amk STUDIO

Architects

About Us

Established in 2009, amk STUDIO is a full service architecture and planning firm that was formed with the goal of providing high quality design solutions and services to a growing list of referred and repeat clients and consultants. Our founding partners alone have over 40 years of collective experience in the building industry. Together with our associates, we have designed and managed award winning residential, hospitality, and mixed-use projects across California, the Western United States, and abroad. With staff located in Los Angeles and Orange County, amk STUDIO is committed to producing designs with integrity, environmental sensitivity, and quality.

Services Provided

3D Rendering, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), Architectural Design, Architectural Drawings, Building Design, Custom Homes, Energy-Efficient Homes, Floor Plans, Home Additions, Home Extensions, Home Remodeling, Home Restoration, House Plans, Modular Home Additions, Multigenerational Homes, New Home Construction, Prefab Houses, Space Planning, Sustainable Design, Universal Design, Entitlements and Urban Planning, Building Design- New Single Family Residences and, Multi-Family and Mixed Use, Hospitality and Restaurants, Small Lot Ordinance Developments, Custom/full spec and Builder spec. Construction Do, Energy-Efficient, Smart Homes, Large Additions, Remodels, Tenant Improvements and New Construction

Areas Served

Aliso Viejo, Corona Del Mar, Costa Mesa, East Irvine, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Newport Coast, North Tustin, San Joaquin Hills, Santa Ana, Tustin, Licensed in 10 States- Very ex, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Santa Barbara Coun, Newport Beach/Coast, Orange, Fullerton, Buena Park, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Los Angeles and San Fernando v, Malibu/Calabasas/Agoura Hills, Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, Ventura and Santa Barbara. Inl

Awards

California Licensed Architect, NCARB, Licensed Architect in 10 US states, LEED AP (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professionals), Best of Houzz 2016 & 2014: Client Satisfaction, NAHB 2016 PLATINUM Best In American Living Award for Addition/Remodel over $250k

Back to Navigation

20 Projects

Business Details

Business Name

amk STUDIO

Phone Number

(949) 863-3000

Website

www.amkSTUDIO.com

Address

1401 Dove Street Suite 230
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Typical Job Cost

$500,000 - 25 million

Our typical projects are over $500,000 in construction cost. Our strengths are in new construction, custom home planning and design, large-scale full house remodels, modular friendly design and logistics. We aim to empower our clients to build/develop the house of their dreams.

Followers

228 Followers

Socials

Back to Navigation

Credentials

Back to Navigation

Write a Review

10 Reviews for amk STUDIO

Newest first

User

We have been working with Katie for a few months on a project and it has been great. She is a complete professional in what she does. I would highly recommend her to anyone and everyone!

September 12, 2016Last modified:May 3, 2024

Amanda Noel

I found amk STUDIO through houzz and I was very impressed with the professionalism and quality of work. My husband and I were looking to remodel our house and enjoyed working with Arlene and Katie. They listened to our wants while still giving us their professional opinion the changes we were looking to make. They helped us from the beginning concept of our remodel to getting approval from the city. They both went above and beyond our expectations and we would recommend them to our family and friends!

December 14, 2015

Rosemarie Rose

We were referred to AMK Studio by a friend. Katie and Arlene were both very professional and easy to work with. Our project began as a remodel but ended up with a new construction project. They were able to submit plans to the city on a timely manner. Katie helped us submit our plans to the City in person. The staff from the City were very impressed with Katie. She was always organized when she presented our plans. Both Katie and Arlene were very responsive via text, email and phone call. We never felt like we were on our own. With AMK Studio on our side, we were able to build our custom home without requiring a general contractor. We highly recommend AMK Studio. Katie & Arlene, thanks again for helping us make our dream home!

October 2, 2015

susancarrier

Arlene immediately understood our desire to build a second unit guest house that reflected the traditional English Tudor style of the main house on the outside and an open, light-filled, contemporary feel on the inside. She and Katie were a pleasure to work with in every aspect of the project, from design (especially with a footprint that met the county's strict setback criteria), permitting process and follow through. They are creative, responsive, knowledgeable and professional and made the entire process stress-free and fun. The project succeeded on every level. Everyone is surprised when they learn that the home was not built in the same year as the main home, 1932. And the contemporary interior is open, comfortable and useable for guests or full-time residents.

February 25, 2015

nrachelj

As a architectural designer myself who is not working in the field at the moment, I was extremely selective in who I wanted to partner up with on my own home renovation. I've known Kathryn for many years and I knew we would work well together and that her standards were up to mine! Among other complications that came up since we were renovating an older home, we dealt with the messy process of obtaining a standards variance from the city. amk Studio is professional and easy to work with and they know how to tailor their services to their client's needs. My husband and I were very pleased with all that they did to help us make our vision into a reality.

June 16, 2014Last modified:October 6, 2015

Rhino Construction

I have used Arlene and Katie for several projects over the years. I first met them when they worked at a national firm, they were instrumental in designing homes for me when I managed the LA / Ventura County division for a local home builder. When these ladies started AMK Studio's it just made sense for me to follow them. Now they are my go to architecture and design firm in the greater LA area. Their innovative designs and problem solving skills makes the process painless. If you want to work with the pro's.... the choice is AMK Studio's.

June 17, 2013Last modified:June 18, 2013

Catherine Gale

We worked with Amk for the architecture of our house and it couldn't have been a better experience. It immediately was so easy and productive from day one.Such a great group with such amazing ideas and fantastic style. We would highly recommend them to anyone interested in building or re-creating their house.

June 3, 2013Last modified:June 3, 2013

DIGGS

I have been following Arlene's career for 15 years and I am firmly convinced she will be an Architect of Significance in the future- if she isn't already. Her designs are intuitive, accessible and, most of all, comfortable. She takes an innovative approach to site challenges- maximizing both the home and how the home fits into it's surroundings. This holistic approach is both refreshing and practical- allowing the project to overcome the fears of both government entities and neighbors, alike. I suspect that it is common to come up with pretty designs, but Arlene and her partner Katie are also extremely adapt at making sure these designs are buildable and on budget. They are extremely knowledgable and detail oriented- when a project is ready to break ground nearly everything is planned in advance and in the budget- no nasty and expensive surprises halfway thorough. Everything starts with the design. Make sure your design is not only beautiful, but executable. amkStudios is your place.

May 30, 2013Last modified:May 31, 2013

Comment from amk STUDIO:

Thanks for the kind words Kendyl! Looking forward to seeing your project come beautifully into fruition.

Sylvia Yeh Palomino

AMK helped us in our remodel of our home. They provided design and blueprints and helped to facilitate necessary documents for acquiring the city permits. They were great!!! They listened to what we were needing, provided ideas, were flexible, let us know what the pro's/con's were for various options. Our property has limited space and restrictions and they were able to provide us creative options for expanding our living spaces, and we are so pleased with the final result. They also were sensitive to our budget ceiling and we appreciated that consideration. They were always responsive to last minute/unexpected things that came up with the construction and facilitate timely solutions. Definitely recommend their services to my family and friends.

February 27, 2013

Tin Parade. Party. Gift. Home

We thought we had our remodel figured out ourselves. We decided to bring in amk Studio just to be safe. We are so glad we did. They were able to (nicely) make us see why our initial vision wouldn't work well but also came up with MUCH better ideas than we'd ever thought of. We were thrilled and so so glad we had made that call.

February 26, 2013

Back to Navigation

3 Ideabooks

Back to Navigation

10 Comments

Commented: What was used for siding? It looks like Trex.Good eye. It is trex. Nowadays there are similar materials that actually have warranties for a vertical application. Also please note that trex will discolor if used on a sunny exposure.

February 19, 2019

Commented: What kind of stone is used for the counter tops?Marble on the island. Quartzite on the surrounding counters

July 28, 2015

Commented: the floor, is it cement? polished?Yes. It is a polished topping of concrete over the original slab.

August 24, 2014

Commented: what is the shower floor made of?Hi caroldelat, The shower floor is a 1 piece ceramic shower pan. Hope that helps!

May 1, 2014

Commented: Great job! Is that decomposed granite? Thank you.I believe that is just mulch in this photo. That said, there was a lot of decomposed granite and river rock used elsewhere (in the courtyard and entry) of this project.

January 31, 2014

Commented: Fireplace surround materialThe fireplace surround at the Living Room is actually drywall on the interior, Stucco on the Exterior. The fireplace at the courtyard is poured concrete.

May 29, 2013

Frequently Asked Questions

How is amk STUDIO rated?

amk STUDIO is currently rated 5 overall out of 5

What services does amk STUDIO provide?

amk STUDIO provides the following services: 3D Rendering, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), Architectural Design, Architectural Drawings, Building Design, Custom Homes, Energy-Efficient Homes, Floor Plans, Home Additions, Home Extensions, Home Remodeling, Home Restoration, House Plans, Modular Home Additions, Multigenerational Homes, New Home Construction, Prefab Houses, Space Planning, Sustainable Design, Universal Design, Entitlements and Urban Planning, Building Design- New Single Family Residences and, Multi-Family and Mixed Use, Hospitality and Restaurants, Small Lot Ordinance Developments, Custom/full spec and Builder spec. Construction Do, Energy-Efficient, Smart Homes, Large Additions, Remodels, Tenant Improvements and New Construction

Where does amk STUDIO provide services?

amk STUDIO provides services in the following areas: Aliso Viejo, Corona Del Mar, Costa Mesa, East Irvine, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Newport Coast, North Tustin, San Joaquin Hills, Santa Ana, Tustin, Licensed in 10 States- Very ex, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Santa Barbara Coun, Newport Beach/Coast, Orange, Fullerton, Buena Park, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Los Angeles and San Fernando v, Malibu/Calabasas/Agoura Hills, Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, Ventura and Santa Barbara. Inl

amk STUDIO