Design Front Elevations: Modern vs Traditional Styles

Modern elevations typically emphasize clean lines, simplified forms, restrained detailing, and carefully composed openings. Traditional elevations often use stronger symmetry, layered trim, familiar roof forms, and more decorative references. The distinction is not only about materials; it also involves proportion, entry design, window rhythm, rooflines, and how the facade relates to the home’s interior organization and surrounding context.

Start by considering the home’s setting, existing architectural character, interior design direction, maintenance preferences, and the atmosphere you want guests to experience. A design professional can compare proportion, materials, openings, rooflines, and entry sequences through drawings or VR presentations. Ortiz Mexia Projects, Inc. develops concepts around each client’s goals rather than applying a predetermined style.

Yes. Custom residential design can address a new single-family home or a residential building of up to four units. The process may include architectural design, permit procurement, consultant coordination, general contractor bidding guidance, and support through construction completion. Front elevation decisions are developed as part of the larger home so the exterior, interiors, and detailed elements work together.

Yes. Remodels, renovations, additions, and alterations can address an existing home’s facade while responding to its current architecture and the client’s desired direction. The work may involve reorganizing openings, refining the entry, coordinating new and existing materials, or integrating an addition. For historically sensitive properties, the design approach also considers architectural integrity and preservation requirements.

Yes. Since 2020, Ortiz Mexia Projects, Inc. has used VR immersions for client presentations and design work. Clients and designers can experience virtual spaces at 1:1 scale or study three-dimensional models at different scales. This provides a more intuitive way to compare modern and traditional facade concepts before refining the selected direction.

The firm provides building permit procurement and guidance through permitting for residential projects. Support includes coordination with clients, consultants, contractors, and municipal agencies. Permit requirements can vary according to the project, property, and jurisdiction, so the design and documentation are developed around the applicable review process rather than assuming one standard path.

Yes. Ortiz Mexia Projects, Inc. works on historical preservation and remodeling for single-family residences, including properties in Historical Preservation Overlay Zones. The goal is to maintain architectural integrity while incorporating appropriate modern sustainable systems and technologies. Front elevation changes are considered carefully so new work respects the original character and remains coherent with the overall residence.

The practice serves Los Angeles, California, and Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley. Catalogued service areas include the City of Santa Monica, the City of Beverly Hills, Aspen, Snowmass, Basalt, and Carbondale, with services provided by appointment. Availability and project fit are reviewed during an initial conversation before design work begins.