The Q Topanga

The Q Topanga is a 347 unit mixed-use, luxury apartment community in Woodland Hills, California that is considered by many to be the most sought-after community in the San Fernando Valley. This modern community represents an entirely new segment in Los Angeles living, bringing a dramatic shift to the lifestyle residents enjoy and ushering in a new era of modern, luxury residential. The Q is built on a collaboration of inspiring architecture, true innovative technology, and best-in-class amenities visualized and built by Los Angeles based California Home Builders (CHB) and curated by a collaborative team including Lighting Design by RL Studio and custom luminaires crafted by Ideoli.

“The Q Topanga is a masterpiece, a vision that became a reality” said Shawn Evenhaim, the founder and CEO of California Home Builders. “This vision started six years ago with my desire to change the living experience of apartment residents in the valley and to give them a lifestyle that will exceed their expectations. We created an urban, luxury community for individuals who appreciate a home that is high-quality and has smart features, and a community where style and design meet function. We created a place that is truly the most sought-after location in the valley.”

Lighting Designer Jonathan Wehan of RL Studio was part of the team responsible for the design, selection and distribution of the lighting for the newest addition of the Q apartment community, Q Topanga. Jonathan has worked with client, California Home Builders, for many years on this multi-site development that in the Warner Center community includes The Q Variel location, the recently completed The Q Topanga, and a project currently under construction called The Q De Soto. Jon worked directly with the visionary and owner of California Home Builders, Shawn Evenhaim, to bring the perfect balance of sophisticated, connected, and smart living to the luxury apartment complex that features a variety of select fixtures by Ideoli.

Discussions for the project began in December 2017 with ideas, concepts, and the owner of Shawn Evenhaim’s desire to have a unique statement piece for one of the expansive areas of the commons area. The plans for the space already included a 6-story see through glass structure call the QUBE with a 3-story high ceiling common area that feature a unique art. It was important to the client to make this grand gathering area stand out and visible from the outside.

“My client wanted a statement piece that could be seen from the busy street of Topanga and the luxury Village shopping center across the street”, commented Wehan. “We looked at a variety of options from different manufacturers but the certain tweaks or custom specifications they wanted weren’t available. I needed someone who could take the customers vison and make it a reality,”

Being known for its custom lighting products, Ideoli was a natural choice to create this custom piece. The customer gave Ideoli a rough drawing of what they envisioned to be the statement piece and the specifications that they wanted to achieve. Ideoli took to the drawing board to create a product that would become part art, yet functional to softly illuminate the space. From design to prototype to fabrication, the client’s vision became reality in April 2021 with a full turnkey installation of the custom FOTIS Lobby Chandelier in the lobby of Q Topanga.

“We wanted it to be like an art piece because of all the glass in the space,” commented Evenhaim. “We wanted two unique light fixtures to place in this special space that will also compliment the art piece that was custom made for the space but we couldn’t find exactly what we were looking for. We worked with the team at Ideoli and sketched out what I wanted and they took my vision and created a product.“

The FOTIS chandelier was crafted featuring over 30 individual strands of LED pendants hanging from a circular ceiling canopy at varying heights starting at 60 to 255 inches. The custom fixture is comprised of individual LED strands that hold an 18-inch linear spike shaped LED luminaire with a frosted glass prism mounted in a cross-bar section in a powdered coated flat white pipe. For ease of maintenance and installation, each LED head has a quick connect to service the luminaire without removing the entire canopy from the ceiling. A remote driver was mounted from the canopy and the canopy itself can be opened and mounted to an internal square tubular steel frame that allows for ease of mounting to drywall.

There were a lot of challenges with the space and with how to design the showpiece and install it, according to Evenhaim. They worked closely with Ideoli to customize the design to not only deliver his vision but to also help address the challenges of installation. “Working with the team at Ideoli was very easy. They worked with us to customize the design to address and solve any issues during the design phase, as well as during installation,” remarked Evenhaim.

The final installation features two FOTIS chandeliers that frame a commissioned work of art that hangs on the expansive fireplace. Each 150W Chandelier glows with 12,000 delivered lumens and provides the ideal accent to the high ceilings and visual frame to the artwork creating a beautiful focal piece for both residents and visitors. Not only did Ideoli create this custom statement piece for glass cube but delivered several other luminaires that were adapted to meet the specific parameters desired for other areas in the residential complex.

The Q is built on a collaboration of inspiring architecture, true innovative technology, and best-in-class amenities and services that include, complimentary valet parking, a full-service concierge, smart-home technology, state-of-the-art fitness center, a spa, multiple rooftops, a screening room, club house, sport lounge, dog park, dog spa, and much more. Many of Ideoli’s innovations can be seen throughout the apartment development.

“Ideoli works with us when we need to modify or find products to meet our specific project parameters whether it be dimming or output or addressing an installation challenge,” commented Wehan. “We couldn’t use a traditional recessed fixture for the 3rd floor residential entryways, so we needed a surface mount fixture.”

Ideoli’s LED Flush Cube fixtures were able to provide an ideal solution for design, output, and installation for the community. The compact (5.11 L x 5.11 W) LED square cubes in matte black finish and gold interior can be seen throughout the residential hallways. The 9W sconce in 3000K delivers the ideal output with 950 lumens and it is designed to fit on a standard 4-inch J-box for ease of installation.

The Q Topanga also has 20,000 SF of ground level commercial retail space, half of which they use to operate Q Work, their Q branded creative co-working office space that has 45 private offices, two conferences rooms and soundproof phone booths. The two mixed-use buildings also feature a state-of-the-art fitness center, a spa, multiple rooftops, a screening room, club house, reservable sport lounge, dog park, dog spa, and much more.

Ideoli’s LINEA LED linear fixture provided a consistent and modern touch to illuminate the co-working spaces, multi-story fitness center, VIP drop off area and more. The energy efficient linear LED luminaire’s sleek design features a matte black finish and recessed louver and can be seen throughout the complex in 2 feet, 4 feet and 6 feet lengths. The linear LED fixtures are pendant mounted with aircraft cables and feature a recessed louver to direct light downward and reduce glare.

The 2 feet versions were utilized in the smaller office co-working spaces with the 4 feet and 6 feet versions utilized in Q Topanga’s two story, state-of-the-art wellness center and the VIP drop off area. The overall design specified 772 linear feet of LINEA LED luminaires in 3000K.

“We used Ideoli for a number of the common products that a lot of people make. However, what makes them different is that they stock it and it is easily accessible,” remarked Wehan.

“What really sets them apart is their customer service. A lot of manufacturers don’t follow thru when there’s a problem, they aren’t a great partner. Ideoli does follow thru – they’ll fall in the exceptional manufacturers category. They are top of the class for me.”
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Photo Credit: Jim SimmonsPhotography.com