Dream Factory

Architect Chet Callahan channels the singular vision of the Haas Brothers in a new Los Angeles studio for the genre-defying creative duo

- MAYER RUS

SIMON AND NIKOLAI HAAS discovered two favorable auguries when they first explored the site for their new studio in North Hollywood. Built in the late 1940s and early '50s during the nascent days of the aerospace boom in the San Fernando Valley, the industrial warehouse had more recently been home to a company that manufactured neon signs. "We knew we had to have it when we found out this was where they made the Circus Liquor sign from Clueless," Simon recalls, referring to the creepy 1960s neon clown that presides over the parking lot where Alicia Silverstone's indelible Cher gets mugged. "Inside, there was a big cardboard cutout of Patsy Stone smoking a cigarette with a bottle of Stoli," he adds, referencing Joanna Lumley's beloved character on Absolutely Fabulous. "That was another good omen." Pop culture levity aside, the Haas brothers were serious about the multifaceted program they envisioned for the studio and the mood they wanted to conjure. They required dedicated spaces for the various mediums and techniques they employ in their work, including wood, metal, clay, beadwork, wax, 3D printing, sewing, drawing, and painting. ("Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley," a mid-career survey of their wide-ranging practice, is cu