ALABAMA
Christopher Architecture & Interiors
(The Contextualists)
Known for: One-of a-kind, “snowflake”-like projects, influenced by topography and contextual vernacular. Highlight: A custom-designed container home for a client in Jupiter, Florida. Highlight: President and principal Chris Reebals named one of three finalists for the 2019 Southeast Designers and Architect of the Year Awards. In the works: Projects in Los Angeles, Dallas, Cleveland, Nashville, and Palo Alto. Birmingham christopherai.com
CALIFORNIA
KAA Design
(The Modernists)
Known for: Advancing the California lifestyle through contemporary architecture for more than 30 years. Highlight: New residential commissions across the nation and overseas, with recognition in major shelter magazines. Highlight: 2019 Luxe Red Award Regional Winner. In the works: New residential projects in Barbuda and Hawaii, with California coastal residences in Santa Barbara, Montecito, and Malibu. Los Angeles kaadesigngroup.com
Landry Design Group
(The Stylists)
Known for: French Provincial, Spanish Colonial, Tuscan Rustic, and drama-driven modernism. Highlight: A new monograph, 21st Century Palace: Asia, published in February 2020, to document a Louis XIV-style château in Asia, in collaboration with Bradfield Tobin and Robert E. Truskowski. Highlight: 2020 Luxe Red Award for the Samson Beach House. In the works: Five homes in Malibu and a remodel in Florida. Los Angeles, California landrydesigngroup.com
McClean Design
(Outdoors Architects)
Known for: Connecting modern house design with the beauty of the surrounding natural environment. They use glazing systems to maximize views and provide a warm, light-filled contemporary spaces. Simplicity and an openness to the surrounding landscape blurs the division between indoor and outdoor spaces. Orange, California mccleandesign.com
SB Architects
(The Chameleons)
Known for: Discovering personality in each destination and its context, and localizing a project’s look and feel to reflect a story that’s true to place. Highlight: Now in its 60th year, the firm has 30 projects in 17 countries underway, with six slated to open in 2020. Highlight: Winner of the Grand Award for Best Custom Home in the PCBC Gold Nugget Awards, for its Portola Valley House. In the works: Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota. San Francisco sb-architects.com
Marmol Radziner + Associates
(The Warm Modernists)
Known for: A warm, modern style of design that emphasizes the relationship between architecture and nature. Highlight: 2020 residences completed in Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Laguna Beach, Montecito, Kauai, and Cabo San Lucas. Highlight: Winner of an AIA Residential Architecture Award for a residence in Mandeville Canyon. In the works: Homes in Los Angeles, Lake Tahoe and Westport, Conn. Los Angeles marmol-radziner.com
Burdge Architects
(The Diverse Designers)
Known for: A diverse series of architectural styles, working in Spanish Mediterranean, Modern Farmhouse, “Rustern,” Traditional and Luxury Modern. Highlight: The Sunset Bud Living Home, in collaboration with Sunset Home Magazine. Highlight: Several Home of the Year PCBC Golden Nugget Awards. In the works: A 75-room luxury hotel in Palm Springs; two boutique hotels in Malibu. Malibu buaia.com
CONNECTICUT
Austin Patterson Disston Architecture & Design
(The Agrarian Modernists)
Known for: Bespoke projects, whether in the Hamptons, on the Connecticut shore or in the country, with an intimate scale and tailored interiors. Highlight: A majority of its projects are of the Agrarian Modern style, incorporating traditional and modern elements. Highlight: Winners of a Residential Architect Design Award from Architect magazine. In the works: New projects in the Hamptons, Connecticut, and Florida. Southport apdarchitects.com
Cardello Architects
(The Transitional Traditionalists)
Known for: A deep portfolio of Shingle-style homes with transitional, open-plan interiors and a traditional feel on the outside. Highlight: Designing new projects for an exodus of people moving out of New York. Highlight: New hires of three talented architects. Highlight: A 2020 A-List Award for Best Architecture in the “Under 7,000-square-foot” category. In the works: New projects in Westport, Darien, and Greenwich, Connecticut. Westport (Office also in Greenwich) cardelloarchitects.com
Charles Hilton Architects
(The Classicists)
Known for: Fine waterfront homes and country estates in the Georgian, Colonial, English/Tudor, Mediterranean, and Shingle styles. Highlight: An influx of new work as clients flock to the suburbs. Highlight: A Stanford White Award from the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. In the works: A new Shingle Style home in Greenwich, a California Craftsman in Carpentaria, and a penthouse in New York. Greenwich hiltonarchitects.com
Shope Reno Wharton
(The Shingle Stylists)
Known for: Blending Classical and traditional stylistic languages with expansive fenestration and open floor plans—in well-proportioned, Shingle-style homes. Highlight: Diverse projects like coastal properties, family compounds, mountain retreats, townhomes and suburban estates. Highlight: Listed in Architectural Digest AD 100. In the works: Projects on Cape Cod, in Rhode Island, and in the Carolinas. Norwalk shoperenowharton.com
Douglas VanderHorn Architects
(The Researchers)
Known for: A variety of styles, efficient planning, and thorough research in an extensive office library. Highlight: Adaptation of new technologies like Zoom and FaceTime for increased efficiencies and uninterrupted operations during Covid-19. Highlight: Two 2020 Alice Washburn Awards. In the works: Projects ranging from Greenwich, Connecticut, to Watch Hill, Rhode Island, plus two waterfront homes in Darien, Connecticut. Greenwich vanderhornarchitects.com
Wadia Associates
(The Neo Classicists)
Known for: Designing and building distinctive, stately homes, gardens and interiors with a Neo Classicist approach that reinterprets the past with an eye to the present. Of Note: The firm has an expertise in high-end architectural remodels. Sample Project: Elizabeth Manor House in New Canaan, Connecticut, is a sprawling, meticulously designed estate with intricate period detail and exquisite landscaping. New Canaan and Greenwich, Connecticut and Palm Beach wadiaassociates.com
“What makes a great coastal home? First, fantastic views of the water; it has to be in scale with the neighboring properties; and have easy access to the water. Durable materials and finishes make for a low-maintenance home in a potentially harsh environment. Materials such as slate for the roof, mahogany windows and doors, and a stone or brick (painted white) exterior come to mind.”
—Dinyar Wadia, Principal, Wadia Associates
FLORIDA
Brillhart Architecture
(The Tropical Modernists)
Known for: Vernacular building principles forming the foundation of its work. The structure is often the architecture, with atmosphere derived from natural materials and connection to landscape. Highlight: Brillhart House featured in Netflix series, “The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes.” Highlight: 2018 AIA Miami Honor Award for Thatch House. In the works: New residences in the Bahamas and Eleuthera. Miami brillhartarchitecture.com
Choeff Levy Fischman
(The High-End Modernists)
Known for: Changing the sensibility and appearance of Miami’s prominent residential enclaves, like North Bay Road and the Venetian Islands. Highlight: A waterfront home by the firm broke a record on Miami Beach’s Palm Island, selling for $20.5 million. Highlight: 2019 International Property Awards, Single-Family Architecture Winner, Palm Island Residence. In the works: Projects in Turks & Caicos and Panama City, Panama. Miami clfarchitects.com
Konstant Architecture Planning
(The Traditionalists)
Known for: Traditional architectural planning and interior design services, with 35 years of custom residential experience. Highlight: An emphasis on excellent design and attentive client service. Highlight: Mingling context, landscape, proportion, materials, and client programming needs to create rich designs. Highlight: Recipient of Luxe Gold Home Award. In the works: Waterfront homes and inland projects underway in 2020. Boca Grande konstantarchitecture.com (Office also in Illinois)
Khoury & Vogt Architects
(The New Urbanists)
Known for: Enduring building types and forms developed over time, most notably in its planning and architecture for Alys Beach, Florida. Highlight: Breaking ground on a Gulf-front house in Alys Beach with a fourth-floor infinity pool. Highlight: A 2020 New Urban Guild Merit award in the Design Excellence category for Caliza Court Row Houses. In the works: A town hall for Wellen in Sarasota and a boutique hotel for Kaiya on the Gulf. Rosemary Beach khouryvogt.com
Guy Peterson/Office for Architecture
(The Regional Modernists)
Known for: Use of color, indigenous materials, light, and shadow for a softened Bauhaus aesthetic, plus a clear, sustainable architecture. Highlight: Springboard for its work is the regional modernism of the Sarasota School of Architecture. Highlight: A 2020 Award of Excellence from AIA Florida for the Shank House renovation. In the works: Three custom waterfront homes and a private compound on a gulf-to-bay parcel. Sarasota guypeterson.com
Hughes Umbanhowar Architects
(The Expressionists)
Known for: Searching for opportunities to express and facilitate the human experience, where form melds with function and setting. Highlight: Two 2020 Design Excellence Awards from the AIA Treasure Coast Chapter, for the “La Tana” tasting room in Umbria and the Lighthouse Art Center and Gallery in Tequesta, Florida. In the works: Projects in Jupiter Island and Hobe Sound, Florida, and Pacific Palisades. California Hobe Sound, Florida huum.com (Office also in Los Angeles)
Rex Nichols Architects
(The Integrators)
Known for: Contemporary design, sustainable architecture, and luxury homes in any climate, Dubai included. Highlight: Integrating architecture, landscape, interiors, and lighting design—with contemporary art. Highlight: AIA Award for Excellence in Architecture: Leonard Abramson Residence/Admirals Cove Katz Residence. In the works: Island development in the Bahamas; The House for Retreat; The Z House. Pompano Beach rexnicholsarchitects.com
SDH Studio
(The Spatial Designers)
Known for: Warm, contemporary architecture, with projects that maximize the relationship between interior and exterior spaces, plus a strong connection to nature. Highlight: A high-end home in the Turks & Caicos and another in Bogotá. Highlight: Named Best Architects in Miami by Expertise, 2017-2020. In the works: Waterfront projects in Golden Beach, Bay Harbor Islands, and Coconut Grove. Miami sdhstudio.com
Silberstein Architecture
(The Minimalists)
Known for: A minimalist modernism that responds to site, client’s needs, and what the design wants to be. Highlight: An oceanfront residence on the island of Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean, and a renovation/addition to the only Paul Rudolph House built on the Atlantic Ocean side of Florida. Highlight: Jeffrey Silberstein elected director of the AIA Palm Beach chapter. In the works: A five-story, mixed-use project in Delray Beach. Delray Beach silbersteinarchitect.com
[Strang] Design
(The Stewards)
Known for: Environmental stewardship and respect for the evolution of modernism in scores of residences across Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean. Coastal experts in sea level rise, designing with hurricanes in mind. Highlight: Max Strang was the 2019 recipient of the AIA Florida Medal of Honor. In the works: Panther National Clubhouse and residential community in Palm Beach County. Miami strang.design.com
GEORGIA
Harrison Design
(The Artisans)
Known for: Approaching projects as artisans and craftspeople, ensuring that the quality of design is matched by the caliber of material and workmanship. Highlight: More than 155 active projects worldwide. Winner of Traditional Building’s Palladio Award for Craftsmanship. In the works: Oceanfront projects in Naples, Palm Beach, Siesta Key, Florida Panhandle, Santa Barbara, and the Golden Isles. Atlanta harrisondesign.com
HAWAII
de Reus
(Luxury Architects)
Known for: Discovering the spirit of place, a collaborative process, and the goal of enhancing life and creating architecture that endures. Highlight: The firm is now celebrating its 15th anniversary. Highlight: The Four Seasons Oahu @ Ko’olina hotel won an award for International Beach Hotel, as well as an ASID Hawaii Design Excellence Award. In the works: Residences at the Harriman, a Sun Valley luxury hotel. The Big Island dereusarchitects.com (office also in Sun Valley)
MASSACHUSETTS
Patrick Ahearn
(The Romantics)
Known for: Classical architecture for contemporary living, plus balancing the romance of traditional design with the ideals of modernism. Highlight: In 2020, the firm launched a 15-part online course about how design improves lives. Highlight: A Bulfinch Award from the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art New England Chapter. In the works: Projects in New England, British Columbia, Newport Beach, and Grosse Pointe. Boston patrickahearn.com
Hutker Architects
(The Narrators)
Known for: Progressive, site-responsive homes that reflect distinct narratives of both people and place. Highlight: The firm opened a third studio on Boston’s South Shore, enabling it to connect better with an expanding ecosphere. Highlight: 2019, 2020 Luxe Red Award for Contemporary/Modern Architecture. In the works: Projects on the coast of Maine, in southern Connecticut, and in Washington, D.C. Martha’s Vineyard hutkerarchitects.com
Morehouse MacDonald and Associates
(The Adapters)
Known for: Designing to its clients’ tastes, as well as to the site, context, and architectural fabric of a region. Highlight: An Arts and Crafts home in a Boston suburb, a Caribbean villa in St. Kitts, and a Shingle-style home on the Gloucester coast. Highlight: Principal John S. Macdonald was named to Boston Commons/Modern Luxury’s “The List.” In the works: A home on Buzzard’s Bay, and a renovation in Lexington. Lexington morehousemacdonald.com
Nicholaeff Architecture + Design
(The Customizers)
Known for: Creating high-end, custom-designed residential homes with bespoke details. Of Note: The firm works primarily in New England. Sample Project: Cotuit Bay is a grand Cape waterfront home with modern interiors that embrace the surrounding beauty of nature. Oysterville nicholaeff.com
Polhemus Savery DaSilva Architects Builders
(The Design/Builders)
Known for: Fully integrating architecture and construction to create contemporary Shingle Style buildings—by weaving together vernacular, traditional and modern themes. Highlight: The “Riptide” renovation/addition project in Chatham. Highlight: A number of Bulfinch awards from the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. In the works: Design/build projects in Chatham, Osterville, Cotuit, and Nantucket, all in 2020. East Harwich psdab.com
Maine
Winkelman Architecture
(The Craft-Driven Designers)
Known for: Creating a synergistic link between the environment and a structure through stylistically diverse, fresh, and creative designs. Of Note: 2020 AIA Maine Design Award–Honor Recipient. The firm concentrates on residences in the Northeast, particularly Maine. Sample Project: Downeast Coastal Residence exceeds its net-zero energy consumption goal and has a planted roof to reinforce the flow of nature around the multi-level wood, stone, and glass structure. Portland winkarch.com
NEW YORK
Barnes Coy Architects
(The Disciplined Designers)
Known for: A disciplined approach to architecture as a response to context: of site, client, and nearby built environment—and for modern designs in form and intent. Highlight: Rizzoli has published a monograph of its work: Assembled in Light: The Houses of Barnes Coy Architects, written by Alastair Gordon, with photos by Michael Mundy. In the works: Waterfront homes in Southampton, East Hampton, and Florida. Bridgehampton barnescoy.com
Bates Masi + Architects
(The Restrained Modernists)
Known for: A regional modernism expressed through highly crafted details and thoughtful design—and creating new design opportunities tailored to individual properties and their owners. Highlight: Waterfront projects in the Hamptons. Highlight: A 2020 Record Interiors Award for ASSET Restaurant. In the works: New family compounds, and a cabin on a remote island. East Hampton batesmasi.com
Alexander Gorlin Architects
(The Timeless Modernists)
Known for: Modernism with a warm heart and clean lines—and perfectly sited. Emphasis on indoor/outdoor spaces, natural materials, abundance of light and timeless design. Highlight: Renovation of Eero Saarinen’s legendary Bell Labs. Highlight: Winner of AIA New York State Design Excellence for a townhouse in Seaside, Florida. In the works: Additions to its design for a Nova Scotia oceanfront home. New York gorlinarchitects.com
Blaze Makoid Architecture
(The Dream Makers)
Known for: Creating luxurious homes that function as bespoke, personal resorts. Of Note: Founder Blaze Makoid and his team have won numerous national and international design awards, including The Long Island AIA Commendation Achievement in Residential Design; The AIA Peconic Honor Award; The Boston Society of Architects’ First Citation; and the Philadelphia AIA Honor Award for Excellence. Sample Project: Sagaponack Compound is a modern 17,000-square-foot family retreat composed of cedarwood, stone and plenty of glass to usher in views of Sagg Pond, New York. Bridgehampton New York blazemakoid-architecture.com
Bromley Caldari Architects
(The Industrialists)
Known for: Designing crisp modern spaces—from beach houses to industrial complexes—using warm, natural materials. Of Note: The firm’s work has been featured in various global architecture and design publications and on television and the silver screen. Sample Project: A-Frame Re-think is a triangular-shaped, three-story, window-filled haven on Fire Island Pines, New York, with an open kitchen and sliding glass doors in the master bedroom that intentionally fogs up for privacy. New York bromleycaldari.com
Fairfax & Sammons
(The Majestic Designers)
Known for: Their classically designed residences and buildings with period detail and timeless appeal. Of Note: Founding partners Anne Fairfax and Richard Sammons belong to INTBAU College of Traditional Practitioners (ICTP), an international professional body for practitioners in traditional architecture, under the auspices of his Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales. Sample Project: A New House in Connecticut is a majestic brick estate that reflects Scottish Palladian architect William Adam’s attention to rich detail and proportion. New York and Palm Beach fairfaxandsammons.com
“A house on the coast is always an opportunity to gather family together to experience the joy of being close to nature. Orienting the house toward nature allows for this relationship to be shared through the four seasons and is vital to our design process.”
—Anne Fairfax, Founding Partner, Fairfax & Sammons
G.P. Schafer Architect
(The Traditional Perfectionists)
Known for: Applying traditional residential architectural practices to create majestic homes that seamlessly blend into their surroundings. Of Note: The firm is an honored recipient of the 2020 Mizner, Bulfinch, and Palladio Awards for Architecture. Sample Project: Mercer Hill in southern Georgia is a new residence on 6,000 acres that tips its hat to the area’s historic “shooting plantations” with two fully integrated but distinct wings—a Greek Revival 1840s wing and Colonial Revival 1920s wing. New York gpschafer.com
Ike Kligerman Barkley
(The Traditional Modernists)
Known for: Striking architectural and interior designs that span different eras and styles (the firm wrote a book on Shingle-style homes) from Georgian townhouses to Latin American villas. Of Note: Each year, the firm chooses two senior architecture graduate students to receive $12,000 for travel and research through the IKB Traveling Fellowship to study the intersection between traditional and contemporary design. Sample Project: Pacific Northwest Modern is a contemporary woodland retreat fabricated from glass, wood, and concrete with clean lines and dark wood accents. New York, Oakland, California ikekligermanbarkley.com
Martin Architects
(Environmentalists)
Known for: High-end residential, commercial and institutional design that ranges from modern to historic. Of Note: Martin Architects is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and thus, designs every project with environmental sensitivity. Sample Project: Gansett Lane is a modern, light-filled Long Island beach house built with green technology and an abundance of glass, wood, stone and concrete. Sagaponack martinarchitects.com
Peter Pennoyer Architects
(The Sophisticates)
Known for: Sophisticated projects ranging from historic renovations of landmark structures to newly built residences characterized by expert craftsmanship and attention to detail. Of Note: To inspire designs that consider scholarship, historical precedent, creative invention, and modern taste, the firm’s 50 architects have an in-house library of 10,000 volumes. Sample Project: House in New Jersey is a classic stone manor with interior arched doorways and an exterior guest house, staff cottage, garage, pool house and barn. New York, Miami, Florida, ppapc.com
Reddymade Architecture and Design
(Specialists in Space)
Known for: Combining formal experimentation, imaginative use of color and passion for innovative materials to create spaces that influence wellbeing, creativity and productivity. Of Note: In addition to architecture and design, the firm’s practice includes installation art and sculpture. Sample Project: “A Space for Being” is a collaborative project that creates individual designs to measure the impact of neuroaesthetic design principles, such as a sensory healing room for patients with disorders of consciousness. New York rmdny.com
Robert A. M. Stern Architects
(The Design Leaders)
Known for: Designing sophisticated residential, commercial and institutional projects ranging from the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, to a Mediterranean-style California cliffside family compound. Of Note:The 265-person firm has collaborated with myriad home product vendors from tiles and carpets to furniture and lighting fixtures. Sample Project: Tour Carpe Diem is a 545-foot office tower near Paris with faceted glass facades and is the first building in France to exceed France’s Haute Qualité Environnementale standards and also to achieve LEED-CS Platinum certification. New York ramsa.com
Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects
(The Innovators)
Known for: Creating forward-thinking, innovative, and environmentally sensitive houses, mainly on Long Island. Of Note: Specialties include modern architecture, interior design, design-built and coastal residential. Sample Project: Field House on Long Island is a contemporary steel frame and mahogany-clad home with ocean views on one side and pond views on the other. Bridgehampton stelleco.com
Steven Harris Architects
(The Sculptural Designers)
Known for: Impeccably crafting and expertly managing residential and retail projects uniquely tailored to each site and client’s needs. Of Note: The firm’s first monograph, True Life (Princeton Architectural Press, 2010), showcases 25 years of acclaimed residential work. Sample Project: Boston House is a 19th-century townhouse showcasing its historical essence while seamlessly incorporating contemporary features, like a sculptural swooping front staircase, to balance the aesthetics and lifestyle of the young owners. New York stevenharrisarchitects.com
Toshiko Mori Architect
(The Cutting-Edge Architects)
Known for: Designing spatially compelling, cutting-edge, environmentally sensitive spaces that use a wide range of materials. Of Note: Architect Toshiko Mori founded the think tank VisionArc, to explore how design can affect complex social and environmental issues. Sample Project: Fass School and Teacher’s Residence in Fass, Senegal, is an elliptical structure that uses local materials to create the mud-brick walls and “hat brim” roof of reed. New York tmarch.com
Workshop/APD
(The Design Narrators)
Known for: Creating enduring architecture and design narratives that consider hand-crafted, high-tech and modern aesthetics.
Of Note: The firm has designed numerous restaurants, including the soon-to-open Nautilus Boston (on Pier Four Boulevard), a sister property of The Nautilus on Nantucket. Sample Project: Nantucket Harborfront Compound celebrates its waterfront via a beach-level main house, street-level guesthouse and winding driveway and series of terraces that bridge the two. New York workshopapd.com
Leroy Street Studio
(The Visionaries)
Known for: Its bold, modern visionary approach to fabricating buildings for public and residential use. Of Note: The company is an architectural studio with an integrated design firm and its own construction business. Sample Project: Dune House is a contemporary, multi-level, Palestinian limestone home in the dunes of South Hampton, New York, with an abundance of windows to usher in light and views of the nearby ocean, ponds and wetlands. New York leroystreetstudio.com/work
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
(The Award Winners)
Known for: Creating elegant, comfortable spaces that range from modest houses to large academic, civic, cultural, commercial, and corporate buildings. Of Note: With six offices across the country, the firm has received 10 National Honor Awards from the American Institute of Architects and over 675 awards recognizing the firm’s design abilities. Sample Project: Williams College Stetson Hall, Sawyer Library, is a luminous, five-level structure wrapped in textured green-gray Vermont slate offering expansive views of The Berkshires. New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania bcj.com
North Carolina
Kersting Architecture
(The Multifaceted Architects)
Known for: Constructing unique, complex, high-quality luxury residential, hospitality, multi-family housing, medical, and commercial structures. Of Note: The firm won First Place in the People’s Choice category of the 2020 George Matsumoto Prize for Surrender House, located on Figure Eight Island through NCModernist, a nonprofit preservation organization for Modernist architecture. Sample Project: Surrender House on North Carolina’s Figure Eight Island is a modern residence stretched out on a lot with water views from every room of the home, including the main living areas and guest quarters. Wilmington kerstingarchitecture.com
Rhode Island
Andreozzi Architecture
(The Classicist & Carpenter)
Known for: Constructing high-end, historically based, artistically rendered, custom residential architecture. Of Note:New England Shingle-style homes are a specialty of the firm. Andreozzi is the president of the New England Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. Sample Project: Portsmouth pays homage to the great Victorian Shingle-style country homes with its traditional architectural details, yet advanced technological amenities. Barrington andreozzi.com
Texas
Michael G. Imber, Architects (Heritage Architects)
Known for: Promoting the historic heritage of American architecture reflective of the site’s cultural history and the client’s modern lifestyle. Of Note: The firm specializes in the traditional classical style. Sample Project: River Ranch in Texas takes its inspiration from the historic stone and white trim farmhouses of the state and is an airy, open home, which has a master pavilion anchoring the structure and several more pavilions running along a ridge overlooking the Colorado River. San Antonio, michaelgimber.com
“There are two things that are important in making a great coastal home; first, that you give it meaning. A home is just a house until it becomes a part of people’s lives. It should support and invigorate a lifestyle, whether it be life on the beach, or fishing and boating, or simply relaxing and admiring the view. The home should connect and form memories for all generations of their life on the coast. Second, it should be built sustainably. Most coastal environments are either, one: hazardous, or two: sensitive to intrusion. We should always be aware of how we build to endure the elements of a coastal environment in a lasting way, as well as how we can build sensitively in some of our most treasured landscapes.”
—Michael G. Imber, FAIA, Principal, Michael G. Imber, Architects
Washington
Cutler Anderson Architects (Naturalists)
Known for: Designing contemporary, sustainable, forward-thinking residential and commercial structures that highlight their natural surroundings. Of Note: The firm also designs hardware, furniture and lighting. Sample Project: Rock House in Calgary, Alberta lies nestled below the top of a stone ridge and offers dramatic views of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and woodlands through its wrap-around insulated glass façade with wood and concrete supporting elements. Bainbridge Island cutler-anderson.com
Olson Kundig Architects
(The Collaborative Designers)
Known for: Designing residential, commercial, spiritual, and cultural structures that are sustainable and show the elegant hand of the artists and craftspeople involved. Of Note: The 200-plus member firm has an office in New York to service East Coast clients. Sample Project: Tofino Beach House in Tofino, Canada, has no columns or interior structural systems to interrupt the panoramic view of the ocean. Seattle olsonkundig.com
The Caribbean
RA Shaw Fine Architecture
(The Luxury Creators)
Known for: Achieving the balance between luxury and uniqueness in the Turks and Caicos. Of Note: The firm excels in using building materials suitable to the Caribbean climate, which includes storms, high winds and hurricanes. Sample Project: Turtle Breeze is a sugar-white, multi-level villa perched on Grace Bay Beach with an abundance of water features and comfortable open-air spaces. Grace Bay, Turks & Caicos, rashawgroup.com
John Doak Architecture
(The Turnkey Designers)
Known for: Designing gracious island spaces from thatched-roof compounds to the historic renovation of the Cayman Islands National Museum building. Of Note: Long-standing relationships with established United States, Canadian and Caribbean professional companies enable the firm to take on projects of any size. Sample Project: Callalou in the Cayman Islands resembles a traditional West Indian Great House with individual cottages for guests, a gym, staff quarters, a garden potting studio, and a garage. George Town, Cayman Islands, johndoak.com