Welcome. We are an architecture and interiors studio that believes in the power of thoughtful design to better connect us to the built environment, the landscape, and each other. Our process is equal parts creativity and pragmatism –so that our work draws out the strongest potential of any site, the resources at hand, and ultimately, the experience of our clients. Design is both a process and an adventure; we see ourselves as both your partner and guide. We look forward to hearing from you.

Paradox House:
Both | And thinking and the paintings of Edward Hopper set the mood>

“How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress.” ― Niels Bohr

It might have been tempting to gloss over the inherent tensions in the logically incompatible impulses of our two clients for the design of their new Sonoma home, and to deny the multitude of conflicting technical requirements for this complex site. Yet, the Paradox House attempts to find fodder in the creative power of paradoxical thinking.

Modal Home:
Turning down the volume on a noisy site dials up our sense of natural light in a cloistered home>

To quiet a noisy road, this new home turns inward –an urban cloister buffered from the surrounding traffic. To compensate for this loss of sound and view, we did everything we could to intensify the nuances of natural light over the course of the day. The loss of one sense heightens the perceptions of another.

Twist and Turn Screen:
Leaning into a material’s latent desire to twist and turn yields unexpected beauty>

We love it when a client asks, “Have you done this before?” and then trusts us to keep going when we say, “Never!” After fretting over how to keep this wood screen ‘perfect,’ we finally leaned into the potential beauty of the imperfect. Instead of fighting nature’s latent desires, we gave into the screen’s impulse to crook, cup, bow, and twist.

Florence J. Schwartz:
Human & Non-Human Resources

Florence, a Spinone Italiano, came to S^A in 2012 and hails from Paso Robles, California. She majored in Bossiness and Ignoring Commands at Potrero Hill’s prestigious Dogpile Dogs, with a specialization in Nonchalance. She did not graduate. Florence, alternately known as Lady Florence or The Machine, can store a day’s worth of food in her copious beard. References Upon Request.

Diamond ADU Architect - S^A | Schwartz and Architecture Contractor - @fairweather_associates Photography - @brucedamonte Landscape - Huettl Landscape Architecture Lighting - @loisosubbelohde Plaster - @mineral_concept #modernhome #moderndesign #modernarchitecture #customhome #bayarea #bayareahomes #architecturedesign #modernhouses #architecturephotography #moodboard #photooftheday #design #designinspiration #view #design_only #architect #exterior #exteriordesign #californiahomes #indooroutdoorliving #material #homedesign #homedesignideas
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