Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner formed their partnership in 1989 in Santa Monica, launching a unique design-build practice led by architects. Marmol Radziner and Associates currently employs over thirty-five architects, landscape architects, planners and interior designers, and a construction crew of over thirty. Since its inception, the firm has developed a growing reputation for its innovative design approach, research and precision in applying construction standards.

Today, a breadth of projects distinguishes the firm, from small, intimately scaled residential projects to large public and community urban proposals. Current work includes the London, Los Angeles, Santa Fe and Paris houses for Tom Ford, Creative Director of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, new office spaces for the creative ad agency TBWA\Chiat\Day in San Francisco and an exciting undertaking with The Accelerated School of Los Angeles, a new charter campus for K-12. Another important aspect of the firm's design-build direction is their work in restoring modern architectural icons in southern California.

Responding to the surrounding context and lot sizes in Venice, the 2,700 square-foot Glencoe Residence is a stepped two-story house designed for an architect's family. Exterior connections between the ground floor living areas flanked by a garden running the length of the narrow lot maximize the available land.

In keeping with the neighborhood's unique fabric of single-story houses, the house's street front façade is similar in height and scale. A recessed "L" shaped second story minimizes the street impact of the additional floor while creating private and intimate spaces by bisecting the garden into front and rear yards. A master bedroom suite, located in the short leg of the "L," projects over the linear rear garden. The covered patio below, adjacent to the kitchen, becomes an outdoor dining area, physically expanding the residence's living areas. The boundaries of interior and exterior spaces become blurred yet refined allowing for free movement in and out of the house.

By utilizing a full-height glazing that extends the length of the house, the design allows the landscape, rather than the physical building itself, to define the edge of the living space. Construction materials further reinforce the seamless transition between exterior and interior environments. The exterior paving, pool finish, and house color integrate shades of gray, sand, and brown with the landscape's native foliage. Earth tones re-appear in the interior spaces, evident in the concrete floors and walnut cabinetry.

Inspired by the home's clean design lines, Marmol Radziner and Associates designed and fabricated a collection of interior and exterior furniture. Emphasizing proportion, lack of ornamentation, and an awareness of how materials connect, the house, landscape, and furnishings have become one with the total design.

Located on a hillside lot in Silver Lake with a view of Griffith Park Observatory, the 2,100 sq. ft. Elliot House was originally designed by Rudolf M. Schindler in 1930. An addition, also by Schindler, was completed in 1939. In 2000, the current owner commissioned Marmol Radziner and Associates to return the house to its original condition while updating the home with contemporary amenities. Seismic and structural upgrades were also performed.

Original plans, elevations and photographs were studied in order to ascertain Schindler's design intent. The architectural language was re-interpreted for the living demands of the current client, and executed with the same precision and attention to detail evident in the original building program.

A central feature of the Elliot House, the kitchen proved to be a defining example of Schindler's unique language. In the original design, the casework simultaneously connected and defined the border between the kitchen and living rooms, serving as shelving on one side and wall panel and desk on the other. The original kitchen was completely removed by a previous owner and replaced with prefabricated shelving and countertops. Restoring the kitchen required that the architects redesign the space and its intricate cabinetry in a way that reflected Schindler's understanding of and inventiveness with materials and his interpretation of the natural environment. The challenge became to successfully integrate these qualities into the space while gracefully accommodating modern amenities such as a refrigerator, dishwasher, and washer and dryer. The restored plywood forms once again connect the kitchen and living rooms and also extend from the second level into a stairwell in the first floor entry vestibule. Combined with similar applications in the bedrooms and other living spaces, the casework returns as the central unifying element in the home.