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Grant Kirkpatrick, Erik Evens, Melanie Robinson and Alex Anamos

Principals KAA Design Group | 4201 Redwood Avenue in Los Angeles | 310-821-1400 | kaadesigngroup.com

Established in 1988, KAA Design is an architecture firm that also focuses on brand experience, interiors, landscape and product design. The four principals, Grant Kirkpatrick, Erik Evens, Melanie Robinson and Alex Anamos, lead a 48-person team in the Los Angeles area.

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

“KAA’s story is firmly rooted in California–the land of dreams and big ideas–a place where creativity and expression are virtually unencumbered. Years ago, California was too young and wild to be taken seriously. As Frank Lloyd Wright once said, ‘They turned the country on its side, and everything loose fell into California.’ We love that quote and often juxtapose it with a great quote from Alison Laurie: ‘As one went to Europe to see the living past, so one must now turn to California to observe the future.’ We feel very fortunate to have our design practice based in California at such an exciting time.”

LOCAL MOTION

“California gave us the mindset, but our work in key neighborhoods of Southern California gave KAA its reputation. Our warm, modernist beach homes in the South Bay were considered a bit unusual when we started doing them 20 years ago. But we were telling our clients’ stories—like the 24th Street ‘lighthouse’ that stands sentry over the Santa Monica Bay for a local business man, or the 31st Street ‘tree house’ for a young family, with its wood-clad upper level that floats above a predominantly glass first floor. Later we would be commissioned for a number of substantial homes and estates across the Westside including Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Malibu, Bel Air and Holmby Hills. Although the manifestations of our clients’ stories—in this case their homes—are different, they all share the common ingredients of a warm, contemporary lifestyle, tremendous indoor/outdoor connection, ample natural light, timeless materials, and multi-generational quality.”

FINDING THE NARRATIVE

“For KAA, every project starts with a story—the true essence behind the endeavor. We don’t make it up; we find it. We believe that story already exists, and it’s our job to work closely with our clients to mine the ingredients of that story. So for us, it’s not about style but rather lifestyle and each unique personal story. A good story creates the foundation for beauty and relevance–qualities that make us feel special and nurtured. We design homes not only to create beautiful places, but more importantly to create places that make us feel good. Design is very powerful–it is why we get up in the morning. As we say, design can elevate the human spirit. It’s pretty special to be able to do that for people.” 

HOW TO SUCCEED

“It’s all about the people we choose to work and surround ourselves with. For us, it is all about exposing people to and building awareness about the power of design. When you actually witness that recognition, it’s addictive.”

ONE WORD

“Integrity: who we are, how we work, and what we create.”

For more information, visit kaadesigngroup.com