Pro Spotlight: 3 Ways Your Home Design Can Refine Over Time

asap/ adam sokol architecture practice

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Who: Adam Sokol of asap/ adam sokol architecture practice
Where: Los Angeles
In his own words: “The best work needs an element of sincerity — to itself, to the client, to the designer and to the time.”

Whether it’s slow-moving supply chains or lengthy utility approvals, today’s homeowners are no stranger to project delays. Although setbacks can be stressors, architect Adam Sokol of Los Angeles’ asap/ adam sokol architecture practice says that slowing down can also bring unexpected benefits when it comes to your home’s design.

asap/ adam sokol architecture practice

Learning from history. As a kid, Sokol was constantly building and sketching in notebooks — “sometimes to my detriment,” he says. Adept at both math and more creative endeavors, he embraced architecture as a balance between the two. Majoring first in the history of architecture and then the history of design, he has always been curious about how architecture relates to what came before. A decade later, as a principal architect, Sokol continues to bring that sense of history and context to each of his projects.

asap/ adam sokol architecture practice

Finding what unfolds. For two of Sokol’s recent home designs, both starting construction this spring, the journey significantly influenced the end result. “When you have a project that evolves over months rather than weeks, there’s an interesting dialogue that unfolds over time,” he says. “There’s a conversation that develops among the designers, homeowners and the building as well — its structure, its site, its context, all of which you’re then responding to.”

Curious about how your new home’s design can change over time? Sokol shares his experience below.

asap/ adam sokol architecture practice

1. Realizing Cost Savings

In Los Angeles, ADUs are a booming typology, perfect for homeowners looking for a steady source of income or a way to age in place with their families. The only challenge is progressing your design plans through complicated and time-consuming zoning and utility constraints.

For a 700-square-foot one-bedroom ADU in Eagle Rock, Sokol and his team used that time to their advantage. “The result was great design-wise and we spent a lot of time optimizing for cost,” he says.

asap/ adam sokol architecture practice

Inspired by the homeowner’s heritage, Sokol’s design relates to the earthy tones and materials of the Southwest. “The homeowner had recently redone the kitchen in her main house with these custom cabinets made from Douglas fir plywood,” he says. “We ended up riffing off of that.” The same material was used throughout the ADU. “I like the idea of a humble material palette used in a special way,” Sokol says. “The blue 4x4 tiles in the bathroom and kitchen are equivalent to the Douglas fir — simple and inexpensive but elevated.”

asap/ adam sokol architecture practice

To save costs when it came to air conditioning, Sokol’s design included two mini splits, one upstairs and one down, embedded in the cabinetry. “They’re the cheapest option, and by taking the time to think through their placement, we could situate them in areas that are too hard to reach for storage,” Sokol says.

asap/ adam sokol architecture practice

The lighting strategy was similarly strategic. “We decided to use pendant lights and keep the overhead lighting to a minimum — apart from where you really need it, like the kitchen,” Sokol says. “It’s much cheaper to buy floor lamps that you love than to wire and install several large fixtures.”

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asap/ adam sokol architecture practice

2. Optimizing for Your Location

The same owner was on a tight budget for her ADU, which eliminated the possibility of tearing down the original garage and quickly starting completely new. “There is a direct relationship between time and cost,” Sokol says. “When you have to move slowly, you can optimize for the site while saving money.”

The original single-story garage was made of red brick. “We built up, around and over it,” Sokol says. “When you look at the front door you can see that brick, a hint of the building that had been there and an indicator of how the old garage is holding up the new ADU.”

To give the ADU a sense of mass, Sokol was careful with how and where he used doors and windows. “First of all, they’re super expensive and we wanted to spend the budget carefully, so we optimized each opening around a purposeful view,” he says. “It also makes the building feel solid, rather than the flimsy stucco you often see in California.”

asap/ adam sokol architecture practice

3. Finding Where the Design Meets Resistance

A 1990s-era home in the Hollywood Hills, by dint of its large size and awkward, poorly proportioned layout, had a longer design timeline that Sokol could take advantage of. “It was an unloved space stuck in a no-man’s-land between Spanish Revival and midcentury modern,” he says. “At first we had been taking Spanish-style cues from the Beachwood Canyon area, but we kept finding that no matter what we would do, it would look a bit fake.”

asap/ adam sokol architecture practice

Luckily, the design language had a chance to develop over time. “Instead of the decorative beams we tried first, we came to a more interesting vault-like vision,” Sokol says. “The design still speaks to Spanish style through its materials and motifs and the arches we incorporated in the living room, dining room, kitchen and primary suite, but in a much less literal way.”

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More: For more information on Adam Sokol and examples of asap/ adam sokol architecture practice’s work, visit the company’s Houzz profile.

This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.