Publications

Dwell Magazine - Kado Kubu Residence - A Pink Pool in the Sky Buoys...

Arch Digest | AD Clever - Virgil Village ADU - This 350-Square-Foot...

Business Insider - Virgil Village ADU - With a budget of $100,000, two...

Services

Architecture and Interiors for Residential, Commercial and Hospitality. Specializing in Hillside Projects, High Fire Severity Zone, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU's) and Permitting

ABOUT

We are a boutique full-service architecture and interior design firm specializing in residential and hospitality projects. We're not clean white box designers. We like to challenge the status quo and create things that shift, wiggle, stand upside down and give a little wink. We're based in Los Angeles with projects spanning to Bali, where our team lives part of the year.

Founded in 2021 when Keith and Corie partnered on their first ADU project in Silverlake - a playful ADU resembling a flamingo lawn ornament that introduced our signature pink (not a requirment!) and established our approach to fun, thoughtful and original design.

Design Philosphy

Our design philosophy centers on celebrating what's already there. We work with existing conditions rather than against them - dancing floor plans around historic trees, finding inspiration in a camouflage fence to drive an entire material palette. We're obsessed with texture, gradients, and materials that have personality, avoiding the crisp non-personality of all-white-and-wood builder homes.

We believe great design happens when you really understand how people live, and our collaborative process ensures clients feel like part of the team throughout the entire journey from concept to construction.

the Team

Keith Marks
Founding Partner, Design Director

Keith Marks is a Founding Partner of HAM Design Group and is the Studio Director for the Bali office. Prior to the practice’s launch, Keith was associate director at 64North, project designer at HOK and senior/lead designer at EC3. He also held creative design positions at MEIS architects, Rossetti and Gensler.

Throughout his career, Keith has discovered unexpected design in a wide range of typologies, including but not limited to residential, hospitality, stadiums, high-rises, adaptive reuse, education, tech and even mobile playgrounds in Bolivia. Buffalo-born, his work can be seen from China, Australia and Rome to New York, Los Angeles and Seattle. Keith stays involved in the discourse by occasionally teaching architecture at SCI-Arc (Southern California Institute of Architecture), Woodbury University and Lawrence Technological University—two of them alma maters. Keith graduated from Lawrence Tech with distinction with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Bachelor of Interior Architecture. Upon receiving his Master of Architecture with distinction from SCI-Arc, Keith received the Gehry Prize, Henry Adams Medal and Alpha Rho Chi Medal.

Keith and his wife, travel and design journalist Kathryn Romeyn, along with their daughter, Indah, live in Bali, while frequently traveling to many other destinations.

Corie Saxman, RA
Founding Partner, Principal Architect

Corie Saxman is a Founding Partner of HAM Design Group and is the Studio Director for the Los Angeles office. Corie brings with her a wealth of experience with project management and design on projects such as residential, commercial offices, multi-family and cultural centers.

Previously, Corie has held creative positions including project manager and design lead at BA Collective (Formerly Belzberg Architects), architectural designer at P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S Architects, and designer and production artist at Ball-Nouges Studios. Drawing from her diverse professional experiences, Corie has developed a unique way of approaching design and problem solving, resulting in notable projects ranging from an explorative pavilion featured at Coachella Music Festival 2015 to the global headquarters and exhibition space of USC Shoah Foundation. She received her undergraduate degree at Texas A&M, graduating cum laude, and subsequently received her Master of Architecture from SCI-Arc (Southern California Institute of Architecture).

Corie and her husband live in Venice, California, and spend their free time traveling and camping.

Melissa Yip, CID, NCIDQ
Interior Designer

Melissa Yip is an interior designer with a diverse portfolio spanning commercial and residential projects, from start-up aviation tech companies to garage ADUs in Los Angeles. With experience in both architecture and interiors, she has worked on a range of residential projects, from studio ADUs to large single-family homes, as well as dynamic tenant improvements and culturally driven hospitality concepts.

Previously, Melissa held an interior design role at BA Collective (Formerly Belzberg Architects) and Nwankpa Design, a Black, female-owned architecture and interiors firm inspired by West African influences, where she contributed to projects that highlighted diverse narratives and equitable design solutions. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from California State University, Long Beach, and is a certified interior designer (CID, NCIDQ).

As part of HAM Design Group, Melissa brings a thoughtful, tactile approach to each project, balancing functionality with design storytelling. In her spare time, she is growing a small local Asian fusion microbakery, blending Vietnamese and Japanese influences to indulge her love for curation, food, and culture.