Barbara Bestor - Architectural Photography, Holistic Practice, and Cultural Contribution

In this episode, I spoke with Los Angeles-based architect Barbara Bestor, FAIA. In our conversation, we talk about exhibition design, architectural photography, cultural contribution, and much more.

Barbara is the Principal and founder of Bestor Architecture, which was established in 1995, currently has a staff of 30 people, and is recognized for consistently pursuing experimental architecture that engages the city through design, art, and urbanism. Barbara explores the architectural form through experiments in spatial arrangements, graphics, and color. Her varied and progressive body of work connects with people on many levels, often outside the boundaries traditionally delineated for architecture.

Recent projects by Barbara include Ashes & Diamonds Winery in Napa, multiple offices for Snap in Los Angeles, and the Scandinavian Design and the United States exhibit at LACMA. Barbara is also the author of Bohemian Modern, Living in Silver Lake (Harper Collins, 2006), a book dedicated to the suppressed narrative of informal and eccentric modernism found in Silver Lake’s rich domestic architectural history. Barbara received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and her Master of Architecture from SCI-Arc and is currently the Executive Director of Woodbury University’s Julius Shulman Institute.

You can learn more about Barbara and her work at bestorarchitecture.com

Show links and notes:

• Follow Barbara on Instagram @barbarabestor
• Follow Bestor Architecture on Instagram @bestorarchitecture  
• Scandinavian Design & the United States, 1890-1980 by Bobbye Tigerman and Monica Obniski
• Architect’s Newspaper article on Barbara’s LACMA exhibit
• ‘Hood Century’: How One Man Is Redefining Midcentury Modern Architecture | NY Times article on Jerald Cooper
• Follow Jerald Cooper on Instagram @hoodcenturymodern
• Barbara’s Archinect Interview on the Julius Shulman Institute