John Powell Architects

We hired John to renovate and expand a mid-century house in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles after seeing many examples of his work. His design of a wall stood out as an art piece which led us to think that he might be perfect to renovate the house. Our goal was to have the alterations appear seamless with the original design. We felt a responsibility to the integrity of the house since it had been designed by a significant architect. John enhanced the functionality of the house while maintaining the high level of period design. In addition to his architectural work, he designed custom furniture inspired by the details of the house. We were delighted that he was able to.take the house to a new level as a contemporary home, and, at the same time, preserve its mid-century integrity. Over the years we never gave a thought to consider another architect for future projects. John redesigned our home on Lopez Island in the Puget Sound, a contemporary houseboat in Seattle, and interior plans for a condominiums in Vancouver BC and Seattle. Recently, John designed a new summer island house . We have always recommended John to our friends for many projects. Everyone has heralded his talent, honesty and work ethic. John’s projects are his passion. His creative spirit always delivered more than expected to our delight. We recommend him highly.

John Powell designed our very contemporary house in Santa Monica, almost a first for the area at the time. We chose John, having viewed a friend’s home that he also built. Although different styles, our confidence in his work precluded even looking for another architect. The outcome was exceptional, with high ceilings in the front of the house, spacious rooms, a fabulous chef’s kitchen and views from almost every room in the house. John asked each of us what we wanted in building this home and was always available if we had questions. He is truly a gift of an architect. He even designed and had built many pieces of furniture and furnishings for the house. A gem! Roberta and Todd Smith, Santa Monica, California

I was referred to Mr. Powell by a top realtor in the Beverly Hills area 15 years ago. He has done several projects for me since then. He is obviously highly trained, creative, a good communicator, and extremely skilled. My home has been used for many photo and film shoots, and events, and his architectural work, both interior and exterior, has received countless compliments, including from other top architects and designers. I recommend him highly.

John did a spectacular job restoring and adapting our mid-century Paul Laszlo. His designs honored the original and greatly increased - from both the esthetic and the practical - the pleasure we get from our house. That;'s why we hired him not only for the original work, but for every modification we've done since. And we couldn't be happier with him and the work.

I had John Powell make alterations and additions to my San Francisco Victorian. His changes brought a modern sensibility to the house in such a fashion that his designs respect the original house but are strikingly modern. He converted an added, flat-roofed garage into a structure with a gable matching the one of the house, but he left the new roof rafters uncovered and exposed in a contemporary fashion, prompting a neighbor to ask, "Is it old trying to look new, or is it new trying to look old?" He transformed the traditional interiors into a minimal, modern design by painting the intricate Victorian details and walls all white, and with the contemporary furnishings he selected, the traditional house was reimagined into a modern home.