About this episode

Barbara Bestor discusses her architectural journey and the creative landscape of California.

This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week, we hosted Unpacked Live — a live version of the podcast — in partnership with Visit California in Dallas, Texas. The event celebrated California's extraordinary creative landscape, and today's guest has been shaping the way Californians live, work, and gather for three decades. Barbara Bestor is the founder of Bestor Architecture, a Los Angeles studio she's led since 1995 — at a time when very few women were doing so. Her work spans coffee shops and corporate headquarters, wineries and community music centers, private homes and historic restorations. She's on the AD 100 list of top architects and designers and has been called one of the most influential architects working in LA today. In this episode, she shares her process, her influences, and the places in California that never stop inspiring her — from a former cult compound in Joshua Tree to a secret rooftop garden at Walt Disney Concert Hall. On this episode, you'll learn: • What "informal formalism" means — and why it's the best description of California's design DNA • How the LA fires, post-COVID remote work, and multi-generational households are reshaping what…

People in this episode

Host: Afar

Guest: Barbara Bestor

Topics covered

• architecture
• California
• design
• inspiration
• adaptive reuse
• community

Keywords

• architecture
• California
• Los Angeles
• Joshua Tree
• adaptive reuse
• design DNA
• informal formalism
• community spaces
• influential architects

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bestor Architecture

Places: California, Los Angeles, Joshua Tree, Dallas, Walt Disney Concert Hall

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