The hand in the surface.
TheBlue’s elevations bring together stone veneer placed by masons and plaster formed by hand. Texture and smoothness meet across the house, giving its walls the depth and presence of a crafted object.
See the stonework
theBlue · An Apel Experience estate
Amit Apel / Artist, designer & founder of Apel DesignThe hands
behind the house.
The person, the inspiration, the makers, and the details that turn theBlue into a place to experience the art of living.
The artist / Amit ApelA life of making.
A life of making.
A house with a soul.
Amit Apel is the founder and creative director of Apel Design, and an artist, painter, sculptor, and maker. Raised across Africa, Israel, and Europe, he has been based in Malibu since 1999. A fifth-generation designer and artist, his practice has grown across architecture, interiors, furniture, and sculpture through more than three decades of work.
That breadth shapes the way he sees a home. A room is a composition. A wall can hold the presence of a sculpture. A piece of furniture can belong to the architecture as naturally as a doorway or a view.
At theBlue, this artistic perspective becomes something you can inhabit: a place of stone, plaster, light, cobalt color, and the small pleasures of life opening to the garden.
Explore Amit’s art & making“I don't design with my mind.
I design with my hands.”
Amit Apel · Artist, designer & founder of Apel Design
TheBlue / The idea, made tangibleArt you can
Art you can
live inside.
Greek Mediterranean warmth, interpreted for the Malibu countryside. The inspiration is carried through materials, proportion, movement, and the experience of everyday life.
A sculptural kitchen.
The curved plaster island was formed on site. Custom casework, the farmhouse sink, and patterned tile were resolved for the room itself, carrying the same care from the building into the things you use each day.
Explore the kitchenA Mediterranean rhythm.
Cobalt doors, pale plaster, stone, and garden light give theBlue its own visual language. Arches and framed openings slow the eye. Rooms turn toward the outdoors, inviting the day to become part of the house.
See the architectural details
ApelDesign.com ↗Connecting People
to the Art of Living.
The studio / Apel Design, MalibuArt, design & making.
Art, design & making.
One connected practice.
Apel Design is the Malibu studio founded and led by Amit Apel. More than three decades of design and building experience connect architecture, interiors, art, land use, and the knowledge of construction.
The studio considers a home as a whole: its relationship to the land, the movement through its rooms, the materials, the furniture, and the details you live with. Its work spans private homes, interiors, multifamily buildings, commercial spaces, and hospitality.
At theBlue, that approach brings the artist’s idea into the work of building, through Apel Design’s design-build collaboration with Creative New Dimensions.
Architecture & interiorsArt & custom objectsSite & landscape thinkingDesign-build coordination
The people behind the placeA vision,
A vision,
carried through.
Apel Design connects the creative idea with the work of building. At theBlue, its design-build collaboration with Creative New Dimensions brought architecture, interiors, material decisions, and craftsmanship into the same conversation.
The finished home carries the contribution of the people who shaped it: the creative direction, the architectural coordination, and the trades whose hands turned the detail into a place.
- Artist & creative direction
- Amit Apel
- Architecture & interior design
- Apel Design
- Architectural services
- In association with Michael B. Maclaren, AIA
- Licensed construction
- Creative New Dimensions Inc.CA General Building Contractor · Class B · CSLB #1056632
- Your host
- Apel Experience
Connecting People to the Art of LivingMade with imagination.
Made with imagination.
Completed by the life within it.
Share a meal, gather in the garden, open the doors to the morning. TheBlue invites you to experience the care that went into the place, and bring your own story to it.
The architecture & the work of buildingA design carried
A design carried
all the way through.
White and blue, arches, plaster, intimate courtyards, and a sequence of outdoor rooms give theBlue its Greek Mediterranean character. The inspiration moves through the entire property, from the entrance and living spaces to the garden, pool, and roof deck.
The shaped surfaces, custom cabinetry, framed openings, material transitions, and considered details connect the larger architectural idea with the way the house is touched and used.
Apel Design connects Amit Apel’s creative direction with architecture, interiors, technical coordination, and design-build knowledge. Licensed construction is provided in collaboration with Creative New Dimensions Inc., California General Building Contractor, Class B, CSLB #1056632. Architectural services are in association with Michael B. Maclaren, AIA.
Apel Design / Published workThe studio,
The studio,
through other eyes.
Features on Apel Design’s wider portfolio of homes, hospitality and furniture. The projects named here are part of the studio’s work beyond theBlue.
A West Hollywood Retreat by Amit Apel Design Inc.
A feature on the studio’s West Knoll residence and its contemporary indoor-outdoor spaces.
Read the featureA Hollywood Home with an Atypical Facade
A look at architectural form, openings and the identity of a Hollywood home.
Read the featureThe Grand Canyon Table by Amit Apel
Amit’s furniture design, with the character of a landscape translated into a usable object.
Read the featureHome of the Day: Living outside the box in Cheviot Hills
A feature on a Cheviot Hills residence by Apel Design.
Read the featureAmit Apel Design, Inc. / Firm profile
A publisher profile of the design practice.
Read the featureThe Moment Hotel
A project profile of the studio’s Hollywood hotel, with architecture and interiors conceived together.
Explore the coverageCalifornia Living / Modern homes
A broadcast segment exploring modern California homes from the studio’s wider portfolio.
Explore the coverageApel Design / Interviews
A life of making.
Meet Amit Apel of Apel Design in Malibu
Read the interviewConversations with Amit Apel
Read the interviewApel Design / Studio recognitionA practice,
A practice,
recognized.
Awards and editorial selections for Apel Design and the named projects across its portfolio.
City of Beverly Hills
View the record Award for Excellence in Residential Design / Best Single Family Home Design
Studio recognition for excellence in single-family residential design.
Los Angeles Business Journal
View the record Commercial Real Estate Silver Award / Best Hospitality Project
Best Hospitality Project recognition for The Moment Hotel in Hollywood.
Home Builder Digest
View the record The 15 Best Residential Architects in Malibu, California
Apel Design is included in the publisher’s selection of residential architecture practices in Malibu.
Apel Design / The full archive
Open the full press archive Keep exploring.
More architectural features, hospitality coverage, interviews and design stories are collected at ApelDesign.com.
Your own project / Apel DesignLike the thinking
Like the thinking
behind theBlue?
Apel Design created theBlue through its architecture, interiors, and design-build practice. If the house sparks an idea for your own home, renovation, interiors, or development, meet the team behind it.
Explore the studio’s work and begin a conversation about your project at ApelDesign.com. For a stay, event, or production at theBlue, your host is Apel Experience.