ORA is the architecture and interiors practice of Oonagh Ryan, FAIA, based in Los Angeles. We partner with ambitious clients to shape residential, commercial, and hospitality environments that elevate everyday experience through craft, precision, and enduring impact.
Our work is defined by crafted precision. Each project reflects disciplined thinking, environmental responsibility, and a commitment to performance over time. We approach constraints as catalysts, transforming budget, site, and program into opportunities for innovation.
We are a small, award-winning, tight-knit practice. Our scale allows us to remain hands-on and highly responsive, with intelligent planning, stewardship of resources, and efficiency embedded in our process.
We believe architecture carries responsibility. It shapes how people live, work, and gather. Whether designing a private residence or a restaurant, we seek solutions that add long-term value and contribute meaningfully to their surroundings.
Design for life, beyond the expected.
Our work is defined by crafted precision. Each project reflects disciplined thinking, environmental responsibility, and a commitment to performance over time. We approach constraints as catalysts, transforming budget, site, and program into opportunities for innovation.
We are a small, award-winning, tight-knit practice. Our scale allows us to remain hands-on and highly responsive, with intelligent planning, stewardship of resources, and efficiency embedded in our process.
We believe architecture carries responsibility. It shapes how people live, work, and gather. Whether designing a private residence or a restaurant, we seek solutions that add long-term value and contribute meaningfully to their surroundings.
Design for life, beyond the expected.
Oonagh Ryan FAIA, IIDA
Founder & Principal
Oonagh Ryan is the founding principal of ORA. The duality of resourceful pragmatism and forward-looking design has defined her practice since its founding in 2014. She leads a nimble studio that models a more efficient path to excellence, where design integrity thrives on constraints and doing more with less.
Oonagh’s thoughtful, holistic approach creatively marries architecture, interiors, and lifestyle with function, craft, and good stewardship. Her work is grounded in authenticity: making meaningful impact and finding the most in simple ideas. She delivers ambitious, diverse work with a clear sense of intention and purpose, creating environments that are a unique window into each client’s lifestyle, needs, and ethos.
Oonagh is frequently called upon to share her expertise on panels, juries, and speaking engagements. Her work has been widely recognized and published, most notably when ORA was awarded the Presidential Honor for Emerging Practice of the Year by AIA Los Angeles in 2021, and when Oonagh was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in 2026.
Oonagh Ryan is the founding principal of ORA. The duality of resourceful pragmatism and forward-looking design has defined her practice since its founding in 2014. She leads a nimble studio that models a more efficient path to excellence, where design integrity thrives on constraints and doing more with less.
Oonagh’s thoughtful, holistic approach creatively marries architecture, interiors, and lifestyle with function, craft, and good stewardship. Her work is grounded in authenticity: making meaningful impact and finding the most in simple ideas. She delivers ambitious, diverse work with a clear sense of intention and purpose, creating environments that are a unique window into each client’s lifestyle, needs, and ethos.
Oonagh speaking at the Monterey Design Conference
Oonagh is frequently called upon to share her expertise on panels, juries, and speaking engagements. Her work has been widely recognized and published, most notably when ORA was awarded the Presidential Honor for Emerging Practice of the Year by AIA Los Angeles in 2021, and when Oonagh was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in 2026.
“I tend to gravitate towards simplicity and things that are made well. This has informed my work which is what I call ‘quiet luxury’ – an understated, laid-back Californian feel that isn’t stuffy and that can evolve. Room to breathe.”
Bright thinking.
We are fuelled by curiosity, always seeking to go beyond the expected. That’s why the spaces we craft – from residences to restaurants to workspaces – all bear the hallmarks of our creative spirit: bold, beautiful and meaningful. The kind of spaces that inspire.
Open-minded design.
Our approach is founded on listening carefully, working collaboratively and communicating clearly. We foster an open way of working, because that’s the kind of space we enjoy creating: filled with light and full of possibility.
Space for joy.
We’re here because we love the people, the craft and the opportunities architecture offers. And while we work with intelligence, integrity and rigor, we also work with joy – a quality that reflects who we are and what we do.
Positive impact.
Our work has a ripple effect. We know we have a duty not only to our clients but to their communities and to the natural world we all share. From the choice of materials to the spaces we create, we work with responsibility, transparency and care.
Responsible design at ORA
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Responsible design begins at home, which is why Oonagh believes strongly in looking after her team and collaborators. ORA stands for mindful design and supporting local and smaller businesses, creatives and products.
With a philosophy of quality over quantity, ORA delivers a holistic approach to sustainable materials and practices, energy demand, reduced water use and, ultimately, healthier environments for all. Every project is rooted in passive design strategies, but that’s only the beginning.
Going beyond
The climate change crisis demands going further than code minimums. Our projects target higher reductions in energy, carbon emissions, water conservation, and construction waste. We measure results through post-occupancy surveys and by revisiting energy analysis models to continually improve.AIA 2030 Challenge
In 2022, we committed to the AIA 2030 Challenge. We are actively working towards meeting the goal of creating carbon-neutral buildings by 2030 or sooner. We design all-electric homes and our commercial projects exceed minimum code standards. We continue to move the needle towards Zero Energy Ready or Zero Emission projects.AIA Materials Pledge
At ORA, high-performance and healthy design is the standard for every project, regardless of scale or budget. As signatories of the AIA Materials Pledge, we are dedicated to creating a lasting, positive impact on people and the planet through the materials we specify. We go beyond standard practices using our proprietary, AI-assisted materials database and a design workflow that integrates the AIA Framework for Design Excellence criteria.Resilience
We empower our clients to build better. Living and working in California means resilience against natural disasters and climate change are integral to how we design places to endure. We go beyond minimum standards by maximizing natural fire buffers, integrating passive cooling features, and designing high-performance building envelopes.
CERTIFICATIONS
Woman Business Enterprise (WBE)
Small Local Business (SLB)
Small Business Enterprise (SBE)
Emerging Business Enterprise (EBE)
City of Los Angeles Certified Green Business