BEHIND THE DESIGN
A DAY IN THE STUDIO
Where Design Becomes Experience
Design doesn’t begin with drawings. It begins with people - with conversations, curiosities, and the quiet pulse of ideas coming to life.
At our studio, each day unfolds like a story. No two chapters are ever the same, but they’re all driven by one thing: the belief that thoughtful design creates connection. Whether we’re sketching the layout of a new restaurant, sourcing materials for a multi-family build, or fabricating a large-scale art installation for a commercial office, our work is always rooted in craft, collaboration, and care.
So, what does a day here actually feel like?
Morning Light and First Sparks
The studio comes alive around 9 AM. Coffee brews. Computers get turned on. Maybe there is a birthday and we have donuts brought in. There’s a low hum of conversation as the team filters in, sharing bits of inspiration from the morning commute or something interesting they saw online. We gather- standing, sketchbooks in hand - for a quick morning check in. Not just to delegate tasks, but to align on what matters: where each project is headed, what roadblocks need untangling, and what ideas are bubbling up.
There’s something about starting the day in a circle - with voices heard and eyes up, that sets the tone. It’s less about “checking boxes” and more about building energy. And from there, the day begins to stretch and unfold.
Mid-Morning: Where Ideas Take Shape
With the morning rhythm in motion, we dive in.
In one corner, there’s a team layering mood boards for a new restaurant - sifting through color swatches, talking circulation, lighting references, and notes on ambiance and key features. What should this place feel like? Inviting? Moody? Electric? It’s not just about how it looks, but what kind of memory it leaves behind.
Nearby, a different team is deep into a collaborative session on a exterior art piece, debating materials that work for durability. Elsewhere, someone’s mocking up a prototype that will eventually hang thirty feet high in an office atrium - bringing it out for some heavy (and helpful) critiquing.
We sketch. We question. We laugh. We challenge each other to think differently. It’s messy and energizing, and it’s in this chaos that clarity starts to form.
Lunch Break: Where the Conversations Shift
Lunch isn’t just a break - it’s a reset.
Some days we order in and eat together at the picnic tables outside. Other days we scatter to our favorite neighborhood spots, returning with fresh thoughts and maybe a pastry to share. But no matter where we are, the conversations rarely stray far from design. Someone’s talking about a tile they saw on vacation. Someone else is still obsessing over a light fixture from last night’s dinner.
These moments matter. They feed the next idea. They remind us that inspiration doesn’t clock in and out - it weaves its way into everything.
Afternoon: Staying in tune with the shop
The post-lunch hours are about deep work and shop collaboration.
Sketches become renders. Renders become plans. Plans evolve into physical samples and working drawings. Our design software hums quietly in the background, but the real energy is in the details. This is why we work so closely with our fabrication team, and this time is essential to making sure those details are coming out correctly. We walk the shop and discuss the process with the team, making sure quality control is in every item.
We’re also talking to clients - sharing progress, listening closely. For us, clients aren’t just end-users - they’re co-creators. Their insight helps shape the work, and their feedback pushes it further. This part of the process is layered, iterative, and when done right, kind of magical.
Late Afternoon: Edits, Insights, and Evolution
As golden hour hits, we’re often preparing for client presentations. There’s something quietly thrilling about pulling together the story of a space - connecting dots between a brand’s values and a material palette, between a layout and the emotion it’s meant to evoke.
Presentations are more than pitches - they’re invitations. Invitations to see not just what the space is, but what it could be. And afterward? We listen. We revise. We shift. Good design isn’t precious; it’s flexible. It grows with every new perspective.
Evening: Culture matters
Before we head out, we pause.
Sometimes it’s a team debrief. Sometimes it’s watering our shop plants. Sometimes it’s some time on the roof watching the sunset. We want people to be stoked on coming to work so we give priority to our team interactions. Whether it’s a game of pool, cornhole, a chat on the loading dock, or a drink on the roof, this is a time for connection that is about our team.
Because more than anything, our studio is a place of constant becoming.
Final Thoughts: Why the Process Matters
The spaces we design are meant to make people feel something, and we want our space to be that as well. Both should be made to welcome, to surprise, to comfort, to inspire. And the way we get there - day by day, sketch by sketch, conversation by conversation in our shop and studio - is just as important as the final results we deliver in the field.
Each day in our studio is its own kind of blueprint. Not of walls or dimensions, but of discovery. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
