FIRM PHILOSOPHY

With each project, we immerse ourselves in the local site, the specific cultural influences, and our clients’ personalities and desires, translating all of these factors into gracious homes that work within traditions while naturally expanding their boundaries. While we have designed homes throughout New England as well as in New York and Florida, we approach each with the scientific mind of the architect and the aesthetic sensibilities of the artist.  We carefully measure and assess the geography, the geology, the topography of the site, but also discern the less definable visual pathways as well as the nuances of a given place.  We will board a skiff to assess the site and its potential views from the water, stand on the shore and mark the breezes, inventory the surrounding architecture, consider the cultural factors, and get to know our clients to help them envision and realize the possibilities of their desired spaces both inside and out. Given our immersion in the world of visual arts as well as architecture, many of our clients rely on our interior design skills to finish and dress their spaces.

At the beginning of a project, we start by designing in three dimensions, paying particular attention to the roofscape, a vital aspect of New England architecture.  We approach architecture as more than adding one form to another; it is, for us, a sculptural process, revealing the nature of how all of the pieces work together to create a final presentation that seems predestined and appears organic.  For all of our projects, we use local, sustainable materials and apply and incorporate the newest technologies. Our philosophy is not to be driven by current architectural fashions, but to fashion what fits—both the site and the clients’ personalities and program. What unites all of our residential projects, though, is the idea that every one offers a journey through space. Though each journey is specific to its site and the size and style of the home, all offer thoughtful pauses, meaningful side trips, momentary suspense, and unexpected delights.