Last updated on May 27th, 2024 at 06:50 am
Admired for its scenic views of the Pacific Ocean and the salty breeze, Redondo Beach has many great areas to find homes that are skillfully designed by seasoned professionals to creatively maximize the beach’s beautiful ocean vistas. The city has consequently cultivated some of the most proficient architects and architectural firms.
Finding the right architect to design a home that will be able to complement the coastal location and its geographical attributes can be challenging. Our team has curated a list of the best residential architects in Redondo Beach and the surrounding area, selected based on their accreditations, certifications, professional affiliations, and the recognition each firm has received in the form of industry awards, client reviews, and features in the press. We have also laid out the range of services the firms offer, their specializations, and the length of time they have been in the industry.
If you are thinking about building a custom home, we recommend checking each builder’s license with the local licensing board, speaking to past clients, and using our bidding system to get competitive quotes from at least 3 contractors. Getting multiple bids is the best way to ensure you get a fair price and that bids include the complete scope of work.
Buchmann Design
746 4th Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
Brett Buchmann has been designing homes in Los Angeles for more than 15 years with more than 150 homes decorating his portfolio. His expertise spans both traditional and modern architectural styles, carefully crafted to match the specific needs of each client. He founded Buchmann Design in 2016, a full-service design firm considered to be one of the nation’s most influential architectural practices specializing in residential and small-scale commercial projects. South Bay Home and South Bay Digs Magazine have nothing but great things to say about its projects in Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills Estates, and Hermosa Beach. The firm is also accredited by AIA Long Beach.
The Jin Residence is one of its projects with the best views of the Pacific Coast, maximized with a spacious open plan and tall glass windows. The dining area opens towards the outdoor living space, which protrudes and extends towards the coastline. A loft space on the second floor creates a dramatic experience with the high ceiling. Like the firm’s other projects, the Jin Home uses a neutral palette with dark wood accents and coffered ceilings.
C&C Partners Design/Build
508 N Pacific Coast Hwy, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
C&C Partners is a full-service design-build firm dedicated to providing design-build, custom residential, engineering, landscape architecture, interior design, lighting consultant, and audio/visual services accredited by the AIA, American Custom Builders Council, BuilderTrend, Building Industry Association, and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). For over 33 years, the firm has been catering to clients from Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades to Beverly Hills and across the South Bay Beach Cities.
The firm implements a 15-step team-oriented approach that encompasses the Preliminary Phase, Design Development Phase, and Construction Phase of its projects. To ensure a seamless transition from design to construction, Patrick Cunningham, a Fellow of the AIA and the President of the firm, oversees the entire design phase while his brother Michael Cunningham, the firm’s Vice President, is responsible for leading a team of building professionals through the construction process.
C&C exhibits an array of projects that represent the Coastal, French Modern, Spanish-Mediterranean, Traditional, Tuscan styles of home design which have been featured in Southbay HOME multiple times. A specimen of its excellent work is the Beverly Hills Home designed in the 1920’s Spanish Revival, characterized by a grand central atrium that draws the entire focus of the house.
David Watson, Architect
920 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Suite 1, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
For over 18 years, David Watson has been integrating thoughtful architectural elements to create flow and continuity to new as well as remodeled custom residences, both new and remodeled, all over Greater Los Angeles. He is a registered California architect with a Master’s Degree in architecture and combines his East coast education to create a truly unique architectural office.
His experience working as a carpenter during his formative years in suburban Washington D.C. and contributing as a member of the Habitat for Humanity Community Engagement Team where he speaks to community groups and organizations about Habitat’s mission to build safe, decent, and affordable housing for hard-working families and individuals in need, has allowed him to understand his clients’ programs and ideas and collaborate open-mindedly. What distinguishes David’s work is a healthy respect for historical architectural detailing, both traditional and contemporary. He resides in Manhattan Beach so he has a good grasp of the context of his projects.
One of the firm’s interesting projects is the new custom home, The Lighthouse, which features a tower-like component that resembles a lighthouse. It has a roof deck three stories high with a 360-degree view. It achieves a sailor feel with its small circular windows and light gray and cool-toned motif.
FER studio
1159 E Hyde Park Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90302
An AIA Fellow, Christopher Mercier founded FER studio in 2002 with the intention of filling a gap in the Architectural & Urban Design Market. The studio is structured as a contemporary design and research-based office, which makes for the development of Architectural and Urban Design solutions for residential, commercial, and institutional projects. Addressing issues in its projects’ current spatial and organizational breakdowns, while providing an environment that fosters creative exchange among its users as well as forming a strong market identity are the studio’s main objectives. FER studio works exclusively with individuals, groups or organizations, focused on various aspects of the creative arts, cultural arts, and other creative professional practices.
The studio’s Modern and Contemporary designs have hit the pages of major publications including Los Angeles Times, Design Los Angeles Magazine, Focused Form, and Dwell, to name a few. The Santa Monica is one of the firm’s best works, which features a continuous linear skylight that goes down the length of the building to allow for natural light to seep into the center of the house. The second-floor circulation is offset from the first floor, creating a continuous two-story volume of open space that is naturally lit from above. This split became the central spine of the structure and acts as a main feature of the project.
Joseph Spierer Architects
707 Torrance Blvd. Suite 100, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Joseph Spierer Architects is a LEED-accredited architecture practice adept in transcending conventional thinking to take its Southern Californian clients’ designs to the next level. The firm specializes in residential architectural design, home additions, and home remodeling. The team brings inventiveness and originality to every project while building strong bonds with its customers. Its client-centric approach starts by conducting a thorough analysis of all conditions of the project and using it as a catalyst to deepen the creativeness and meaning of its design.
Joseph Spierer has 16 years of professional experience that saw him working for five architectural firms and claiming AIA membership before starting Joseph Spierer Architects. For more than a decade, he has led the firm in creating visually striking custom homes featured in media outlets such as South Bay Magazine, Architect Blueprint, Home + Design Magazine, Best of Oceanside Living Magazine, and Dwell.
Styles of both Contemporary and Traditional embody the firm’s projects, with the 10,000 square-foot Pacific Palisades Residence as one of its most notable. This traditional style home displays built-in custom fireplaces, a walnut wine cellar, two luxurious master bedrooms, two beautiful indoor kitchens, a gourmet outdoor kitchen, and a pool.
Joyce Flood + Associates
505 N. Sepulveda Blvd, Suite 4, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Joyce Flood has worked in the industry for 30 years and established Joyce Flood + Associates in 1996, specializing in the development and design of single-family and multi-unit beachfront and coastal designer homes in Manhattan Beach and surrounding areas. Her design vocabulary includes Coastal, Cape Cod, Spanish, Mediterranean, Contemporary, Craftsman, Traditional, and Farmhouse styles. She prioritizes the clients’ needs and works closely with them in the whole design process to make sure her designs cater to the clients’ unique lifestyle.
Flood’s design process is featured in Domino which reports how she pays very close attention to the interiors of her projects and is aware that when it comes to new constructions, it can be easy to overdo designing the details. Keeping spaces simple is her main design principle, and she executes it by carefully adding certain elements like wood beams, pops of interesting tile, vintage rugs, and pillows to curate an organic feel. Wood is her material of choice for furnishing and finishes to achieve a relaxed and casual look. Flood is well-versed in working with natural lighting, especially in locations near the coast where spaces are made to be brightly lit. Being close to the beach, Flood designs homes to reflect the tone of the site without taking the traditional beach decor route. Her goal is to have spaces feel comfortable, natural, and fresh as demonstrated in the Hermosa Beach Home.
Laney LA
725 Cypress Ave., Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
Laney LA has been creating lasting impressions since 2014 thanks to its design-led refurbishments and highly crafted new builds. The firm has made a name for itself across Los Angeles for designing regionally relevant, community-focused, and environmentally responsive buildings. It upholds its core values of focusing on serving its clients, developing its practice, and contributing to the community as a responsible team of leaders that has experience spanning architecture, environmental, graphic design, interiors, and landscaping.
Led by husband and wife partners Anthony and Krista Laney, the firm was recently honored with an LA Residential Architecture Award and has been featured in major media publications such as ArchDaily, Southbay Magazine, Botena, Voyage LA, and Luxe.
With a broad expertise across a range of styles, Laney LA’s approach fuses four key tenants: a radical embrace of nature, the grounding derived from community and context, the unconventional use of timeless materials, and the nuanced expression of light and fluidity. One of its more notable projects was the Disappearing Pool, which set a new standard for combining feats of engineering with tasteful design. The Laney LA team seamlessly transforms both the swimming pool and spa into one large open terrace with the press of a button leveraging AKVO Spiralift’s innovative, hydraulic system.
Michael Lee Architects
2200 Highland Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Michael Lee founded his architectural firm in 1991 after working 10 years for famed architect Dean Nota, and went on to get a contractor’s license to go with his architect’s license. His experience allowed the firm to quickly grow to become one of the Los Angeles Basin Area’s premier design firms. The firm has designed and constructed more than 200 residential and small commercial projects that include mixed-use, office rehabilitation, and restaurant work. In fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture, the firm is able to produce designs in both modern and traditional styles. It is dedicated to reflecting the vision of both the client and the architect through architectural exploration. Michael Lee Architects is a member of the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce, and has been honored by the American Institute of Architects with awards from the Long Beach South Bay Chapter of the AIA, namely the Honor Award in the Residential Category in 2015, two Citation Awards for Excellence in Design in 2013, and the Merit Award for Excellence in Design in 2011.
Among the firm’s stunning projects is the Chenault Residence. The firm’s plan was to maximize the stunning views of the Santa Monica mountains as well the mature trees surrounding the property. The design solution is a modern home with multiple courts, patios, and decks on all four sides. All of these bring abundant natural light into the bedrooms and living room while still maintaining intimacy and privacy.
Otis Architecture
909 Electric Avenue, Suite 207, Seal Beach, California 90740
Otis Architecture is an award-winning architectural firm headed by licensed architect Karen Otis, whose goal is to create spaces that engage the viewer or visitor and enhance and deepen their experience. Otis Architecture Inc. has been delivering custom homes, remodels, multi-family developments, tenant improvements, and commercial and institutional designs for over 30 years in Costa Mesa, Long Beach, as well as Los Alamitos, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, and Seal Beach. Otis Architecture opened a Fountain Hills, Arizona office in 2019 with projects in Fountain Hills and Scottsdale.
Otis prefers contemporary design over other styles but incorporates modern and traditional elements in her projects, which have been featured in Orange County Home and Orange Coast Magazine. She strives to redefine the most mundane spaces or objects and to soften the edges between the inside and the outside. Otis is driven by her belief that architecture should help celebrate the idea that there is a higher purpose in life.
Every project consists of several components: a client’s lifestyle and the site upon which she’s working, to considerations of the way in which the client intends to use the space. The end result is a strength and unity in design that is evident in each one of Otis’s works, such as the Casa Gertruda. This Redondo Beach home features a modern open floor plan with light-filled spaces that feel expansive and uplifting. From its welcoming facade to the master bedroom suite, the company focused on creating a beautiful composition of streamlined forms with an organic and natural palette of materials.
Patrick Tighe Architecture
5757 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90019
For over two decades, Patrick Tighe Architecture has operated under the belief that architecture has the capacity to help shape one’s experience in and of this world. The firm designs affordable housing, commercial, mixed-use projects, installations, and award-winning interiors around this experience so that its projects, public or private, engage with its users in a meaningful way. Through extensive research and analysis, the firm develops new means of construction and fabrication methods tailor-fit to the context of a project’s site and community.
Led by one of Los Angeles’ most prominent architects, Patrick Tighe, the firm has received over 50 design awards including eight National AIA Honor Awards, American Architecture Awards, a Progressive Architecture Award, Los Angeles Architecture Awards, West Side Prize, Best of Year Awards as well as local AIA Honors.
Working on a variety of modern and contemporary projects has allowed the firm to advance its design innovations. For instance, the 3,500-square-foot Redondo Beach House plays with contrasting massing of volumes. The building is grounded in the suburban neighborhood condition, and a larger, more expressive volume rises to the west to maximize views of the ocean and the city. Due to the varying levels of different parts of the house, its roof surface becomes a distinct element of the facade.
Pritzkat & Johnson Architects
306 Vista Del Mar Suite A, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Pritzkat & Johnson Architects has made a name for itself in Southern California coastal cities as a top-tier design firm that specializes in new and remodeled custom residences and commercial architecture. Since 2005, it has been designing distinguished homes that combine a high level of artistry and functionality while realizing its clients’ vision and exceeding their expectations. The firm is accredited by the Institute of Classical Arts & Architecture and the International Code Council and won the Gold Award in the 2013 Professional Remodeler Design Awards as proof of its high design standards.
Miles Pritzkat worked for 24 years at Edward Carson Beall & Associates was chosen to be part of Palos Verdes Art Jury while Keith Johnson worked as a designer at Edward Carson Beall & Associates for more than five years. Both are esteemed architects in the industry and have been operating the firm together in creating Beach, Ranch, Italian, Modern, Contemporary, Traditional European, and Craftsman-style homes alongside their talented team.
Southbay HOME Architect Showcase, Southbay Digs Magazine, and Easy Reader Magazine have praised the firm’s work for projects such as the Palos Verdes Estates that exhibits a Rustic Mediterranean look. Its interiors are heavily dominated by sienna wood material for flooring, ceiling, and furnishing, imbibing a cozy cabin vibe.
ras-a studio
2507 W 190th Street, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Robert Sweet’s diverse talents in home design can be seen across the Greater Los Angeles Area as the Lead Principal of ras-a studio, a boutique design and build studio. The studio aims to create built environments for its clients that enhance their quality of living while leaving a positive impact on the community and nature. Specializing in residential, commercial, interior, and landscape design, it offers designer-led design-build project delivery and oversees the construction of the project by having its construction arm bid out the project to its sub-contractors, fabricators, and material suppliers.
The studio is composed of a team of seasoned architects, builders, and designers that have earned it the 2017 AIA Citation Award, 2019 AIA Honor Award, and the Residential Architect Design Awards in 2015 and 2018 by Architect Magazine. It has also been recognized by Dezeen, LA Times, Sunset, Architectural Digest, and DIGS Magazine.
Known for placing a strong emphasis on materials and detail, the studio’s portfolio features Modern, Contemporary, and Mid-Century vintage home renovations and rebuilds. A prime example is ras-a studio’s award-winning rebuild of a 1951 vintage beach home into an open, airy, light-filled vacation home with a reworked floor plan contained within the original building footprint and height.
Rockefeller Kempel Architects
145 Standard Street, El Segundo, California 90245
Rockefeller Kempel Architects (RKA) is a design firm whose primary goal is to explore their clients’ unique stories and create designs for them that are both artistically complex and functional. The firm’s roster of award-winning residential and commercial projects includes Spanish, contemporary, and modern style custom residential estates, ground-up hotels, restaurants, historic adaptive reuse conversions, multifamily residential housing, and corporate interiors. Its multidisciplinary team is known for its attention to detail as well as its ability to successfully leverage technology to meet its customers’ needs.
Senior Partner, Darrell S. “Rocky” Rockefeller, AIA, has over 39 years of experience in the design industry. Rocky served as the Managing Partner at Rockefeller/Hricak for 21 years before establishing Rockefeller Kempel Architects in 2002 where he was joined by Design Partner, Chris Kempel, AIA. The firm has received a number of awards under his leadership such as the AIA South Bay Honor Award for Excellence in Design, 2017 AIA Restaurant Design award, Hospitality Design’s Lifestyle Public Space award, annually, and Dream Home Awards for Best Custom Home and for Custom Contemporary Home of the Year.
One of the firm’s Dream Home Awards recipients is the Mandeville Canyon Residence, which was strategically oriented towards the surrounding canyon views, and features a pool wall and a large fireplace as an accent landscape element.
Welch Design Studio
2280 East Maple Avenue, El Segundo, CA 90245
With over 14 years of architectural experience, Welch Design Studio is trusted by the most elite clients in Southern California and parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia to deliver quality custom residential, commercial, and interior design. The firm is committed to creating spaces inspired by its clients’ way of life, translated into Modern, Classic, Contemporary, Tuscan, Spanish, and French-style homes.
Prior to founding the firm, Lisa Welch earned her Master’s in Architecture from the University of Michigan, studied in Vienna and France. In 2019, she was recognized as one of the Top 10 Women in Architecture by Mortarr.com. Lisa works alongside her spouse, the firm’s CEO Marc Welch, a member of the AIA, who worked for Landry Design Group for 24 years and has won numerous awards including the Gold Nugget Grand and Builder’s Choice Awards for his contributions in the field.
As a reflection of its principals’ prestige, the firm has also garnered its own share of acknowledgment. Its projects have graced the pages of South Bay Magazine and Archinect, and is a recipient of the 2018 International Architecture Award (IAA) Winner of Residence. The Dior Chance is a product of its reputable services, known for its intersecting elongated volumes and cantilevered elements. The firm skillfully achieves a balance of transparent and solid materials with the use of glass and stone siding material with this farmhouse-type home.
About Our Rankings
This list takes a range of ranking criteria into consideration, including but not limited to: work history, customer satisfaction, awards and recognition, geographic area of work, cost, building permits, and clientele. We spent over 40 hours researching local contractors before calculating the final ranking for this post. If there is additional information about your business that could affect these rankings, please fill out this form and we will take it into consideration.
Get Bids For Your Build
If you are thinking about building a custom home, we recommend checking each builder’s license with the local licensing board, speaking to past clients, and using our bidding system to get competitive quotes from at least 3 contractors. Getting multiple bids is the best way to ensure you get a fair price and that bids include the complete scope of work.
