Bestor Architecture
"Fashion Statement," page 186
principal : Barbara Bestor.
completed projects : Lou wine bar, Union clothing shop, and residences, all in Los Angeles; XLarge clothing shop in New York.
current projects :
dressed down : Hipster L.A. store openings usually find Bestor in her vintage Ellesse tennis sweater, skinny white jeans, and Vans.
dressed up : For dinner at New York's Waverly Inn, she brings out her Allegra Hicks blouse and jacket, deconstructed gray flannel trousers, and APC suede pumps.
3920 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029; 323-666-9399; bestorarchitecture.com .
Finn-Laczko Architects
"The Tsao Dynasty," page 144
partner : Brian Laczko.
completed projects : Netivot Shalom synagogue in Berkeley, California; St. Boniface Church in San Francisco; a ranch in Encinitas, California.
current projects : Greek Theater at the University of California, Berkeley; residences in Northern California.
past : Laczko dismantled a greenhouse on collaborator Calvin Tsao's parents' property and saved the redwood framing.
future : He hopes Tsao will reuse it to build a weekend house.
931 Pardee Street, Berkeley, CA 94710; 510-649-9299; fl-arch.com .
Florian Architects
"He'll Always Have Paris," page 192
partner : Paul Florian.
completed projects : Hyde Park Bank and Chiasso and Oilily boutiques in Chicago; United Audio/Tweeter stores in Illinois; CellularOne stores in the U.S. and Canada; H2O Plus stores in the U.S. and Canada; residences in Illinois, New Jersey, and Arizona.
current projects : Toto USA showroom, three sustainable mid-rise apartment buildings, and two penthouses, all in Chicago; 30 town houses for Park Square in Frankfurt, Illinois.
honors : National AIA Honor Award; AIA Chicago chapter awards.
last vacation : Morocco.
next vacation : India.
432 North Clark Street, Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60610; 312-670-2220; florianarchitects.com .
David Ling Architect
"Now You See It," page 170
principal : David Ling.
completed projects : Alberta Ferretti boutiques in London, Paris, Rome, and Toyko; Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti boutique in New York; Optikon boutique and showroom in Berlin; an in-studio bar for Late Night mit Harald Schmidt in Cologne, Germany; four stores at Wynn Las Vegas; residences in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Florida.
current projects : A combined spa, restaurant, and bar in Corvallis, Oregon; apartments in New York; a house in Weston, Connecticut.
browsing : My favorite flea market in Beijing.
collecting : Eyeglasses—not too black.
225 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010; 212-982-7089; davidlingarchitect.com .
Minarc
"Power Couples Unite," page 162
principal : Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir.
principal : Tryggvi Thorsteinsson.
completed projects : Residences in Los Angeles.
current projects : An eight-unit prefab condominium and a prefab house in L.A.; houses in Reykjavik, Iceland; Jabi Lake Resort in Abuja, Nigeria.
on the tube : Husband and wife are starring in Icelandic reality TV's Inside Out.
couch potatoes : Their favorite American show is Planet Earth.
2324 Michigan Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404; 310-998-8899; minarc.com .
Perkins + Will
"LEED by Example," page 154
principal : Holly Briggs.
senior associate : Gretchen Leigh.
completed projects : Fannie Mae in Washington, D.C.; AOL in Dulles, Virginia.
current projects : U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C.; Thales Communications in Clarksburg, Maryland.
guilty pleasure : Briggs says she can't give up her daily car commute—her time to herself.
guilty pleasure : Leigh loves her 1940's front door, which lets in winter air, adding to her heating bill.
2100 M Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20037; 202-737-1020; perkinswill.com .
Tsao & McKown Architects
"The Tsao Dynasty," page 144
partner : Calvin Tsao.
partner : Zack McKown.
completed projects : A house in Sagaponack, New York; Nai Lert Park hotel in Bangkok; Jianfu Palace Garden and Museum in Beijing.
current projects : Lambertson Truex stores in New York and L.A.; a live-work complex in Qingdao, China; a master plan for Budapest.
honors : Interior Design Hall of Fame.
home : The partners are busy renovating their weekend house in Rhinebeck, New York.
away : Abroad, they always collaborate with a local architect.
20 Vandam Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10013; 212-337-3800; tsao-mckown.com .
Hiro Design Studio ("Getting Better All the Time," page 176), 2-10-7 Takaido-nishi, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 168-0071, Japan; 81-3-3335-7780; hirokitanabe.com .
Koeberl Architekten ("Getting Better All the Time," page 176), 4 Dr.-Ernst-Derra-Strasse, 94036 Passau, Germany; 49-851-85-18-72-80; koeberl-architekten.com .
Perkins + Will ("Getting Better All the Time," page 176), 999 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Suite 915, Coral Gables, FL 33134; 305-569-1333; perkinswill.com .
Plaren ("Getting Better All the Time," page 176), 283 Avenida Eng Duarte Pacheco, 4445-416 Ermesinde, Portugal; 351-229-783-861; plaren.com .
Art Gray Architectural Photography ("Power Couples Unite," page 162; "Fashion Statement," page 186), 171 Pier Avenue, 272, Santa Monica, CA 90405; 310-450-2806; artgrayphotography.com .
Eric Laignel ("The Tsao Dynasty," page 144; "LEED by Example," page 154; "Now You See It," page 170), ericlaignel@hotmail.com .
Michelle Litvin ("He'll Always Have Paris," page 192), 1827 South Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60608; 312-933-9113; michellelitvin.com .
CL3 Architects
"Asian Fusion," page 219
principal : William Lim.
completed projects : Royal Pacific Hotel and Towers and Tribal DDB office in Hong Kong; Adrenaline at Hong Kong Jockey Club; Marco Polo Parkside hotel in Beijing; Evian Spa in Shanghai; Cole Haan in Tokyo and Kobe, Japan; Nike in Bangkok.
current projects : Racecourse Club at Hong Kong Jockey Club; a hotel in Hong Kong; restaurants at the Crown Macau hotel.
on his plate : At Japanese restaurants, Lim always orders sashimi.
Hong Kong Arts Centre, 7/F, 2 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong, China; 852-2527-1931; cl3.com .
Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz
"In the Beginning. . ." page 206
principal : Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz.
completed projects : Residences for Lenny Kravitz in New York, Miami, New Orleans, and the Bahamas; residences in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Mexico City; a house with Brian E. Boyle, AIA, in Sagaponack, New York; Emotional Rooms: The Sensual Interiors of Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz.
current projects : Residences in New York; a condominium building in Miami; an apartment in Miami Beach; a house in Palm Beach, Florida.
dream job : "Designing while traveling. It's the best!"
75 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012; 212-343-9709; bnodesign.com .
Ken Hayden Photography ("In the Beginning. . ." page 206), 1670 Lincoln Court, 7E, Miami Beach, FL 33139; 305-781-9364; kenhayden.com .
Eddie Siu ("Asian Fusion," page 219), eddiecollect@aol.com .
Randy Brown Architects ("Good Neighbors," page 68), 1925 North 120th Street, Omaha, NE 68154; 402-551-7097; randybrownarchitects.com .
Rickenbacker + Leung ("A Palate for Pallets," page 86), 414 Broadway, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10013; 212-674-1176; rl-arch.com .
20 Below Studio ("Orange Is the New Green," page 76), 23 Fourth Street NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413; 612-378-2021; 20belowstudio.com .
Farshid Assassi ("Good Neighbors," page 68), Assassi Productions, P.O. Box 3651, Santa Barbara, CA 93130; 805-895-7703; assassi.com .
Amy Barkow ("A Palate for Pallets," page 86), Barkow Photo, 92 Perry Street, 18, New York, NY 10014; 646-382-3164; barkowphoto.com .
Michelle Litvin ("Orange Is the New Green," page 76), 1827 South Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60608; 312-933-9113; michellelitvin.com .
"No Empty Nest" (Market Tabloid, page 136) was photographed by Eric Laignel.