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Tomaro Design Group ELEGANT SPACES WITH A FLAIR FOR ENTERTAINING
Photo: Eric Figge
by Laura Judy When it comes to designing elegant beachfront homes, Tomaro Design Group is at the top of the industry. Based in Manhattan Beach, California, the firm has been in business since 1991, and senior partner and principal architect Louie Tomaro knows what it takes to stay on top. “I helped my dad out with a lot of building projects when I was younger, so I basically grew up in the industry,” Tomaro says. Over the past 20 years, Tomaro Design Group has grown to include 15 employees, and together they design around 25-30 projects each year. Currently, the company takes on a combination of residential and commercial work. “We do schools, restaurants, and medical buildings
among other things, and currently we’re building our own office to move into,” Tomaro says. However, the majority of Tomaro Design Group’s work is in high-end residential homes. “Probably about 60 to 70 percent of our business is in single-family custom homes,” Tomaro says. In addition to all the projects they design, the firm also provides design/build services for about four to six projects each year. Their other projects are usually built by a select group of contractors with whom the company has formed relationships over the years. Creating eco-friendly designs is extremely important to Tomaro Design Group. “We now have five
party house Showcasing Tomaro Design Group’s skills in creating entertainment spaces, this home’s outdoor living area is accessed by custom lift-and-slide French doors, which open as wide as 16 feet. The large, kidney-shaped pool and Jacuzzi feature a diving deck and slide that house a shower and changing room beneath.
LEED-certified staffers, and our new office will have LEED Gold certification,” Tomaro says. Currently, the company is working on three homes that will be awarded LEED certification. “We try to incorporate green elements into every project we do, even if it’s not going to be LEED-certified,” Tomaro says. “We try to make each design as sustainable as possible for its location.” Although roughly 50 to 60 percent of the company’s work is in the South Bay, California, area, they have done work all over the state as well as in Idaho,
MARCH 2011
luxury home quarterly
119