Amanda Gunawan Doesn’t Dream of Success — She Works For It
Meet the LA architect behind OWIU, the stunning architecture and design firm in the Arts District
Many people dream about the “somedays” and “maybes” the future might hold. This does not describe Amanda Gunawan whatsoever. Born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, Gunawan’s first leap of faith was attending college in the states. From there, she landed a coveted position at Morphosis and eventually started her own design firm with a partner. While so many of her peers considered such goals further down the road, Gunawan seized the opportunity to dive into her future, headfirst, knowing that it is through our mistakes that we learn the most valuable lessons. Cut to today, and Gunawan is running two highly successful companies in LA, working on exciting personal projects and engaging with her nearly 150,000 Instagram followers.
From an early age, about eight-years-old, Gunawan had her sights set on real estate development. It was the goal of designing the spaces herself that prompted Gunawan to pursue an education in architecture. Obtaining a Bachelor’s degree at Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Gunawan went on to earn a coveted spot working at Morphosis for the Pritzker Prize winner, Thom Mayne, where she learned that the most influential companies employ team members who are willing to wear many hats. “The interviewer told me that anyone at any time could be presenting to a client or doing the dishes. That philosophy carried into my company, OWIU (The Only Way is Up), and is still being utilized today,” she says.
OWIU, which Gunawan started with partner Joel Wong, is an LA-based architectural design firm with a showroom in the Arts District. OWIU specializes in architectural design, construction, urban design, and product design. They also provide architectural visualization services. The partners approach each project with precision and possess a strong narrative and conviction throughout their work body. A second company naturally sprang from the needs of Gunawan’s clientele. Inflexion Builds was created in 2020 as a construction arm to OWIU. Gunawan says, “We were basically helming the project from design to completion, and so it felt like the natural next step was to start a construction firm. Inflexion does quick remodels, while OWIU is catered to thoughtful design, holding the same craftsmanship values.” Inflexion Builds aids clients in elevating spaces in new builds and renovations through a careful, design-oriented, streamlined process.
Inflexion Builds recently completed a garage renovation that transformed a drab space into a home gym that rivals any big-name gyms most people are familiar with. The garage remodel turned an otherwise ordinary space into an impressive home gym, which you can see here. The project took about a month and displays an effortless flow from one stage of a workout to the next, proving that an expensive gym membership is unnecessary when someone like Gunawan is overseeing the project. The result is breathtaking, practical, and boasts indoor and outdoor utilization.
Like any young entrepreneur, Gunawan has had her fair share of challenges. Between being so young, being a woman in a predominantly male profession, and even being Asian, Gunawan has had to work three times harder just to be heard. She says:
“My ideas have to be three times better, and I have to have more experience and work harder than many others just be get that initial chance.”
Not that any of those hurdles have slowed her down. If anything, these challenges have made her more empathetic, more businesslike, and more resolved than ever to carve a path for herself in an industry that used to be largely a boys’ club. “I have the logic and practicality of a developer, but I dream like an architect,” she says. While many think the two occupations cannot coexist, Gunawan proves with each project that she can put herself in the shoes of her clients, help them save money but not sacrifice beauty or vision, and tap into the emotional side of the project to get the desired result. “I am, after all, designing a home, so I want it as tailored as possible to my clients’ requests.”
To learn more about Amanda Gunawan and OWIU, follow her on Instagram Amanda’s personal Instagram and OWIC Design Instagram and Inflexion Builds Instagram. Additionally, you can check out the OWIU Design website.
