--- title: "Modal Design — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/modal-design-pfvwus-pf~1258959582 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~1258959582.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Modal Design" category: ["Architects"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/1f93fced02cf1f90_6711-w400-h400-b1-p10--.jpg address: "5794 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90019, United States" latitude: 34.0482 longitude: -118.3343 phone: "(323) 592-3271" website: http://www.modal-design.com rating: 5 review_count: 6 best_of_houzz_awards: 3 followers: 327 last_updated: 2026-08-24 --- # Modal Design Original Houzz profile: [Modal Design](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/modal-design-pfvwus-pf~1258959582) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Architects - **Location:** Los Angeles, CA - **Serves:** Los Angeles, Venice, Glendale, Pasadena, Van Nuys, Inglewood, Universal City, Santa Monica, Hawthorne, Sherman Oaks, Culver City, Studio City, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, El Segundo, West Athens, Marina del Rey, Bel Air, Brentwood Los Angeles, Hollywood, Playa del Rey - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (6 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 3 awards (2015–2022), for Service, Design. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Houzz Influencer - Recommended on Houzz - 25,000 Ideabook Saves The work of Modal Design, led by Daniel Monti, is at once simple and complex; resolving inherent contradictions and reconciling differences through architecture as a yet-untapped resource for a world in flux. Daniel is a registered architect in California with over ten years of professional experience as a principal and lead designer. He established his architectural studio, Modal Design, in Los Angeles in 2004. The Modal Design team works together to achieve the best project. Instead of providing a client with a polished version of his first solution, Daniel begins each project with a series of investigative exercises intended to result in the best, perhaps inevitable, solution. At the outset he identifies the immediate solution and then initiates a generative process until the design evolves.The studio culture is largely experimental, conducive to productive research, and allows the best ideas to emerge from the exploration of many possible resolutions. ### Services Provided - Architectural Design - Building Design - Home Remodeling - Custom Homes - House Plans - New Home Construction - Home Additions - Home Extensions - Kitchen Design - Kitchen Remodeling - Energy-Efficient Homes - Floor Plans - Bathroom Design ### Areas Served - Los Angeles - Venice - Glendale - Pasadena - Van Nuys - Inglewood - Universal City - Santa Monica - Hawthorne - Sherman Oaks - Culver City - Studio City - West Hollywood - Beverly Hills - El Segundo - West Athens - Marina del Rey - Bel Air - Brentwood Los Angeles - Hollywood - Playa del Rey ### Typical Job Cost $500,000 - 8 million ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Modal Design | | Address | 5794 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90019, United States | | Phone | (323) 592-3271 | | Website | http://www.modal-design.com | | Followers on Houzz | 327 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/ModalDesignLA - X (Twitter) — https://twitter.com/ModalDesignLA - LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/pub/daniel-monti/25/964/26a - Blog — http://www.modal-design.com/blog/ ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Modal Design](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/modal-design-pfvwus-pf~1258959582) - **Website:** http://www.modal-design.com - **Phone:** (323) 592-3271 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - 2015: Best of Houzz Design Award2014: Residential Architect Design Awards- Custom Home over 3000SF 2011: Metalmag Architectural Awards; Honorable Mention for the Walnut Residence2010: Southern California Development Forum Residential Design Award for the Walnut Residence - **Best of Houzz:** 3 awards (2015–2022), for Service, Design. ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 6 reviews** ### All 6 reviews **★★★★★ — HU-189707591, Dec. 2021** > We worked with Daniel Monti of Modal Design to design our remodel in Venice. Daniel is creative and pragmatic, thoughtful and thorough, responsive and reflective. He turned our 1950 bungalow with small rooms and tiny closets into a light and open space. Right away, Daniel had a good understanding of what we wanted and we felt that we were all on the same page throughout the project. From the beginning, Daniel made sure he knew what our budget was, and he made sure to stick to it, even when we were tempted to overreach. We worked together to re-design our house to do as much as we could with our resources. The result is bright and airy, at once modern while still retaining its 1950s character. > > Daniel was always professional with us and our contractor, and he kept all of us and the project on track. He made sure we made decisions and chose materials and fixtures well in advance so our contractor was never held up waiting for us to make decisions. Daniel was willing and ready to come to site meetings, and often checked on the project when we were not around. Whenever we or the contractor had questions, Daniel responded right away. > > Daniel’s knowledge, judgement, skill and experience were always impressive. We valued his opinion at every point in the project. Now that it is all done, we are so very happy sitting here in our new home, writing this review for Modal Design. Five stars and no regrets. **★★★★★ — amarotto, July 2015** > We hired Modal Design to help us with the remodel of our house. We were hoping to give our traditional Mid-Century ranch style home a more contemporary/modern look. We found out about Modal Design from friends that were doing a large scale remodel with him and we were impressed by what we saw when we went to visit. We absolutely loved working with Modal Design. Not only is Daniel talented, professional and great at what he does, but he executed exactly the look we were hoping to achieve and stayed within our budget. We found Daniel to be extremely detailed in his approach and it is what sets him head and shoulders above the rest. We can't say enough great things about this company and our experience. **★★★★★ — klein\_d, June 2015** > Los Angeles is full of talented architects who design beautiful modern clean projects. The ones like Daniel, who are able to use their creativity to elevate their work in unexpected ways, are rare. > > I gave Daniel the following directives: Rebuild a garage, put a studio for viewing art on top of it, and make it work as a guest house too. Delight and enchant me. > > What resulted is an amazing spece: balance, rigorous, functional, striking, and yes...enchanting. > > Daniel and the Modal team were with me every step of the way, making sure the project was executed with great attention to detail and according to the design vision. I look forward to seeing what this young firm accomplishes in the upcoming years. **★★★★★ — jenn8112, June 2015** > Daniel Monti has big firm experience, which he has channelled into his own entrepreneurial company. He's eager to work, willing to stand by his opinions, and incredibly creative. He's an artist, but he's also practical. My contractor talks about his vast talent, and how Daniel and his team are always available quickly, any time we need their input. > > Our house is complicated and the carpentry is tricky - Daniel was asked to meld my desire for grounded, earthy, and old southwestern styles with my husband's desire for clean contemporary lines. The result is a remarkable project that is a contemporary house with huge sliding glass doors, two yards and lots of green space. The house is clad in old (old grey!) barn wood and snow fence wood from Montana, Colorado and Wyoming. > > Thematically, the house is all about height, and light in small rooms made to be efficient with space. It has three separate light wells that are pieces of art in themselves. The dining room is outside, not inside; soaring above it there's a bright orange, sloping, stucco light well 30 feet tall and open to the sky. He designed the ceiling above our dining table to include heating, so we can eat outside all year round here in Venice CA. In the kitchen/living area, the ceiling, like the roof, has many angles, and has intricate sloping and mitered joints. The barn wood on the high ceilings wraps up into a light well over the kitchen island, which is 18 feet long, feels huge, saves room, and makes a kitchen table unnecessary inside. The raised metal roof has crazy angles and suggests a leaning old barn, but is sleek, clean and modern. In the master bath, you can lay back and look up 20 feet through a travertine stone light well to the sky. > > The project is remarkable and magical. Modal Design does work that is unique. > > http://www.modal-design.com/projects/flower/ **★★★★★ — r\_kern, June 2015** > Five stars is not high enough of a rating for Daniel and his team. Modal Design, led by Daniel Monti, is the absolute best architectural firm my wife and I have every worked with. > > His design work is smart, contemporary and exceptionally thoughtful. He and his staff are an absolute delight -- highly responsive, exceptionally thorough, delightfully detailed. All calls and questions were always answered in a timely and complete manner. Daniel listened closely to all our desires and dreams and then he created a solution for our home which not only exceeded our hopes but worked within the difficult confines of the city of Malibu. Daniel was not only our architect but served as our project manager. I can say without him running the show, we would of been months behind schedule and tens of thousands of dollars over budget. He handled the most difficult of situations with grace, poise and leadership. The perfect trifecta for an architect and project manager. > > If you are looking for a firm with an incredible leader to create a new space, a new home or an office of your dreams, I urge you to give Daniel and his firm a call. My only regret is our project is now complete and I can't find a new project fast enough so we can all work together again. **★★★★★ — gmasten, June 2015** > Daniel was an absolute pleasure to work with in designing our home. He was extremely thoughtful and had the right balance of bringing his ideas and vision while incorporating our needs. Daniel's attention to detail was incredible. He has fantastic patience and is incredibly responsive. He made invaluable suggestions to keep us within our budget and demanded the highest quality work from our contractor. I am looking forward to designing and building our next home with Daniel. ## Selected projects - [Walnut Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/walnut-residence-pj-vj~418784) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 18 - Description: This project mediates the poetics of light and architectural form against technological and ecological demands of contemporary building practices. By integrating traditional design methodologies with CNC fabrication, the distance between architect and builder is collapsed to allow for maximum control in articulating the porosity of the building’s cor-ten skin as it negotiates between public and private space. Folded, water-jet cut panels obfuscate views from the exterior while curating light int… - [Cabrillo Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/cabrillo-residence-pj-vj~418725) - Location: Los Angeles, CA - Photos: 7 - Description: The Cabrillo Residence is a single family custom designed home located on a 30’x90’ lot in Venice, CA, just blocks from the beach. At 3,300 square feet, the project explores visual and physical connections between interior program and exterior surroundings through a vertically progressive series of openings. Incorporating low cost, durable materials that relate to the context of the area, the project exploits its small lot and provides maximum livable area with a unique sense of space and identi… - [Casiano Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/casiano-residence-pj-vj~418840) - Location: Los Angeles, CA - Photos: 6 - Description: Working within strict timeframe and budget parameters, the renovation of the Casiano Residence implemented a variety of changes to a 1960’s ranch house in order to create a relaxed, modern residence better suited to a growing family. Working within the general layout of the original house, the remodel impleemnted a series of circulation adjustments, expanded openings and upgraded materials to create a series of lani-inspried spaces that allow the owners, son and two dogs to enjoy the indoor outd… - [Kern Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/kern-residence-pj-vj~725318) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 9 - [Ain House](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/ain-house-pj-vj~418883) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 8 - [Amoroso Studio](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/amoroso-studio-pj-vj~2306184) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 8 - Description: Celebrating a Client’s passion for collecting modern and video art yet supporting her needs for a functional studio and guest house, the Amoroso Studio is a truly inspired multi-functional space: part art backdrop, part guest loft, part utilitarian workroom. A replacement for a termite-ridden garage behind a Craftsman home in Venice Beach, CA, the design of the 1,060 square foot studio was driven by the Client’s commitment to collecting video and film based works by emerging artists who delve in… [See all 6 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/modal-design-pfvwus-pf~1258959582) ## Community Q&A **Q: Where can I buy the desk?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: The table is from Bludot and is called the Strut Table. **Q: where are the screens from?** *(in Photo Questions)* I love the play of solid and void! are these custom screens or can they be purchased in California? thanks A: The screens were custom made for this project. The panels in front were left over circles from the exterior panels. A steel fabricator welded all the circles together individually for the interior panels along the stairs. **Q: Wondering where to get that floor tile?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: The floor is from Ann Sacks. It is Luxor Grey Filed Tile. **Q: Cabinets** *(in Photo Questions)* Can you share the name of the cabinet maker? They are beautiful A: The cabinets are made of Walnut veneer and have a clear finish (ie no additional stain). **Q: Where is the metal screen from? Who makes it?** *(in Photo Questions)* Who makes the metal screen? A: It would really have to depend on how many you plan to make, where you plan to get them fabricated and if they need to be shipped. Pricing of the ones we had fabricated for the Walnut Residence would not be useful as they were produced over five years ago. Call our office and we would be happy to discuss your needs. **Q: Beautiful love seat** *(in Photo Questions)* Where is the love seat from? Thank you A: The client already had the couch when we started the remodel. There are several companies that have similar couches such as Modernica and Design Within Reach. Many of these places will let you select the fabric as well. --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-08-24.*