Search this site

MILL VALLEY | Master List MAMAHUHU MILL VALLEY MILL VALLEY Mill Valley is the second location we’ve created with the Mamahuhu team. In addition to designing each individual location, we have been working with the talented Mamahuhu team on their spatial brand experience: the storefront vibe, customer and staff feel and flow, front and back of house standards (POS, water and bussing stations, pick up racks) and color and material design standards (brand colors, brand tile, booths, and other repeatable standards). Clement was the first location and carried with it a bit of Mister Jiu’s fine dining vibe (as Brandon Jew is a partner). Upon reflection, the MMHH team recognized that it did not align with their target clientele—a family friendly high-quality fast casual dining experience. Mill Valley captures the team and client feedback received from the original location. In this project, we developed a design that would trend more family friendly while maintaining a sophisticated playfulness. The long narrow space is lined with booths and tables crafted around the design standards we worked together to define(wood bar, maple plywood booths, and playful wall sconces). Working to highlight some of the space’s original charm, Ron champ-inspired windows run through the dining area with on-brand accent colors diffuse warm playful light into the space. Client Mamahuhu BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Megan McGuinn Vishnu Balunsat Size 1,270 SF Contractor Cookline Collaborators MEP Engineering: Acies Art: Casey Gray Brand Styling: Whisk Photography Kristen Loken Back to Projects page Back to top

SAN FRANCISCO | Master List NICO RESTAURANT SAN FRANCISCO Our approach to Nico Restaurant’s new location was akin to the way the Chef approaches food—with an experiential and inviting sophistication, and decidedly not stuffy. Design choices err toward a pared down purity while accomplishing a higher intent. By exposing the original brick walls we returned architectural authenticity to the space, but also embedded the environment with Owners Andrea & Nicolas Delaroque’s belief in letting ingredients speak for themselves. The building’s historical significance was certainly on our mind during design, having been the midcentury home to SF’s legendary Black Cat Café. The Cat was a cultural institution—an early bohemian hangout where patrons packed in to be entertained by drag shows infused with groundbreaking advocacy for the LGBTQ community and civil liberties. We honored this past with subtle references. The main move was to put Chef Nico’s impeccable kitchen on full view through a wide opening framed in wood trim—as if it were a stage and the diners had front row seats. (In this case, patrons are here to witness the reclamation of a Michelin star, lost only due to relocation). Cat-print wallpaper adds a light touch in the restroom. Jewel tones on the painted exterior and base of the marble-topped bar harken to a French brasserie. Patterned concrete tile flooring enlivens the entry and bar area. The ambiance of the dining area is tempered by nicely detailed wood elements, plaster wall surfaces, a leather-backed banquette and upholstered seating. Client Nico Restaurant BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Sarah Fucinaro Size 2,900 SF Contractor ACI General Contractors Collaborators MEP: MHC Engineers Photography Mariko Reed Back to Projects page Back to top

LOS ANGELES | Master List TURTLE ROCK HOUSE LOS ANGELES We share a love for the poetry of architecture and its relationship to natural landscapes with the enthusiastic family of four for whom we designed this ground-up, peace-infused southern California residence. Every room in the house enjoys natural light and ventilation, many of which utilize skylights to mitigate the need for artificial light during the day. An expansive great room acts as a central point of connection and interaction for the family, and provides common access to the personal spaces: an acoustically-isolated music room, a home office with framed vista of the park, a studio space, and the bedrooms and bathrooms. The house is oriented to appreciate the site’s bucolic urban and rural views as well as the bordering park, with the massing and form of its main volume embracing the adjacent greenspace. A lush, native front garden contrasts the smooth, modern façade in texture and color, engaging street life while maintaining privacy. Around the back of the house, ample space for outdoor living is connected to the interior through full height walls of glass doors and windows, framed by the warmth of consistent wood and stucco planes. Client Confidential BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Size 3,000 SF Contractor Mike Mckay Construction Collaborators Structural: Wickstrom Structural Engineering Geotechnical: Mission Geoscience, Inc Soils: Bagahi Engineering Inc. Civil: Incledon Consulting Group Photography Bruce Damonte Studio BBA Back to Projects page Back to top

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO | Master List PARK PADEL SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO A luxe and approachable 6-court Padel club with new locker rooms, retail, court viewing areas and soft seating lounges is currently under construction for Park Padel in South San Francisco. Client Park Padel BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Samantha Buckley Michelle Cruz Size 26,000 SF Contractor Principal Builders Inc Collaborators Structural: Spectrum Engineering Photography Studio BBA Back to Projects page Back to top

SONOMA COUNTY HOUSE Back to Projects page Client BBA Team Size Contractor Collaborators Photography Back to top

Subscribe to the BBA Newsletter Subscribe to the BBA Newsletter Thanks! You'll be getting your first next newsletter soon. Go to Homepage

SAN FRANCISCO TECH COMPANY SAN FRANCISCO When this client came to Studio BBA, they were new and growing — growing fast. Working with the co-founder, we established how their digital presence transcends into physical space and identity. The project grew into a 3-story redesign including new finishes to compliment a host of program: lounges, outdoor terraces, a gym, all-hands and dining area to accommodate catering for the entire office. Through our emergent process, we learned that focused and private work was pivotal to the company’s office culture and created the “Observable Universe” art piece to inspire a “Thinking Garden” as a place for introspection, study, discovery, and delight. The interior landscape program for the office became an obvious manifestation of the Thinking Garden, supported by an abstract and sophisticated nature-inspired palette. Starting during the Covid pandemic, the only thing that was certain was that the company was growing. Lead times quickly began to drive schedule, and the design team had to be nimble in making selections as available products quickly changed. This need to meet schedule fostered a trusting relationship where the Client approved look-and-feel of the various aspects of the office space, and Studio BBA was able to select alternates as needed. We standardized on a phone booth, providing fluidity for staff jumping from room to room, and to ease future purchasing needs. To support confidentiality and the meditative quietness of the open office, the floor plan boasts a nearly 3-to-1 ratio of people to conference rooms and call rooms. Back to Projects page Client Confidential Tech BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Vishnu Balusat Samantha Buckley Size 18,000 SF Contractor GCI General Contractors Collaborators Project Manager: Raise Plantings: AddLife Procurement: MGWest Photography Studio BBA Back to top

SAN ANSELMO HOUSE SAN ANSELMO Our clients (a landscape designer and a video producer) came to us because they love Flora Grubb Gardens. Although it is not a house, they were inspired by the way the architecture and gardens flow together and create a variety of creative and comfortable places within a well ordered and structurally expressed building. The challenge they gave us: transform a tiny, vintage 1940’s ranch house in San Anselmo into a long-term family home that takes advantage of the south facing 2-acre lot with amazing views of Mount Tamalpais. With a young family on a street full of kids, we popped up the entry to create the new double-height volume that welcomes neighbors and helps anchor the house on the steep downslope lot. Inside, we combined small spaces to create an expansive great room with exposed douglas fir beams, hand-hewn wood floors, and a multi-slide pocket door. The airy space opens onto to a cedar deck and enjoys generous southern light and views of oak-studded Marin hills. From the main level skylit hall, a new stair leads to the new lower level (formerly a crawl space) with direct access to the garden. The gardens, patios, and deck flow together as one outdoor living space via paths and stairways. Simple, local materials on the interior include new and reclaimed douglas fir and aged white oak, complemented by board-form concrete retaining walls and darkened steel. Special wood details throughout lend warmth and unique personality throughout, conceived through an enjoyable, collaborative process with the clients, consultants, and contractor. As the house is located within a Wildland Urban Interface area, only non-combustible materials were used on the exterior, and the trees on the site were carefully protected from construction activity. Sustainable systems were integrated inside and out, including radiant heating, a passive cool sink, permeable pavers, bio-swales, bioretention areas, and a green roof. BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Stephanie Griffith Size 2,800 SF; 2 acre lot Contractor Christensen Construction Timberline Builders Collaborators Pope Engineering | Civil Engineer Double D Engineering | Structural Engineer Holly Selvig Landscape Architecture Neila Hutt Interior Design Garden Design by Annabelle Reber (Client) Photography Cesar Rubio Photography Back to Projects page Back to top

THUMBTACK LIBRARY SAN FRANCISCO The Thumbtack Library showcases the relationship of trust fostered between the client and Studio BBA. As a 5x repeat client, we were so excited to collaborate and experiment with Thumbtack as we all tackled the future of workplace in the middle of a pandemic. During the pandemic, Thumbtack made the decision to become an all-virtual company. Instead of traditional offices, they created a plan for four “libraries” across the globe for socializing, gathering and connection. With this directive, we’ve created something entirely new. Libraries are strategically located as a resource to employees globally to allow for connections, community and socializing in-real-life. This partnership resulted in a truly iterative process upheld by the strong ethos of Thumbtack’s Head of People and a committed and supportive Landlord team. Thumbtack is evolving and transforming, and their new space reflects that, meeting them in their commitment to equity. The library is not a one solution fits all. By creating a spectrum of places, the library offers neighborhoods from noisy and extroverted, to quiet and pensive. Spaces support independent laptop work, but also phone booths for private calls, or high-back feet-up lounge chairs for soaking in the view while thinking. Other experiments in the office include providing phone booths large enough to act as offices for acoustic privacy for executives and staff discussing confidential information. Size: Contractor: Collaborator: 20,000 SF MCS ACIES | MEP Magnusson Klemencic Associates | Structural Pear Workplace Solutions | Furniture The Plant People | Plants Tinkering Monkey | Signage + Branding Photography: Victor Goods Client Website: Thumbtack Design Team: Vishnu Balunsat Bonnie Bridges Back to Projects page Back to top

PLAYSTUDIOS SAN FRANCISCO PlayStudios made the decision to move from the Peninsula to downtown, reducing their square footage but doubling-down on a location that put them alongside premier VC firms, and being in an urban center that partners wanted to visit. After the lease was signed, Studio BBA was brought in to refresh the space into something nearly unrecognizable. Walking into this space, fronting fabulous South Park in San Francisco, it would have been perfect as-is if you were seeking an industrial steam-punk office. That vibe did not align with the brand and identity standards of online gaming company PlayStudios—where they emerged as a light and bright brand in hospitality forward Las Vegas. The program and use of each space was inspired by an activity based workplace—the hybrid office allows heads-down focus work to happen at home, and brings the office to an activated social role in their workplace culture. This shift was to help create a magnet rather than mandate to return to office. To make the most of the leased area, Studio BBA helped to convert the very low storage loft into a cozy gaming lounge with low to the floor individual seats arced around the console system, and a nearby round table for board games. We were told a sweet story after the project completed, that a group of the staff get together on Saturdays to use the game table. Pride of place has attracted not just their staff, but friends, family and extended networks. Emphasizing play, Tinkering Monkey and the PlayStudios team brought our vision to life, creating an interactive art installation that makes you pause to play with an analog View-Master toy to view PlayStudios’ original art created by their illustrators. The art installation is just one layer of the detail attended to the accessories. Furniture selections with complimenting pillows, to planters and their plants, lamps, rugs, and a toiletry program to add a level of care to the restroom. Juxtaposing the minimal and bright design of the space, Studio BBA designed a plant program to extend the park on their doorstep in through the folding glass door façade, layering life into the office. Size: Contractor: Collaborator: 2695 SF GCI RDI | Furniture Tinkering Monkey | Art + Signage Photography: Jasper Sanidad Client Website: PlayStudios Design Team: Vishnu Balunsat Bonnie Bridges Back to Projects page Back to top