Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 34 (Cayley) and 36 (Lucia).
Occupation: Architects/designers and founders of Electric Bowery.
Instagram: @electricbowery
Hometown: Toronto (Cayley) and Saratoga, CA (Lucia).
Studio location: Venice, CA.
Describe what you make: We design spaces. As licensed architects, we construct buildings, but we also provide full-service interiors and encourage a holistic approach to residential and boutique hospitality projects.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: Every project is important to us, as we truly give ourselves fully to each client. Currently, we’re most excited about our hotel design work, in Los Angeles and the Hudson Valley, New York.
Describe the problem your work solves: We aim to create tranquil and timeless spaces that feel fresh and current solving the problem of spatial and energetic incongruences. Balancing tradition and novelty creates something completely one-of-a-kind for each client.
Describe the project you are working on now: We’re finishing up the Silver Lake Pool and Inn, which will be complete and open to the public this fall. We provided full-service architecture and interiors for the project, including many custom elements. The hotel was a major gut renovation of a 1980s motel structure, and we’re delighted with how it’s turning out. It’ll be a nexus for the neighborhood, a place for the community to gather and a much-needed hotel for Silver Lake.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: We have a new hotel project starting construction in the Hudson Valley this fall. It’s scheduled for a spring 2021 opening date but that’s as much as we’re permitted to say. That, and that it will be an extraordinary destination, of course!
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Coffee and music during the work day, and wine, cheese, and charcuterie for happy hour. Also, our dogs—Lucia’s dog Crosby is like a big brother to Cayley’s puppy Tuck. Having them in the office keeps everything in perspective—especially when we have a deadline and the anxiety is palpable. A good squeeze of one (or both) of these guys is a pretty quick remedy.
What you do when you’re not working: We both love to cook and try new restaurants. Travel is a passion for both of us. Especially seeking out off-the-beaten-path restaurants in new places. We each have a family tradition of visiting a remote coastal island to totally unwind, but also love exploring boutique hotels as inspiration for our hotel design work.
Sources of creative envy: Luis Barragán, Axel Vervoordt, Mario Bellini, Carlo Scarpa, Apparatus… way too many to list. If envy is a bad thing, we’re rather bad.
The distraction you want to eliminate: Negative clients and bad energy. We’ve gotten to a place where we’re lucky enough to make sure a client is a good fit before embarking on a project together. Working with a great client is a pleasure, but we’ve had a few unpleasant experiences that have taught us how important the relationship is to a good project.
Concrete or marble? Concrete.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.
Remember or forget? Remember.
Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts.
Dark or light? There’s a place for both in life and design.
