DFH Architects

What DFH Architects does

DFH Architects is an independent, founder-led architecture firm headquartered in Santa Monica, California, established in 1991 by David Forbes Hibbert. The firm provides full-service architecture for residential, commercial, mixed-use, multi-family, and adaptive reuse developments across the Southern California region — spanning Los Angeles, Long Beach, and San Diego. Notable commissions include the Universal Music Group corporate headquarters at 2220 Colorado Ave, the LEED Gold Certified Skechers Design Center and Executive Office Building in Hermosa Beach, the K2LA apartments in Koreatown, and the adaptive reuse conversions of the Crosby parking garage and the historically landmarked Mayfair Theater.

The firm's service model covers the full project lifecycle from concept through construction administration, with stated depth in sustainable design, LEED certification, and the navigation of complex California entitlements and zoning requirements. Service categories are organized on the firm's website as On The Boards, Mixed Use, Multi-Family, Commercial, Office, and Adaptive Reuse, plus featured projects. The team is composed predominantly of licensed architects, many holding advanced degrees from programs including UCLA, Yale, Woodbury University, and SCI-Arc, and several staff are LEED BD+C credentialed.

DFH generates revenue through project-based professional service fees on architectural commissions, with clients including enterprise retail (Skechers, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, West Elm, Anthropologie), entertainment (Universal Music Group, Flyte Tyme), and residential developers across the Southland. The firm markets primarily through its project portfolio, professional network engagement, and industry awards (Los Angeles Business Journal and Pacific Coast Builders Conference), and pursues work through direct enterprise engagement and referrals rather than public RFP bidding. Ownership remains concentrated among the founding partners, with James Fischer and Kara Block serving as current Partners and David Forbes Hibbert as Partner Emeritus.

Name

DFH Architects

Legal name

DFH Architects

Website

https://dfhaia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DFH Architects is a privately held, Santa Monica-based architecture firm founded in 1991 that provides full-service architectural design for commercial, mixed-use, multi-family residential, and adaptive reuse projects across Southern California. It serves enterprise clients and developers, with marquee projects for Skechers and Universal Music Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAKAA

Architectural Design Services

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

SECONDARYBPAHAKAB

Interior Design Services

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

Keywords

• Architectural design
• Residential architecture
• Commercial architecture
• Construction documentation
• Building planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: Full architectural services for large-scale office and housing projects, custom interiors, commercial, mixed-use, multi-family, and adaptive reuse projects. Revenue is generated through project-based professional service fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DFH Architects provides professional architectural design services for residential and commercial building projects across Southern California. The firm delivers end-to-end architectural work spanning conceptual design, design development, permit and construction documentation, and project administration for property owners, developers, and corporate clients.

Product overview

DFH Architects is an independent, award-winning architecture firm offering full architectural services for commercial, residential, and mixed-use projects. The firm's core services include On The Boards (design phase), Mixed Use, Multi-Family, Commercial, Office, and Adaptive Reuse project types. Notable projects include the Skechers corporate campus (Design Center and Executive Office Building), Wilco at 2525 Wilshire, Crosby at 685 Catalina, K2LA apartments, and Universal Music Group headquarters. The firm operates primarily in Southern California with projects spanning Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Koreatown, Pasadena, and San Diego.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed over fifty projects in Santa Monica alone with projects throughout the Southland

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Pyatok ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign collaboration with Pyatok Architects on the Evani 3223 Wilshire project - a 53-unit mixed-use development in Santa Monica with four stories and three levels of subterranean parking.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HOK: HOK is a global architecture firm with significant commercial, corporate, and mixed-use work. Comparable to DFH in corporate/commercial product types (similar to the Skechers HQ and UMG HQ projects) but at substantially larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Perkins&Will: Perkins&Will is a global architecture firm with a strong sustainability and LEED-certified building portfolio, overlapping with DFH on the LEED Gold corporate and higher-education/commercial work. Operates at a much larger scale with a sustainability focus similar to DFH's stated differentiator.
• Gensler: Gensler is a global architecture and design firm with extensive corporate headquarters, commercial office, and mixed-use work, including major corporate campuses in Southern California. Overlaps with DFH on the corporate HQ and commercial office product (similar to the Skechers and UMG assignments), but at vastly larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• AO: AO is a mid-size architecture and design firm with offices on the West Coast and a portfolio spanning mixed-use, multi-family, and commercial work. Comparable to DFH in scale and product mix, with overlapping California multifamily and mixed-use developer relationships.
• Pyatok Architects: Pyatok Architects is an Oakland/Southern California architecture firm with a deep portfolio in multi-family, affordable housing, and mixed-use projects. Directly comparable as a design collaborator of DFH (Evani 3223 Wilshire) and a peer in affordable-housing architectural practice.
• Steinberg Hart: Steinberg Hart is a California-based architecture firm with significant mixed-use, multi-family, and adaptive reuse work across the West Coast. Direct peer in product type and regional market, somewhat larger in scale but with overlapping developer clientele.
• TCA Architects: TCA Architects is a Southern California-based architecture firm of comparable scale focused on multi-family residential, mixed-use, and affordable housing projects. Directly comparable to DFH in geography, product type, and client base (developers of multi-family and mixed-use in the LA region).
• Danielian Associates: Danielian Associates is a Southern California architecture firm specializing in multi-family residential, mixed-use, and master-planned communities. Direct peer with overlapping project types (large-scale residential developments), geographic footprint, and developer clientele.
• KFA Architecture: KFA Architecture is an LA-area firm with a strong multi-family and mixed-use residential portfolio, including affordable and market-rate housing. Comparable to DFH in scale, Southern California focus, and developer-driven project mix.

Regional players

• Carrier Johnson + CULTURE | ARCHITECTURE: Carrier Johnson is a Southern California architecture firm with a mixed-use, multi-family, and urban infill portfolio across the San Diego and LA markets. Comparable to DFH in regional SoCal focus and mixed-use/multi-family product mix, with somewhat larger headcount.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dfhaia

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DFH Architects