By the laws of geography and nuance, no two homes can be the same. Consider coastal residences in New York City (a brownstone in Manhattan’s Upper West Side) and Los Angeles (a bungalow-style home in Long Beach), for example, and it’s obvious that architecture assumes different forms in different locations. Yet with fundamentals such as proportion, space, texture, and light, the nature of that lived experience can seem very similar, no matter a dwelling’s location. It was in this mindset that architect and artist Suchi Reddy of Reddymade felt confident creating bicoastal dwellings with one of her favorite clients.
“I was recommended by a colleague, and from that began designing apartments for him in New York City,” Reddy explains of the origin story with her client of 15 years. Once he relocated to the West Coast for work, he tapped Reddy once more for the job of designing his new Beverly Hills home. Over time, however, he needed to accommodate his growing family. And so, after selling the first LA abode, he bought a new one. Again, the location was Beverly Hills. And again, the designer was Suchi Reddy.
Because the homeowner needed to find something quickly, there wasn’t the luxury of time. “He discovered a good property that was malleable enough to be molded into the perfect home,” Reddy explains. The hope of any client is a noninvasive renovation. But once the project revealed itself, they both realized a good amount of change would be required, both in terms of architecture and interiors. This meant creating a convivial flow throughout the house, tethering many fragmented spaces into a unified whole. What might have overwhelmed a lesser designer was Reddy’s sweet spot.
By education, Reddy is an architect, while in practice she is a designer. These seemingly disparate skillsets are actually where she finds her inspiration. “I’ve never been able to separate the inside [of a home] from the outside,” Reddy explains. “If you really break it down, so much of the interior will depend on where the windows are [located], the size of the windows, and the time of day the sunlight will shine through and hit the walls.” All of this, she explains, plays a pivotal role in how a space must feel, and how the colors, paintings, and furniture must match an ambiance driven by the residence’s exterior features.
The two-year design process, much of it coordinated around the homeowner’s demanding professional schedule, took place during the middle of the pandemic. Yet the fact that Reddy had previously worked so closely with the client on earlier projects meant there was a great deal of good faith built into the relationship. “Right off the bat I knew what he liked and didn’t like, which saved us a lot of time,” Reddy explains. “I always knew my client had a great eye for design, but what impressed me most was the evolution of his taste. Because he travels so much for work, I could see his aesthetics expanding. It made the whole process more than simply enjoyable—it made it engaging.”