Earlier this year, Violet and I visited Singapore.  For me, it was a first-time visit, for Violet it was a return home to the place she grew up.  I had heard many things about Singapore from Violet and her family and had a professional curiosity about the densely populated urban city that is city and state all wrapped up in one.  Would there be takaways from our trip about urban development to inform our work in Southern California?

Summer means we’re back in the RV exploring. On this trip, we visited the Redwood National and State Parks in Northern California. The first thing that struck us, as I’m sure many other visitors, is the scale. You know that the trees are large, but I’m not sure you’re truly prepared until you are standing at the foot of a giant redwood. For the trees to grow so large, you realize just how long this takes and for me, it made me reflect on our current moment as just a ‘blip’ on the timeline.  

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I recently returned from Palm Spring’s Modernism Week, which is an annual celebration of midcentury modern design, architecture, art, fashion and culture in the Palms Springs area of Southern California. Modernism Week encourages education through lectures, exhibitions, films, and home tours of Palm Springs’s architecture. Palm Springs has one of the highest densities of mid-century modern architecture, in particularly midcentury modern homes. At one point, Palm Springs was known as having the most swimming pools per capita in the country! Celebrities from Frank Sinatra to Lucille Ball flocked to the area and sought out architects to create their highly distinctive desert getaways.

After a recent client meeting in Rancho Palos Verdes, I had the opportunity to visit one of my favorite places, the Wayfarers Chapel. A creation of renowned architect Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright, the Chapel is considered one of the most notable examples of organic architecture. Situated on a bluff, much like the future home of our clients, the structure emerges from the hilltop and is barely differentiated from the now mature landscaping of trees, rose bushes, and other greenery. Perched above the Pacific with views of Catalina Island, the blue sky backdrop to the nearly all glass chapel, blurs the distinction between inside and out—the defining trait of organic architecture.

Los Angeles is notorious for being a hodge podge: a region with a rich history from the days of the Native Americans, through the gold rush and World Wars, the Hollywood Glamour days, and now into modern California. A collection of different cultures and lifestyles makes for a showcase of architecture in my backyard.