What’s this F? It’s now a part of my identity. I’ve been elevated to the prestigious College of Fellows of The American Institute of Architects. This honor is bestowed onto architects that have displayed an extraordinary ripple effect in their field. Approximately 3% of American architects are members of the FAIA. It’s also an F for my Fans, Friend and Family. Without whom I wouldn’t be here, and wouldn’t be able to share with all of you these wonderful spaces and photos. Thank you for believing in me, listening to me, and supporting me through the best and the worst. Here’s to the next few decades together!
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#faia #aia #architecture #dedication #perseverance #sacrifice #design #modern #grateful
Sharing some a momentous moment. I’ve been elevated to the prestigious College of Fellows of The American Institute of Architects. This honor is bestowed onto architects that have displayed an extraordinary ripple effect in their field. Approximately 3% of American architects are members of the FAIA. I’m deeply humbled, and beyond grateful. This truly couldn’t have been achieved without a bug thank you to all of my staff throughout the nearly two decades since establishing dba. We’ve had to all put in the effort and I tip my hat off to everyone that’s collaborated with me and believed in our mission. A big cheers to you! This also goes out to the engineers, contractors and vendors we’ve collaborated with. Thank you for your dedication and putting in that extra amount of effort to get here!
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#faia #aia #architecture #dedication #perseverance #sacrifice #design #modern #grateful
Some really exciting news to share! Through many years of dedication, long hours, frustration, and determination, today I found out that I’ve been elevated to the prestigious College of Fellows of The American Institute of Architects. This honor is bestowed onto architects that have displayed an extraordinary ripple effect in their field. Approximately 3% of American architects are members of the FAIA. I’m deeply humbled, and beyond grateful to my mentor, the local AIA-LA chapter and all of the people that have shown their support.
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#faia #aia #architecture #dedication #perseverance #sacrifice #design #modern #grateful
Flagship boutique for @jbrandjeans . From the street, the storefront reads as a quiet rhythm of arches carved into a fluted travertine façade — one tall central portal flanked by two smaller arched vitrines, each framed in solid brushed brass. The vertical grain of the stone catches the California sun and dappled shadow of street trees, lending the elevation the calm gravity of a Mediterranean civic building rather than a typical shopfront. A small brass-mounted "J Brand" plaque is the only signage; restraint signals the brand.
The central arch frames a single, deliberate view: directly through the entry, a living olive tree rises at the heart of the store. The exterior is, in effect, a proscenium for the interior garden.
Inside, that garden becomes the organizing idea. The olive tree is planted within a circular sage-velvet banquette set on a cream terrazzo plinth, anchoring the room like a courtyard at the center of a villa. A perfect oculus is cut through the curved plaster ceiling above, ringed by trailing greenery that spills over the rim — daylight pours down through the canopy as if filtered by leaves outdoors. The room reads as an interior cloister where architecture and nature share authorship.
A vertical colonnade of slender brushed-brass rods encircles the tree, both veiling and revealing it. The same rhythm continues outward as suspended garment rails, dissolving the boundary between structural screen and retail fixture. Denim and neutral basics hang in measured cadence along the perimeter, lit by warm cove light that grazes hand-troweled lime plaster walls and makes the volume appear to float.
Material palette: fluted travertine, hand-troweled lime plaster, brushed brass, cream terrazzo, sage velvet, bleached oak hangers, and living olive. Façade and interior are conceived as one continuous gesture — a luminous, biophilic rotunda where denim is presented in the company of trees, light, and stillness. #fashionretail #interiordesign #biophilicdeisgn #design
flagship store design for. @jbrandjeans
At the heart of the store, a living olive tree rises from a circular sage-velvet banquette, anchoring the interior like a courtyard at the center of a Mediterranean villa. The gesture reframes retail as garden: a quiet, contemplative clearing carved within the curved plaster shell.
A perfect oculus is cut through the ceiling above the tree, ringed by trailing greenery that spills over the rim — daylight pours down through the canopy as if filtered by leaves outdoors. The room reads as an interior cloister, where architecture and nature share authorship.
A vertical colonnade of slender brushed-brass rods encircles the tree, both veiling and revealing it. The rhythm of brass continues outward as suspended garment rails, dissolving the boundary between structural screen and retail fixture. Denim and neutral basics hang in measured cadence along the perimeter, lit by warm cove light that grazes the troweled walls and makes the volume appear to float.
The floor is pale cream terrazzo flecked with earthen aggregate, wrapping seamlessly into the circular plinth that lifts the tree. A soft sage rug — echoing the velvet bench — defines the central gathering moment, inviting pause rather than transaction.
Material palette: hand-troweled lime plaster, brushed brass, cream terrazzo, sage velvet, bleached oak hangers, and living olive. The result is less shop than sanctuary — a luminous, biophilic rotunda where denim is presented in the company of trees, light, and stillness. #interiordesign #biophilic #fashion #retails
Retail concept design for @jbrandjeans . A retail interior conceived as a luminous, sculpted vessel for denim. DBA replaces the conventional orthogonal shop with a continuous curvilinear envelope — softly plastered walls bend and fold like fabric, dissolving corners and choreographing a slow, meandering circulation around the merchandise.
Verticality is articulated through slender brushed-brass rods that rise floor-to-ceiling as both structure and screen. These rhythmic columns double as garment rails and semi-transparent partitions, gently zoning the space without interrupting sightlines. Their warm metallic sheen plays against the pale, hand-troweled walls and a terrazzo floor speckled with earthen aggregate, grounding the lightness above.
An oculus carved into the curved ceiling pulls daylight deep into the plan, ringed by a cascade of trailing greenery that softens the architecture and references California's indoor-outdoor ethos. Concealed cove lighting beneath the undulating wall makes the volume appear to float, while a freestanding arched mirror anchors a quiet fitting moment at the rear.
Material palette: troweled lime plaster, brushed brass, bleached oak hangers, cream terrazzo, and living vines — a restrained, tactile composition that frames denim as an everyday luxury. The result is less storefront than sanctuary: a calm, naturally lit interior where product, body, and architecture share the same soft, sculptural language. #interiordesign #fashion #retail #interiors
One of the most dynamic views of @bridgehousela . From this angle, you can really feel the cantilever and length of the house.
Photo by @sterlingreed.us and as featured by @openspaceseries
#architecture #landscapearchitecture #design #ecofriendly #art
Connecting architecture and landscape. Each of the rooms at @bridgehousela have direct views of the yard. With major windows. facing north, we've mitigated the sun's heat gain, offering comfortable lighting and a reduction of energy required for temperature control.
Photo by @sterlingreed.us and as featured by @openspaceseries
#architecture #landscapearchitecture #design #ecofriendly #art
The garden at @bridgehousela is really flourishing. From the start, our goal was to have the architecture and landscape as one, with the overarching idea being that the architecture statement is very geometric, linear and taught, and in juxtaposition to it a very flowy landscape design. We turned to @segalshuart to collaborate on the landscape architecture, and we couldn't be happier with what it turned out to be! It's a real immersive experience.
Photo by @sterlingreed.us and as featured by @openspaceseries
#architecture #landscapearchitecture #design #ecofriendly #art
Taking a look back at our retail design for @rtabrand . At the Las Vegas location we really pushed the limits of glass design and engineering. It was a challenge to create a totally floating glass shelving system that also incorporated lighting. As minimal as possible. Here’s a fact, the contractor that built the glass shelving also built the huge @cocacola glass bottle that is on The Las Vegas Strip! We love a good challenge.
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Taking a look back at our retail design for @rtabrand . At the Las Vegas location we really pushed the limits of glass design and engineering. It was a challenge to create a totally floating glass shelving system that also incorporated lighting. As minimal as possible. Here’s a fact, the contractor that built the glass shelving also built the huge @cocacola glass bottle that is on The Las Vegas Strip! We love a good challenge.
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#retaildesign #interiordesign #tbt #architecture
Taking a look back at our retail design for @rtabrand . At the Las Vegas location we really pushed the limits of glass design and engineering. It was a challenge to create a totally floating glass shelving system that also incorporated lighting. As minimal as possible. Here’s a fact, the contractor that built the glass shelving also built the huge @cocacola glass bottle that is on The Las Vegas Strip! We love a good challenge.
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#retaildesign #interiordesign #tbt #architecture
