Okay, so the stock market is still quite vulnerable. Everyone’s a tad uneasy about what’s going on in Greece and all…But that doesn’t mean you have to sideline your own projects. Let’s say you want to invest some money in your home. Maybe it’s because your house looks like it’s right out of 1984, maybe it’s because you want to move and want a better bang for your buck. The first step is to choose Los Angeles architects whose work is respected and admired throughout the community.

We can work with you to ensure that we stay within a strict budget, making decisions that result in money-saving  and aesthetically pleasing results. When all’s said and done, your redone house will not only look better, but it will be worth more on the resale market.

Real estate prices aren’t what they were five years ago, but there is still a market for beautiful real estate, especially for those investors who know that now is a pretty good time to buy.

If you’re thinking about giving your home a makeover, these Los Angeles architects can help. With some landscaping, a strategically placed fountain and a couple of pieces of new furniture, your new living room will look like a page out of a lounge design magazine.

Architecture is often called the highest form of art, a view which sprang from the Italian Humanists of the 15th century. They believed that it came from human experience. But architecture was not a specialty as it is today. The best examples of Renaissance architecture were achieved by prominent sculptors, smiths, masons and other wealthy people with plenty of time on their hands. If only they knew about 21st century architecture.

Los Angeles architects are some of the world’s finest. Our focus is bringing creativity and cutting-edge design to interior and exterior spaces. We do it with choice materials, which enhance functionality, because an attractive space is a well-used space.

Today it’s not enough to simply design a beautiful room. It’s about making the room sustainable, so that people in fifty or a hundred years can continue to use it and say, “What an incredible space, those Los Angeles architects really knew what they were doing.” It happens by learning the materials we work with, and striving to make them work in the way we envision.

The result is Los Angeles architecture based not on trends or what’s popular, but design that is tangible, with the long term in mind.

Anyone who is seeking a bit of inspiration when it comes to Los Angeles architecture needs to look no further than the city limits. Los Angeles is a tour de force of modern architectural style, from the skyscrapers of downtown LA to the stately homes of the Hollywood Hills.

One of my favorite landmarks of Los Angeles architecture is the Pellissier Building. This art deco style building is as beautiful now as it was when it was built in 1931. The beautiful green façade of the building mixes green tiles with precisely oxidized metal. The building’s façade has lots of beautiful embellishments around the windows and at street level. A true triumph of LA’s rapidly changing 1930’s landscape.

If the Pellissier Building fails to inspire you, step even further into the past and examine Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House. This house was built in 1921 and from one look you can tell it is a Frank Lloyd Wright. It encompasses a lot of Wright’s style (the small windows, interlocking split levels) but is also seems very at home in Hollywood. It looks like a gussied up version of some of the Wright houses you see in Chicago and Ohio.

These are only two of LA architecture’s famed landmarks. If you are still lacking in inspiration, hit the streets of LA; inspiration is sure to strike!

Franklin Studios understands what it means to stand out from the crowd. We were recently hired by a chef from the Beverly Hills Hotel to design a completely sustainable grocery store. Our firm has a scientific background, a major asset when dealing with things like building structure and energy saving techniques and equipment. And because we are Los Angeles architects with engineering as part of our undergrad education we understood the components of what it would take to make this grocery store run.

We also understand how context shapes expectations. When designing an Asian restaurant called called Tengu on Ocean Blvd. in Santa Monica, we wanted to highlight the location and recreate diners’ expectations. Foregoing the traditional dark woods and palette of the sushi lounge we offered clean black on white minimalist tones to focus not just the inside surroundings, but outside as well. The result was a chic, open dining experience.

When deciding on interior decorators Los Angeles, choose architects in Los Angeles who understand what materials and design make your project stand out from the others, who know what context and surroundings determine, and who aren’t afraid to go against the grain to present you and your clients with something totally extraordinary.

A Los Angeles home remodel is a big project. To do it right it helps to have professionals on your side. The construction is one thing, the interior design is another. To really have your home look good, hire professionals. They will tell you things such as:

Don’t be afraid to mix different styles, colors and designs. Light and dark wood, for example, is acceptable. The contrast can bring out differing textures and heighten a room’s sense of space. Of course it should be done tastefully, so if you have a gut feeling that your pink and white wallpaper is gaudy, it is.

We all want our home to be cozy. It’s achieved through light, warmth and cleanliness. When determining light placement you want to cast shadows into corners instead of washing out every square inch.

Texture and color go hand in hand. Boring colors are heightened with detailed fixtures, molding and finishes. Objects that reflect more light will feel lighter; darker objects typically have a heavier feel. And on’t feel that you have to keep the style of each room consistent with the next; in fact, it may be better not to. Being bold and contemporary by putting steel beside brick in one room is okay if you have another with a silk rug and velvet drapes, as long as the entire house offers a sense of cohesion.

If none of this makes sense, you’d probably do better to call up interior designers Los Angeles. Good luck!

Franklin Studios is different than most Los Angeles architecture firms. We believe getting your hands dirty is vital to the creative process.

Because we have a formal education in engineering, we’re familiar with what goes into crafting and building, which plays into our knowledge of design. Knowing your material is the starting point to any design solution, and putting your hands on materials and pushing them to the breaking point is how you learn to use them. Recently we tinkered for a week in our shop with ammonia and brass to come up with a beautiful green-patina wall-covering for a project.

On every project we work with local craftsmen to create prototypes of wood, plaster, glass, and metal until we find the right shape and texture for the furniture, wall panels, or light fixtures for which we’ve been commissioned. We often forgo hiring a general contractor to coordinate construction ourselves.

We take into account cost too, in implementing fresh, bold designs. We view budget limitations as another challenge that forces us to dig deeper and work harder to achieve a satisfying result. Architecture is art. When you sign up with Franklin Studios, you know that these Los Angeles architects are going to bring you something different.

Ambiance makes a big difference to mood. Let’s say you try a new restaurant. You heard from a friend that the food is great and the service is fast, so you make reservations for Friday night. You arrive at the restaurant to find it fairly crowded, but you are surprised. The walls are painted beige, the wood flood is unvarnished and the chairs and tables are cheap plastic patioware. Minimalist chic or not enough money put into a restaurant designer? I bet no matter how good the food is you wouldn’t return for another meal.

Or worse, let’s say you work in an office without a window, in a grey cubicle. You can decorate it how you want, but by the end of the day, you will probably be thirsting for color and light. Your employer should have taken into consideration some residential design. I bet you’d want to quit.

Space is very sensual. Texture, music, shadow, scent — it all goes into making an area attractive. If you skimp on lounge design or a restaurant designer, you will see the repercussions. And pay heed: expert interior decorators Los Angeles do exist and they can do a better job than you.