Otis-Webb Architecture + Interiors

Design Philosophy From Conception to Completion Upon first glance of any Karen Otis-designed home or other space, it is immediately clear that you are about to encounter something memorable – a feast for the senses, if you will. In fact, no matter what one’s personal style, preferences, or tastes happen to be, it’s likely that anyone would be awed, and perhaps even moved by the experience. Much of this reaction stems from the truly interesting and rarely seen touches Otis manages to infuse into each of her creations. “I attempt to redefine the most mundane spaces or objects,” Otis continues. “We become so accustomed to objects in our everyday world that we no longer see them. We walk through a door or gate and hardly take notice. I try to draw our eyes and our senses back to it, whether by giving it a new form or material, to see it renewed.” Otis’s goal with this approach, she says, “is to create spaces that engage the viewer or visitor – to enhance and deepen their experience. That experience,” she adds, “is as important as the aesthetic result – how a handrail feels to the touch, how it is shaped for the human hand, how a view if framed for a person’s height, how the home or space reveals itself to us as we walk through it.” For Otis, every project consists of several components – from a client’s lifestyle and the site up on which she’s working, to considerations of the way in which the client intends to use the space. The end result is a strength and unity in design that is evident in each instance of Otis’s work. Even throughout the four years Otis was a student at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at various architectural firms before pursuing her master's degree at the prestigious Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC). Although she prefers not to state an overriding design style, it is clear that Otis’s designs tend toward the contemporary.