Santa Monica
Curved openings and emerald tile give La Mesa its character. Cabinetry, materials and the proportions of each room were designed together, with the 610 sq ft kitchen planned as a room in its own right.
The approach
This project shows most clearly how we work: rooms designed as architecture — measured, drawn and detailed — rather than assembled from a list of finishes.
The kitchen, the bar and the primary bathroom were each drawn in plan and in elevation before a single finish was chosen. Arch shapes, counter overhangs, shelf depths, the height of a backsplash against a window — these small decisions make a room feel designed rather than decorated, and none of them can be made from a mood board.
The result is a house where the cabinetry isn’t added to the architecture. It is the architecture.
square feet — kitchen and pantry
square feet — bar, with full back-bar service
square feet — dining, drawn to the same set
Materials
La Mesa leans on wabi-sabi, the idea that natural texture and small imperfections give a room its soul. The materials carry that idea from the front door to the bar.
The kitchen cabinetry is hickory, finished in Rubio Monocoat, set against warm gold accents. In the bar, handmade emerald tile and softly backlit arches turn a working room into a place to gather. The living and dining rooms use organic forms, soft white tones and tactile finishes, so the house feels calm rather than staged.
Finished in Rubio Monocoat, with integrated appliances and a concealed hood.
The bar’s defining surface, set against warm gold tones.
Arched niches and softly lit shelving in the bar.
Arched windows light the curved staircase from the moment you arrive.
Drawings
A plan shows where things go. An elevation shows whether the room will work. Many interiors skip the second drawing — which is why so many rooms end up with proportions no one actually chose.
Photography
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The gallery
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Services on this project: Interior design