Hopson Rodstrom Design Company creates relevant, impactful architecture rooted in clever, sensitive simplicity. We aim to balance seriousness and sincerity with a joyful—sometimes bemused—appreciation for the endless possibilities of the human experience and built environment. Our goal is to thoughtfully integrate into any context while leaving as minimal an environmental footprint as possible.
Our process mirrors our work: adaptive, intuitive, and nonlinear. Each project begins with a foundation of hand sketching, site visits, conversation, research, physical and digital modeling, and time—letting ideas simmer until the right solution emerges. We approach design from both the inside out and the outside in. Projects often pass between partners, and we’ve found that shifting between creation, curation, and critique leads to surprising and synergistic results.
We use technology in service of our ideas, not the other way around. We avoid excessive representation and instead rely on minimal, intentional imagery to communicate our designs as a means to an end. Materiality, color, light, and texture are essential to our work. We favor local, modest materials and simple, honest construction methods. We obsess over the path of the sun and design to harness its energy in meaningful ways. We’re not afraid of color—and we’re not afraid of restraint either.
We believe in the power of dialogue, collaboration, and respect for diverse experiences and perspectives. Every project is shaped by its local context, its stakeholders, and its specific constraints—responded to with care and, often, with a wildly unexpected solution.
Founded in 2015, Hopson Rodstrom Design Company is a full-service architecture studio based in South Pasadena, California, led by Nick Hopson and Klara Rodstrom. Our work has received design awards and been featured in numerous architectural publications, and the firm has been recognized as an emerging design practice by AIA California. Before founding H/RD, Nick and Klara worked at several award-winning firms in Los Angeles and New York, including Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA), WHY, Standard, and Work AC. Both hold degrees from Columbia University GSAPP and the University of Southern California. Nick is a licensed architect in California and teaches in the Architecture Department at Cal Poly Pomona’s School of Environmental Design.
www.h-rd.co
IG: hopson_rodstrom_design
