DOUGLAS ESPARZA
Principal
Prior to co-founding DLFstudio, Douglas spent over 10 years as a lead designer and job-captain in small to medium high-end residential architecture firms working on contemporary and Spanish-style custom homes.
While working at Don W. Thursby, AIA and later at Dean Larkin Design, Douglas was responsible for several challenging hillside construction projects and major remodels of celebrity homes. He also collaborated on a variety of hospitality and office projects including the Farmer’s Daughter Hotel. Over the years his mix of conceptual and hands-on experience has allowed him to gain an excellent understanding of all aspects of design, city permitting, client relations and construction administration.
More recently he collaborated on a Habitat for Humanity project and has freelanced as a set designer on the independent movies Miracle MIle and Clear Blue Skies. Since 2004 Douglas has taught an upper division Design Presentation class at California State University, Long Beach and is currently teaching the Professional Practice of Design course at Santa Monica College.
Douglas received a BFA in Interior Architectural Design from California State University at Long Beach and is the recipient of numerous awards for academic excellence. He is currently a candidate for the State of California architectural license.
