Custom Residential Design & Planning
 

ABOUT MBB DESIGN STUDIO

We are a small dynamic residential planning and design firm located in Calabasas

Our firm focuses on contemporary residential design in the Los Angeles area. The success of our projects is a result of the collaborative relationships between our studio staff and each client. We believe that our role is not to dominate the process but rather to guide it to completion with the client’s goals and budget as top priorities.  We believe that owners, along with their design team, are partners in the design process, and communication must be open and continuous. 

This successful collaboration results in gracious, efficient and comfortable spaces in which to live and work – from early conceptual and planning stages through to construction documents and administration. Our intent is to provide intelligent direction for our clients that will create both value and beauty. We focus on collaboration with all of the partners in the process so that the design experience is transparent, responsive, foresighted, and flexible.

 

“We can help you realize your dreams, put your ideas on paper, and make sure they get executed/built just the way you envision it.”

 

Michal Brison

Managing Principal 

Born and raised in Israel, Michal moved to the United States in 1996 after completing her service in the Israeli Defense Forces as a photographer. 

Michal is a LEED accredited professional and is passionate about sustainable and environmentally friendly design. She strives to incorporate sustainable conscious features in every project.

She completed her studies and graduated in 2002 with honors earning a Bachelor of Architecture (Magna Cum Laude) degree from from The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture of The City College of New York. She received numerous honors and awards including the ‘AIA Henry Adams Medal’ of the School of Architecture and the ‘Carol J. Weissman Kurth Women in Architecture Annual Scholarship Fund.’ Michal was recruited out of college by a mid-size New York based architectural firm, where she began her career. As a Junior Architect, she was involved in several projects including large scale commercial transportation depots, and train stations.

She later joined a boutique residential firm as a project architect / manager and focused on high-end multi-family residential buildings located in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

In 2009, Michal and her family relocated to Los Angeles where she founded MBB Design Studio. Beyond her architecture and design practice, Michal spends all of her time with her husband and four children enjoying Southern California's sunny weather and beautiful beaches.

Lic. #036422

 

 Jen Conway

Project Manager ∙ Senior Designer

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Jen received her Bachelor of Architecture Degree from Roger Williams University in 2001 where she was a Dean's List recipient. She received the Pella Designer of the Year award in 1999, as well as the Thesis Design Studio Award in 2001.

She worked for ten years at the award winning architectural firm, SHoP Architects in New York City. As a project manager, she worked on commercial, academic and master plan projects including the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and the design competition Botswana Innovation Hub. SHoP's approach to redefining the role of architect extended her experience to include interior design, on-site construction supervision, and Building Information Modeling.

Prior to joining MBB Design she took time off to raise her family, and has been living in the Los Angeles area for the past six years.

Piper Chuthakieo

Interior Designer

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A native Californian, Piper spent her childhood accompanying her mother on shopping trips to the Pacific Design Center where furniture showrooms became playgrounds. Later as a teen in high school, she worked summers in the art department on film and television sets. Inspired by the way empty stages could be transformed into beautiful interiors, Piper began funneling what she learned on set into her own surroundings. Years later she would apply those skills to remodels as a homeowner and then a property manager.

Over the last fifteen years, Piper has fine-tuned her skills and applied them to her freelance work which spans projects big and small. Whether it's a full home remodel or a spruced-up powder room, she revels in every detail. Piper believes a home should be a sanctuary and thrives on simplifying the design process to provide her clients with the support and inspiration they need to make a house into a home.

Steve Sas Schwartz

Marketing Director ∙ Social Media

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Steve earned a Masters degree from UC Berkeley, and an MFA from Columbia University in the city of New York.

He is head of digital marketing.

Prior he was lead Art Director for Ogilvy & Mather for website design and implementation (1998-2002). There he designed sites for Jaguar, BMW, AARP, and many more. In 2003 he set out on his own and built some of the first e-commerce sites in apparel.

Since, Steve has developed many sites in a range of industries, and has participated in exciting projects with Apple and Facebook.

He is also an accomplished artist and exhibits widely.

 

Sidney Ortega

Junior Designer

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Sidney is a native Californian who is the daughter of immigrants from Guatemala and El Salvador. She received her Bachelor of Architecture from Cal Poly Pomona in 2020 where she graduated on the Dean's List and the President's Honor List. She later continued her studies and received a Masters in Science of Architecture and Urban Design from UCLA in 2021 where she graduated with distinction in the UCLA M.S. AUD Technology Studio. Previously throughout her summers of her undergraduate studies, she worked at a small architecture firm as an intern.

Donald Alfaro

Junior Designer

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Cal Poly Pomona graduate and early designer, Donald is an aspiring artist who enjoys learning the technical and functional aspects that revolve around architectural design.

Growing up, Donald would spend his time drawing, playing video games and watching the television animated children's series 'Bob the Builder.' His early exposure and past time hobbies carried on over the years leading up to his interest in digital art and architectural design.

Shelly Arthur

Administrative Assistant

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Shelly is a Texas native with a California state of mind. She moved to Los Angeles in 2001 and fell in love with the natural beauty of Southern California and the amazing weather. She began her journey in Real Estate when she joined a small private investment firm in Los Angeles and took on the role of Asset Manager after obtaining her California Real Estate license. From there, she learned how to oversee Tenant Improvements, facilitated contracts with vendors and maintained positive relationships between ownership and tenants. After starting a family, she relocated to Hawaii for a year for her husband's Navy Reserve work. Once that magical year was over, they returned to Woodland Hills to settle and raise their two children.

Shelly currently serves as administrative support for MBB Design Studio and has a passion for beautiful architecture, especially classic mid-century homes and historically preserved buildings we see sprinkled throughout Los Angeles.

 
 

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