Back to the 2014 AD100 List

Vernacular architecture fuels the varied work of Marc Appleton, who did a stint in Frank Gehry’s office before setting out in 1976 to launch his own practice—now with branches in both Santa Monica and Santa Barbara, California. Though his estimable portfolio comprises projects both grand (an estate on Catalina Island) and humble (a youth hostel in Santa Monica), Appleton ensures that his structures feel appropriate to their location, much like the 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival homes built in California by his idol, George Washington Smith. One of Appleton’s best-known works is his sensitive restoration of the historic San Ysidro Ranch resort, whose low-key storybook cottages and stone buildings have enchanted generations. Employing steadfast materials like adobe, shingle, stone, and stucco for period styles from Mediterranean to neoclassical, Appleton says, aids him in “evoking a presence of the past.” appleton-architectom

Meet the other architects and designers on the 2014 AD100 list.