A great estate is one idea expressed in three disciplines. When the architecture, the interiors and the landscape are designed by people who never sit at the same table, the client pays for the gaps between them.
Beverly Hills Luxury Interiors offers architecture, interior design and landscape architecture, and I am often asked whether a client is better served by one practice or by three. My answer depends on the client, but my bias is clear. On a significant estate, the most beautiful results come when one creative direction holds all three, and specialists work within it.
Where separate teams lose the thread
When architect, interior designer and landscape architect are appointed separately, each produces a good scheme for their own scope. The trouble lies at the boundaries. Windows are positioned for the elevation, not for the furniture plan or the view to the garden. Ceiling heights are set before anyone knows where the chandelier will hang. The terrace stone does not quite meet the drawing-room floor. None of these is a disaster on its own. Together they are the difference between a fine house and an exceptional one.
There is also the matter of decisions. With three consultants, the owner often becomes the referee between them. With one creative lead, those disagreements are resolved before they reach the client.
Designing from the inside out and the outside in
I like to begin with how the family will live: where breakfast is taken, where the children play, where guests are received, where the owner retreats at the end of a long day. Those rooms then shape the plan, and the plan shapes the elevations. At the same time, the site has its own demands. The path of the sun, the best views, the privacy of the neighbours and the approach by car all influence where rooms should sit.
Working both ways at once lets the house and garden become one composition. A long gallery can end on a fountain. A bedroom can wake to morning light through a planted courtyard. A dining room can open onto a terrace whose paving, planting and lighting were designed in the same drawing as its curtains.
What one hand looks like in practice
- A single design narrative and material palette for the whole estate.
- Architecture drawn with the furniture plan, lighting and art placement already known.
- Landscape designed to frame the rooms, with garden lighting and paths considered from inside the house.
- One programme and one point of coordination with the builder.
- Fewer late changes, because the disciplines were resolved together.
When separate appointments make sense
There are good reasons to appoint separately. An owner may already have an architect they trust, or the estate may be a protected historic property with a preservation architect already in place. In those cases I am glad to join the team as interior designer, and the same principle applies: we sit together early, we share drawings often, and the boundaries between our work are drawn deliberately rather than discovered on site.
The questions an owner should ask
If you are planning an estate in Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Holmby Hills or anywhere else, ask any prospective team three things. Who holds the overall creative direction? How will the interiors and landscape influence the architecture before the drawings are fixed? And who coordinates the builder when the disciplines meet on site? The answers will tell you a great deal about the house you will eventually live in.
To discuss a commission in confidence, contact kenneth@bhli.us or call +1 (310) 467-5635.
Frequently Asked
Does Beverly Hills Luxury Interiors provide architecture and landscape design?
Yes. Beverly Hills Luxury Interiors offers architecture, interior design and landscape architecture for luxury estates, under the creative direction of Kenneth Bordewick, and will also join an existing architect's team as interior designer.
Is it better to hire one firm for architecture and interiors?
On a significant estate, one creative direction across architecture, interiors and landscape usually produces a more coherent house, fewer late changes and simpler coordination with the builder. Separate appointments can work well when the disciplines collaborate from the start.
Which areas does BHLI design estates in?
BHLI designs estates in Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Holmby Hills and across Los Angeles, and accepts commissions internationally, including in London, Paris, Monaco and the Gulf.
When should the interior designer join an estate project?
As early as possible, ideally before the architectural plans are fixed, so that furniture layouts, lighting, art and views can influence window positions, ceiling heights and room proportions.