---
title: "Red Dot Studio — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz"
canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/red-dot-studio-pfvwus-pf~92494465
markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~92494465.md
entity_type: LocalBusiness
business_name: "Red Dot Studio"
category: ["Architects"]
image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/66b37edb068ab5ec_7518-w400-h400-b1-p10--.jpg
address: "San Francisco, California 94107, United States"
phone: "(415) 513-0629"
website: http://www.reddotstudio.com
rating: 5
review_count: 7
best_of_houzz_awards: 1
followers: 134
last_updated: 2026-09-09
---

# Red Dot Studio

Original Houzz profile: [Red Dot Studio](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/red-dot-studio-pfvwus-pf~92494465)

## Professional summary

- **Primary category:** Architects
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Serves:** San Francisco
- **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (7 reviews)
- **Best of Houzz:** 1 award (2022), for Design.

## About

### Houzz Badges

- Star Houzzer
- Recommended on Houzz
- 1,000 Ideabook Saves

Red Dot Studio is a Bay Area practice focused on residential and small business clients. Their process elicits discovery and fun, a synthesis shared among studio, client and construction team.  Red Dot Studio believes that the built environment can enhance, enlighten and foster good for people and the community.  Their design approach, akin to the simplicity of a red dot with its varied cultural signifiers from a Bindi to a sold sign for artwork, looks for everyday beauty and meaning, drawing from the Bay Area Tradition, the natural world and an appreciation of craft.

### Services Provided

- Architectural Design
- Building Design
- Home Remodeling
- Custom Homes
- Home Additions
- Sustainable Design
- Green Building
- Passive Solar Heating & Cooling

### Areas Served

- San Francisco

## Business Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Business Name | Red Dot Studio |
| Address | San Francisco, California 94107, United States |
| Phone | (415) 513-0629 |
| Website | http://www.reddotstudio.com |
| License Number | Architect License: C 31453 |
| Followers on Houzz | 134 |

**Social profiles:**
- Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/reddotstudioarchitecture
- Blog — http://www.reddotstudio.com/

## Contact

- **Houzz profile:** [Red Dot Studio](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/red-dot-studio-pfvwus-pf~92494465)
- **Website:** http://www.reddotstudio.com
- **Phone:** (415) 513-0629

## Credentials

**Certifications & Awards**
- AIA, Build it Green

- **Best of Houzz:** 1 award (2022), for Design.

**Affiliations**
- [American Institute of Architects, San Francisco](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/american-institute-of-architects-san-francisco-pfvwus-pf~788533068)

## Reviews

**Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 7 reviews**

*Aspect averages:*
- Work Quality: 50.0
- Communication: 50.0
- Value: 50.0

### All 7 reviews

**★★★★★ — Kasie Lee, Jan. 2026**

> I waited a couple of years to post this review, and I’m still as in love with the house Karen designed for us as I was the day we moved in. The clean lines, attention to detail, and the way natural light fills the space—regardless of the weather—make our home feel like a work of art from every angle.
>
> Because of Karen, the entire process was enjoyable and truly collaborative. She was transparent and ethical from the very beginning, and she also made clear early on that sustainability was a core value for her. At times, that led us to choices that were more costly—but in the end, we were left with a home we are deeply proud of and grateful to live in every day.

**★★★★★ — Joseph Schell Photography, Sept. 2016**

> I've worked with Karen and the Red Dot team to help document several of his projects. They're always a pleasure to work with and I look forward to collaborating with them in the future. Good people.

**★★★★★ — Debbie Findling, Feb. 2016**

> Karen Curtiss and the entire Red Dot Studio team are amazing! Karen listened to what we wanted and how we live our daily lives so she could create a design that fits our needs, rather than pushing her own agenda. At the same time, she offered great suggestions to improve on our dreams. She is responsive and really creative. She stayed within our budget and worked really well with our contractor. She's a great communicator and has an inspiring vision and style. We would definitely work with Karen and her team again on our next project!

**★★★★★ — Modern Craft Construction Inc., Jan. 2016**

> I am working with Karen and Red Dot Studio on a full condo renovation which we will complete early in March of this year and I am very impressed with the overall experience. Not only is the design work top notch with a real attention to detail, Karen and Red Dot Studio are extremely easy to work with and always have a very positive attitude. From a personal point of view Karen has great respect for all good tradespeople right down to the guy cleaning the job. In summary, Red Dot Studio are easy to get along with, provide creative and exciting designs, and have timely responses to questions. I'm looking forward to the next project Red Dot Studio and I can work on together.

**★★★★★ — Victor Mezhvinsky, Jan. 2016**

> I have worked with Karen and the Red Dot team on several projects and am amazed at not only their talent, but also their ease to work with. Countless referrals later, I am constantly thanked for the introduction. I would recommend Red Dot to anyone looking for great vision, execution and dynamic design.

**★★★★★ — Edward Marks, Jan. 2016**

> Red Dot Studio and Karen Curtiss have been fantastic in helping me completely remodel my condo in San Francisco. The property was damaged in a fire, and literally every single wall, floor and ceiling was torn out.
>
> I chose Red Dot because they could help me realize my vision for the place — maintaining some of the period details and materials while updating the floor plan to better accommodate modern living. I'm really excited by how the project is turning out.
>
> Karen was really patient with me while we figured out the best floor plan. She ended up proposing two totally different layouts, and I brought in the basics of a third, and we discussed all three in detail before settling on her first layout. Sure we ended up with one of the original plans, but laying out a condo is like a puzzle with tons of tradeoffs, and I feel comfortable that we really explored the possibilities and maximized the use of the space.
>
> Through the entire process she's done a great job both in considering my input and providing her own creative vision. To be honest I don't want to play armchair architect, and I believe that the place will turn out better if I give Red Dot more creative control. All the time I decline to provide opinions, and in all of these cases Karen comes up with something better than I would or could have.
>
> I would definitely hire Red Dot Studio for a project again.

**★★★★★ — Len S., Jan. 2016**

> Working with Karen Curtis and the Red Dot Studio team is like meeting a long lost family member; the quirky one that you hit it off with right away and realize you may share a lobe or two across your collective brains. Now working with Karen, well that's a whole other story.
>
> To call Karen meticulous is an understatement; she's focused on microscopic details, minutia that would probably slip by  the unaided eye, and many trained eyes for that matter. Our project wasn't easy, it wasn't straight forward, nor was it run of the mill. I don't mind telling you what we had in mind was eccentric and off the beaten path: think tin ceiling, old pine walls, a vintage bar, and more problems than you can imagine. When we told Karen our vision, which probably sounded like a couple 5 year olds documenting the fort they would one day build in the living room, she didn't try to convince us otherwise, rather she said I'm in.
>
> Karen helped us navigate numerous obstacles from design, to budget, to personnel, she can advise you on the whole process from inception, to drafting, to permitting, to building and finally design and decoration. To give you an idea of how dedicated and accessible she was: one night, after finally receiving a shipment of tiles, she came over to help us 'randomize' the tiles by hand. The process took nearly four hours of unpakcing 200+ square feet of tiling, mixing them, randomly, and then repacking them so that the installers didn't have to look but rather grab and go.
>
> My wife and I are eagerly looking forward to the day when we can work with Karen again, it was truly a process, and in that process we met a tremendous talented artist that approaches her work with care, compassion, a philosophically curious mind and exacting standards.

## Selected projects

- [Banks Street](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/banks-street-pj-vj~1487479)
  - Location: Not specified
  - Photos: 14
  - Description: We have a saying at Banks Street. Every inch counts. I say it every time I talk to the client/contractor, the engineer, anyone associated with the job. We are transforming a one bedroom cottage into a three bedroom house without expanding the building envelope. Banks is an extremely tight project. Tight in all senses of the word. Tight budget, tight space but tight in the good sense too. When you walk into a building and you say those construction details are tight that kind of tight. The client…
- [Sanchez St.](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/sanchez-st-pj-vj~1476143)
  - Location: Not specified
  - Photos: 15
  - Description: Though it seems counterintuitive we took off interior square footage of a rear porch and made a rear deck. When located on the third floor getting down to the yard is a chore. Having a walk out deck gives you a yard. We decided to open one room to another, but unlike a loft, we kept differentiation between spaces, retaining something of the Victorian aesthetic while making a modern house. There was an “aha” moment during schematic design where the idea of Victorian Second Nature became a guiding…
- [Liberty](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/liberty-pj-vj~1476135)
  - Location: Not specified
  - Photos: 4
- [Ingleside Terrace Classic](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/ingleside-terrace-classic-pj-vj~1476137)
  - Location: Not specified
  - Photos: 5
- [Noe Victorian](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/noe-victorian-pj-vj~1476152)
  - Location: Not specified
  - Photos: 3
- [Samoset](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/samoset-pj-vj~1476138)
  - Location: Not specified
  - Photos: 2
- [Speakeasy](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/speakeasy-pj-vj~1476150)
  - Location: Not specified
  - Photos: 2
- [Laidley Street Cottage](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/laidley-street-cottage-pj-vj~5622214)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 20
  - Description: Like much of San Francisco’s housing stock, the Laidley Street Cottage was becoming out of date. Built to last 100 years, the home was at the end of its useful life with all building systems needing upgrading. Originally, the home was an existing rear yard cottage. In the redesign, additional square footage was modest and focused on right-sizing the property to the site while adding new building systems and daylit design. The Laidley Street cottage now has a friendly window filled facade, but th…
- [NOVA SCOTIA REDUX](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/nova-scotia-redux-pj-vj~5622148)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 15
- [Mill Valley](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/mill-valley-pj-vj~2053541)
  - Location: Not specified
  - Photos: 6

[See all 10 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/red-dot-studio-pfvwus-pf~92494465)

## Ideabooks

- [Wish List](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/104537988/list/wish-list) — 1 idea
- [Beach](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/91943665/list/beach) — 3 ideas
- [Nice](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/60270112/list/nice) — 1 idea
- [Samoset](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/21488081/list/samoset) — 8 ideas
- [Turkkan](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/5202022/list/turkkan) — 12 ideas
- [Nakamoto](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/5326887/list/nakamoto) — 3 ideas
- [Liberty](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/4252102/list/liberty) — 100 ideas
- [Jserralibrary](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/4266029/list/jserralibrary) — 1 idea
- [Scrapfort](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/4256817/list/scrapfort) — 2 ideas

[See all 9 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/reddotstudio)

## Community Q&A

**Q: Kitchen** *(in Photo Questions)*

Love this kitchen. What's the distance between sink and oven?

A: We use 42" as our minimum.

**Q: where did you get the drum shade? very interesting** *(in Photo Questions)*

A: In this case the client bought it and so I am not sure the source.

**Q: Backsplash tile?** *(in Photo Questions)*

Where did you get it from?

A: We sourced it from a San Francisco distributor named Latch Tile

---

*Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-09.*