FR Review:
Just as George Washington Smith shaped Santa Barbara a century ago, Marc Appleton with partners Ken Mineau and Andrew Scott, have elevated this legacy with a deep commitment to place, permanence and poetic restraint. The firm not only designs exemplary homes but also has raised the very architectural fabric of the region itself, completing over 850 projects since 1976, including the San Ysidro Ranch and the Miramar Hotel. Whereas many saw only nostalgia in the regional Spanish Colonial style, Appleton saw living traditions, ones that could be carried forward with rigor, sensitivity and subtle innovation. The firm’s designs echo Smith’s elegance and craftmanship, but are buoyed with the comforts, proportions, and technologies of today.
The genius of the firm is its fervent goal to fulfill the desires and dreams of their clients, but with layered restraint, not grandeur. The Spanish Colonial Revival soul of each project lives not only in its arches and tile, but in the way light enters a room, how a breeze moves through a cloistered courtyard, and how materials weather over time. Clients must be deeply committed to this vision, marked by historical reference, rigorous site analysis and extraordinary craftsmanship. Experienced general contractors and teams of skilled artisans are often part of the process, including tilemakers, ironworkers and plaster finishers. Landscape is seen as integral to the process, with the perimeter of the home dissolved with resonant plant materials.
The “Appleton Way” has been deeply ingrained in both the Santa Barbara office helmed by Managing Partner Mineau and the Santa Monica office led by Design Partner Scott. Marc continues to be involved in many of the firm’s current projects. The thoughtful architectural team of 25+ is heralded for its dedication to the client and attention to all details, large or small, and the supportive administrative team is second to none in the industry.
Appleton famously spent summers at Hope Ranch at his family’s oceanside estate, Forestal, designed by George Washington Smith himself. He went on to Harvard for English literature and Yale for architecture before working with the inimitable Frank Gehry for four years. Mineau, who studied architecture at UC Berkeley, joined the firm in 2000 after extensive institutional and residential experience in Los Angeles, New York, China, Japan and Malaysia. Scott, an LA native, joined in 2002 after earning his BArch from USC and his MArch from UCLA, and is the innovator and keeper of many Appleton design details.
The firm will work anywhere in the US, but most of its clients can be found in Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Malibu—and up and down the California coast. The firm can work at lower ranges, but they generally accept ambitious $1200 per square foot projects between 10,000 and 30,000 SF, with standard architectural fees as a percentage of construction. The firm has been part of the AD100 for 25 years (1991-2016). In 2023, they received the prestigious ICAA Ross Award for Architecture once again – the first firm to be thus acknowledged for two generations of excellence.
Representative Client Comments:
“Their bigger isn't necessarily better approach keeps their designs warm and intimate.” “Intellectually dexterous, Appleton Partners has been praised for elegantly solving architectural problems that confound others." “Endlessly aspirational, but in the most collaborative process.” “Contractors, designers and fellow architects often speak of Marc, Ken and Andrew with admiration, as not only playing a key role in the preservation of Santa Barbara, but in their genuine commitment to the community.” “Their significant achievements, not surprisingly require a substantial investment.” “Appleton’s work doesn’t chase trends, and it doesn’t need to. The homes are designed to age beautifully, to shelter generations, and to stand as quiet monuments to regional beauty and timeless design.”
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