British architect Gavin Brodins trademark is designing luxury with ease, where he connects lifestyle with architecture and interiorsall with an insane amount of attention to detail, and a clever use of natural materials.
Mr. Brodin is the founder of Brodin Design Build, a luxury residential and commercial property developer based in Los Angeles. Most recently, he and his team have completed the penthouses at the Four Seasons Private Residences Nashville, which are glass units on the top floors of the new development. (The top, 40th-floor residence breaks a Nashville record, on the market for $25 million.)
Some of his most notable works include private yachts, jets, urban apartments, and designing for celebrity clientele that include Rod Stewart, Sylvester Stallone and Kate Beckinsale.
More: There Are Merits to Collaborative Rather Than Ego-Driven Architecture, Industry Veteran Says
Among his most ambitious portfolio projects are the $15 million Spelling Manor in Beverly Hills and the historic Palace Green mansion with 55 rooms on Kensington Palace Gardens in London, which he calls one of my most memorable projects to date.
Mansion Global caught up with Brodin, 50, about the power of lighting designers and the dangers of Pinterest.
Mansion Global: What was your approach for thepenthouses at the Four Seasons in Nashville?
Gavin Brodin: As a designer, Im always looking for projects that inspire and challenge me. This project allowed my team and I to tap into the traditional aesthetic of the Four Seasons, but with a modern, sleek design that would fit with the glass-encased penthouses they have on the Nashville skyline.
More: The Future of Furniture is Curvy, Says Furnishings and Home Staging CEO
MG: Where do you feel luxury design is headed?
BG: We feel things are going toward lighter tones, simple designs, and natural materials that would stand the test of time, to keep it classic without overdoing the design. The Four Seasons is classic, but its more of an open, modern penthouse feel. People are not going for modern drywall boxes. A lot of people are asking for a similar design aesthetic, which is classic with modern elements. They bring in the color with the artwork, pillows, throws and flowers, but they keep the bones of the home very clean and transitional in its tones and style.
MG: What has been the biggest change in luxury design, in your eyes?
GB: Design has changed over the past few years. Before, we would meet a client and show the boards and samples. Now, everyone has a Pinterest board, its unbelievable how involved clients get showing you what they want. Ive done this for almost 30 years, Ive never seen anything like it.
MG: Is it overwhelming? You must add your own personal design trademark?
GB: Yes. They say: Id like this for the dining room, but this for the bedroom, completely different styles, but we add a flow throughout the house. We give it our vibe throughout the house, and they love the outcome.
More: Buyers Flocked to Florida for a New Lifestyle Amid Pandemic, Says Brokerage Owner
MG: Are people changing their design plans/layouts because of the pandemic?
GB: Somewhat, yes. They are trying to have multipurpose rooms. They want to maximize rooms, declutter and use every inch of every drawer, well-thought out. If youre in a room, you can conceal power and USB cables in the leg supports of tables for work from home desks. People want good design, but everything seamlessly hides away. Thats what were seeing now. People want everything away from their kids, they dont want cords on the tabletops. Organization is a massive priority.
MG: Whats your personal definition of luxury?
GB: For me, luxury goes far beyond high-quality craftsmanship. Its really focused on the high level of detail of how the function of the home is tailored to the client. The amount of detail that goes into every area is part of luxury design. Its a thought process, a use of the house. True luxury is considering how they live and move within a home, with flow and ease. That is true luxury for our clientele.
MG: Have you seen people asking for larger homes since the pandemic?
GB: No, its smaller homes with bigger outside space. People have gone less. We used to have clients coming in asking for 30,000 square feet and above, now theyre asking for 15,000 square feet. That was surprising. They were looking for smaller homes, bigger outdoor living, especially in California.
MG: Are you working in areas you havent worked before as luxury buyers moved over the past year and a half?
GB: We have an ongoing clientele. We do their homes every time they move. A lot of people moved to Nashville and Austin [in Texas] when the pandemic hit, which was super random.
MG: Who has been influential in shaping your design philosophy?
GB: The Canadian designer Ferris Rafauli, who is really into detail. Ive done a lot of lofts, we dont have a typical design aesthetic, we go from traditional to super raw.
More: Off-Plan Condo Buyers Are Demanding a More Bespoke Experience, Designer Says
MG: Whats luxurious about your own home?
GB: I just bought 5 acres of land on Mulholland Drive during the pandemic; I wanted this amazing piece of land. Im going through my own designs right now of what I want. Its going to be the no separation of indoor and outdoor. I like that natural raw look, a home right by a natural rock by the hillside. There are tons of bobcats and deer in the area. Im donating half my land back to Santa Monica Conservancy so the animals can walk around freely.
MG: Whats the secret finishing touch of designing a fantastic home?
GB: Working with a good lighting designer is so beyond key, I cant even tell you. Most people dont understand the importance of a lighting designer. Its the way they cast shadows. Most lighting designers get hired after the house has been built. It doesnt make sense. They need to know every finish, every wall, where every coffee table is going to go, where mirrors and reflections are. Lighting design is built around that. It makes a huge difference.
Click to Read More Luxury Real Estate Professionals Share Their Insights
See the rest here:
Good Lighting Design Makes All the Difference, Says L.A.-Based Architect - Mansion Global
- Donald Judds Everlasting Influence - Curbed - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Architectural Billings See Continued Decline, Marking 19th Straight Month. - ARCHITECT Magazine - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Personal SpaceStep Inside the Homes of Eight Top Dallas Architects - D Magazine - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Architects tell board to make decisions - The Daily Standard - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Law Roach, the Architect of Zendayas Red-Carpet Style - The New Yorker - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- What made this project the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering by HLM Architects - Building Design - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- With Major New Awards, RKTB Spreads National Message of Attainable Housing for All in Era of Unmet Need - Archinect - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- National Academy of Design names architects to its 2024 list of Academicians - The Architect's Newspaper - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Fox's chief political anchor interviewed the architect of Project 2025. Here are some of the details he failed to mention. - Media Matters for America - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Landscape Architects Rise to the Challenge of Coastal Flooding - ArchDaily - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Studio Gang unites five disciplines at the University of Kentuckys new Gray Design Building - The Architect's Newspaper - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- The architect of the Bison football dynasty - INFORUM - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- A star architect reflects on his visions for San Francisco that never got built - San Francisco Chronicle - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Architects build self-sufficient Smi community hub to withstand extreme conditions north of Arctic Circle here's how - The Cool Down - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- An open letter to the board of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation - The Architect's Newspaper - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Girlroom by Samiha Room elevates the spatial politics of girlhood - The Architect's Newspaper - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Gallery of Landscape Architects Rise to the Challenge of Coastal Flooding - 1 - ArchDaily - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- RIBA's Affordable Housing and Adaptive Reuse Shortlists - World-Architects - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Sean Godsells advice to the next generation of designers and architects - Architecture AU - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- MWAA seeks architect for redevelopment of DCA's Terminal 1 - The Business Journals - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- 'Remarkable honor': Ketchum architect recognized for use of sustainable materials - Idaho Mountain Express and Guide - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio: Everything You Need to Know About the Architect's First Home - Architectural Digest - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Sandpoint Downtown and Waterfront Revitalization in Idaho - e-architect - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Neuroscientists and architects are using this enormous laboratory to make buildings better - MIT Technology Review - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Exploring the East Village via the Swiss Institute - World-Architects - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Gallery of MAD Architects Metallic Tornado Is Taking Shape Above Rotterdams Museum of Migration - 1 - ArchDaily - September 20th, 2024 [September 20th, 2024]
- Designs of TenBerke and Mahlum Architects-led University of Washington residence hall project unveiled - Archinect - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Koichi Takada Architects' Upper House is a top-to-bottom display of craft and creative inspiration - Archinect - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- The Pandemic Is History, but for Architects, Its Impact on Office Design Remains - Archinect - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- TenBerke and Mahlum Architects reveal University of Washingtons Haggett Hall - The Architect's Newspaper - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- PEI Architects adds a new geometric gateway to the Shanghai Free Trade Zone - Archinect - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- The Longevity & Legacy of the 'Vanilla Architect': How a Monoculture Yields Cycles of Unconscious Bias, Tokenism, and System Justification -... - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Meet the Judges Behind ARCHITECTs 2024 Progressive Architecture Awards - ARCHITECT Magazine - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- 16 Connecticut Interior Designers, Architects, and Landscape Pros to Know From the AD PRO Directory - Architectural Digest - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- The next generation of architects building the new Nashville | - WPLN - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- 2024 Women in Construction Maria Welch Bray Architects - Daily Reporter - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Inside the world's biggest football stadium: Architects working on the new Old Trafford reveal plans for 115,000-capacity venue in Morocco in bid to... - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- House of Cluster / YD Architects - ArchDaily - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Look Inside These Award-Winning Architecture Projects In DC - Washingtonian - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Expert architects transform 80-year-old bungalow into remarkable passive home: 'It's as green as green building gets' - Yahoo! Voices - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Dezeen Agenda features Zaha Hadid Architects' Central Bank of Iraq - Dezeen - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- JLand & Zaha Hadid Architects to Build Discovery City in Malaysia - Archilovers.com - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Interactive OKO Story and Animation Centre in Poland - e-architect - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Belgian architect Marie-Jos Van Hee is named the 15th Alvar Aalto Medal winner - Archinect - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Photos reveal Zaha Hadid Architects' Central Bank of Iraq nearing completion in Baghdad - Dezeen - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Traditional Windmill Restoration in Kherson, Ukraine - e-architect - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- PNC Arena architects offer first look at how $300 million renovation could refresh arena - Raleigh News & Observer - August 4th, 2024 [August 4th, 2024]
- After 2 architects wouldnt bend to Syracuse Universitys will, SU targeted their employers - syracuse.com - August 4th, 2024 [August 4th, 2024]
- New Mogavero Architects President Renner Johnston brings philosophy background to role - The Business Journals - August 4th, 2024 [August 4th, 2024]
- GrooveCraft // A DJ Camp for Sonic Architects (ages 11-14) - Portland Art Museum - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- Field Arts & Events Hall / LMN Architects - ArchDaily - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- Finnish Museum of History and Future Selects Sigge Architects' Design as Competition Winner - ArchDaily - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- Ceramics of Italy Holds Contest for Architects to Win Trip to Cersaie - Floor Focus - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- Architects design self-sustaining home in mountains with remarkable features: 'The retreat offers a new model' - The Cool Down - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- The 2024 Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers Presents the Winners in Online Exhibition - ArchDaily - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- Architect builds net-zero home with remarkable 'skin' that saves energy: 'Creating an extremely efficient, airtight envelope' - The Cool Down - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- Architects announced for $42M Boise Airport project - KTVB.com - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- 9 Unbuilt Zaha Hadid Buildings That Celebrate Her Bold Vision - Architectural Digest - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- Architects organize first-ever 'Spruce Up' event for Juneteenth, connecting with East Knoxville community - WBIR.com - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- Architects behind world's tallest building unveil gravity-based technology that transforms skyscrapers into batteries ... - Yahoo! Voices - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- swiss pavilion to welcome visitors inside spheres engulfed by plants at expo 2025 osaka - Designboom - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- Architects construct home with world's first concrete capable of absorbing air pollution: 'The design transpires into ... - The Cool Down - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- Auditors Office Arrests Landscape Architect Accused of Fraud - Vicksburg Daily News - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- Museum of History and the Future, Turku, Finland - e-architect - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- Architect: Whose Title Is It Anyway? | Features - Archinect - June 24th, 2024 [June 24th, 2024]
- Termites are nature's architects, building well-ventilated nests - Earth.com - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- County okays agreement with architect for renovation county office building - WspyNews - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- hiroyuki ito architects' tenjincho place is a curving slice of nature in tokyo - Designboom - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- New University of Mississippi Architect Contributes to 1000 Projects and Counting The Local Voice - The Local Voice - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Similar, but not the same: How qualifying as an architect differs between the US and UK - Building Design - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Charles E. Dagit Jr., award-winning architect, civic leader, and champion sailor, has died at 80 - The Philadelphia Inquirer - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Renowned architect to visit Stuckeman to juror student design competition - Penn State University - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Trial begins for man accused of throwing Des Moines architect over a railing to his death in 2016 - KCCI Des Moines - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- 'It will be breathtaking,' Notre Dame's chief architect says; iconic cathedral reopens Dec. 8 - Detroit Catholic - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- The reflection of a city in motion. West Bund Orbit by Wutopia Lab | The Strength of Architecture | From 1998 - Metalocus - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- The best new metal songs this week: April 12 2024 - Louder - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Architecture and the Right to Housing - Canadian Architect - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Architect Tipton Housewright Says Too Much Parking is 'Bad Urban Design' - CandysDirt.com - CandysDirt.com - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Why architects sorely need a new approach to resourcing projects - Architect's Journal - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- former textile workshop transforms into modern machiya residence in kyoto - Designboom - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]