Our Practice
Blitz is an architecture, interiors, and experiential design firm. Tenaciously founded in 2009 with an enduring rebel spirit, our team of creatives seek to upend convention and invent the new normal. With California studios in SF & LA we create buildings, spaces and experiences globally.
We live and work in the modern world and have tuned our practice to be nimble, responsive and mobile. We are not limited by geography or time zone and have completed projects throughout the globe - yep, we even work in metric.
The Blitz process focuses on concise and clear deliverables aimed at communicating complex ideas in a straightforward and direct way. This means that we can work anywhere all the while communicating fluidly. By stripping away unnecessary bureaucracy and overly complex workflows we are able to direct all of our energy to creating great design.
Our experience with the built environment contributes to our sense of well being and influences everything from our ability to learn to our ability to heal. It’s expensive to build and there are environmental consequences too. We believe in spending the time, investing the energy, and using state of the art technology to get it right.
Blitz balances buildings, strategy, branding, and experiences to create transformative spaces. By improving the quality of the environment you inhabit, we aim to improve the quality of your lives. We combine research, a strong understanding of each Client’s needs, and years of experience to present innovative and delightful solutions. Churning out what you’ve always done won’t just yield the same results, it will leave you and your project behind in an ever changing world. Success means balancing budget, schedule and quality, and in the 21st Century, the environment.
We take our corporate responsibility seriously. Blitz is dedicated from day one of employment to the care, professional development and education of our team members. We prioritize teaming with local, minority owned and disadvantaged businesses. Blitz sources local, sustainable materials and products; focusing on meaningful strategies including reuse, performance and partnering with manufacturers who take ownership cradle to cradle.
Take The Pledge
We hope you will join us in taking the INTERIOR DESIGN PLEDGE FOR POSITIVE IMPACT. At Blitz we are committed to leaving the world better than we found it. We fully endorse, believe in, and have incorporated the goals of this pledge into our practice. The world of corporate design (especially interiors) can be incredibly wasteful with short project lifespans and a proliferation of disposable products. We have an incredible opportunity and, frankly, an obligation to reduce the negative impact of our work. Join us.
Design for Climate:
The climate crisis is the greatest single threat to health and economic prosperity on the planet, and disproportionately affects vulnerable communities. Interior design professionals reduce the negative impacts of climate change by committing to:
Reduce emissions, including operational and embodied carbon, to the maximum extent on all projects.
Optimize design processes to reduce waste and the depletion of natural resources.
Design for adaptability and resilience.
Design for responsible end-of-life, deconstruction, and decommissioning processes.
Design for Health:
Both human and ecological health are essential components of a thriving society, and essential for the future of humanity on the planet. Interior design professionals support holistic health and safety by committing to:
Improve physical health by eliminating toxic and hazardous substances and creating healthy and regenerative environmental conditions.
Nurture the mental wellness and wellbeing of people who use our spaces.
Building social health by fostering better connections between people and strengthening community.
Promote ecological health by preferring processes that restore and regenerate air, water, and other natural systems.
Design for Equity:
Social equity and climate justice are central to cohesive, safe, and resilient communities. Interior design professionals promote diversity, inclusion, and equity by committing to:
Design to benefit people with different backgrounds and needs, equally and fairly.
Include and reflect the perspectives of underrepresented communities in our work process.
Make design choices that directly support the health and prosperity of vulnerable communities in our work product.
Prioritize access and a positive experience for all people, regardless of visible and invisible differences.
The SME Climate Hub Commitment
Blitz is a proud member of the SME Climate Hub, a global initiative that empowers small to medium sized companies to take climate action and build more resilient businesses. Through the SME Climate Hub, we commit to lowering our impact on the environment through authentic action, halving our emissions by 2030. In making the commitment, we have joined the United Nations Race to Zero campaign. LEARN MORE HERE
Brains. Beauty. Brilliance.
We are a collection of designers and technicians who are driven by the passionate pursuit of better answers. Pushing past expectations, past traditions, past the status quo to elevate experiences, attitudes, and lives. By diving deeper into data and leveraging the strongest technology through a creative’s lens, we’ve invented extraordinary possibilities (and met some really cool people too).
Together, we will dream bigger and build the greater answer that enhances the way people work, think, play, and live…
all in a space you love.
Melissa Hanley, AIA, LEED AP, IIDA, ASID
Co-Founder / Partner / Architect
Melissa, a co-founder and partner of Blitz, performs many roles in the studio but primarily designs. When she’s not working on projects for innovative local technology workplaces and global retail, hospitality, and product brands, she spends her days managing operations, brand, and project delivery strategy for the studio.
Melissa is a maker at heart and fell in love with creating things at a very early age. As the daughter of a contractor / fine wood-worker, building runs in her blood. Her parents encouraged her artistic expressions even at the expense of the furniture and walls. This sense of exploration and freedom to test ideas has been at the core of her world view ever since and still informs her process.
Melissa feels privileged to be considered a champion for leading-edge design and regularly contributes her projects and design knowledge to technical and lifestyle publications such as Architect Magazine, Interior Design Magazine, Contract, Vanity Fair, GQ, The Atlantic, The NYT, and The Wall Street Journal.
Seth Hanley, AIA, LEED AP
Co-Founder / Partner / Architect
Seth, a co-founder and partner of Blitz, performs many roles in the studio and across the business, but his primary focus is assisting the Blitz team with technical feasibility and code compliance. Great design can be transformative, and getting it there requires a dedication to service and technical excellence. Seth’s day is a success when things run smoothly and clients are happy.
Seth grew up in London where he developed an early and strong interest in the built environment. That interest led him to Leeds Metropolitan University for a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture, and Oxford Brooks University for postgraduate diplomas in both Architecture and Urban Design. Seth re-settled in California in 2002. He’s been licensed to practice Architecture in California for over 15 years and feels privileged to work every day in an industry that he loves.
Seth has worked with leading technology companies like Skype, Comcast, Zendesk, SquareTrade, and Bandai to name a few. His work has been featured in over 100 publications around the world, including Interior Design Magazine, Vanity Fair, GQ Japan, and many international design blogs such as Contemporist, Designboom, and ArchDaily.
John Hunter, AIA
Principal + Architect
John oversees the efficacy of Blitz documentation and project specifications. He has a particular interest in Building Science and in trying to find better ways to deliver projects to clients. John has been in practice for over forty years and shares his significant working knowledge, and love for details as a mentor and technical leader. John’s love of design is informed by his ongoing exploration of the music of JS Bach and JJ Garcia.
Elizabeth Vereker
Design Director
Combining unmatched design expertise with strong leadership skills and a gift for conceptualizing and articulating project narratives, Elizabeth is at the helm of our Design process. Her ability to finetune a graphic design down to the spaces between the letters of a word while staying connected to the wide-angle view of a project’s meaning speaks to her importance to the team.
As Design Director, she leads not only the branding and marketing efforts of Blitz but the overall Design Review. Book designer, environmental artist, mentor, troubleshooter, skilled client relations manager Elizabeth is a core contributor whatever the scope of work. Outside of work Elizabeth is an avid reader and enjoys traveling the world with her canine companion, Ruby.
Craig Rice
Studio Director, San Francisco
Craig has a dual major in Workplace Design and the Art of Existing Buildings. He enjoys the magical collisions that occur when modern architecture and vintage buildings find that special fit. You know it when you see it. As a practice leader in complex projects Craig is an effective director of multi-agency, multi-phase, multi-faceted design projects where the Going is going to be tough.
His natural curiosity for people and places fuels his interest in travel, cycling, new music, and old movies that find their way into projects, eventually, but make good use of his weekends in the short term.
Kimberley O’Dowd, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP
Principal + Architect
Kimberley loves the small design moments that bring uniqueness and a sense of space to a project. She has a diverse portfolio ranging from fast-paced tenant improvement projects to award-winning healthcare projects to complex international socio-economic projects. Kimberley consistently surprises her clients and colleagues with her ability to balance the weird and the practical to make amazing things happen. She’s also an accomplished seamstress, using her skills to create handmade goods for charitable organizations.
Crystal Adams
Director of Environmental Graphic Design
Crystal leads the environmental + experiential graphic design team as a storyteller and creative visionary leader. In collaboration with the design team she skillfully integrates concept with design to create a holistic solution that meets brand and project objectives to bring compelling experiences to life. Her project experience and management from concept to final product delivery gives an exceptional insight across the spectra of design. The results of her work and collaborations have been recognized by several awards and publications in the design industry. She is also equally committed to avocados, yoga, hiking, collecting ampersands, visiting museums and getting good design down in ink.
Stephanie Baca, IIDA
Principal + Studio Director, Los Angeles
Stephanie is an avid traveler who draws inspiration from natural landscapes. When she isn’t living out of a carry-on and trekking around the world, Stephanie can be found creating timeless spaces that leave smiles on the faces of her clients. For almost 24 years, clear and open communication, active listening, and dedication have proven fruitful for this design prodigy. Eager to start her professional career, Stephanie learned perspective drawing in kindergarten and sketched her first floor plans in 3rd grade.
Safiya Carter-Thompson
Director of Operations
Safiya is a passionate Director of Operations who is exceptional at supporting her teammates. She is a natural-born problem solver whose resourcefulness and adaptability are unmatched. A creative at heart, Safiya loves to chime in during design conversations in the office and offer a fresh perspective to the team. She is the glue that keeps all the moving pieces at Blitz together and functioning smoothly. Safiya enhances the Blitzer experience by exuding fun and inspirational energy that is contagious. When Safiya isn’t brightening up the office and developing new operating systems for the firm, she can be found hiking a scenic bay area trail or hanging out with her favorite feline friend, Mustard.