Meet Lauren Warner | Architect & Interior Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Warner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I generally had “the dream” of someday working for myself, but it wasn’t until Covid that the idea would come to fruition. My former employer scaled back their practice during the pandemic, and working part time wasn’t sustainable for my family. Coincidentally, I had a friend from grad school who had started his own architecture firm in Baltimore and he was in need of help, so I worked remotely for him here in LA while I hustled to find my own projects. He truly was my life line until I was able to take on enough projects to eventually give up all the extra / part time work (thanks Evan!).

While Covid was the impetus, I did feel ready to start my own practice. I had worked in the interior design industry for a couple high profile hospitality firms for several years before deciding to go back to school for Architecture. Insert 3 years of intense study, highly creative problem solving, and very little sleep… I returned to LA and worked for Montalba Architects in Santa Monica. They mentored me as I pursued licensure (also insert years of intense study, highly creative problem solving, and very little sleep) and I learned so much – my experience there is the foundation of my own practice. Eventually I decided I wanted a more “hands on” experience, so took a leap to work for a very small design build firm. Being out in the field consistently seeing how what I had drawn was translated into reality was another level of education, and after nearly 5 years there, I felt ready to go out on my own.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The timing of this question is funny as I sat down recently with a colleague discussing what “makes me unique” in the field of architects here in LA – because there are quite a few. While I have a design community that has guided and supported me, I am the sole employee of my firm (at least for now :-)). For my clients, this is often a selling point because I know their projects so intimately. I am the one putting together the drawing sets, permitting the projects, designing custom millwork, selecting finishes and fixtures, the liaison with the contractor overseeing construction, etc. If I’m called in the middle of the day being asked a question, I can (almost) always answer it off the cuff because I live with these projects every day. My work now is almost entirely referral based, so I am proud that I’ve had such good client experiences they feel confident in passing along my information.

I am truly invested in my clients’ homes – oftentimes they are years in the making. I always joke my undergrad degree in Psychology comes in handy with client relations, but it really does – there is definitely an emotional connection that forms and I get to “step into their shoes” to make the best home for them. Every project is unique because every client / family is unique. Over the next few months I should be wrapping up a mid-century home in Mount Washington, a storybook home in Los Feliz, and an updated traditional home in Studio City. It’s a very diverse range of work and I enjoyed working on all of them because of the clients.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This could be a novel, so a few of my favorite things:

There are so many options in LA, you can’t really go wrong, but for someone not living here, of course we’d need to see some architecture and the Getty is a must. When I lived on the west side I went habitually. They have such a good range of rotating events, in addition to the changing art exhibits, but mostly I take visitors to just experience the grounds.

Hiking in LA is pretty quintessential LA – so many great vistas / views to see different parts of the City. Pre-kids, my husband and I loved hiking in the Crestwood Hills area of Brentwood. Basically I drooled over every mid-century house there and / or planned their future remodel. Now that my family is in Silver Lake, we try to take advantage of all the great parks in our area as an extension of our backyard. On Sundays, we’ll often go to Griffith (a mere 10 minutes from us) and hike there.

The diversity of venues for live music is probably my favorite thing about LA. An experience at the Hollywood Bowl or the Greek Theatre is mandatory. The Fonda, Wiltern, Masonic Lodge at the Hollywood Forever, too many to name – basically go see someone somewhere and you’ll have a good time.

Then of course also get out of LA for a few days – Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, and Encinitas are a few of my favorite close-ish places to visit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
In addition to my family, who have always been so supportive of all of my endeavors, my good friend and Architect Kwesi Asamoah. We worked together years ago and he also started his own firm. Being a solo practitioner can be tough – you don’t have an office mate sitting next to you to turn and ask a question or feedback from – which is so important in our field. Not a week goes by in which we aren’t in communication – for a critique, code question, or even just as a general sounding board. I truly appreciate having someone that wants to see me succeed as much as I want him to.

Website: https://laurenwarner.com

Instagram: laurenwarner_architect

Image Credits
Charles Scott (portrait) and Charlotte Lea