“Approximately seven years ago, when the kids were tiny, we drove by a 3 bed/2 bath, traditional old house in our “reach for your dreams” neighborhood. We decided to stop because there was an open house that day and as we do with everything that has brought us joy in our life, we started a mission to obtain something we both really wanted. With some help from our parents and encouragement from our accountant, we bought what most reasonable people would consider a “teardown.” and moved our family into it for four years until we had finally saved enough to remodel it.

To us, that nasty old teardown with a “great floor plan for remodeling” would eventually become the underlying foundation to what we have learned is one of the more architecturally significant homes North of Montana. Ten minutes will not pass if I am tending to the front landscape without hearing a passerby enthusiastically share their affection for our home. The more sophisticated comments about the house, albeit worded differently from the many cultures, generations and socio-economically diverse characters that you meet in Santa Monica all share the same general foundation. Everyone speaks of how modern and minimalist and refreshing it is, but more importantly how it somehow compliments its surrounding environment instead of expectedly overpowering it. There is an energy of peacefulness that we feel every time we walk up to the house. It is home, it is definitely OUR home because it screams us, it is special and genuinely unique and it feels really, really good when we are here.

We had the pleasure of meeting Guy Cass many years ago when he rescued a failed architect’s attempt at a challenging, Mediterranean-style project. He followed with another massive home in the same style, not our style of choice, but once again - I marveled at how every angle in the house felt correct. It was colossal, but it didn’t feel overwhelming. Everything was thought out, down to the last obsessive compulsive detail that only I would ever notice. Up until now that was. When we learned that Guy had a desire to design a minimalist-modern, we approached him and we quickly reached an agreement to work together. We simply wanted a museum quality house that we could thrash with a big extended family, active kids and all their friends, four dogs and a small zoo’s worth of other animals and for it to not cost a lot of money. Somehow, he made it work... I can’t imagine what he can do with a clean sheet and a real budget.

We sent Guy a handful of clippings and photos of what we liked and he eventually came back with a design. We made the typical changes throughout the build as most first time home builders do, but he was always there when we needed him and always was extremely fair regarding his financials.

We would recommend Guy Cass Architect to anyone who appreciates the finer details life can offer when you stop and pay attention. However, I recommend him solely to those who will treat him with the respect he commands - not only because he has earned it as a professional, but based on the personal witness of his character.”

“My wife and I have a charming hillside 1930’s Spanish style home which we love. With our first baby on the way, we needed a new bedroom near the master bedroom and a family room near the kitchen to enjoy time together as a new family. One of our main concerns was that we wanted the addition to blend into the existing home so well that one could not see there was an addition.

We received several referrals for Architects from our friends and relatives. We chose Guy for many reasons. Guy had done some beautiful Spanish style homes we really liked; one is a historical restoration of the King Gillette Mansion and Caretaker Cottage, originally designed by the well known Architect Wallace Neff. Guy demonstrated to us his understanding of the nature, character and detail of the Spanish style and his designs reflect these. We felt that his projects were warm, inviting and functional. His sensitivity to our concerns, responsiveness and attention to detail were some of the other factors that made our selection easy.

The design process, in fact the entire process, went very smoothly and efficiently. We were anxious to complete the addition as soon as possible, in time for our new baby. Guy was easy to work with. He embraced our last minute changes further improving the design, and kept the city approvals on schedule.

Today, we thoroughly enjoy our home. We love to entertain and our guests are so impressed. They cannot believe there was an addition and we receive many praises and compliments. It feels like we are living in a resort.

We highly recommend Guy.”

“I am a residential developer and have done many nice homes in nice areas for many years. During this time I have had the opportunity to work with many accomplished Architects and designers.

In the process of designing my own home, I called upon several Architects and designers. The design evolved from one Architect to the next and in the end I was not fully satisfied with the plans. However, I was anxious to get my home built, so I began construction. In the middle of foundation work, I realized the plans were a mess and stopped the work. Guy had just prepared plans for a spec house for me in the Pacific Palisades. I was particularly impressed with the layout of the floor plans and the drawings were well coordinated. He managed to fit everything I requested into a limited area and everything worked and flowed. I received many compliments and praises from my partners and investors.

I asked Guy if he could help me out. He responded quickly and began to clean up the plans. In the process, he made suggestions that would improve design. We ended up redesigning the entire building and created the kind of home I had always envisioned and was striving for. I was impressed by his ideas and thoroughly enjoyed our design process together.

When my home was completed, it exceeded my expectations. I was so emotionally touched when I first moved in, that it took some time to accept that I was living in such a beautiful space and surroundings. I receive many compliments from everyone that visits. I am so pleased. Guy did a great job and I highly recommend him.”

“I met Guy through an interior designer working on the remodel of my home. A couple years later, I contacted Guy to do another remodel on my home and add a guest bedroom suite, rear deck extension and infinity pool & spa over the hillside.

Working directly with Guy turned out to be much better. His design was excellent and he made many improvements. His 3D modeling and renders were very helpful to visualize the design and it gave me a very good idea of how it would ultimately look when the construction was completed.

Guy was also very instrumental in resolving some issues that arose with the contractor. His experience and professionalism was evident and I will commission Guy again in the future if I endeavor another project.”

“I am an interior designer and have built 6 homes for myself and at least 15 for clients. When I speak about Guy Cass I am coming from an informed and knowledgeable place.

Guy is the epitome of integrity and dependability. He does what he says he is going to do and in the time frame he promises.

Creatively, he is one of the best space planners I have met. He is great to work with as he is enthusiastic and obviously enjoys this work. His experience in this field is evident. You can count on him stay true to the nature of a design motif and avoid frivolous or irrelevant details.

I enjoy him tremendously and look forward to working with Guy many times in the future.”

“Dear Guy:

I just wanted to drop you this quick note to say how very impressed I am with the restoration and particularly your interior decoration of the residence at the Botanical Center. Your choice of furnishings was excellent — I wish Central Hall could be furnished in a similar fashion.

We met yesterday with Dan Preece, of the state park service, at the restored residence, and I believe that the atmosphere you helped to create allowed Preece to be comfortable and honest with us during our conversation. This residence turned out to be a pleasant surprise, and I intend to use it for many more meetings.

Thanks for your obvious care in this job.”