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ADD YOUR REVIEW
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Services & Specialties
Historically-based, exquisitely-crafted, appropriate architecture and landscapes
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FR Review:
Clients and peers deem Marc Appleton a master of historical architectural languages, interlacing tradition with his own California lilt. There is no one signature look to Appleton's work, but rather there is a feeling that the buildings belong to the land and a certainty that they will fulfill the clients' dreams. His "bigger isn't necessarily better" approach keeps his designs warm and intimate; however, the "significant achievements" require a substantial investment. Landscape is seen as integral to the process, with the perimeter of the home dissolved with resonant plant materials. Intellectually dexterous, Appleton has been praised for "elegantly solving architectural problems that confound others."
The sole principal of this firm of thirty, Appleton is active in the design process, yet this "collaborator extraordinaire" can delegate to associates in his two offices. Those who know Appleton are quick to point out that his love for architecture "began in building tree forts as a kid." He went on to earn an undergraduate degree in English literature from Harvard and a graduate architecture degree at Yale before working with the inimitable Frank Gehry for four years.
The firm will work anywhere in the US, but most of its clients can be found in Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Malibu, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara—and up and down the California coast. The firm splits its slate between remodels and ground-up single-family homes, occasionally taking on ranches, wineries, a boutique hotel, an institutional or civic project. The firm can work at lower ranges, but they generally accept ambitious $650+ per square foot projects of between 4,000 and 7,000 square feet, with standard architectural fees as a percentage of construction.
Representative Client Comments:
"The homes do not look like an architect's creation, but like it is the right house in the right place." "Will do a perfect Georgian mansion, but with slightly softer California edges." "Marc has a unique ability to travel within a local vernacular with great depth and ease." "The most generous human on earth. Cares more about his clients than his own pocketbook. If he has made enough, he will stop charging." "Unbridled client service." "Absolutely makes the most of the property that is available, especially in a challenging situation." "Set in his ways in a good way." "Grounded and stays traditional—within that region's definition of traditional." "A straight shooter—tells it like it is." "We became great friends with Marc and his wife through the process." "Not the person to go to if you are on a tight budget." "You are undertaking a once-in-a-lifetime project with correspondingly high costs, but it is so worth it."
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