Designer Profile: Conrad Asturi Studios takes big risks with modern designs
Conrad Sanchez and Edan Asturi will always take failure over complacency. The designers, owners of a boutique firm that’s a hybrid of their last names (Conrad Asturi Studios) share the mind-set that the biggest regrets stem from not taking a chance.
“Failing means you’re trying,” said Sanchez, a designer with more than three decades of experience and a portfolio teeming with highend construction. “We’re always looking at installing unique finishes and incorporating new designs into our projects.”
And that approach has served them well. They employ a team of about 20 designers and construction workers. They can design threedimensional renderings, negotiate contracts and handle logistics. Sanchez provides the firm’s overarching vision and Asturi contributes designs and coordinates projects.
Their designs are concentrated around Stanislaus County, Wine Country and Pebble Beach. The team recently began a project in Malibu, a market both men were eager to enter.
“There’s a lot of pressure in Malibu because there are so many great designers. Being out there really forces you to step up your game,” Sanchez said. “You’re dealing with the big boys out there, but that’s what makes you better.”
In this chat with SFisHomes, Sanchez and Asturi talk about their influences, their approach and how they avoid becoming complacent. Q: Where’s your favorite place to design? A: (Sanchez) “I love working in Pebble Beach, but there’s not a lot of competition with design-
ers challenging each other out there. Pebble’s wonderful to work in because the views and landscape are amazing. I believe in letting the site dictate the design and Pebble Beach is so beautiful it gives you as a designer lots of options.” Q: What’s a design style that’s used too often? A: (Asturi) “Too much repetition of design styles in concentrated areas. Carmel and Pebble Beach have a lot of homes that don’t capitalize on the land they’re given. It’s architectural styles like Mediterranean repeated over and over again. So what happens is there’s nothing truly definitive about that area’s architecture.
Q: How does Conrad Asturi Studios compete in new markets?
A: (Sanchez) “We’re fortunate to have been around and established long enough that people seek us out. We’re able to be choosy about the jobs we take. We’re also able to interview clients to learn how their principles and expectations align with ours.
Beyond that, we’re good about working with other teams. We typically handle all the project management stuff in-house, but we’ll lean on outside experts when it makes sense. We did a restaurant remodel but focused our efforts on the finishes and dining room design. Another team took care of the kitchen’s layout because they specialize in that very thing.”
(Asturi) “When we’re working in Malibu we’ll team up with firms that handle the local permits and nuances. It’s an area we’re unfamiliar with, and it doesn’t make sense for us to try and do all that ourselves when people already have those lines of communication with the county and planning department all lined up.”
Q: What does 2017 have in store for Conrad Asturi Studios?
A: (Sanchez) “We have lots of projects scattered around. There’s a restaurant renovation in the Camarillo Airport in Ventura County and we’re doing a project in Sonoma for a doctor. There’s also a restaurant in Ripon and a spot at a country club in Turlock.
(Asturi) “There’s also the project in Malibu, which is really exciting. Malibu’s weather really allows us to expand on the indoor-outdoor design concept. We’ve done places in Pebble Beach with floor-to-ceiling NanaWalls that open to the landscape and have had great success, but Malibu’s weather is so much warmer than Pebble that it allows us to do that much more.”
About Conrad Sanchez
Sanchez brings more than 30 year’s experience with residential design. His father, Harvey Sanchez, served as an architect as well. The family connection helped draw Conrad Sanchez to the design world, as did works by
Luis Barragan, Ron Mann, Bernard Maybeck, Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies Van der Rohe.
Father and son worked together on occasion, with impressive results. When they teamed up in Sonoma in 2008, their design made the pages of Architectural Digest. His portfolio teems with homes in Sonoma and Pebble Beach. But he’s not exclusively residential. Sanchez’s contributions to hospitality design include a winery’s tasting room and an Aston Martin showroom.
A student of modern design, Sanchez makes it a mission to keep his creations bright, warm and welcoming.
“Modern design often feels sterile and cold, so I’m always trying to go against that. To show modern can be cozy and comfortable,” he said.
About Edan Asturi
A graduate of UC Berkeley’s architecture program, Asturi brings 15 years’ experience along with a passion for design. He’s particularly interested in how architecture connects to its environment. On top of providing designs, Asturi coordinates logistics with various professionals involved with completing a project.
Like Sanchez, Asturi cherishes their opportunities in Pebble Beach and Wine Country, and the pair expect to build down in Malibu shortly.