Last updated on May 23rd, 2024 at 01:36 pm
Newport Beach is a community famous for sandy beaches lit by the radiant Californian sun. Many local homes are designed to capture California’s gentle ambiance and its sunny atmosphere.
On this list of the best residential architects in Newport Beach, you’ll find professionals who have decades of experience crafting homes designed with that ambiance in mind. Alongside their years of experience, these professionals are known for creating highly detailed work in various styles unique to California and have been featured in a number of industry magazines.
Ritner Group Inc.
503 32nd Street, Ste. #130, Newport Beach, CA 92663
A hands-on firm, Ritner Group Inc. is known for being highly collaborative in its practice. With more than 40 years of experience in housing design, the firm has completed several breathtaking projects for clients around Newport Beach and its surrounding area. Among its most notable projects is the Crystal Cove Residence 1 completed in collaboration with Forest Studio. Set in a private, gated community, this residence has multiple courtyards that connect the building components to create various outdoor experiences that take in the water ocean views. These outdoor features are inspired by resorts. Alongside homes like this, the firm has created other homes that carry the Tuscan and Spanish revival styles and harmonize with Newport Beach’s sunny atmosphere.
Pacific Coast Architects
2600 Newport Boulevard, Ste. #114, Newport Beach, CA 9263
Since 1989, Pacific Coast Architects has been building a reputation for designing environmentally sensitive homes. These homes center around the client’s life and encourage responsible material and product exploration. The firm builds contemporary and style-specific homes like the Kukio 8. A 22,259-square-foot home, it consists of pods that circle around a central pool. Appearing as a cozy village, it presents an indoor and outdoor lifestyle where views of the ocean can be seen alongside Maui’s landscape. Projects like this are guided by principal Philip Edmonson’s years of experience dealing with commercial and residential projects.
Eric Aust Architect
62 Balboa Coves, Newport Beach, CA 92663
With 25 years of architectural experience on the part of principal Eric Aust, Eric Aust Architecture is known for providing his clients with a cohesive architectural process. This starts with the initial concept and continues all the way to project completion. Over the years, this work approach has been seen in both commercial and residential projects that carry various styles including the modern, contemporary, ranch, and Tuscan styles.
wmr design
484 Prospect Street, Newport Beach, CA 92663
For wmr design, good design is a matter of exploring innovative yet efficient solutions for all project types. The firm’s specialties include remodels and renovations as well as custom homes in modern, contemporary, or traditional styles. The wmr team has also completed curb appeal studies, provided remodel consultation, supplied future home buying assistance, and provided furniture design. Currently, the firm is managed by Wayne Rizzo who spent his early career assisting on large-scale projects like the MCA Universal Studios and the City of Irvine Hall. After some time, he joined a more intimate branch of architecture, residential and small project design. His past experience has given him a great eye for the details.
Myles Nelson McKenzie Design
5000 Birch Street, West Tower, Ste. #3000, Newport Beach, CA 92660
With offices on both the west and east coast, Myles Nelson McKenzie Design has designed a plethora of residences perfect for its Californian setting. Among these is the Modern contemporary home in Malibu. A home designed to take full advantage of the beachfront views, it has a notable accordion glass door system that’s ten feet high and opens at widths of 21 and 24 feet. It also has a large covered deck that steps down to the ocean-front beach area. Luxurious homes like these have received the attention of BUILD Magazine where it won the 2019 Architecture awards for best custom residential building design firm. In the same year, it was also given the BUID Excellence Award for most varied residential design.
Saunders & Wiant Architects
2700 West Coast Highway, Ste. #200, Newport Beach, CA 92663
Whether it is healthcare, general and commercial, or residential architecture, Saunders & Wiant Architects is known for providing quality at affordable prices. Since 1995, it has been making its abilities available to clients throughout the Southwestern U.S. Occasionally, it even works with clients in Mexico and the Middle East. One of its notable projects is the Harbor View Residence. A 4,000-square-foot Craftsman home with two stories and shingle sidings, it has an attractive earthy coloring that makes it stand out from its neighbors. The firm highlights sustainable design by providing its clients and colleagues with consultations on building methods that reduce carbon footprints.
Eric F Mossman Architects
2025 W. Balboa Boulevard, Ste. #B, Newport Beach, CA 92663
A 45-year-old firm, Eric F Mossman Architects has an impressive amount of projects peppering the Newport Beach area. With decades of experience in architecture and engineering, this firm’s projects have a signature outstanding and exceptional design quality that highlights the grand and inviting features of luxury homes. Regardless of the project type, the firm’s residential projects feature panoramic views, generous trims and cabinetry, and versatile built-ins that highlight high attention to detail. So far, its portfolio has showcased homes in a wide range of styles including the Tuscan, Italianate, Cape Cod, and French styles alongside the modern and contemporary styles, some of which have helped the firm win the PCBC Golden Nugget award. As award-winning pieces, some of these homes have sold for record-breaking prices and are known to have sold as high as $4,200 per square foot.
C.J. Light Associates
1401 Quail St. Ste. #120, Newport Beach, CA 92660
C.J. Light Associates is one of the firms that has crafted some of the highest-selling homes in Orange county. Since 1991, over a hundred of its designs—ranging in style from the modern and contemporary to the classic Spanish revival and Craftsman—have been built on Southern California’s beaches. As a result, the firm has been featured in multiple Luxe issues alongside other publications like Design OC, Robb Report, Blue Door Magazine, and Coastal Real Estate Guide.
LeTourneau Architecture
250 Newport Center Drive, Ste. #305, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Emphasizing modern and contemporary design, LeTourneau Architecture is a 15-year old firm that builds high-end custom homes in Los Angeles and Orange counties. By using innovative and practical designs, the firm employs green materials and architectonic detailing. Among its many beautiful projects is the Marapata House. A modern home, its clean-cut lines and open floor plan creates a feeling of spaciousness. That airiness is amplified through the use of geometrical figures, large windows and skylights, and a living room with retractable walls that allow the outdoors to blend into the home’s interiors. Publications like Orange Coast, 944 Magazine, Rivera Magazine, and Newport Magazine have featured the firm’s work.
Bassenian Lagoni Architects
2031 Orchard Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Bassenian Lagoni Architects works with clients from across the world. Over time, the firm has received attention from Design LA, Urbanize LA, and Builder. After 45 years of collaborating with developers and builders, it has gained a reputation for being a highly collaborative partner. This trait has helped the firm explore new design ideas in urban, mixed-use, hospitality, and residential projects. The modern farmhouse in Henderson is a great example of the firm’s innovative work. At 2,145 square feet, this project combines a wood and stone façade that hides an eclectic interior, including two accessory dwelling units. This home was given the 2017 Best Architectural Design of a One of a Kind Home and the 2016 Golden Nugget Awards for best custom home under 4,000 square feet.
P 2 Design
833 Dover Drive, Ste. #8, Newport Beach, CA 92663
P 2 Design combines the client’s vision with a design approach that highlights the harmonious flow of form, function, and space. Since 2007, the firm has completed several projects that promote positive living through functional and aesthetically pleasing features of homes that reflect its owner. Its designs were honored with several Golden Nugget Awards. They were also featured in a wide number of publications including Luxe, Traditional Home, Architectural Digest, and The Palisades. Over the years, P2’s portfolio has included home styles that range from the modern and traditional to the neo eclectic, Colonial revival, and Spanish revival styles. The Mirada at Grey Oaks, in particular, is a great example of its work. Inspired by old-world European and Mediterranean architecture, these homes were designed to blend indoor and outdoor lifestyles. The wide courtyard and a refreshing water feature welcome you in. The home also has expansive floor plans and beautiful wood framed with wrought iron details.
Oatman Architects, Inc.
412 31st St., Newport Beach, CA 92663
In 2009, Oatman Architects, Inc. was added to the list of architects and planners that completed unique homes and hospitality projects. After its establishment, many clients from around the world praised its portfolio of luxury homes—ones that carried its signature hotel/resort ambiance. So far, this signature luxury can be seen in the unique Tuscan, Andalusian revival, Mediterranean, and Italianate styles. The Strand Beach Romanesque Villa in particular is a great example of its work. A 13, 582-square-foot residence highlighting Roman architecture through a collection of natural stone, its most notable feature is a breezeway and its vaults supported by seams of stone columns. Its Maltese limestone walls give a sense of continuity to the space and it bears traces of aging due to prior use. This complements the exterior paving of Corsican limestone and the driveway made of reclaimed granite cobbles from Mainland China. Stunning work like this has been featured in Dwell, California Homes, and Luxe.
South Coast Architects Inc.
13 Corporate Plaza, Ste. #210, Newport Beach, CA 92660
To create unique homes, South Coast Architects relies on paying close attention to its clients. This has been the firm’s approach since its establishment in 1992, and it has helped it craft spectacular homes like the McKeever Residence. Carrying a Tuscan design that makes the home feel like a Roman village, it mixes classic Italian architecture with a Tuscan farmhouse influence. With an optimized golf/desert lifestyle, this residence has an old-world design that harmonizes with a floor plan that accommodates a commons for the indoors and outdoors. Among its many notable features, the residence has a three-level tower that anchors the courtyard along with a multiple arched, open-air bridge flanked by two exterior staircases that link the home’s two wings. With magnificent homes like this lining its portfolio, South Coast Architects has been featured in Luxe, Architectural Digest, California Homes, and Extraordinary Homes California. The firm has also won seven Gold Nugget Merit Awards.
Brion Jeannette Architecture
470 Old Newport Boulevard, Newport Beach, CA 92663
For Brion Jeanette Architecture, energy-efficient aesthetics are the pinnacle of good design. Since its establishment in 1974, the firm has been crafting homes that highlight the use of wind, sunlight, shade, and landscaping in its beautiful designs. Aside from using natural materials to its advantage and using it to become advocates of sustainable design, the firm is famous for its skill in expertly adapting to difficult or environmentally sensitive sites like the rugged coastal bluffs of Orange county. This expertise has led to international attention that also highlights the firm presenting architectural originality that can be traced in the vast array of homes in its portfolio. Currently, the firm has crafted homes in various styles from modern and contemporary to traditional and Tuscan. Over the years, these homes have gained eyes from publications like LA Times, California Homes Essential Guide to Architects & Builders, Architectural Digest, and California Homes Magazine alongside other publications.
