When Canales & Co. was established five years ago, it was the definition of a family business: it was run out of a closet in Jose Canales’s house, who also happened to be its founder, CEO, creative director and janitor.

When Jose and his family moved, the business moved with them, and it steadily started to grow. As designers joined the team, Jose realized he needed a more permanent office with desks and a conference room, but he didn’t want to lose the family feel of working from home.

So he built an office in his backyard.

He collaborated with his wife – interior designer Christina Canales, and architects Arbib Hughey Design – to design it with the perfect balance of business and family: monolithic on the outside (with cool stucco lending a Spanish aesthetic), yet warm on the inside (with off-whites and wood textures dominating the interior). It was designed to for casual client meetings and family reunions alike. And like all good things, it took time. It was a bumpy road to get the designs worked out, permits signed off on, and construction finished. But we like to think it turned out pretty well – you can see the results for yourself.