Architect Breaks Down 5 of the Most Common Los Angeles Homes | Architectural Digest

Valery Augustin has been an architect in Los Angeles for over 20 years; today on AD he lends his expertise in breaking down the most common housing structures in the City of Angels. From eclectic beach houses, and classic mission revival to the cozy California bungalow, learn how these properties came to be so popular.
Director: Hiatt Woods
Producer: Skylar Economy
Associate Producer: Landrie Hatcher
On Set Associate Producer: Josh Crowe
Director of Photography: Grant Bell
Audio: Will Miller
Camera Operator: Lucas Villicich
Production AssistantL Fernando Barajas
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[@uncledmsr]

MORE Valery Augustin please…excellently thorough and affable expertise

[@meepmeep7811]

wholeheartedly agree!

[@paillette2010]

Yes!!!

[@NextToToddliness]

Just thought the same thing!

[@DavidMartinez-yi8mx]

I agree I was able to watch the whole thing without getting bored, very informative

[@RachelAnn]

Agreed! He's fantastically knowledgeable.

[@andie3614]

Thanks Valery Augustin for busting the myth that LA has no defining residential architecture - I grew up in Silverlake in the 80s and I thought it was a paradise of elegant and people-centric homes, but most people I encounter in the rest of the world think LA is made of movie sets and Malibu. Loved the video, please do more!

[@Iriseyes]

Silverlake is so wonderful! But sadly gentrified and unaffordable for all but the very wealthy…

[@Q_QQ_Q]

la is a big movie set

[@rakeldanell]

Never heard that myth...😊

[@Serai3]

@@Iriseyes The gentrification of Silverlake started decades ago. It was originally mostly Latino residents. Every wave of gentrifiers moves in and changes it more, and then they whine that it's getting "gentrified and unaffordable" when the _next_ wave come in. But they've all been interlopers. I've watched it happening since the 60's, and rolled my eyes at every group of _gringos_ who made the place whiter and whiter, and then mope about how "awful" it was getting.

[@Serai3]

@@Q_QQ_Q Well, since you've never been here, you're just trolling.

[@Priyanka77574]

Love the bungalow court apartments! Sense of community is so important nowadays especially with the advent of the internet and people feeling disconnected as a result.

[@fboness368]

Agreed. Bungalow court apartments grant a measure of community and dignity that Dingbats just don't. And they celebrate the indoor/outdoor lifestyle that SoCal was famous for.

[@sarahjames9456]

Love this guy. AD please do a part 2 of Los Angeles style architecture. There is so much more.

[@1anonymousb]

Mid-century modern comes to mind. That and various styles of apartment building, 70s - 80s houses, etc.

[@entropy8000]

Yesss theres so many more- love it

[@lnhancock3]

Tudors + Boat houses too!

[@aaroncastellanos3421]

And victorian cottages! I live in a queen anne by DTLA, so there's lots of victorians in my neighborhood

[@walterswu]

Can you do a similar video on the Eichlers of the Northern California?

[@Davaldod]

Fantastic, efficient presentation. Augustin has a terrific way of making it clear. Thorough but not so long as to get bogged down in too much information.

[@nerd26373]

This breakdown is informative. Being an architect is no easy job. They're all detail-oriented, as far as I know.

[@BwInNewJersey]

Very perceptive.

[@MrEspaldapalabras]

Which is why they keep missing the big picture.

[@truefalse934]

Plus, they need to learn a lot about history too!

[@Grime_time]

Love bungalow court apartments! Every time I walk by one I can’t help but stop and smile. Something about them just feels so warm and inviting.

[@JacqueCRISCOsd]

Always reminds me of the Big Lebowski apartment.

[@thetruthhurts9220]

As a delivery driver, I don’t! These are the worst to deliver to! Lol

[@sableann4255]

Mission revival is my favorite! I loved my Grandmas little Stucco, Spanish tiled house in LA

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

yes! surprised stucco wasnt mentioned

[@jaime_lee_g]

One of the things I love about Long Beach, you can drive around a small area and see every one of these styles. It's such a great tribute to larger LA, while having it's own city vibe.

[@dansaadati3969]

i love long beach as well! an architectural gem of a city!

[@miglangell]

Eww long beach

[@bruintoo]

Ghetto by the sea! LOL. We're in the Cliff May Ranchos.

[@drtydsh]

​@@bruintoo you clearly got the bad end of the stick when living in long beach

[@bigcockedman714]

@@bruintoo not in belmont shores

[@user-ck9lk6zm3h]

MORE Valery Augustin please…excellently thorough and affable expertise. Informative,short,sweet and just plain educational.I want more.Thank you very much..

[@sunnyside9273]

I'd really like to hear him go through all the experimental phases of LA architecture. The mid century movement, Eichlers, Case study homes, Googie etc. LA is the land of great experimentation by many great architects.

[@adatewithkate]

I've never even been to LA, but I loved every minute of this.

[@Whogaveyouthemic]

I've always been a fan of the Mission Revival style of homes since I was a kid. It's just charming.

[@ltwtbaybeh3406]

I love this! I’m a firefighter in LA, so I have the pleasure of checking out different types of structures. It’s nice learning some of the history surrounding these buildings.

[@susanmurphy958]

My favorite is a Craftsman style house a.k.a. Bungalow. Pasadena is loaded with those beautiful houses. As well as bungalow courts, which sadly are being destroyed by real estate developers.

[@MothGirl007]

Craftsman houses are my favorite too.

[@susanmurphy958]

@@MothGirl007 That's because you are Awesome. 😎😎😎

[@leiajiang7877]

living in Socal i rarely seen these until moving to the more LA area. pretty cool

[@ColtraneAndRain]

I grew up in Pasadena and I always adored the Craftsman style! I also love Mission style. So many memories of childhood and teen years. Pasadena is almost unrecognizable to me now 😢

[@beyondgirl178]

Dark wooded craftsman houses have my heart.

[@Jaxxv01]

I live near a TON of bungalow courts. I wish there were more. It's insane to me that you can't build 4 little cottages on a lot but a huge luxury apt structure towering over all other small homes is fine...

[@mazjohansson9250]

The way he aligned the papers precisely 🤩🎉😅🫶

[@dublakhan6121]

This dude is fantastic ! Great presentation, great voice, down to earth. and KNOWS and LOVES what he's talking about. More teachers of architecture should be like Valery Augustin.

[@pupduffy8536]

His voice is so soothing, I could listen to it all day.

[@KikiIsBusy]

I lived in a bungalow court apartment in college and I loved it so much! Sad to hear they are endangered now.

[@dorothylazard4797]

Sad to see all the bungalow court apartments go. Many in the Bay Area were torn down for more high density apartment buildings with less character. They could provide affordable housing and community. The California bungalow, with its deep porches, are my absolute favorite California housing style.

[@HerAeolianHarp]

They are truly hard to find. I saw one on Central Avenue in Alameda.

[@jessicaliflower]

There are a few near Oakland Ave

[@pollytiks3885]

Lived in a Spanish style bungalow court apartment during college. Beautiful rose-filled courtyard, you could hear the fog horns at night (Long Beach). Sad to know they’re being torn down.

[@thedylangirl]

I live in NorCal foothills and I’m grateful there are still bungalows in my neighborhood. They’re so cool!

[@SK-fy8dl]

We need to upzone single family zoning so mcmansions can be torn down to build small homes with shared courtyards. More small houses, less mansions.

[@verdugoroadtech]

Informative,short,sweet and just plain educational.I want more.Thank you very much.

[@aliserobles8464]

My favorite professor!!! I'm so glad to see his passion for architecture shared with the AD community. More, please!!!

[@The_slowest_buuurn]

I don't live in the LA area anymore (moved out of state), but I have fond memories of living in Long Beach, where you can find all of the architecture styles mentioned in this video!

[@Nicole-bj4dv]

I have rented or at least visited friends in all of these apartments and homes while attending college, graduate school and law school in Northern California (Berkeley, San Leandro and Oakland). This presentation makes me really appreciate the historical aspects that I, as a young woman, was unaware of at the time.

[@MichelleO099]

As a LA native. These homes are now being remodeled and it’s interesting to see what the owners are doing with them now

[@lizabetx483]

Great job. I really enjoyed this. It felt like a mini master class in architecture.

[@Julia-zj2ch]

California Bungalow is my favorite! I lived in one for 22 years - but it was in Pennsylvania! Second favorite is the court yard cottages. Those are so cute! Excellent video, thank you.

[@captainlou9677]

I've always loved the Mission Revival style homes. Grew up in Los Angeles, and that has always been my favorite style.

[@SL-lz9jr]

I grew up in San Francisco and I loved our architectural styles. But my best friend lives in Los Angeles and it was also so fascinating to either of us to visit one another. How in one state are there such distinct cities. It made visiting one another a ton of fun because visually it was so different. It really felt like two different worlds.

[@michelleb.9637]

Born and raised in LA. That’s my city! I’ve been in the Midwest for many years now. This video gives me all the feels! ❤

[@emlynn1004]

I am thinking I need to see more of Mr. Augustin. I grew up in Southern CA so am familiar with some of the info provided, but not all of it, and this was a delight to watch. I would love to see more design videos hosted by him!

[@angelad2601]

Valery Augustin, what a voice! Thank you and Mission Revival all the way

[@CharlieSawyers-Rees]

I live in the UK and I really wish Porches were more common here! I love how they look, especially the style of the California bugalow

[@SinaAla]

These days California is overwhelmed by Teslas 😅

[@itsGabrielaCristina]

This was absolutely fascinating. I am a huge fan of mission revival architecture, but I enjoyed learning about other LA architecture styles. Dense housing options are the best and likely only way to handle the affordability crisis all over the country.

[@cherylrleigh1912]

This was absolutely brilliant and exceptionally informative. Without a doubt, both the Mission Revival and California Bungalow styles rank among my all-time favorites in Los Angeles.

[@Lemoncatsf]

Such a great presentation! I grew up halfway between LA and SF in San Luis Obispo which has much of the same architectural history, just on a smaller scale. The mission featured was actually the San Luis Obispo de Tolosa with the SLO Mountain in the background. I lived in SF for decades and am now in LA and am obsessed with the architecture here. Some now covered are the older Victorians, the Art Deco and Streamline Modern, and MCM and later mid century. There are also some even more rare mid century A Frames here and there. I would also like to hear about the mid century multi unit buildings with a swimming pool in the center and sauna room. Seems to be a quintessential Hollywood style.

[@SL-lz9jr]

Grew up in SF, spent lots of time in LA where my best friend lives. Now I live in NYC. There’s something so special about the distinctive architectural styles found in Northern and Southern CA. My friend loved visiting me up north and I down south because it always felt like worlds apart, despite being the same state.

[@Lemoncatsf]

@@SL-lz9jr I totally get it. When you add the landscaping/ vegetation on to that too it adds to the differences.

[@rmphotoart]

Excellent presentation. As for my favorite, at first it was Mission Revival; and then you showed us the California Craftsman Bungalow. Guess I'll have to toss a coin.

[@suzannetourtillott9294]

Really enjoyed the subject and lean, straightforward delivery. Comparing modern sites with their historical precedents, and using a variety of visual formats and angles (overhead/drone, vintage film and video; street-level and aerial still photos), is so effective. More please!

[@farrahfox]

I love the mission style homes, especially with a deep brown style roof

[@Itsbennyfuchs]

One of my favorite episodes of the architecture breakdown/walking tours content. Please more of that AD!

[@alexrapada]

i could listen to valery augustin for hours!!

[@ochervelvet9687]

Thanks for this overview. Each style presented has its charms, but my favorite is the California mission revival. There is just something about the thick, plaster-covered adobe walls, the arches, the enclosed courtyards, and the red clay tiles that I find reassuring and romantic.

[@menaseven9093]

Wonderful review of L A house style by architect Valery Augustin. I like the boardwalk beach house.

[@yesyesjess2501]

Mission Revival and Craftsman style are my absolute favorite. Glendale has a lot of Mission revival style homes and they're just gorgeous!

[@AnikaandAj]

Every time I see a modernistic white cube built in a neighborhood of mission revival houses, a part of me dies.

[@Jonsolski18]

This is an incredible video! I would love to see a “5 common types of houses in Chicago” video next - there are many unique & very distinct architectural styles

[@kurtthewurt]

I’m surprised he didn’t discuss the seismic drawbacks of the Dingbats’ “soft story” parking. I’ve seen a lot of buildings get retrofitted since the Northridge quake, but I’m sure there are still thousands that are vulnerable.

[@ArtamStudio]

Property owners are required to retrofit soft stories. In one of the shots of the Crapi Apartments (love the self-deprecating humor), a retrofit contractor banner is visible.

[@lukas4112]

I love these videos. So informative on both architecture and city history.

[@pirana6]

I very much enjoyed this! Bring back Valery for more Southern California architecture

[@tmhwriter]

Best, most enjoyable video I've seen on YT for weeks.

[@jessycaphoenix8152]

This segment was quite fascinating and enjoyable. A part two would be appreciated. Thank you.

[@westcoastbestcoast393]

Huge fan of bungalow courts! This was such an informative video, LA is a beautiful city with such a rich architectural legacy.

[@Emzzz78]

I like this guy!

[@beatriz0607]

Valery is so well spoken! He obviously knows what he is talking about but I love that he makes it easily digestible to someone who doesn't know much about the topic (me)

[@favor2240]

Loved this- informative and interesting and so well presented 👌🏾👌🏾

[@camronwu]

Mission Revival is my favorite

[@thefrub]

Zoning laws won't allow this anymore... Zoning laws won't allow this anymore... Zoning laws won't allow this anymore... I think I see a pattern why housing has gotten so expensive

[@jamesdellaneve9005]

The Bungalow courts when in nice neighborhoods are cool. I see them in Long Beach, Pasadena and other older cities.

[@NextToToddliness]

What I really appreciated about LA Architecture was that it often was a fusion of traditional Colonial looks, with stark Mid-century Modern. This made the current Post Modern additions look like museum pieces at times, especially in Pasadena (where I lived for two years). To be honest, it's the only part of LA I'd live in again. Also, as others have stated, more Valery Augustin please. He's very articulate, and evenly paced in his presentation, which neither feels rushed or unnecessarily prolonged.

[@elenayee3093]

I lived in a wonderful 1920s bungalow in Azusa, CA. I loved living there.

[@go2yourself]

Beautiful... ❤❤ my favorites on this particular episode are Mission Revival and Craftsmen Bungalows

[@RolyMoes]

I like this guy. Nice voice, easy to listen to. Speaks not too fast such that I can process and understand everything he is saying. I appreciate all the images the editors have put in too, that really helps!

[@WellActualllyyy]

i think this might be the best video AD has ever done

[@user-wz9yn9dl1v]

This was super interesting!! I love four of the five styles featured. The historical context included with each description as well as pointing out how each style translates to housing issues today was also very much appreciated. I'm looking forward to more videos by you!

[@CUclimber]

So glad to see this series continue!

[@griviljava]

Gotta admit I've always been fascinated with those stilt-houses in the canyons. Great vid, thank you Valery!

[@posthocprior]

This was excellent. Do Washington DC, San Francisco, or Chicago next.

[@camelliaghotbzadeh2576]

I absolutely love this! I currently live in Los Angeles and have noticed a ton of dingbat apartments especially on the west side so that was spot on. So interesting to hear the perspective of an architect on these styles as well. Great video AD!! 😊

[@VictorRochaGaming]

Palms/Mar Vista is polluted with dingbats.

[@albertosanchez276]

The craftsman style… that is my favorite

[@debbieburris9453]

Valery Augustin ❤ He has the ability to draw you in & keep you there. Interesting, charismatic, & very natural.

[@FPOAK]

Thank you for pointing out how horrible those huge curb cuts are for pedestrians. I’m convinced that the wider the driveway, the faster drivers whip into and out of parking lots. That’s why sidewalks in front of gas stations are always really bad too

[@onemorechris]

i found LA weirdly hostile for walking considering how fitness focused people seem to be there

[@margaretjeannemoore]

Grew up in a mission style but always wanted a bungalow. Just loved them.

[@jrlion5422]

We need more bungalow!!!!!!!!

[@Wave2680]

Love the videos with architects talking about architecture!!

[@lisacolllins214]

Love and live in a California Bungalow. Many have already said it...more Valery Augustin please!

[@CoastEnergy]

absolutely in love with Mission/Spanish revival

[@riaz8783]

This guy is great, could listen for hours

[@Bookib]

I loved every minute of this, I grew up in LA and I have always favored LA architecture over other cities something about it just brings great memories

[@enchilada55]

MORE OF THIS PLEASE!!! super informative

[@JohnBAnderson3]

We are renovating a 1915 Craftsman we purchased last year in Marin County so we are partial to that style.

[@claudiamann7111]

That was fabulous!! So interesting and I learned a lot. Thanks so much.

[@lauren_kawakami]

An enjoyable mix of design breakdown, setting context and historical footage-done with a quietly humorous delivery. Much more Valery Augustin, please! Would love to see the Hollywood Hills stilt house included in the next set.

[@kathyburrell9912]

I love both the bungalow and the mission style.

[@kweenah.dknight]

WOW - I grew up seeing all these and had no idea the history behind them. Especially the Mission Revival homes ❤

[@orenpeleg9820]

They should do a part 2 where they talk about the Contemporary glass-and-steel style that dominates new homes in the hills (and looks like it was inspired by the Getty)

[@sandixcrunner]

Craftsman style CA bungalows have my heart. ❤

[@MeEmma123]

Incredible video! As someone who grew up in Los Angeles loving it's architecture this was spot on :)

[@weshasawi]

Love love loooove these types of videos!

[@AjaDang]

so informational! Thank you

[@ilahjarvis]

Love this overview of LA architecture styles, many of which are found all over California.

[@moreliberty1]

Love the detail in this. It's actually educational and not superficial like so many architectural videos on KZbin.

[@lnhancock3]

This is great! Would love a part 2!

[@JENN7238]

Love this video. The bungalow court apartments are so charming.

[@testing38919]

Pls do more of these- of different cities!! 🎉

[@le_th_]

Lived in the LA/South Bay beach cities for a long time. I've heard of all these styles of architecture except for the dingbat, which you still see everywhere. This is definitely only *some* of the architectural styles of LA. Looking forward to part 2 by Augustin.

[@ed8329]

I could listen to him talk all day! Great video

[@Matt-qj6cr]

Great video! Would love to see a part 2 including Victorians, ranch-style homes, and modern lightweight Spanish-style homes.

[@sijmon8250]

Found this very informative and interesting to see it all side by side like this. Great video.

[@ArtHistoryBasix]

Wonderful! Thank you, Valery.