process, from guest rooms to amenity areas. An updated pool deck and face lift on the facade further infused this coastal-adjacent hotel with its new identity, so that guests feel the Pacific before they ever touch the sand.
BDG | Hospitality Architecture: Remodel | Dana Point CA
Washington Square Pizza brings Venice back to its roots.
Exposed steel beams channel SoCal deconstructivism. A Vans-inspired checkerboard takeout window serves late-night slices to locals and tourists while open-air sidewalk seating blurs indoor-outdoor living.
50+ years of Venice Beach living shaped this restaurant renovation, with the owner’s @timaawbell own 1970s photos and commissioned ocean murals by SoCal artists. Collectively, creating an authentic sense of place and local culture.
Adaptive reuse meets California coastal design with neighborhood soul.
Photographer: Carolin Kewer
Address: 31 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey CA 90292
Scope: Hospitality - Restaurant
The landscape at Vista Woods was designed with the same intention as the building itself.
Christopher Torres of Agency Artifact brought 26,653 sq ft of drought-tolerant native plantings, tree-lined walkways, and outdoor recreation spaces to a 2-acre infill site in Pinole, CA.
The grounds flow naturally into a site planned for connectivity, with bicycle parking and a new bus shelter on San Pablo Avenue keeping residents linked to the broader community. Sustainable, senior-focused, and built for long-term livability.
Photographer: @barryschwartz1
General Contractor: Community Impact Builders
Landscape Architect: Christopher Torres @agencyartifact
Address: 600 Roble Ave, Pinole, CA 94564
Scope: Affordable Housing - Senior Living Complex
Home should feel like home.
At Vista Woods, we designed every detail with residents’ quality of life at the forefront: spacious accessible units with private balconies, large windows, sliding glass doors, in-unit laundry, and covered parking with EV charging infrastructure.
179 units of 100% affordable senior housing, built without compromise.
Scroll through to see Vista Woods' interior ➡️
Photographer: @barryschwartz1
General Contractor: Community Impact Builders
Landscape Architect: Christopher Torres @agencyartifact
Address: 600 Roble Ave, Pinole, CA 94564
Scope: Affordable Housing - Senior Living Complex
