What does building and interior design collaboration look like for your team?
Architectural and interior design are two components in the design process. Clients are a third component playing a major role in our collaborative process. Our task is to listen to and distill information from our clients to ensure their dreams are met. The best projects are a result of having a full design team assembled at the inception of the project.
Tell us about your introduction to architecture and why it originally interested you?
It’s in our DNA. Lots of kids build forts and explore neighborhood construction sites; for us, it became our calling. There’s something magical about creating your own space, and testing what works and what doesn’t. It’s a wonderful way to explore your world and discover the essential qualities of shelter.
Your experience includes contemporary and traditional design. How do you balance these diverse approaches?
Our passion is for architecture and a willingness to create lasting structures. Each style has its own specific appeal. Understanding historical precedents and how they relate to both styles is our assignment when interpreting our clients’ vision. Collaboration with our clients allows a diverse portfolio by responding to a multitude of project conditions.
How has experience with architecture in other countries impacted your view on design?
International travel inspires and exposes you to building craft that has endured for centuries. Buildings account for 35% of the world’s use of natural resources. Studying how buildings have survived the centuries helps to inform us how to produce projects today that function well, use fewer resources and last longer.
You focus on a collaborative approach with clients, how has this experience shaped the firm’s design aesthetic?
Our clients have become bolder and braver in their decision making throughout the process, which is evident in our pro-jects today. Being sequestered at home during the pandemic has crystallized our clients’ thinking about creating a space tailored to their own unique needs.
As you look to the future, what should be front and center in the minds of residential architects?
Where we live…our homes…should be responsible to global concerns through the thoughtful use of natural resources, reduced energy consumption through sustainable technologies and creative designs producing legacy projects for generations to come.
Outside of architecture, what are you currently interested in and how is it influencing your design thinking?
Climate is at the forefront of our thought process. We challenge ourselves to address climate changes projected in the future and apply principles to our designs today that support our collective future.
Your firm is known for guiding your clients through each step of the process; how do you approach this process?
Good communication is paramount. For most people, building a home is a once or maybe twice-in-a-lifetime occurrence, so we take time to educate our clients and discuss the process and what to expect up front, and all through the design and construction process.
What part of the design process do you find rewarding?
When the design develops to a point where our clients can visualize themselves in each space and make it their own.
What is your favorite space in your own home and why?
While a sunny outdoor deck can be a delight in summer the same could be said for a warm interior fireplace in the winter.
Latest design discovery?
We regularly test materials and methods, adopting those that offer promise. However, we most often rely upon time-tested materials and methods.
For more information visit: www.studioamarchitects.com
