Above, left to right: Kuhlhaus 01 (photo: William Short) and Kuhlhaus 02 (photo:Claudio Santini), both in Manhattan Beach, CA.

1. You’ve talked about being inspired by the Eames House in your designs. What do you think makes a house feel like a home? I often promote the idea that the home is the last remaining piece of personal expression left in most people’s lives. Nowadays, we are completely surrounded with products, goods and technology which are designed by others and tailor made to meet the needs of our consumer-driven culture. The cars we drive, the mobile phones we use.

Above: The kitchen at KDC-02 (photo: Claudio Santini)

The companies who make these products are constantly trying to demonstrate how they are able to be customized to meet the personal tastes of their potential customers. The fact is, that these items, along with most everything else, are extremely limited when it comes to personalization.

Above: Wild Oak Drive Residence

The home is really the last place where one can truly be expressive of their personal tastes, and, as we know, the opportunities are somewhat limitless… This is why we take great care to work closely with our clients to help them define what it is they are ultimately looking for, and to develop a design which will best reflect those desires.

Above: Dual interior shot of KDC-01 kitchen and dining room (photo: John MacLean)

During construction, we advocate a hand-crafted approach to building. A personal touch so to speak… We strive for quality and durability in order to ensure the longevity of the work. Time is a major contributor to what makes a house a home. In my opinion, a well-designed, well-crafted home which may be considered to be architecturally significant, is far more likely to be around for a hundred years or more. This is the cornerstone of sustainability.

Above: Images of the Norge airship are from National Geographic, 1928. Meyer was inspired by this image and has incorporated it into his firm’s logo and website.

2. Can you tell us about your firm’s logo? It is the image of the field crew and tether lines from the Norge airship landing and it’s served as an inspirational image for our firm.  The story illustrates the power of creative thinking in overcoming physical obstacles and challenges.  The idea that when people come together to provide ideas for solutions, there is virtually no problem that cannot be solved.

Above: Meyer’s Wild Oak residence on the right (photo: Claudio Santini) is paired with a shot of the Norge.

In a nutshell, the image tells us that when people work together, we can bring big dreams to reality. I found this image when I was working in studio at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and used it throughout my time at school.  Now it has become our company logo, and I often refer to the story.

Above: Wild Oak residence (photo: Claudio Santini) with an aerial shot of the Norge airship.

3. Have you always wanted to be an architect?  To be honest, I have no memory that precedes my wanting to be a builder, or an Architect… To my surprise, when I graduated from college in 1995, my parents presented to me a letter I had written as a child, addressed to Santa Claus. I had politely asked, “Dear Santa, please bring me a crane.” The letter and the request could not have been more prophetic. She had saved the letter, placing the date in the corner. The year was 1973. The fact is, I have always wanted to build things.