The Carlton Appleby residence was included in
Extraordinary Homes of California,
Panache Partners, LLC Publishers, 2008, ISBN 13: 978-1-933415-69-7
See pages

Norm Applebaum has carved a prestigious niche for himself in the field of residential architecture, creating thoughtful, sculptural home designs while maintaining an acute sensitivity to and harmony with the surrounding natural environment. Backed by more than three decades of architectural experience and an impressive compendium of teachers and influences, Norm’s award-winning remodeling and new construction projects radiate a distinctly modern aesthetic characterized by truth in function and materials and a marked dialogue between interior and exterior space. The combination of his strict focus on clients’ desires and his undeniable creative faculty ensures that each Applebaum home is stylistically and functionally unique and impossible to categorize.

Norm’s solid educational background includes his earning a Bachelor of Architecture in 1968 from Arizona State University’s College of Architecture and studying under the likes of renowned modernist Calvin Straub and architectural visionary Paolo Soleri. He also had the good fortune to befriend the late Cliff May, the father of the California Ranch House. His distinctive tutelage honed his eye for design and set him on a career trajectory to imminent success.

Like those of these great men before him, Norm’s projects consistently challenge the boundaries posed by a structure’s walls. Glass clerestories, leaded glass doors depicting natural themes, exterior stone paths that move into a home and comprise its entry and repeated lines and angles are among the many elements and techniques Norm applies to promote environmental connectivity. His homes thus appear to be indigenous to their surroundings, fully integrated into the topographically rich and diverse California landscape.

A longtime jazz musician, Norm views his work as he does his music. His homes express a definite rhythm and syncopation of materials and shapes imbued with a touch of improvisation. Stacked, cantilevered rooflines splay out as though short musical riffs but find resolution in the piece as a whole; geometrical architecture mirrored in a pond strikes the same chord octaves apart. His spatial and structural musicality set Norm apart as a true master of his craft.

It is no wonder, then, that his remarkable designs have been widely publicized, appearing on HGTV and Discovery Channel and innumerous national and local publications. His collection of awards includes San Diego Home/Garden magazine’s Home of the Year award for his Appleby Residence, and he frequently lectures at universities and organizations around the country.

Norm resolutely maintains that “great architecture is born from a single mind focused on a timeless concept.” His precise and unwavering focus on the specific needs of his clients and the site ensures that both residents and home dwell naturally and comfortably in their surroundings. For their drama, for their play of light and shadows, for their seeming ability to defy gravity and physical bounds—in short, for their artistry—Norm Applebaum’s homes truly achieve aesthetic timelessness.