--- title: "Swift Lee Office — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/swift-lee-office-pfvwus-pf~939663235 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~939663235.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Swift Lee Office" category: ["Architects"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/90a3e36900805ba3_4402-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "543A S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, California 91105, United States" latitude: 34.1355 longitude: -118.1636 phone: "(323) 257-8200" website: http://www.swiftleeoffice.com rating: 5 review_count: 2 followers: 88 last_updated: 2026-09-27 --- # Swift Lee Office Original Houzz profile: [Swift Lee Office](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/swift-lee-office-pfvwus-pf~939663235) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Architects - **Location:** Pasadena, CA - **Serves:** Los Angeles, Hollywood, North Glendale, Glendale, Pasadena, East Los Angeles, Burbank, Alhambra, Arcadia, Altadena, San Gabriel, West Hollywood, South Pasadena, La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta-Montrose, San Marino, Sierra Madre, South San Gabriel, East Pasadena, La Crescenta - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (2 reviews) ## About ### Houzz Badges - 1,000 Ideabook Saves Swift Lee Office (SLO) is an award-winning architectural firm based in Pasadena, specializing in innovative residential and educational projects. SLO’s range of full service includes new constructions, major renovations, additions, and modernizations. Our residential portfolio includes remodels and renovations of mid-century modern homes—originally designed by seminal architects such as Ed Fickett, Milton Caughey, and Buff, Straub & Hensman. Our principals and staff are experienced design professionals who possess detailed knowledge of building and constructing and offer creative, sustainable, economical solutions to a myriad of architectural design problems. In the face of ever-increasing building costs, regulatory complexity, and ecological imperatives, SLO wholeheartedly embraces R. Buckminster Fuller’s maxim of “doing the most with the least.” SLO’s work has been widely recognized through publications, exhibitions, and awards, including AIA/LA design awards, SXSWEDU Learn by Design Finalist, LafargeHolcim Sustainable Construction Award, Citation Award from the National School Boards Association, and a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. ### Services Provided - Architectural Design - Building Design - Home Remodeling - Custom Homes - New Home Construction - Home Additions - Sustainable Design - Energy-Efficient Homes - 3D Rendering - Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) - Green Building - Universal Design - Home Restoration - Handicap-Accessible Design - Tiny House Construction - Passive Solar Heating & Cooling - Prefab Houses ### Areas Served - Los Angeles - Hollywood - North Glendale - Glendale - Pasadena - East Los Angeles - Burbank - Alhambra - Arcadia - Altadena - San Gabriel - West Hollywood - South Pasadena - La Canada Flintridge - La Crescenta-Montrose - San Marino - Sierra Madre - South San Gabriel - East Pasadena - La Crescenta ### Typical Job Cost $300,000 - $2,000,000 Project costs vary depending on size and scope of the project, ranging from $300,000 for interior design/remodel projects to $2,000,000+ for new construction. ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Swift Lee Office | | Address | 543A S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, California 91105, United States | | Phone | (323) 257-8200 | | Website | http://www.swiftleeoffice.com | | Followers on Houzz | 88 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/Swift-Lee-Office-114122995307103/ - X (Twitter) — www.twitter.com/swiftleeoffice - Blog — WWW.swiftleeoffice.com ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Swift Lee Office](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/swift-lee-office-pfvwus-pf~939663235) - **Website:** http://www.swiftleeoffice.com - **Phone:** (323) 257-8200 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - Arch, License - AIA Pasadena & Foothill - LafargeHolcim **Affiliations** - [The American Institute of Architects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/the-american-institute-of-architects-pfvwus-pf~1350720471) - [AIA Los Angeles](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/aia-los-angeles-pfvwus-pf~1829789113) ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 2 reviews** ### All 2 reviews **★★★★★ — wbietak, March 2016** > Swift Lee Office came highly recommended by their peers. > My wife and I needed an update and extension to our 50's home in the Mar Vista area of LA. > After initial meetings with owners Gloria and Nathan they came up with designs for the addition that way exceeded our expectations. Gloria and Lee also managed to integrate the design of the new structure perfectly with the look of the original house, yet giving it a modern edge. They had provided us with initial artistic renderings and then proceeded to guide us through the whole construction perfectly. The whole process was smooth and easy. The quality control was also great. I will gladly use Swift Lee for any future architectural project in the future. **★★★★★ — melowitz, Jan. 2016** > Swift Lee were the architects for a remodel of our mid-century modern home in L.A.. Simply put, they are spectacularly creative and innovative, and a pleasure to work with on every level. They thrive on finding interesting solutions to challenging design problems. Before they came, our house was a time capsule from 1964 with crumbling vinyl tile floors. They focused on all the most important issues from floors to kitchen to bathrooms, and transformed the place into a dynamic, beautiful space that we love. They are the real thing! ## Selected projects - [Trousdale \[Beverly Hills\]](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/trousdale-beverly-hills-pj-vj~98581) - Location: Beverly Hills, CA - Photos: 21 - Description: The Trousdale Residence is a remodel of an existing one-story residence located in the Trousdale Estates of Beverly Hills. The original house was built in 1960 and has since been opened up extensively to take advantage of its view, a baronial vista sweeping from the Hollywood Hills to the Santa Monica beach, with downtown in between. In the end, the interior transformation is really about marking the end of an era when domestic spaces of service were hidden and compartmentalized, i.e. butler’s p… - [Bietak \[Santa Monica\]](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/bietak-santa-monica-pj-vj~513319) - Location: Los Angeles, CA - Photos: 8 - Description: The form and layout of this two-story addition to an existing two-story residence built in 1949 were generated by a few critical site considerations. The building footprint is bounded on the west & north by a row of mature trees, on the east by an existing swimming pool and on the south by the existing house. Per the client’s request, the original path from the western side yard (lower level) to the pool (upper level) via a small flight of flagstone steps was preserved. The path up/down these st… - [Hannon \[Malibu\]](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/hannon-malibu-pj-vj~512960) - Location: Malibu, CA - Photos: 11 - Description: Coming in just under 1,600 S.F. (149 m2) of living space, the Hannon Residence is an atypically small house for Malibu, California where McMansions abound considerably larger in size. The current house is part of a twin scheme connected by a covered bridge. Even with the future expansion, however, the footprint of the house remains very light at 15’x58’ each. Conceived more as a loft space, the house consists of three levels of open plan: bedroom, living, and carport/deck in ascending order. Eac… - [Ed Fickett \[Sherman Oaks\]](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/ed-fickett-sherman-oaks-pj-vj~513027) - Location: Van Nuys, CA - Photos: 7 - Description: For this interior remodel and second story addition to an existing 1955 one-story residence designed by Edward Fickett, emphasis was placed in respecting the integrity of the post war affordable housing model, in terms of economy of construction and visual modesty; additional constraints from the low-visibility design review requirements for outer Mulhoulland corridor. Simultaneously, SLO's expectations demanded an attempt to separate the project from its predecessor, conceptually and physically… - [Henderson \[Las Vegas\]](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/henderson-las-vegas-pj-vj~512939) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 2 - Description: The Henderson Residence is located just 8 miles outside of the Las Vegas Strip. With its proximity to the alluring view of the Strip, the house is positioned to take in the full 180 degree panorama. The owner plans to use the house to both live and work so the main parti of the house is organized around the division and connection of two programs. The experience of the house is, however, more about the promenade organized about the many courtyard/void spaces. The spatial sequence is further felt… - [Zeitman \[Venice Beach\]](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/zeitman-venice-beach-pj-vj~512948) - Location: Venice, CA - Photos: 4 - Description: A 1000SF 3rd floor unit: 2 bed/bath loft with second floor mezzanine and roof deck with ocean view. New kitchen, new bath, new bamboo hardwood flooring, new windows and sliding glass doors, all new electrical and lighting, new spiral stair and catwalk to access mezzanine, rebuilt mezzanine to create double height entry, and a large number of custom "built-ins" including "storage wall" (mostly cherry veneer plywood). Also, includes a "ribbon-like" perforated metal guard rail that links the mezzan… - [Milton Caughey Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/milton-caughey-residence-pj-vj~1599706) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 2 - [Evleth \[Mt. Washington\]](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/evleth-mt-washington-pj-vj~512973) - Location: Los Angeles, CA - Photos: 7 - Description: Renovation with a View - [HEYfarmer Furniture - Chairs](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/heyfarmer-furniture-chairs-pj-vj~1702422) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - Description: Led by SLO's principal architects Gloria Lee and Nathan Swift, HEYfarmer is a design lab and workshop where ideas are explored through furniture and hands-on making. Gloria and Nathan began collaborating at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design where they studied architecture. A line of steel furniture they developed called the Stud Series received wide accolades and showed their interest in seriality, flexibility, economy of resources, and the use of unadorned off-the-shelf materials. HEYfarmer c… - [A+DU](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/a-du-pj-vj~5757452) - Location: Los Angeles, CA - Photos: 14 - Description: A+DU is a highly innovative and scalable housing prototype proposal developed by Swift Lee Office. A+DU recently received Honorable Mention from the Los Angeles County Housing Innovation Challenge. A+DU expands the concept of “Accessory Dwelling Unit” to exponential possibilities. A+DU is an accessible, net zero energy, affordable housing prototype. An alternative to large-scale affordable housing modes, A+DU increases housing stock by 50 percent. A+DU is standalone, easily manufacturable, and r… [See all 10 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/swift-lee-office-pfvwus-pf~939663235) ## Community Q&A **Q: The floor** *(in Photo Questions)* Please let me know what is the floor covered with. Is it concrete tile? Where did you get it from? Thank you. A: Hello, the flooring is custom terrazzo. **Q: Wall decor** *(in Photo Questions)* The featured wall with block design is wallpaper ? What is it made of? A: Hello! It's a block wall, customized to replicate the residence's exterior wall as closely as possible. --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-27.*