HMA Architecture is a California-based residential architecture studio focused on the kinds of projects that matter most to people: homes. From intimate single-family retreats to full master-planned communities and multi-family developments, HMA brings a full-service practice to bear on every scale. The firm's work sits at the intersection of craft and program — where the poetry of form meets the pragmatic needs of modern life.
At the heart of HMA Architecture’s approach is an insistence that beautiful architecture must also be exceptionally livable. A well-composed elevation or a clever plan means little if daily movement through the house is awkward or storage is overlooked. HMA’s studio pairs conceptual design with rigorous project management so that artistry and performance travel together from sketch to completion.
That balance shows up in calibrated daylighting, considered material palettes, and plans that privilege both communal and private moments: breakfast in a sunlit nook, homework at a discreet desk, a backyard patio that feels like a room outdoors.
Full-Service Offerings — From Concept to Keys
HMA is a full-service residential architecture firm. They provide end-to-end architectural and interior design work plus a suite of development and technical services that make large or complex projects possible. Their core offerings include:
- Architecture: Schematic Design → Design Development → Construction Documents → Construction Observation
- Interior Design: Integrated interiors with documentation and furniture/décor purchasing
- Community & Development: HOA/design review assistance, master planned communities, multi-family projects
- Technical Services: Code analysis, permitting assistance, feasibility studies
- Program & Management: Project planning, consultant coordination, and developer marketing materials
- Light Commercial: Small scale commercial projects where thoughtful design supports business goals
This breadth means the studio can lead a simple custom home one month and coordinate a phased subdivision the next — always keeping the client’s program at the center of design decisions.
The Process — Clear, Collaborative, and Hands-On
HMA’s process begins with careful listening: site conditions, budget realities, lifestyle requirements, and long-term goals. From there the studio produces a layered set of deliverables that translate intention into buildable reality.
Typical Project Phases
- Discovery & Programming: Goals, site constraints, budget, and schedule.
- Schematic Design: Massing, orientation, and initial spatial relationships.
- Design Development: Material choices, systems, and refined plans.
- Construction Documents: Detailed drawings and specifications for bidding and permitting.
- Construction Observation: Site visits and coordination to protect design intent during build-out.
The studio also supports interiors and purchasing so the owner receives a cohesive finished home rather than a partial project stitched together by multiple vendors.
Beautiful Home Styles — Versatility with Intent
HMA’s portfolio spans a comfortable range of aesthetics. The firm’s real skill is making each style feel authentic to the site and the client — not like a catalog spec. Their frequently requested design palettes include:
- Timeless Tahoe: Rustic, refined, and grounded in mountain materials.
- Mountain Modern: Clean lines, natural timber, and expansive glazing to frame views.
- Contemporary Homes: Minimal composition, daylight strategy, and bold spatial moves.
- Modern Farmhouse & Modern Barn: Warm materials, generous porches, and simple, honest volumes.
- Tuscan / Mediterranean: Textured stucco, earthy tile, and rooms shaped for social life.
Timeless Tahoe
Timeless Tahoe captures the quiet drama and rugged elegance of the Sierra landscape, and HMA Architecture interprets this sensibility with a refined, modern instinct. Their Tahoe-inspired homes balance alpine warmth with contemporary clarity—expansive glazing that frames snow-dusted pines, deep overhangs that temper mountain light, and natural materials that feel rooted to place without slipping into nostalgia. Inside, spaces unfold with a calm, lodge-like rhythm: timber accents, stone textures, and clean-lined detailing that elevate, rather than overwhelm, the architecture. The result is a home that feels both sheltering and expansive—crafted for year-round living, yet imbued with the serenity of a retreat.
Mountain Modern
Mountain Modern redefines alpine living through a crisp, sculptural lens, and HMA Architecture brings this style to life with a confident blend of raw materials and contemporary geometry. These homes pair dramatic rooflines and bold structural forms with panoramic glazing that dissolves the boundary between interior spaces and the surrounding peaks. Warm woods, blackened metals, and polished concrete create a tactile palette that feels both grounded and refined, while open-plan interiors emphasize flow, natural light, and an effortless connection to outdoor living. HMA’s Mountain Modern designs honor the rugged character of high-elevation terrain while embracing a modern minimalism that feels fresh, livable, and unmistakably architectural.
Contemporary Homes
Contemporary Homes by HMA Architecture embody a clean, forward-looking design language rooted in proportion, clarity, and purposeful living. These residences are defined by sculpted volumes, expansive window walls, and fluid interior plans that adapt seamlessly to modern lifestyles. Materials are chosen for both texture and precision—smooth stucco, natural woods, refined metals—creating a balanced dialogue between warmth and minimalism. Inside, daylight becomes a design element of its own, illuminating open spaces that encourage movement and flexibility. HMA’s contemporary approach avoids trends in favor of thoughtful simplicity, resulting in homes that feel crisp, timeless, and intuitively connected to the rhythms of everyday life.
Modern Farmhouse
Modern Farmhouse design by HMA Architecture reinterprets the familiar language of rural American architecture through a lens of modern simplicity. Clean lines, generous porches, and steep gabled roofs are paired with contemporary materials, large-format windows, and open interior volumes that emphasize light and comfort. The aesthetic strikes a balance between rustic warmth and refined clarity—where shiplap, natural woods, and matte metals coexist with streamlined cabinetry and thoughtfully edited detailing. HMA’s Modern Farmhouse homes feel grounded and inviting, offering the nostalgia of tradition without sacrificing the ease and openness of modern living.
Modern Barn
Modern Barn architecture explores a more sculptural, industrial interpretation of agrarian heritage. Inspired by the tall profiles and functional purity of working barns, these homes often feature soaring ceilings, exposed structural elements, and crisp geometric forms that read as both rugged and elegant. HMA Architecture enhances this framework with contemporary interventions—expansive glass, polished concrete, precise steelwork—to create spaces that feel simultaneously raw and refined. Modern Barn homes celebrate volume, authenticity, and a deep connection to landscape, resulting in residences that are striking, serene, and architecturally honest.
Tuscan / Mediterranean
Tuscan / Mediterranean homes by HMA Architecture capture the romance and enduring elegance of Old World living while tailoring it to modern lifestyles. Rooted in the architectural traditions of Italy and the Mediterranean coast, these designs emphasize harmony, craftsmanship, and indoor–outdoor connection. Warm stucco exteriors, clay tile roofs, and arched openings set a timeless tone, while wrought-iron detailing, natural stone, and richly textured materials add depth and authenticity. Inside, the spaces are airy and fluid—large kitchens, breezy loggias, and courtyards that invite gathering and slow living. HMA elevates this classic aesthetic with updated spatial planning, refined proportions, and contemporary comforts, resulting in homes that feel luxurious, welcoming, and gracefully connected to their surroundings.
Whatever the vocabulary, every design starts with context: orientation for solar gain and privacy, circulation that supports living, and details that age gracefully.
Sustainability & Materials — Practical Beauty
HMA approaches sustainability pragmatically: durable materials, right-sized systems, and construction detail that reduces maintenance and energy use over time. The studio favors strategies that produce long-term value — high-performance glazing, careful insulation, and materials specified for longevity — rather than one-off gestures.
In many projects, material choice becomes the narrative thread: reclaimed timbers in a mountain retreat, smooth plaster and tile in a Tuscan suite, or a crisp steel stair punctuating a contemporary plan.
Client Experience — Guidance, Clarity, and Care
Owners working with HMA routinely cite the firm’s project management and communication as differentiators. The studio’s team navigates permitting, coordinates consultants, and produces marketing materials for developers, reducing friction for clients who prefer a single trusted partner through complex processes.
Whether it’s facilitating HOA review, optimizing a subdivision layout, or staging finishes for a model home, HMA treats each project detail as part of the larger experience.
Why Developers and Homeowners Choose HMA
Developers and private clients choose HMA because the firm delivers design intelligence at every step: an ability to resolve regulatory constraints, propose viable construction strategies, and document interiors down to the last fixture. That combination of strategic capability and design sensibility is rare in a single shop.
In short: HMA designs beautiful homes, and then helps make them happen.
Beautiful Homes That Last
HMA Architecture combines the craft of residential design with the systems thinking of a full-service practice. Their houses are not only image-worthy — they are designed to perform for the people who live inside them. In California’s diverse landscapes, that balanced approach creates homes that are beautiful, durable, and endlessly livable.
If you’re considering a custom home, a community development, or a multi-family project and you value design that thinks deeply about living, HMA Architecture offers a comprehensive, experienced, and creative path forward.