Orange County’s McClean Design steps into the spotlight with its new Rizzoli-published book, Contemporary Living.
“The Laurel house is all about light and access to the view,” says Paul McClean. “The courtyard provides a welcome retreat from the wind and an alternate experience focused on the fire pit while also allowing light to penetrate deep into the basement." PHOTO BY MANOLO LANGIS
With a client list that includes Beyoncé, Jay Z and Calvin Klein, Paul McClean is the founder and visionary behind McClean Design, a leading Orange County-based contemporary residential design firm. With projects ranging in size from 3,500 to 100,000 square feet, McClean is showcasing his work in his second Rizzoli-published book, Contemporary Living by McClean Design, out now. Here, McClean sounds off.
What inspired your new book?
We wanted to get our current work out there to follow up on our initial book, McClean Design: Creating the Contemporary House, that Rizzoli published in 2019. That book covers our work going back 10 to 15 years; this book covers work between 2019 and today.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
Our aesthetic draws from contemporary architecture in Southern California; there is such a wonderful and vibrant history of modernism dating back to the 1930s. So much of what has developed here is about relating to nature and the beautiful climate.
What do you hope readers will take away?
I hope that readers will enjoy the book and take away that there are many different approaches to contemporary architecture. However, they all have certain things in common, such as removing barriers between the indoors and outdoors, access to nature and natural light, and making the most of the views and landscapes available.
The artful cover of Contemporary Living by McClean Design; PHOTO BY MANOLO LANGIS
Current home trends—what’s in and what’s out?
Post-pandemic, our clients are much more critical when they look at how their homes are laid out. Most new clients also place a huge emphasis on wellness. We have been adding generous gym spaces, associated wellness spaces like saunas, steam rooms and massage areas, and even red light therapy, cryo-chambers, flotation tanks, and hot and cold plunges.
Who inspires you?
I love to look at the work of our contemporaries in California—architects like Aidlin Darling, KAA and Olson Kundig. I continue to be inspired by the work of Norman Foster and how Richard Meier uses light within his spaces.
What’s next?
I hope to keep designing houses for a long time to come. It’s exciting that we now have the opportunity to bring what we’ve learned here in Southern California to different places around the world.
A look at a stunning home by McClean Design in the coveted Trousdale Estates neighborhood in Beverly Hills; PHOTO BY JIM BARTSCH
Photography by: Manolo Langis
