History of Bell Design Group
Founded by architect and designer Tima Bell, Bell Design Group (BDG) has built its reputation on the seamless blending of art and architecture. Bell, whose roots stretch from New York to Venice Beach and Peaks Island, Maine, honed his craft at Rice University and SCI‑Arc, with formative creative residencies in Europe. Around 2011, he established BDG in Los Angeles, envisioning a practice that would challenge conventional boundaries and celebrate design as both a cultural and spatial act.
From its earliest projects – spanning film production campuses, hospitality environments, civic spaces, and multi‑family housing – BDG has been driven by a belief that design must engage deeply with context, community, and craft. The studio’s work is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach, often partnering with artists, fabricators, and cultural consultants to create environments where architecture becomes a living, experiential form of storytelling.
In recent years, BDG has embraced technological innovation, shifting from Revit to Graphisoft Archicad for its flexibility, intuitive modeling, and cloud‑based collaboration – particularly valuable for the firm’s international, multidisciplinary team. Tools like Bluebeam and BIMx have further enhanced their ability to coordinate across time zones and deliver design precision.
Over more than a decade, Bell Design Group has evolved from a small Los Angeles architecture studio into a respected, internationally recognized practice. Its projects speak to a refined balance of creativity and pragmatism, art and architecture, innovation and empathy. In a world where design often risks becoming formulaic, BDG continues to remind the profession that architecture, at its best, is both a craft and a cultural act – a discipline that shapes not just buildings, but the experiences and stories they hold.
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Company Culture at Bell Design Group
BDG’s studio culture is a defining strength of the firm. The practice operates on a foundation of collaboration, mentorship, and shared creativity—deliberately maintaining an ego‑free environment where ideas flow openly. This approach ensures that every project benefits from the collective talent of the team, rather than the vision of a single designer.
The firm actively supports diversity and international talent, offering mentorship, career growth opportunities, and technical training. By investing in its people, BDG has achieved an exceptionally low staff turnover rate, fostering a tight‑knit team that shares a commitment to design excellence.
We treasure the multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment which the collective of shared experiences brings to our designs, bettering our ability to create relevant and empathetic architecture.
This strong cultural foundation enables BDG to approach each project with both creative boldness and technical precision. Whether working on a sustainable housing development, a hospitality project, or a civic space, the team draws on its collaborative ethos to deliver work that is innovative, context‑driven, and community‑focused.
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Before becoming BDG, the firm was known as Relativity Architects, founded in Los Angeles by Tima Bell and Scott Sullivan. Relativity quickly earned recognition for its inventive, narrative‑driven approach to architecture. We at Architect‑US have been proud collaborators with BDG since their Relativity Architects days. From the very beginning, we have worked closely with their leadership to bring international architectural talent to Los Angeles – helping to welcome professionals such as Daniel Sosa Navarro, Jasmin Térése Müller, Fernanda Dias de Azevedo, and Carolina Heras Fernández through our Job+J1 Visa Program. Each of these architects has enriched BDG’s multicultural studio culture and strengthened its ability to design with a global perspective.
Our collaboration has now expanded through a new partnership with the Arquia Foundation – a Spanish philanthropic institution founded in 1990 to promote cultural, educational, and professional mobility in the fields of architecture, design, urban planning, and construction. The Foundation is widely known for its scholarship programs, which provide young architects with the opportunity to gain valuable international experience.
Through this partnership, Architect‑US is facilitating BDG’s participation in the Arquia Scholarship Program. We are currently in the process of bringing Marina Martinez Arana, one of this year’s scholarship recipients, to join the BDG team in Los Angeles. This initiative reinforces BDG’s commitment to international exchange, emerging talent, and design innovation, while continuing our shared mission of connecting global architectural talent with leading U.S. design firms.
Bell Design Group’s Selected Projects
Castle Argyle Apartments – Hollywood, California
The Castle Argyle Apartments in central Hollywood, a 1928 landmark originally built as a luxury residence-hotel for guests like Cecil B. DeMille, Clark Gable, and Howard Hughes, now serves as affordable studio and one‑bedroom housing for seniors. Amid the challenges of the COVID pandemic, Bell Design Group led a meticulous, full‑scale renovation that reinforced the structure, modernized utilities and fixtures, improved accessibility, and refreshed the building’s interior and exterior while honoring its Hollywood Regency roots.
Designers revived period‑inspired colors and patterns to evoke the building’s classic glamour while integrating modern updates for comfort and efficiency. Communal areas were transformed with new windows, enhanced views of the landscaped courtyard, and expanded amenities including a library, kitchen, dining room, lounge, exercise room, and on‑site medical facilities. Original coffered ceilings were uncovered and restored, and all apartments received new kitchens, bathrooms, appliances, air conditioning, flooring, and fresh finishes.
A curated public art program adds to the building’s character, featuring a large ceramic tile mosaic visible from Argyle Avenue, a figurative mural, and a glass‑tile lobby mosaic by Roberto Biaggi. Two restored neon signs now illuminate the night, preserving the property’s iconic Hollywood presence. This revitalization celebrates the building’s cultural legacy while ensuring it continues to provide safe, vibrant, and affordable housing for the senior community.
East End Studios Glendale – Glendale, California
Located northeast of Los Angeles along a major thoroughfare connecting to Downtown, the East End Glendale Campus is a dynamic urban production hub. The project includes two newly constructed sound stages with supporting spaces such as green rooms and make‑up areas, plus three stories of production offices that buffer the private campus from the busy street. Adjacent surface parking, partially covered, serves as an outdoor mill area with ample space for staging, trucks, and trailers.
The design fosters a strong connection to Glendale Avenue, with the main office building featuring setback areas, built‑in planters, and benches that integrate with the streetscape and encourage pedestrian activity. These setbacks also break up the building’s massing, creating a more human‑scaled, approachable façade.
Architecturally, the building combines high‑quality materials – vertical wood louvers, glazed curtain walls, and smooth concrete surfaces – to create visual variety and warmth. The carefully coordinated palette of colors and textures ensures the campus blends seamlessly with its surroundings while supporting both production efficiency and community engagement.
Fear of God – Los Angeles, CA
In Downtown LA’s Arts District, BDG transformed an existing warehouse into the headquarters for the iconic fashion brand Fear of God, collaborating closely with founder and lead designer Jerry Lorenzo. The design creates a city‑like environment with neutral, flexible enclaves that support both creative exploration and business operations without interference. Each space was tailored to its function, resulting in a refined, aesthetically restrained setting for design and merchandise display.
The project also strengthens the LA Fashion District community, addressing nighttime safety concerns with a discreet, black‑painted brick exterior free of signage. Sustainability played a central role—BDG prioritized adaptive reuse over demolition, installed energy‑efficient windows, preserved clerestory daylighting, and integrated Energy Star appliances and low‑flow plumbing fixtures. These strategies reduced both embodied and operational carbon footprints, positioning the project as a sustainable model for future developments.
We will be posting more projects by BDG in the upcoming weeks and months, so keep an eye out for more of their incredible work! Every Friday we will be posting a new Featured Company, so join us again next week!
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