Koffka Phakos Design

Words cannot accurately describe what a productive, professional and ultimately joyful experience it was to work with Adrian Koffka and his excellent team at Koffka Phakos Design. From our initial discussions regarding the renovation of our 98 year-old house to the delivery of completed plans, the experience was collaborative, illuminating and thoroughly satisfying. In fact, we were able to retain the contractor we urgently hoped to work with because Adrian’s blueprints demonstrated the degree of precision and sophistication this contractor demanded before even considering a bid. Also, because of this, our permitting gauntlet was surprisingly stress-free. Once construction began, we didn’t make many changes –– when it’s right, you don’t need to fix it –– but there was one addition we wanted to make mid-schedule. Adrian and his colleagues were able to accommodate this change quickly so we were able to stay right on schedule. Completing a long-overdue renovation on a century-old house will trigger any number of stressful situations but Adrian and his team were never the source of any stress whatsoever. We always knew we were in good hands. To this day, simply walking into our new kitchen fills us with more happiness than we could have even imagined when we started this project. If you have the opportunity to work with Adrian and his team, and then live in the art that he creates for you, you should certainly take it.

I highly recommend Koffka Phakos. Working with them felt like a true collaboration from start to finish. They took the time to understand my vision and translated my wants and needs into a thoughtful, beautifully resolved architectural design that feels deeply personal. As a first-time builder, I appreciated how professional, responsive, and supportive Adrian was throughout the entire process. He made everything feel approachable and comfortable, guiding me with clarity and confidence while maintaining an impeccable design sensibility. The finished home takes full advantage of every opportunity the property offered, and the result is a house I truly love — functional, elegant, and carefully considered in every detail. I couldn’t recommend Koffka Phakos more highly.

Hiring Koffka Phakos to design our new home in Studio City was the best decision we've ever made. Adrian Koffka has been incredible to work with, and his authentic design approach, attention to detail and commitment to excellence shows in every aspect of our project. Adrian has an eye for quality architectural design and site plan aesthetics and understands the importance of how spaces flow and function for day-to-day living. This firm has been so responsive when questions arise in the field and Adrian's communication has been fantastic. We couldn't be happier with the service we've received and our stunning new home which is taking shape!

Koffka Phakos designed a remodel of our home that we absolutely adore. It is full of light, flow, and elegance. Every space is both beautiful and useful--form and function are interlinked and each superb. There are also many environmental efficiencies. We simply couldn't be more thrilled with Koffka Phakos's design.

My husband and I had the pleasure of working with Koffka Phakos Design over the past couple of years on the renovation of our single-family home. Adrian and Cynthia are absolutely amazing!! Their professionalism, creativity, patience, and keen attention to detail made the entire experience not only smooth but truly enjoyable. One of the standout qualities of Adrian and Cynthia is their ability to listen. They took the time to deeply understand our needs, preferences, and lifestyle, translating our vision into a breathtaking design that is both functional and visually stunning. They brought fresh, innovative ideas to the table, introducing solutions we hadn’t even considered, all while ensuring the design stayed true to what we wanted. The final result speaks volumes—it’s everything my husband and I dreamed of for our forever home. The space is a perfect blend of style and practicality, reflecting both our personalities and the life we’ve built together. We cannot recommend Koffka Phakos Design enough to anyone looking for a talented, thoughtful, and dedicated architectural firm. Adrian and Cynthia cared deeply about our project every step of the way, and their passion and expertise truly set them apart from other firms out there!

My wife and I worked with Koffka Phakos to renovate our home in San Marino, Ca. The house hadn't been updated since the early 1980s and the city has a design review board that can be somewhat difficult. Despite this, Adrian and Cynthia were able to work through the bureaucracy and get us to the home of our dreams. We started by talking to multiple architects and we were most comfortable with Adrian and Cynthia. They then walked us through the renovation process step-by-step and made it as painless as possible. We started with vague ideas and a few pictures of things that we liked and they were able to take that information and create a home that we never thought could fit our wants and needs as well as it does while also looking incredible. I honestly cant recommend them enough and would use them again in a heartbeat.

Cynthia and Adrian designed and oversaw the construction of our ADU. I can't say enough about how terrific they are. They were a pleasure to work with. The final product was better than I envisioned it. The process was enjoyable. They followed through on everything. I hope I have the opportunity to work with them again.

Koffka Phakos designed a beautiful renovation for our mid century home. Previously my house had an inefficient and outdated layout. Koffka Phakos's created an open concept with modern, clean lines and maximum natural light, which was exactly what we wanted. We are renovation novices and were nervous to take on an expensive renovation. Adrian guided us through the process from planning, permitting and contract bidding to window ordering (more complicated than you'd think) and paint colors. He also suggested helpful ways to save money throughout the process. We would've been lost without Koffka Phakos and highly recommend their services and expertise.

Koffka Phakos created my dream house! There is at least one time each day that I look around and cannot believe this beautiful house is mine. I chose Kaffka Phakos after seeing how they transformed three houses in my neighborhood. Everyone comments on how seamless my new second story looks - my house looks like it was built from the ground up. One of the things Kaffka Phakos excels at is making an addition completely blend in instead of adding an addition that doesn’t completely match the style of the original house.

Adrian Koffka and Cynthia Phakos designed and oversaw a complete house renovation for my wife and I this year. Their work was absolutely exceptional. The design itself is exquisite and perfectly matched the original style of the house, which is eighty-six years old and enjoys a classic style of red oak wood floors and ornate molding. They solved quite a number of difficult problems we faced with the space. Their piece de resistance is a stunning gourmet kitchen which has already proven itself to be the centerpiece of the house. To put a fine point on it their elegant and efficient sense of space is only matched by their delicate and pinpointed sense of color, as evidenced by the new paint job. They collaborate beautifully, both with each other and with us, as clients. We cannot recommend them highly enough. We have done a number of renovations over the years in various houses and they are unquestionably the best architect/designers we have worked with.

There simply are not enough superlatives to describe the experience working with the Koffka Phakos team. The quality of individual time, attention, and care that a client receives is second to none. Cynthia, Adrian and the full team make a concerted effort to listen and understand their clients' needs. They then leverage their tenured experience and abilities to translate their clients' desires into reality, taking into account how a project looks, feels, and functions. They are exceptionally collaborative in their process and multidisciplinary in their approach, offering the rare ability to deliver a cohesive, fully integrated solution. More than anything, this team truly cares and is fully vested in the quality of work, from initial conceptualization to final delivery. As a result, every consideration is acknowledged, every detail addressed. You are fortunate if you have an opportunity to work with them, I cannot recommend this team enough!

Adrian and Cynthia have been my go-to architects for the past 15 years. We started out doing small projects together, but over the years the scope of those projects grew, and they have recently designed a high end home for me that his currently under construction. They're attention to detail and their love of what they do shows up in the final product — a home that is exactly what the client needs. Koffka Phakos make sure you get everything you want — in addition to what you didn't even know you wanted or needed.

We worked with Koffka/Phakos Design firm on our whole house renovation. The principals Adrian and Cynthia listened to our ideas and concerns carefully, and respected our desire of not making radical changes to the footprint but focusing on updating and refining the existing structure. Throughout the design process, the firm provided blue prints, design ideas, materials sources, and suggested potential contractors. Adrian helped us to make several big design decisions including the colors schemes for tiles and paints. Cynthia provided very detailed and logical lighting designs. We also engaged the firm to oversee the construction process. Cynthia was involved in monitoring the major infrastructure updates and solved problems with the contractor and construction crews on site. The resulting renovation, the first and perhaps only one in our lives, brought a 40-year old house to a more contemporary state as we intended.

Adrian, Cynthia and Mark built my dream house. The project took 15 months from the design until we moved in. A complete rebuild of the house. Koffka Phakos Design helped me every step of the way. They patiently advised and educated me since this was my first time. I am very happy and I get many compliments from my neighbors and family. Thanks.

Koffka Phakos is the best! We found them while looking through Houzz and really loved their projects on here. We had purchased a 1920’s Spanish style home that not only needed an extensive renovation but we also wanted to add more room. They really listened and understood what we wanted and came up with amazing solutions. Throughout the entire project, from the initial meeting, to the design phase, to finding a contractor, and right up to the last day of work Adrian was there all along the way. We love our house, but should we decide to do any more work on this house, or another one in the future, we will definitely be working with them again. We can’t recommend them enough!

Adrian & Cynthia came highly recommended to us from a friend who did a year long project with them and having spent our own year with them, I truly can't say enough good things about the process of working with them, and about them as people. (They're so nice and fun and easy to work with!) Our job was big and tricky. We wanted to remodel our three bedroom, two bath into a four bedroom, three and a 1/2 bath, adding a second story, all while in a neighborhood with strict square footage and height restrictions. We had a very distinct idea of what we thought we wanted to do and upon our first meeting, Adrian and Cynthia came at us with so many better ideas than we could have ever even conceived; we were just blown away. The real talents of these two is their ability to problem solve, to make efficient and beautiful use of space, to know where to spend money and where to save, and their overall taste. They also hooked us up with a great contractor who finished on time and on-budget (aside from additional cabinetry which we decided to add mid-job). It was such a good experience, we've put Adrian & Cynthia up for multiple other jobs and they've done great work for those friends as well. We absolutely love our house and Koffka Phakos deserves all the credit!

I worked with KoffkaPhakos Design on the renovation of my house in the Hollywood Hills, LA. It involved an extensive renovation including bathrooms, kitchen and a second floor addition with complicated zoning rules. Loved working with them: professional, creative (while taking in my ideas), responsive and helped me pick an excellent contractor. The project actually required thinking "outside the box" because we were trying to preserve a 100 year old cactus tree so space was limited; they came up with a brilliant concept, placing the staircase in a diagonal location which had the added benefit of creating a little courtyard! I highly recommend these excellent architects!

Working with the team at Koffka/Phakos has been a pleasure. They are extremely knowledgable and work to bring all their projects in on time and on budget. Their clients are always very pleased with the results and this makes for a great transition from the building of the house to the furnishing of the homes interiors. I would recommend them highly.

Let's face it. Building a home is a massive undertaking, fraught with peril. At least that's what I had always believed. That was before my wife and I hired the Koffka Phakos team to design our home. The most daunting thing about our home building experience? Writing this review. Why? Because Cynthia and Adrian were so amazing it's almost impossible to adequately express in such a short blurb. We hired Cynthia and Adrian in the Spring of 2014 to turn a teardown into a dream home. Cynthia and Adrian went to work right away, listening to our ideas and imbuing them with their overabundant creativity and expertise. Cynthia is both a master technician and a highly inventive thinker. Comfortable working both inside the box and venturing far outside it, she always considered our building challenges from every angle, offering multiple brilliant solutions. Our hardest task was choosing between her various great ideas. If Cynthia is a true dynamo at what she does, Adrian is her perfect compliment. He's technically astute, fastidiously detail-oriented, and has absolutely impeccable taste. Our reliance on him went far beyond the job description. He helped us pick out nearly every fixture in our home, from kitchen hardware to paint colors, helping us to create an aesthetically gorgeous look and feel for our space. Together these two make a fantastic team. The partnership between them is utterly harmonious and it's clear they thoroughly value each other's abilities and enjoy each other's company. That said, they were always ready and willing to challenge one another for the sake of getting the best result. Working with such a smart, amiable team, it was hard not to look forward to our meetings. We enjoyed every minute of our design process and missed our weekly confabs once they were done. Long story short, if you hire Koffka Phakos here's what you can expect: Timeliness: They worked well within our timeframe, quite often exceeding it. Reliability: They were abidingly quick with email responses and patiently responsive to all of our annoying questions and concerns. Efficiency: They oversaw every step of our construction process, making sure things were done correctly and on schedule. They were also dogged in their dealings with the city, handling all the un-fun permitting issues and sparing us what I imagine to be an enormous hassle. Budget-consciousness: They are keenly aware of the fact that money doesn't grow on trees, and were always looking for solutions that would lessen our expenses. They knew we needed to stick to a budget and they aimed for going under so that we wouldn't exceed it (which we didn't). Eco-awareness: They are green building experts, and brought numerous ideas to the table to make our home more eco-friendly. Creativity: As mentioned above, an area they truly shine. They were never short on ideas, and have a knack for transforming half-baked concepts into brilliant results. Thoughtfulness: They took the time to truly understand who we are and what we wanted in our home, and relished in finding opportunities to personalize our space and make it special. Attention to detail: Every nook and cranny of our home was given careful consideration. No stone was left unturned, and hence, the actual construction process was quick and efficient with zero holdups. Cynthia and Adrian, thank you for giving us the home we wanted and then some. You and your team truly deserve your magnificent reviews, and we are so glad to have been able to share in this process together, to be a part of an amazingly collaborative environment, and (now that our house is nearly complete) to enjoy the results for many years to come!

As a project manager representing my principal, I have had a excellent experience with the whole Koffka Phakos Design team. They have been timely and creative in the drawing stage, and consistently overseen the job through construction. Their staff has been readily available as well. The two lead architects are a great combination of design and detail. This has been a seamless project which I attribute to this architectural firm. Very talented! They also have recommended an excellent contractor.

Easy to work with, flexible, unpretentious, approachable. Listened to our ideas and suggestions, and gave their professional recommendations with tact and a supportive attitude. Were able to give us the best possible options within our budget, and got along very well with the contractor, who they had not worked with before. Can take charge when appropriate, but can also accept input and appreciate feedback. Took our lifestyle and our preferences in account when developing the plans, so that the final result suited our needs and our tastes.

Koffka Phakos did a wonderful job with my condo. They were honest, creative, responsive, and demonstrated excellent attention-to-detail. In addition, they really understood what I was endeavoring to achieve and steered me in the right direction on all, including securing a great contractor. I couldn't be happier with the result.

My partner and I hired them to redesign and restore a 1920's Spanish Bungalow. Their attention to details, commitment and involvement made the project such an amazing experience. Adrian met us there every week and always encouraged us and in many ways allowed us to dream. Our house is now a dream! Thank you Koffka Phakos!!!

Koffka Phakos did a major remodel of our home, including adding a master bedroom and master bath as well as completely transforming the flow of the house, access to the garden, re-envisioning the kitchen. They were fantastic throughout the process, we remain thrilled with our house and find that we utilize all the spaces optimally. Adrian and Cynthia are dear to our hearts and we could not give a higher recommendation. They are top rate in innovation, in creativity, in professionalism, in awareness of environment and in melding the practical use of space with aesthetics.

Adrian and Cynthia were a pleasure to work with from start to finish. They helped us improve the flow of and expand a 1920s Hancock Park cottage. The project preserved the charm of our house and the addition feels organic. They helped us make our home perfect for our family, and were patient, thoughtful and creative. They also helped us stay within our budget and focus on the things that mattered most to us, and stayed close during the construction phase. They recommended a wonderful builder who made that phase pleasant. All in all, a project that could have been stressful was pleasant and a wonderful collaboration.

Koffka Phakos Design worked with us to redo and add to our home. They revamped our living room, completely redid our kitchen and added a bedroom and bathroom. We couldn't be more pleased with the design and with working with Adrian and Cynthia. They are amazingly talented, efficient, patient, and the nicest people ever. A complete pleasure to work with!

Simply put, my experience with the Koffka / Phakos was Superb! The duo otherwise know as Adrian and Cynthia guided me from our initial meeting to our last walk through with style, taste and class. I came to them with a botched project and asked them to step in and take over. Not only did they take over, but they revealed through their design a home that I would never have imagined possible. They took a dilapidated 1920's Spanish and transformed it into a timeless classic that truly is the gemstone of the neighborhood, a mini jewel box compound. Collaborative and Sensible, Skilled and Caring, are just a few words I would use to describe my team. They introduced me to my contractor, a perfect fit not only for the job but for me personally. I don't think i could have asked for a better team to design, build and deliver a new home for me and my children!

Koffka Phakos is the team to hire. Having worked with Adrian on a kitchen remodel, we knew he was the design partner we needed for our next project. Our objective was to renovate a 4000 square foot mid-century home with refined taste, but without breaking the bank. Adrian is an expert that delivers value far beyond the standard architect. He can analyze the situation, visualize the potential and formalize a plan, yes. But, he also has the aptitude for any challenge and exemplifies passion. Passion for beauty, passion for collaboration and passion for the working home. Throughout the design to construction process, Adrian would pause to ask not just about form, but function. Oftentimes, he understood our future needs better than we did. We now live in a home that offers serenity and beauty, while serving all of our growing family and entertaining needs. We are indebted to Adrian for mastering our mid-century remodel and look forward to working with him again in the future.

Adrian and Cynthia were innovative, creative, attentive and thorough. We had a wonderful experience working with them and we have a wonderful house!

Koffka Phakos was the perfect architectural team for us. They are extremely professional, wonderfully creative and they do what they say they will. They also are extremely easy to work with, and on a nearly year long project, that asset became so important to us all. On a skill level there work is impeccable in it's design approach. They really do have a spectacular ability to re-imagine what can be, and make changes to what every the project is. They both have unique strengths but their partnership ensures that the clients needs are met. We interviewed multiple architectural teams and K/P was heads above the other teams we spoke with. We liked that they thought outside of the box, and they brought exceptional ideas into their concept, and then worked closely with us to bring the ideas alive. We had very high standards on our project, and K/P over-delivered on virtually every level. They are a must add to any project!

We just completed a six month renovation on our home. It was a two phase project, focusing on two parts of our home. All in all, we remodeled around 2000 square feet, redesigned spaces, raised two ceilings and renovated five bathrooms. When we bought our home, the original owner had added on a lot of square footage but had made the layout very odd, with tandem rooms and no hallways. Cynthia and Adrian were able to straighten it all out, re-define all the spaces, and make it feel like it was actually supposed to be this way from the beginning. It takes huge skill, I think, to design a huge remodel so that it doesn't feel like a remodel....and they did this brilliantly. They worked with us the whole way from design thru completion. Early on we were going to add square footage and they quickly adapted to a new design when the addition became cost prohibitive. We were appreciative that they never pressured us to do the bigger remodel...especially when bigger would have benefited their wallet. And when things came up, like they do with any project, they took responsibility and corrected what needed to be corrected, quickly, without trying to argue the point...which was greatly appreciated. Renovation is stressful and we always felt like Cynthia had our backs. My wife and I are very happy with the renovation and are very appreciative of what they did for us and for our home.

I worked with Koffka Phakos on the renovation of a 1910 Craftsman that had gone unloved for about 60 years. We undertook a thorough and thoughtful design development process that transformed a hundred year-old kitchen, service porch, pantry, and breakfast room into an entertaining hub ready for the next 100 years. The design included the re-organization of the second-floor main bathroom and transforming a sewing room into a home office. The rear of the house was similarly transformed by the addition of a rear deck that extended the house into a generously-sized backyard from which it had seemed previously separated from. Adrian Koffka has amazing taste, and was a great steward for the renovation of a house located in an HPOZ (Historic Preservation Overlay Zone); the firm was very helpful in appearances before the HPOZ board when seeking approval for exterior door and window revisions at the side and rear of the house. The renovation construction took place over a seven month period. Adrian attended weekly site meetings and was always available to answer questions and advise on new approaches as things progressed on the project. Adrian provided invaluable advice on developing exterior and interior paint schemes as well. I give them my highest recommendation.

KP helped me completely renovate/redo my house in Hancock Park. From the very beginning they were creative, hard-working, respectful, and always on time. Honestly, I couldn't really ask for more. I would recommend them to anybody looking for great architects.

Koffka Phakos designed our 3,400 square foot home from blueprints to finish. They were with us every step of the way. We believed them to be collaborative, creative, helpful and such nice people. We are thrilled with the way our home turned out and thoroughly enjoyed the process of working with Adrian, Cynthia and their staff.