Hirsch Bedner Associates Los Angeles (HBA) announces the design completion of a milestone project for the acclaimed hospitality interior design firm: Perla on Broadway, the first new condominium tower to grace Downtown Los Angeles’ historic Broadway Theater District since the turn of the century. 

Combining classic style moderne-character with present-day luxury and contemporary design, Perla is a modern original, rising 35 stories in the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles along the famed Broadway thoroughfare, which once had the highest concentration of cinemas in the world. HBA Los Angeles designers—in partnership with developer SCG America and architect CallisonRTKL—elected to honor the neighborhood’s storied past through moments of traditional architectural forms, layered with modern detailing and materiality to define the dualities inherent to the property’s design narrative. 

“Our vision for the design of this project aims to celebrate the old glamour and luxury of Broadway’s heritage with an eye toward the future through materials, finishes, tailored furnishings, and artful touches that are at once modern and nostalgic, sophisticated and comfortable,” said HBA Los Angeles Partner Richard Tennill. “The tower’s progressive design caters to the lifestyle of the young, vibrant creative class and sets the stage for an idyllic urban living experience with California style.”

The tower’s lower levels blend into the surrounding storefronts with limestone cladding on the podium exterior and stunning bronze louvers inspired by the ornate wrought-iron grilles and vintage railings of adjacent historic buildings. 

A boutique hotel-inspired lobby and luxurious lobby lounge create a true sense of arrival where hallmarks of opulent 1920s style are reinterpreted from a contemporary viewpoint. Rich, dark wood floors wrap up the walls to wainscoting height while patterned tiles are laid in graphic repetition. Warm-toned brass, glass and metal-fluted walls interplay with LED lighting to accentuate the entry’s soaring design and give nod to the geometric lines of the Art Deco era. Shades of green punctuate the lobby space, realized through unique wallcoverings, fabrics and furniture including the reception desk where a commissioned oversized photograph of Downtown Los Angeles at dusk serves as a convivial backdrop. Ceramics, handmade collectibles, and photography by LA artists pay tribute to local creatives and makers. Custom-made woven rugs bring in a textural element for a residential feel. 

“In crafting the identity for Perla, we were keen on, and equally challenged with, instituting threads of inspiration from the surrounding neighborhood without overtly leaning into the aesthetics of one specific period of design,” continued HBA Los Angeles Associate Valeria Lassalle. “Perla is luxury within reach and promotes a lifestyle desired by many with diversified community spaces for residents to take advantage of the best of urban Los Angeles living. It’s close to everything but far from ordinary.”

At the heart of Perla’s considerable amenity collection is a distinctive, skylit indoor atrium spanning four stories. Layered amenities include a fitness studio, library lounge, meeting rooms and flexible space for co-working, relaxing or entertaining. A large-scale brass screening element defines the voluminous atrium space, bathed in natural light during the day and elegantly illuminated by sculptural light fixtures by night. 

Ascending the tower leads to the discovery of three expansive, lushly landscaped outdoor terraces on floors seven, 11 and 36, each ideal for social gathering, and with striking views of the downtown skyline and beyond. With its park-like setting, the seventh-story terrace provides a moment of calm amidst the bustling city center. The 11th story pool terrace invites conversation and epitomizes indoor/outdoor California living. Clean, contemporary and spacious, the communal kitchen and living areas extend to the outdoors where greenery and mature trees abound. For some of the best views of the city, the 36th floor terrace is a rooftop retreat complete with multiple fireside lounges and an assemblage of seating areas to take in the panoramic vistas. 

Perla’s 35 stories of city residences embrace modern living with timeless character and include studio, one-, and two-bedroom residences with floor-to-ceiling windows, open-concept plans, European white oak flooring, modern cabinetry with lacquer and wood finishes, polished quartz countertops, European-inspired kitchens with Italian Bertazzoni appliances, and baths with designer-selected tile finishes.