McClean Design

McClean Design Architecture firm based in Southern California specializing in custom modern homes.

05/29/2026

Designed for a member of the Royal household, the brief called for something far beyond a conventional residence. A home that could accommodate both modern and traditional cultural life, formal entertaining on a grand scale, and a family’s most private moments, all within a single composition.

The concept began with the roof. A floating metal canopy spanning the site, anchored by two stone towers, with a glazed gallery connecting all four levels and an operable metal screen sheltering it from the desert sun. Below it, the program unfolds: ceremonial entry, deep covered terraces, a glass dining room floating in a pool of water, a wellness facility that rivals the finest in the world, gardens laid out with destinations and moments of rest in mind, a sculptural house of poetry on its own small pond.
The house is oriented north to protect from the harsh sun and open to the Dubai skyline beyond. At 120,000 square feet under roof, it is the largest project we have ever undertaken, and perhaps our most complete.

The palette throughout is quiet luxury: elegant stone, refined metal, timeless wood. Every material chosen to endure. Every space designed with purpose.

Positioned on a constrained hillside site with sweeping views east toward the San Gabriel Mountains, as well as unique s...
05/28/2026

Positioned on a constrained hillside site with sweeping views east toward the San Gabriel Mountains, as well as unique sightlines to the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory, this home was designed to balance privacy, light, and connection to the landscape. With limited buildable areas and planning restrictions shaping the footprint, much of the program was placed below grade, allowing the primary living spaces to occupy the upper level while creating dedicated spaces below for gathering, recreation, and everyday living.

A landscaped courtyard carved into the heart of the home creates daylight and openness throughout the lower level while establishing a visual connection between floors through a bridged entry sequence aligned toward the Hollywood Sign in the distance. A series of stone walls separate the residence from the street, revealing only a narrow opening aligned with the entry bridge beyond. Passing through a metal gate and alongside a tall water wall overlooking the courtyard below, the arrival sequence gradually opens into living spaces oriented toward the pool, surrounding gardens, and hillside landscape beyond.

Natural stone, soft wood tones, and black steel detailing shape a warm material palette throughout, while sliding glass walls, landscaped courtyards, and carefully framed openings create a seamless relationship between the architecture and its surrounding garden spaces.

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Set along the Balboa Peninsula waterfront, this extraordinary residence by McClean Design redefines modern coastal livin...
05/26/2026

Set along the Balboa Peninsula waterfront, this extraordinary residence by McClean Design redefines modern coastal living. Positioned on a rare triple lot overlooking the marina, the home was conceived as a retreat for family and entertaining—where architecture, light, and landscape exist in complete harmony. From the moment you enter through the translucent glass garden entry, the house reveals itself through layers of transparency, reflection, and connection to the water beyond.

Bold veined white marble wraps both the exterior and interior, creating a seamless material continuity designed to withstand the coastal climate while making a striking architectural statement. A floating glass bridge leads into the expansive great room, where disappearing walls of glass open entirely to the waterfront terrace, spa, and fire lounge—blurring the boundaries between indoors and out.

Across three levels, every detail was designed to elevate experience: a sculptural stainless-steel spiral staircase, a pool framed by cascading water walls, private theater, sauna, gym, and entertaining spaces that feel both luxurious and deeply livable. Constantly shifting light reflects across stone, glass, and water, bringing the home to life from sunrise to sunset.

Perched on a promontory lot in the Hollywood Hills, this residence was conceived around a single defining ambition: to o...
05/21/2026

Perched on a promontory lot in the Hollywood Hills, this residence was conceived around a single defining ambition: to open the house entirely to its views. The steep, hilly nature of the site called for a linear solution, a main two-story structure with the garage tucked below off an expansive drive court, allowing the architecture to stretch across the ridgeline and capture the landscape from every angle.

The drama begins the moment you arrive. A water garden at entry sets the tone before giving way to the full depth of the view beyond. At the heart of the design is a 110-foot electronically operable multi-slide door system spanning the entire lower level, one of the longest unobstructed openings we have ever attempted, redefining the boundary between indoors and outdoors entirely. The master bedroom cantilevers overhead, anchoring the upper level while the spaces below open freely onto the garden and terrace.

Every major room on the ground floor, living, dining, family, kitchen, game room with bar and media, is oriented toward the curved infinity edge pool and the sweeping views beyond. The upper level, by contrast, is reserved for privacy: three auxiliary bedrooms and a full master suite with his and hers bathrooms and closets, set apart from the activity of the main floor below.

We are honored to be featured in LA Times Studios’ Hot Property.This Bird Streets estate represents everything we strive...
05/18/2026

We are honored to be featured in LA Times Studios’ Hot Property.

This Bird Streets estate represents everything we strive for at McClean Design, contemporary architecture that responds to its site, frames the city, and creates something truly singular. Built by with interiors by , the collaboration behind this home reflects the level of craft and intention every project deserves.

15,200 square feet of hillside sanctuary above Los Angeles. Jetliner views from Downtown to the Pacific. Dual pools, a full wellness suite, a theater, and automated glass walls that open the home completely to the sky and city below.

Thank you to the LA Times for telling this story!

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From the street, almost nothing is revealed. Two large stone walls frame an entry gate, and the house beyond disappears ...
05/13/2026

From the street, almost nothing is revealed. Two large stone walls frame an entry gate, and the house beyond disappears entirely. That concealment is deliberate.

This corner lot gave us something rare: the ability to separate how you arrive on foot from how you arrive by car. Two different experiences, two different intentions. But the real story begins the moment you step through the gate.

The city opens up in front of you, visible through a spectacular glass living space at the far end. To get there, you cross a bridge suspended over a linear light well and water feature. The bridge is not incidental. It is the moment the house asks you to slow down, to leave the street behind, to arrive somewhere intentional.

Below that bridge is where the project comes alive. The entire lower level sits beneath grade, but you would never know it. The light well runs the full length of the home, pulling daylight deep into an entertainment space and a private office. A white marble waterfall lines one wall and bounces light across the interior. The water feature fills the base of the well, interrupted only by a floating platform sized perfectly for a book and a quiet hour. Living green walls anchor each end.

A skylit stairwell connects the levels, and the bedrooms open directly to the view beyond the hillside. Light, air, and outlook where most projects would have none.

The interiors were co-designed with , whose deep, rich palette gives every room a warmth that holds the whole composition together. A home that withholds, then reveals. That compresses, then releases. West Hollywood from a perspective most will never see.

Some buildings don’t just inspire architects. They create them.When Paul McClean was eight years old, growing up in Irel...
05/12/2026

Some buildings don’t just inspire architects. They create them.

When Paul McClean was eight years old, growing up in Ireland, he came across a book in a library with a photograph of a house that stopped him in his tracks. That moment planted a seed that grew into a career, a practice, and a lifelong pursuit of what architecture can truly be.

Nearly fifty years later, Paul finally stood inside that house. Fallingwater.

This past weekend, thanks to his son Milan, Paul made the trip to visit one of the most celebrated works in architectural history, and the timing couldn’t have been more special. After three years under scaffolding for an extensive restoration, the house was finally uncovered, revealing Wright’s vision in full once again.

To visit a building that shaped who you are, and to see it restored and standing strong, is something words can barely do justice. We are grateful for the reminder of why we do what we do.

Thank you Fallingwater.

Rising from a 48,435 sq. ft. hillside with commanding city views, this 12,000 sq. ft. residence reimagines a former sing...
05/06/2026

Rising from a 48,435 sq. ft. hillside with commanding city views, this 12,000 sq. ft. residence reimagines a former single-story home as a contemporary retreat rooted in the landscape. A new lower level expands the living program while maintaining a fluid connection to the outdoors.

Arrival is defined by a dramatic 75-foot water wall, with floor-to-ceiling glass framing sweeping vistas beyond. Retractable walls open the main level to terraces, gardens, and a transparent infinity pool that bridges a grand staircase, sending shifting ribbons of light into the spaces below.

The lower level includes a theater, gym, guest suites, and outdoor entertainment areas, all connected to terraced gardens carved into the hillside. Every room is oriented to the view, blending modern luxury with effortless indoor/outdoor living.

A 30,000-square-foot Westside Los Angeles residence positioned to maximize city views while preserving privacy from the ...
05/04/2026

A 30,000-square-foot Westside Los Angeles residence positioned to maximize city views while preserving privacy from the street. The arrival sequence begins at a lower-level circular stone-walled motor court, where a stairway ascends past a 180-foot water wall to the main entry. Inside, a two-story hallway anchors the plan, separating the formal living room and library from the dining and family areas, with every main-level room opening directly to a terrace and the view beyond.

The main level pool traces an infinity edge that cascades to the garden below, which steps down toward the city on a plinth-like structure. Lower levels hold a full wellness spa, theater, bar, entertainment spaces, and a ten-car garage. The roof deck adds a cabana, fire pit, and bar. Caravela limestone, Mocha Cream limestone, and oak run throughout, lending a soft, contemporary warmth to spaces that feel casual despite their scale.

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Los Angeles, CA

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