How would you describe your relationship with architecture? How has it changed over your career?
Marchetti: My relationship with architecture has matured over time, in the sense that we’re always learning to better respond to both the client vision as well as the microclimate of a property - whether that is a city block, waterfront, or mountains. We don’t dictate a set design style to clients, but rather we strive to make the best home for that individual client on that individual property.
Tell us about the evolution from Stuart Silk to Silk Cavassa Marchetti, how does this improve offerings for your clients?
Cavassa: We work together to create beautiful, functional, and timeless spaces. By collaborating on design and dividing management tasks based on our strengths, we can focus on delivering the exceptional work that our clients have come to expect from us. Our team is strengthened by the collective experiences and wisdom of three equal partners, which has made our firm stronger than ever before.
You’ve worked on contemporary and traditional builds, as well as historic restoration. What speaks to you about these different projects?
Silk: I have always had a passion for both modern and traditional architecture. At graduate school, I was trained as a modernist, but I grew up on the East Coast surrounded by iconic architecture from the past. From an early age, through my mother, I was exposed to her passion for art history and architecture. It greatly influenced me. I see myself in one hat looking to the future to solve problems in new and innovative ways and the other hat looking at the past and asking myself how a deceased architect would have approached a new home rooted in history.
What does building design and interior design collaboration look like for your team?
Cavassa: There’s something wonderful about beginning with a client standing on a property, imagining all the possibilities, and then proceeding with the design, construction, and furnishings until we create a finished home that’s ready to move in. Being involved in all aspects of the project, from concrete to fabrics, is incredibly satisfying. This approach lends itself to a highly personal, comprehensive, and efficient process and design.
How did shifting to an employee-owned firm shape the firm’s approach?
Marchetti: We try to foster an environment where everyone feels a sense of ownership toward the work and the office. Together, we work toward achieving our shared goals and values. As designers, we believe in continuous growth and learning, recognizing that each person in our team contributes to the success and growth of our firm.
What is a design rule you use again and again?
Silk: Have an open mind, never assume anything, and approach each project like it’s the last one you’ll ever work on.
Tell us a bit about your approach to design and what has shaped your vision.
Marchetti: Partnering with the client and using their input as the rudder, we try to reach inward to distill a vision that is both unique to that project and universal in its sense of timelessness and harmony within itself and its surrounding environment.
Favorite way to spend a weekend in the Northwest?
Cavassa: I love to get outside rain or shine and explore, get out on a boat, walk a trail or hike.
