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- ASHBURY HEIGHTS HOUSE | Studio BBA Architects | Studio BBA Architects
SAN FRANCISCO | Master List ASHBURY HEIGHTS HOUSE SAN FRANCISCO This house is our third project for a very special Client. We did her first house when her twins were young, then designed another house when baby 3 arrived. Fast forward ten years, and the twins are in college and baby 3 is about to enter highschool. She asked us to create a 'grown up' bedroom for her with a walk in closet and en-suite bathroom along with an overall refined and more elegant refresh of the entire house. Perched on a hill in Ashbury Heights, the house is flooded with gorgeous daylight, filtered through the surrounding filigreed gardens. The neutral palette of whites and creams extend the lightness; dark teal accents (kitchen cabinets) and a black-stained oak floor anchor the palette to the earth. The main bath is a quiet sanctuary; hand-made vertical tiles and brass accessories provide a rich, pillowy feel for her daily bathing rituals. Client Confidential BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Vishnu Balunsat Samantha Buckley Size 2,030 SF Contractor Alder Construction Collaborators Interiors: Studio BBA and Fix Interiors Photography Studio BBA Back to Projects page Back to top
- TARTINE BERKELEY | Studio BBA Architects | Studio BBA Architects
BERKELEY | Master List TARTINE BERKELEY BERKELEY Tartine Berkeley is in the historic Graduate Hotel, a Spanish Colonial style building from 1928. Over the years, the space has evolved from a floral shop, into a sunroom, and now a feature bakery. Studio BBA was engaged to design Tartine’s fifth Bay Area restaurant while we were constructing The Manufactory LA and designing Tartine Inner Sunset , allowing for the emergent process of design to shape this new space. The building’s story, like all of Studio BBA’s work for Tartine, was a main inspirational driver for the design. There is nothing to “roll out” and no mandates on continuity, only the desire to approach our circumstances with strategy and authenticity. Sunrooms are filled with clay tiles and potted plants, garden furniture and wrought-iron, and beautiful light casts over white-washed structures. Tartine Berkeley’s layout achieves internal function while providing maximum visibility through the existing multi-paned windows. Dialed-in millwork consists of heavy cypress, refined zinc (an incidental carry-over from the utilitarian dining rooms in LA), and custom steel and glass. The café’s lounge seating, detailed with traditional wood paneling and elevated furniture, is only accessible through the hotel’s lobby; the flow between spaces is intentionally disconnected, as the change in floor elevation infringed on accessibility requirements. Studio BBA took this challenge head-on, to create engaging spaces for people of all mobilities and adhere strictly to the ADA (which was born just one block away, on UC Berkeley’s campus). An articulated drink pass was reinstated during construction to provide functionality and visual continuity between the café & lounge. To reinforce the sunroom design elements, the space features custom hanging metal bread racks and precious ceramic planters. The back of house is just as considered – organized and oriented to be washed with light through façade windows and skylights. Client Tartine Bakery BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Anand Sheth Size 1,500 SF Contractor Echo Summit Construction Collaborators MEP: Acies Engineering Lighting: Hiram Banks Lighting Design Kitchen Equipment: Myers Food Service Photography Eric Rorer Photography Back to Projects page Back to top
- PAJARO DUNES HOUSE | Studio BBA Architects | Studio BBA Architects
WATSONVILLE | Master List PAJARO DUNES HOUSE WATSONVILLE We’ve worked closely with this client over a number of years to create and implement a thoughtful, site-specific design vision for rejuvenating this coastal vacation property, where their extended family congregates. Built right on the sand, this 3-story mid-century house was originally designed by Walter Thomas Brooks—with a futurist upside-down pyramid conceived of as a spaceship landing in the dunes. Its unconventional form, simple materials and proximity to the ocean left the structure a victim of erosion, corrosion and water drainage issues. We began with a big picture, phased master plan to address the conservation and preservation issues in tandem with renovations, and a design strategy that always considers the Brooks’ iconic detailing, the era and the beach atmosphere (both physically and conceptually). Durability is also an integral criteria—to weather the elements, as well as active family use and large gatherings. The new material palette references the surrounding landscape with a base of earthy tones and pops of vibrant colors—in lava stone, mahogany, bronze, copper, integral color plaster. We introduced a custom brown-gray color on the exterior to offset the bright beach environment and new landscaping; identified by observing the variety of hues and surfaces on site throughout the year. Inside we developed the design room by room—embracing the charm and history of existing elements, and using the perspective of time to ensure the right blend of lasting solutions. Kitchen cabinet doors were rebuilt in place using a custom distressed stainless steel panel, mahogany rails and new hardware. The custom blackened steel, LED fixture was designed to relate to the ceiling’s existing beam pattern. The interiors scope included custom window treatments, pillows, linens, rug and upholstery. On the lower level we renovated the bathroom with a door to the outside, where the sunken patio with new outdoor shower greets the family’s return from the beach; discreetly screened by a custom mahogany gate with louvers. Continual hand-troweled wall plaster runs from the outside in, enhancing the connection. A wall garden of stainless steel and felt is soon to be installed—made in BBA’s Cedar Alley workshop—as well as new planter boxes we designed to reference an original, unbuilt design by Brooks. Client Confidential BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Seth Boor Size 2,500 SF Contractor Steve Munson Hagen Colbert, Inc. Collaborators Interiors GC: Nick Sandman Construction Photography Studio BBA Back to Projects page Back to top
- BERNAL HEIGHTS HOUSE | Studio BBA Architects | Studio BBA Architects
SAN FRANCISCO | Master List BERNAL HEIGHTS HOUSE SAN FRANCISCO Form and function exist hand-in-hand in this joy-filled modern home. An intricately detailed dwelling for a tight-knit family of four, the Bernal Heights House boasts inspired finishes, strategic placemaking and conceptually rich accents throughout. An homage to the dad’s family home in Australia, designed by his architect-father, Studio BBA conceived of a “rescue house.” “Memories of the outside world will never have the same tonality as those of home and, by recalling these memories, we add to our store of dreams; we are never real historians , but always near poets , and our emotion is perhaps nothing but an expression of a poetry that was lost.” -Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space An all-too-true San Francisco story applies here; after searching for years for a new home, the family finally settled on one in terrible shape and with few resources left for a renovation. Through a strategic design exercise, Studio BBA assisted the family in a new design approach, circumventing the Planning Department by staying within the building’s envelope and expanding down. Coupled with the necessary foundation upgrade, the new lower level added minimal work for maximum opportunities. The program is split between three floors: a lower floor for parents, a middle floor for the family, and an attic floor for the kids. The levels are tied together and enveloped in wood: a douglas fir slatted ceiling above and a white oak hardwood floor below. The wood detailing visually extends as an outdoor canopy, integrating the outdoor bathing and lounging space adjacent to the master suite. Studio BBA took advantage of every nook to achieve function and beauty. The Welcome Niche at the top of the stairs provides a place for everyday objects, serving platters, and family games. Open wood shelves display Australian heirlooms and family artworks. Efficiently planned kitchens and baths host colorful tile and new daylight via two added skylights and large sliding doors. Added space even allowed for an upright piano in the dining room. Like all BBA projects, sustainability is inherent to the design and integrated into every design detail; this house is solar powered and offers radiant heating on two floors, leaving the attic uncontrolled because the building envelope is tightened and heat naturally rises. Our design work continues with a new garden project and mural in the stairwell. Client Confidential BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Megan McGuinn Size 1,890 SF Contractor Elliot Build Remodel Collaborators Semco Engineering Photography Brian McCloud Photography Back to Projects page Back to top
- FOUNDER'S INC. EXPANSION | Studio BBA Architects | Studio BBA Architects
San Francisco, CA | Master List FOUNDER'S INC. EXPANSION San Francisco, CA When our repeat client Founders, Inc. (F.inc) needed to expand their Fort Mason campus, they came back to us with a familiar challenge: create a space that serves the full spectrum of a founder's day. F.inc backs the next generation of entrepreneurs building in AI/ML, hardware, AR/VR, Web3, and emerging tech—and their growing community needed a space that could flex from daily communal lunches to hackathons, lectures, and focused heads-down work. The expansion begins with an immersive entry hall washed in deep teal—a deliberate threshold that signals you're stepping into something different. The intrigue of the darkness draws you in before the space opens up to the vaulted ceilings and delicate historic touches mirrored in their original space. You move into a tone-on-tone color-drenched coffee bar with custom millwork counters, cypress island, and blue-stained cabinets—the social engine of the campus. This is where founders refill their espresso, linger, and find the kind of pause that leads to conversation, collaboration, and ideation. For large lectures and events, this space flexes into a host station and check-in, acting as a final threshold before entering the multi-purpose great room beyond. The multi-purpose room opens bright and expansive, complemented by the dramatic vaulted ceilings and Golden Gate Bridge views—a flexible canvas built for collective learning and the energy of community. Redundant stage lighting is provided for 3 different stage locations on overhead tracks allows the space to shift from everyday work mode to full presentation setup. A large storage room allows the team to swap furniture seamlessly, transforming the space from lunch hall to lecture seating to a hackathon setup. Strategic furniture placement creates distinct zones within the open floor plan: lounge areas offer places to sit with a friend, share work on a laptop, or step back and let an idea breathe. A custom wall-mounted desk runs continuously along the west wall, supporting focused work with those sweeping Bay views. Unistrut is hung as an armature for drapes, backdrops, and screens to subdivide the space when needed, providing acoustic privacy without compromising the airy feel. This room is designed for the kind of human connection that pushes ideas further. The break room gives founders a place to grab lunch or a snack without breaking flow, but also flexes into a catering kitchen behind closed doors for passed appetizers to intimate dinners. A private office provides a quieter setting for focused work or meetings that need a door. The green room—connected to the great room through a large repurposed glass storefront window and door from F.inc's adjacent space—serves as a retreat for guest speakers before they step on stage. The Green Room is also fitted out with acoustic treatment so it can also be a backdrop for podcast recordings with the energy of the great room visible just beyond the glass. Working inside the National Historic Landmark of Fort Mason again, we used the same delicate touch with design insertions to respect the historic building. Just as in Phase 1, we worked closely with F.inc to establish a program that anticipates the incubator's needs while future-proofing the space—ensuring it feels great for 2 or 100+ people. Studio BBA has deep experience designing workplaces for AI startups and emerging tech companies, where flexibility, collaboration, and momentum are non-negotiable. This expansion brings all of those priorities together in a space that supports founders at every stage—from early prototyping to scaling, from individual focus to community celebration, continuing the mission we began in their original Fort Mason campus. Client Founder's Inc. BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Samantha Buckley Elle Edeker Size 5,200 SF Contractor CCI General Contractor Collaborators Soo Emens - POD Office Photography Suzanna Scott Back to Projects page Back to top
- DROPBOX HQ | Studio BBA Architects | Studio BBA Architects
SAN FRANCISCO | Master List DROPBOX HQ SAN FRANCISCO Our design for this young company’s new 70,000 sq. ft. China Basin headquarters provides flexibility for their fast-growing business, while introducing innovative approaches to urban workplace density. If cubicles are the suburbs then our approach to Dropbox HQ is downtown, with their core product as the design inspiration. The company’s new workspace a simple, well-executed container that maximizes functionality and allows for customization without compromising honest aesthetics. Our design reiterates our belief that all spaces – particularly the all-too-often neglected office – deserve real materials and attentive, appropriately-scaled interventions. The primary challenge of this design was to continue the charged and collaborative newsroom feel of the company’s former open office space, while planning for projected growth that could more than quadruple staff. Wrapping the existing building core, a nearly 1,600 ft. continuous circulation loop provides daylight and views to the entire office. The open space plan is organized to be approachable but intensively active and vibrant. Team groupings of open workstations and centralized social spaces line the glazed perimeter, interspersed with shared work rooms, interview and meeting spaces, and informal lounges. The scale and placement of the work groups provides team unity and isolated acoustics, while still maintaining views to neighboring groups to achieve the company’s desire that everyone maintain a connection to overall density. Specific auxiliary spaces include: phone, break, game, music, server, gym, kitchen, and dining. Client Dropbox BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Seth Boor Sarah Fucinaro Size 70,000 SF Contractor Skyline Construction Collaborators Interiors: Geremia Design Photography Bruce Damonte Studio BBA Back to Projects page Back to top
- THUMBTACK UTAH | Studio BBA Architects | Studio BBA Architects
UTAH | Master List THUMBTACK UTAH UTAH We continue to help Thumbtack grow with the design of their Customer Support team center—a longstanding relationship that began in 2012 with full services for their bustling SF HQ. For the Utah center, they selected space in a new, streamlined building and challenged us to come up with a rigorously efficient yet playful approach that would evolve their brand, culture and style in a site-specific an distinct way. Draper is at the edge of Salt Lake’s flat, orthogonal valley in the foothills of the impressive Wasatch mountains, which soar suddenly and majestically up from the basin. This dramatic landscape provided a muse for our design of their inspiring workplace, which we creatively interpreted in the office plan via an undulating core. Surrounding this core, the open office area offers a clear logic between social and introverted functions, and curates sightlines to the beautiful setting. The interiors feature an energetic color scheme and residential-inspired furnishings. Client Thumbtack BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Sarah Fucinaro Anand Sheth Size 45,000 SF Contractor Layton Construction Collaborators Architect of Record: Method Studio Photography Nicholas Swan Back to Projects page Back to top
- BRUCATO AMARO | Studio BBA Architects | Studio BBA Architects
SAN FRANCISCO | Master List BRUCATO AMARO SAN FRANCISCO On a busy street in SF, Brucato Amaro Distillery and Restaurant was inspired by the vibrant history and diverse agriculture of California and the Italian heritage of amaro. The restaurant, bar and distillery are made of many moments including a rootbeer colored tiled plinth in the dining room. The tasting room exudes a Nor-Cali Italian vibe through hues of greens, chartreuse, rootbeer and pinky oranges (check out the woo in the loo!) that complement the bounty and creativity of California ingredients. “In today's world [so] many experiences take place virtually. It is increasingly difficult to find what is true and honest. [With Bar Brucato], we wanted to have a real place where guests can physically see, touch, smell, and taste what we are making.” - Sierra Clark, Co-Founder One of our mantras at Studio BBA is that the Back of the House is as important as the Front of the House. This is exemplified in this SF Distillery, Tasting Room and Bar/Restaurant. The restaurant entry and shipping/receiving are side by side, such that guests are immersed in the hubbub a working distillery - not just a pretty place to eat and drink. On sunny weekends, the loading yard is converted into outdoor seating so guests can see the stills from their table. We worked closely with the Clients to bring this tricky project to fruition. The hospitality program includes Distillery Tours, Family Style dining at the Tasting Table, Private Dining and Distilling classes in the Lab and the Main Dining room and Bar. Press: 7x7 , Chronicle , Infatuation , Eater Client Brucato Amaro BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Samantha Buckley Size 6,930 SF Contractor CCI Collaborators MEP: ACIES Lighting Design: Banks Landl Project Management: Canopy Photography Studio BBA Molly DeCoudreaux David Dines Back to Projects page Back to top
- NATIVE SF | Studio BBA Architects | Studio BBA Architects
SAN FRANCISCO | Master List NATIVE SF SAN FRANCISCO Studio BBA worked with the San Francisco based brand Native to experiment and trial new ways to organize their ever growing organization within their existing space. We provided schematic plans, elevations, and furniture proposals on how they can warm up their workspace while capturing the brand and team's ethos. Our first priority was a new layout that moved existing workstations towards the windows, and creating parity with consistent short rows of workstations. We created a warm complimentary palette inspired by their ever growing portfolio of scents to make it more comfortable and to organize the space—Native blue for quiet focus areas, warm hues for activated collaboration areas. Client Native BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Samantha Buckley Michelle Cruz Size 6,500 SF Contractor Collaborators Photography Back to Projects page Back to top
- LITTLE GEM ON UNION | Studio BBA Architects | Studio BBA Architects
UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO | Master List LITTLE GEM ON UNION UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO Building on the success of their flagship on Grove Street, Little Gem came back to Studio BBA to design their second location on Union Street. Unlike a formulaic roll out, we guided the owners and chefs through a new process that allows for authentic character in Cow Hollow to emerge while staying true to the core design values we developed in Hayes Valley. The design goal was to transform the former burger restaurant from a dark cave to a light-filled, comfortable places that reflects Little Gem’s core values: natural, reliable, comfortable, with a focus on quality ingredients. Immediately we began to carve out opportunities for light and life to flood into the space; riffing off the iconic green plaster “volume” in Hayes Valley, we located an anchoring full-height tile wall, washed with daylight, between the main bar and the rear dining room. This separation allows for intimidate dining in a fast-casual setting, and artfully obscures a required structural element in the building. This powerful gesture inferred the spatial program: an efficient kitchen with a variety of welcoming dining experiences. The front dining room is bustling and active, with custom furniture and a wall sculpture made by the chef himself! The bar is refined, offering an elegant moment to engage with a bartender across marble and doug fir. The rear dining room is reserved for conversations, bookended by light-washed tile, a custom banquette with the perfect lumbar cushion in leather. The collaborative process is featured through custom art and steel plant shelves. It’s a gem of a restaurant, focusing on the pleasures of dining and the use of quality, local materials – a direct reflection of Little Gem’s ethos. Client Little Gem BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Megan McGuinn Size 3,000 SF Contractor Upcycle Builders Collaborators MEP: MHC Engineers KEC: Trimark / Design West Partnership Photography Eric Rorer Photography Back to Projects page Back to top










