Tag Archives: Architecture

Mark Weaver | A Masterclass in Timeless Design

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mark Weaver founded his eponymous, full-service design firm, Mark Weaver & Associates, in Los Angeles over 30 years ago. The firm’s extensive portfolio includes residential installations, private aircrafts, yachts, office and corporate installations for Fortune 500 companies, and private island retreats. The firm’s work has spanned projects from Los Angeles to New York, restorations of historic estates in Nantucket and Santa Barbara, a townhouse in London, renovations and interiors for a 16th century palazzo in Piacenza, Italy.

Mark regularly lectures at UCLA’s interior design program and is a founding member of both the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art and The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. He is also a member of the Decorative Arts Council for LACMA and a patron of the Los Angeles Opera.

In this Fireside Chat™, Mark discusses growing up in Southern California and how he’s seen Los Angeles evolve through the years. He discusses how his Italian heritage has greatly influenced his love of history, architecture and antiquity. He shares his love for travel and culture, which takes him abroad searching for the rare and usual. Finally, he discusses his impressions on outdoor space activation and how it is a pivotal element of his work across North America. 

This Fireside Chat™ is hosted by Ryan Bloom, co-founder and president of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed this conversation and love hearing about great design as much as we do, please subscribe. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit www.urbanbonfire.com.

Mark Weaver & Associates – http://www.markweaver.com/ 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Paul McClean | Highlighting the Outdoors through Luxurious Modern Architecture

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , ,

Paul McClean trained as an architect in Ireland, and founded McClean Design in 2000 after working for award-winning architectural practices in London, Dublin, Sydney and Southern California. McClean Design is one of the leading contemporary residential design firms in the Los Angeles area. The firm’s projects reflect an interest in modern living and a desire to connect their clients to the beauty of the surrounding natural environment. The incorporation of water, an emphasis on texture and natural materials, and the elimination of the barrier between indoors and outdoors are hallmarks of McClean’s designs. 

Paul has become the go-to architect for celebrity clientele such as Beyoncé, Jay Z, and Calvin Klein. He is also the architect behind “The One” in Bel Air, one of the most expensive homes ever built. Although based in Southern California, the firm’s work can be seen throughout the Western United States, Canada, England and Thailand.

In this episode of The Fireside Chat™, Paul shares his journey with us, and how his passion for drawing homes began from a very young age. He elaborates on his firm’s design process, and how he keeps an open mind when aligning with his clients’ vision for their dream home. He discusses strategies he uses to maximize the feeling of expanse and openness in his designs, in spaces both large and small. Although merging the indoors and outdoors has been at the heart of McClean’s work from the beginning, he shares some of the shifts he’s noticed in how his clients are prioritizing outdoor space.

This episode of The Fireside Chat™ podcast is hosted by Ryan Bloom, co-founder and president of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed it and love great design as much as we do, please subscribe. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit www.urbanbonfire.com.

McClean Design – https://www.mccleandesign.com/ 

#UrbanBonfire #YourKitchenOutdoors #McCleanDesign

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Anthony Laney | Rule-Breaking Architecture for Adventurous Clients

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

Anthony Laney is an architect and designer devoted to bringing out the best in creative teams and adventurous clients. He is a co-founder and partner of Laney LA, a Los Angeles-based architecture firm specializing in design-led refurbishments and highly crafted new builds. With a portfolio marked by some of LA’s best beach homes, the Laney LA studio combines thoughtful architecture and a focus on high-tech, high-touch service. In recognition of their thoughtful approach to contemporary home design, Laney LA recently received a coveted AIA LA residential architecture merit award. 

In this episode of The Fireside Chat™ podcast, Anthony reflects on what it means to be a young and emerging studio in an established field such as architecture. He shares his thoughts on working in densely populated areas like Manhattan Beach, and how he aims to erode some of that density by designing intimate outdoor rooms into the home. Anthony elaborates on the concept of creating healthy spaces that are connected to nature and offer a higher sense of peace and relaxation. He shares his passion for bringing out the best in his team and how his pursuit of a common vision for his clients and team is often his biggest source of inspiration. Finally, he considers the need for radically flexible spaces in the future to adapt for the way we live.

This episode of The Fireside Chat™ podcast is hosted by Ryan Bloom, co-founder and president of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed it and love great design as much as we do, please subscribe. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit www.urbanbonfire.com.

Laney LA – https://www.laney.la/ 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

John McClain | A Journey Through Design with a Complete Design Professional, Inside and Out

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

Born into a family of talented craftsmen and home builders, John McClain spent his childhood immersed in the world of design and construction. As a teenager, he converted his parents’ garage into a living suite, and later bought and remodelled his first home at the age of 20. Before long, John began remodelling and designing home after home, combining his family’s trade with his natural aesthetic ability. Shortly after his career launch, John appeared on HGTV; and through this experience, his personality and design perspective were visible to a larger audience, and he was soon designing homes across the country. 

 

Today, John is a speaker, writer, entrepreneur, and principal designer of the award-winning firm, John McClain Design, with offices in Los Angeles, California and Orlando, Florida. John’s work has been featured in numerous publications including Elle Décor and Traditional Home; and John is a contributor to outlets such as Martha Stewart Living, Interior Design magazine, Apartment Therapy, the Wall Street Journal, and most recently Us Weekly magazine. John and his team pride themselves on establishing a partnership with their clients to bring their vision to life with expertise, knowledge, transparency and authenticity.

In this episode of The Fireside Chat™ podcast, John shares his journey of making a career out of his passion for design. He sheds light on the process behind designing his own collection of products, John McClain Home, and the challenges presented by the commercialization of a product line. He discusses the rise in demand for outdoor spaces and in turn, how this has prompted him and his team to embrace the outdoors, and position themselves as an all-inclusive design firm, rather than limiting themselves to the interior.

This episode of The Fireside Chat™ podcast is hosted by Ryan Bloom, Co-Founder and President of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed it and love great design as much as we do, please subscribe. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit www.urbanbonfire.com.

John McClain Design – https://www.johnmcclaindesign.com/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

XTEN Architecture | How Swiss Roots Lead to Exceptional California Crafted Modern Architecture

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

This week on The Fireside Chat™ podcast, Ryan Bloom welcomes President and Founding Partner Monika Haefelfinger and Principal Scott Utterstrom of XTEN Architecture, an award-winning international architecture firm based in Los Angeles, California, and Sissach, Switzerland.

Born in Basel, Switzerland, Monika Haefelfinger’s interest in art and design deepened during an apprenticeship with her father’s architecture firm in Sissach. At the age of 21, Monika moved to the United States with the intention of spending a year there with her mother, a California native, and fell in love with California living. Following her studies at the University of Southern California and Columbia University, she worked for architectural firms in Switzerland and in the US. In 2000, XTEN Architecture was born in partnership with her partner and late husband Austin Kelly.

Scott Utterstrom was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2003. During this time, he spent a year abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, and traveled throughout Europe to visit prominent architectural works. After working for the Los Angeles office of AGPS Architecture, he continued his studies at UCLA, before joining XTEN Architecture in 2007. He was named Principal in 2015, and has played a key role in the firm’s many award-winning projects.

In this dynamic conversation, Monika and Scott discuss the architect’s role in articulating their client’s vision, even in smaller spaces in densely populated urban areas, the commonality between Californian, European and Middle Eastern clients in their wish to create a comfortable and welcoming home for their families, where they seek inspiration, and how they bring the progressive and experimental spirit of Los Angeles into their projects.


This episode of The Fireside Chat™ podcast is hosted by Ryan Bloom, Co-Founder and President of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed it and love great design as much as we do, please subscribe. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit https://urbanbonfire.com.


XTEN Architecture – http://xtenarchitecture.com/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Stephen Francis Jones | Designing Social Spaces for Unforgettable Experiences

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , ,

This week’s episode begins with a memorable evening in January 2012 at the M.B. Post restaurant in Manhattan Beach, California. From the inviting and familiar atmosphere of the former post office, to the food by Michelin-starred chef David LeFevre, to the playfully rustic decor… the experience was so meaningful to our host, Ryan Bloom, that he kept his menu as a souvenir of this evening. Fast-forward 9 years, and Ryan welcomes the architect behind this unforgettable space, Stephen Francis Jones, on The Fireside Chat™ podcast.

As in-house architect for the Wolfgang Puck Food Company, Stephen Francis Jones established one of Southern California’s most iconic brands. When he founded his own firm, SFJones Architects in 1996, Puck immediately hired Jones to help develop the fine dining experience at Spago Beverly Hills. This project led Jones to designing Wolfgang Puck restaurants worldwide—and, most recently, the renovation of the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland, site of the Academy Awards’ Governors Ball. Among his best-known projects is Lucky Strike Lanes in Hollywood. Working with CEO Steven Foster, Jones created a wildly popular hipster hybrid—restaurant, bar and bowling alley—that resulted in a flurry of spin-off projects.

In his conversation with Ryan Bloom, Stephen Francis Jones shares memories of his youth spent in Bogota, Columbia, and his travels through Europe before completing his Master’s degree in Architecture at UCLA. This immersion in urban European life shaped his fresh perspective on what makes a social space a memorable experience. Ryan and Stephen exchange on what it means to create inviting settings, and how restaurants are one of the great connectors of our world. Stephen ends with his thoughts on how Covid will shake out the restaurant industry for the better, transforming dining spaces into communal and outdoor spaces for authentic and meaningful experiences.

The Fireside Chat™ podcast is hosted by Ryan Bloom, Co-Founder and President of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed it and love great design as much as we do, please subscribe. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit https://urbanbonfire.com.

SFJones Architects – https://sfjones.com/
M.B. Post Project: https://sfjones.com/mb-post/bsg6cb2j978qm1x3zp86xx7rd0obbu

Podcast: Play in new window | Download