--- title: "SUBU Design Architecture — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/subu-design-architecture-pfvwus-pf~1040245556 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~1040245556.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "SUBU Design Architecture" category: ["Architects"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/d65346400f9dd326_0578-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "Call For A Consultation, Pacific Palisades, California 90272, United States" latitude: 34.0787 longitude: -118.5422 phone: "(310) 361-3118" website: http://www.subuda.com rating: 5 review_count: 10 license_verified: true best_of_houzz_awards: 14 followers: 627 last_updated: 2026-08-23 --- # SUBU Design Architecture > LA Westside Premier Architect & Design FirmBest of Houzz 2015-2021 Original Houzz profile: [SUBU Design Architecture](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/subu-design-architecture-pfvwus-pf~1040245556) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Architects - **Location:** Pacific Palisades, CA - **Serves:** Los Angeles, Bel Air, Brentwood Los Angeles, Venice, Van Nuys, Santa Monica, Woodland Hills, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Culver City, Studio City, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Calabasas, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Marina del Rey, Topanga, Playa Vista, Hidden Hills, Playa del Rey, Valley Village - **Verified License:** Yes - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (10 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 14 awards (2015–2025), for Design, Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Houzz Pro Software User - Houzz Influencer - Recommended on Houzz - 100,000 Ideabook Saves - Best of Houzz winner - Online consultation - Woman owned - Verified Hires ### Business highlights - Woman owned - Best of Houzz winner - Online consultation - 2 Verified Hires Premier Architecture and Interior Design Firm in Southern California. We strive to create a sense of place, not just space. Each project is tailored to the client's lifestyle. We "handhold" each client every step of the way, from finding the site to move-in. Our project types range from luxury residential to hospitality. Our current on-going projects include interior remodel, addition, ground up residences, horse ranch in the central valley and a luxury boutique hotel in Palm Springs. We now also offer Virtual or e-Design Services all through the web for interior design. ### Services Provided - Architectural Design - Building Design - Home Remodeling - Architectural Drawings - Custom Homes - House Plans - New Home Construction - Home Additions - Home Extensions - Kitchen Design - Sustainable Design - Kitchen Remodeling - Energy-Efficient Homes - Floor Plans - 3D Rendering - Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) - Green Building - Bathroom Design - Space Planning - Universal Design - Pool House Design & Construction - Home Restoration - Historic Building Conservation - Structural Engineering - Mudroom Design - Basement Design - Tiny House Construction - Staircase Design - Site Preparation - Laundry Room Design - Custom Home - eDesign ### Areas Served - Los Angeles - Bel Air - Brentwood Los Angeles - Venice - Van Nuys - Santa Monica - Woodland Hills - Encino - Sherman Oaks - Culver City - Studio City - West Hollywood - Beverly Hills - Calabasas - Pacific Palisades - Malibu - Marina del Rey - Topanga - Playa Vista - Hidden Hills - Playa del Rey - Valley Village ### Typical Job Cost $500,000 - 10 million ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | SUBU Design Architecture | | Address | Call For A Consultation, Pacific Palisades, California 90272, United States | | Phone | (310) 361-3118 | | Website | http://www.subuda.com | | License Number | C-27647 | | Followers on Houzz | 627 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — http://www.facebook.com/pages/SUBU-Design-Architecture/204571009591605?ref=hl - X (Twitter) — https://twitter.com/SUBUdesignarch - LinkedIn — http://www.linkedin.com/pub/may-sung/12/142/b7 - Blog — http://pinterest.com/subuda/ ## Offers Offering E-Design Services For Interiors ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [SUBU Design Architecture](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/subu-design-architecture-pfvwus-pf~1040245556) - **Website:** http://www.subuda.com - **Phone:** (310) 361-3118 ## Credentials **Verified License** - Number: C 27647 - Type: Architect - Issued by: California Architects Board **Certifications & Awards** - AIA, LEED AP BD+C, NCARB, Fulbright Scholar - **Best of Houzz:** 14 awards (2015–2025), for Design, Service. **Affiliations** - [The American Institute of Architects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/the-american-institute-of-architects-pfvwus-pf~1350720471) - [LEED AP](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/professionals/schools-and-organizations/leed-ap-pfvwus-pf~1386238498) ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 10 reviews** *Aspect averages:* - Work Quality: 50.0 - Communication: 50.0 - Value: 50.0 ### Featured Review **★★★★★ — ladylanasa, Sept. 2015** > May Sung made our project sing!!! We hired her to put the finishing touches on our complete house remodel plans. She really knows how to incorporate and unify the interior and exterior spaces. She has great instincts and truly listens and has a feel for her clients style and needs. She appreciates traditional AND modern genres. Her ideas are fresh and fun. The best money we spent on design. Love her! ### All 10 reviews **★★★★★ — Jonathan, Dec. 2020** > May has an amazing eye and vision. I really like the floor plan she came up with as well as the materials and furniture she picked. She is extremely professional and productive. **★★★★★ — bloomies456, Dec. 2020** > May is truly amazing. My husband and I bought a spec house in the Palisades and lived in it for a few years, but it never quite felt like ours. We hired May about a year ago to help us change the front of the house and the backyard. Our needs and the scope of the project have changed several times during the project and May continues to have incredible patience and flexibility. We have reworked the plans many times to fit a revised budget and she delivers timely results with a smile. She has been amazing about working on our timeline. Her responses are unbelievably prompt. I am so impressed with how creative she has been to utilize every inch of our minimal space (welcome to the Palisades). We are in the final stages of plans now and we hope to be able to complete our yard in 2021 depending on how covid progresses and our budget. I will update with pictures because I know the final result will be nothing short of amazing. If you are looking for an architect in Los Angeles, May is everything you are looking for and more. She also happens to be a lovely person. We are so thankful we found her. **★★★★★ — Yahlin Chang, Sept. 2016** > May Sung is a genius, an artist, and an amazing and wonderful person with impeccable taste and a great heart. She designed our ground-up, 7500 SF new house in the Pacific Palisades while learning the most specific and intimate knowledge of how our family lives and catering to our likes and dislikes and each one of our children's personalities. Armed with the vast knowledge of art and architecture and her Harvard architecture degree, she is obsessive about every detail from the macro to the micro -- not only with the architecture but even to the choosing of the stone slabs for our counters and our furniture. If you have the opportunity to work with May, you are incredibly lucky. She has educated me throughout this process of building and has improved my taste every time we are together. She really listens and I must admit that she is always right! Plus she could not be easier to get along with. She will think about your project every minute of the day and will be as obsessed with it as if she were living in it with her family herself. Every project she does is worthy of a magazine spread. **★★★★★ — Michael Ball Architects, June 2016** > May is not only a creative designer, but extremely organized and detail oriented. A really quick study, who can adapt her skills to projects of different scopes and styles. Easy to work with and always professional. **★★★★★ — sanjk1, Dec. 2014** > SUBU design has created an archetectural masterpiece for us. From the initial design to the final output, May Sung at SUBU Design has been absolutely amazing to work with. She had a beautiful yet functional design that she showed us in the beginning which we fell in love with it. Now that the house is complete, it is far more beautiful than we had originally envisioned. > > May has been also so great to work with. Anytime and issue arises, May always finds a creative solution. > > We LOVE our new home!! Thank you so much for May for all your hard work! **★★★★★ — Golda Savage, March 2014** > May Sung is a fabulous designer and architect. We did a major remodeled our Kitchen and Master bedroom along with a bath. Our 1940’s house with lots of small rooms, that felt like a maze and was sorely in need to be brought into the 21st century. She saw how opening up the walls and raising the ceiling would make it modern, comfortable and useful. It took my husband and I 12 years of ownership to pull the trigger on this major remodel. May helped make this daunting task a pleasure. She has an amazing eye for detail and comes up with alternative ideas quickly if she senses your uncertainty. May is very current -- knows what materials and fixtures are ascetically pleasing and energy efficient. She is easy to talk to and a very thoughtful person. My husband and I are so happy we worked with May and want everyone to know what a talentedprofessional she is. **★★★★★ — jpark141, Dec. 2013** > I hired SUBU for a complete remodel of my recently purchased condo in Santa Monica. I needed new flooring throughout, complete upgrade of kitchen cabinetry and installation of a kitchen island, construction design of master bed/headboard, complete remodel of both master and guest bathrooms, update of furniture / fixtures / lighting throughout. The existing unit had white lacquered concrete floors, no kitchen island, "cheap" looking cabinetry and the overall fixtures looked a little plain. I explained my vision of using a lot of reclaimed wood, vintage lighting and creating the right balance between lots of "natural" and "industrial" materials with maintaining a warm/welcoming atmosphere as well as a "light and airy" vibe given the sunlight and retractable garage door that led into the balcony. I was extremely impressed by May's ideas and she went above and beyond by tweaking and adding many difference concepts including LED backlighting behind the headboard, under the dresser, and under the kitchen shelving that added a great ambiance, indented flooring with space under the walls to create more of a "floaty" and "airy" atmosphere. She also was able to hone in on exactly the look and feel i wanted in terms of lighting, fixtures, type of wood, etc. Overall May did an amazing job on giving my condo the complete facelift it needed and I'm extremely happy with it. > > -Jason **★★★★★ — suzanneascher, Nov. 2012** > I have worked with May Sung in two very different capacities, both could not have been more wonderful. May was an crucial component on the design process for my own personal home from the ground up. She was extremely professional, creative, timely, and enjoyable to work with. May and I have remained close for years after my project, and when I opened Waterleaf, my interior design business in 2007, we began working hand in hand on different projects. At the present time, we are in the midst of a large and beautiful family home in Manhattan Beach California, SUBU as the Architects and Waterleaf as the interior Designers. The process has been creative, exciting, and respectful towards all parties involved. I highly recommend May and her team at SUBU. **★★★★★ — Devine Interiors, Nov. 2012** > May Sung is a very talented architect with a very realistic approach and a keen eye for detail. She is a humble individual with Ivy League credentials. May graduated from Harvard ..... which she will never brags about; so I will..... She has a fantastic sense of humor but takes her work very seriously . May will not compromise on delivery and demands the best from every one on the project. That is probably the best part of her accomplishments. She delivers a great product. Any one who has had the pleasure to work with her knows this about her. I would not hesitate hiring SUBU; you won't be disappointed if you do. May is a gem. She was very instrumental in making our project a huge success. Their work is an extension of who they are and in the end they became a part of us. At the beginning of the project all the way through, they treated us like we are family and listened to our needs. I feel lucky to have had the experience of working with their ethos and in being part of a team creating a beautiful home. In the end I do consider them family and admire their abilities . It was a fantastic experience. I highly recommend them. ## Selected projects - [Palisades Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/palisades-residence-pj-vj~5566446) - Location: Los Angeles, CA - Photos: 19 - [Manhattan Beach Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/manhattan-beach-residence-pj-vj~1613163) - Location: Manhattan Beach, CA - Photos: 20 - [Marine Loft](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/marine-loft-pj-vj~650614) - Location: Santa Monica, CA - Photos: 5 - Description: Located steps away from the beach, the client engaged us to transform a blank industrial loft space to a warm inviting space that pays respect to its industrial heritage. We use anchored large open space with a sixteen foot conversation island that was constructed out of reclaimed logs and plumbing pipes. The island itself is divided up into areas for eating, drinking, and reading. Bringing this theme into the bedroom, the bed was constructed out of 12x12 reclaimed logs anchored by two bent stee… - [La Serena Villa Hotel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/la-serena-villa-hotel-pj-vj~3330051) - Location: Palm Springs, CA - Photos: 21 - Description: Hotel Renovation of a Historical Class I preservation site in Palm Springs, CA. - [Rockwell PCH](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/rockwell-pch-pj-vj~426140) - Location: Santa Monica, CA - Photos: 19 - Description: Located at the intersection where Sunset Boulevard meets the Pacific Ocean, this iconic board formed concrete structure was neglected for years. SUBU Design Architecture was brought in to reimagine the space along with a team of professionals. Through a collective effort, this unique structure has been reorganize to fit a variety of lifestyles and commercial needs. - [Malibu Estate](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/malibu-estate-pj-vj~5584112) - Location: Malibu, CA - Photos: 5 - [Beverly Hills](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/beverly-hills-pj-vj~1215999) - Location: Beverly Hills, CA - Photos: 5 - Description: Modern Southwest addition and renovation project in Beverly Hills - [Central Valley Ranch](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/central-valley-ranch-pj-vj~1585482) - Location: Los Olivos, CA - Photos: 24 - Description: Renovation and remodel of a central valley ranch, including main house, caretaker's cottages, and barn. - [Manhattan Beach Beach House](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/manhattan-beach-beach-house-pj-vj~7144149) - Location: Manhattan Beach, CA - Photos: 27 - [Esplanade Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/esplanade-residence-pj-vj~7051486) - Location: Los Angeles, CA - Photos: 16 [See all 10 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/subu-design-architecture-pfvwus-pf~1040245556) ## Video - [Company video](https://player.vimeo.com/external/840784577.m3u8?s=8dcf6cc73c062bc35ca5aad26af52ccfefc60fb0&oauth2_token_id=1384357804) ## Frequently Asked Questions **Do you handle permitting, zoning, and regulatory approvals?** Yes, we absolutely handle permitting, zoning, and regulatory approvals. We are deeply involved in navigating complex processes, especially for rebuilds in areas like the Palisades, working closely with LADBS and other agencies. Our goal is to streamline approvals for your project, ensuring compliance with all local regulations. **What types of projects do you specialize in (custom homes, remodels, additions)?** We specialize in a wide range of projects, from custom residential homes, including new construction, significant remodels, and additions, to high-profile commercial and hospitality projects. Whether it's a luxury residence, a hotel, or a ranch, we tailor our expertise to your unique vision. **How do you help clients design within their construction budget?** We work diligently to help clients design within their construction budget by exploring various options and providing insights. For instance, in rebuild efforts, we've contributed to programs offering reduced-cost floor plans. We also guide clients on resources like Replacement Cost Estimates to manage financial expectations effectively. **Do you provide full-service architectural services through construction?** Absolutely, we provide full-service architectural and interior design services. We believe in 'handholding' each client every step of the way, from the initial concept and site selection through design, permitting, construction, and even move-in, ensuring a cohesive and stress-free experience. **Do you design fully custom homes?** Yes, designing fully custom homes is a core part of our practice. We believe each project should tell the client's unique story. We specialize in tailoring every detail to your lifestyle, creating spaces that are truly bespoke, whether it's a mountain retreat or a modern beach house. *FAQ content may be generated based on the Pro's Houzz profile and website.* ## Community Q&A **Q: Who is manufacturer of this Vanity** *(in Photo Questions)* Would love to know who is the manufacturer of this vanity - would love to order one if they come in 60 to 72" Thanks and Happy New Year! A: This was a custom piece fabricated by a local cabinetry subcontractor. **Q: Interested in the wall of artifial plants** *(in Photo Questions)* How easy is it to maintain? Does it get quite dusty & does it attract spider webs? A: This does need to be maintained weekly. These are live plants. **Q: Beautiful chandelier! Do you use custom lighting?** *(in Photo Questions)* Hi May! My name is Grace and I am the current intern at ADG Lighting. I was going through your page and your projects and really loved your work. I am reaching because My boss, Gerald, would love to schedule a time to meet and discuss possible opportunities to work with you and your team and discuss any of your custom lighting needs Our main factory is located in Agoura Hills but we also have factories located in Newport Beach, San Diego and Texas. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us at 818.597.9494 or visit our website https://adglighting.com/. Best, Grace A: Thank you. Will definitely keep you guys in mind. **Q: Would like to replicate these floors** *(in Photo Questions)* Are they hardwood, or engineered wood? What is the name of the stain used? A: This is a custom engineered floor. The colors were mixed on site. **Q: what brand is the faucet?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: It's a Waterworks fixture. **Q: Daybed** *(in Photo Questions)* Manufacturer or builder A: This was built by the contractor in place. --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-08-23.*