Where do you find design inspiration?
As a designer, it is not where I look for inspiration, but a frame of mind. I find it most important to remain porous and impressionable especially to the new and unconventional. With this mindset, options and possibilities expand and from there the most intriguing ideas easily surface and gain energy on their own. For me with an open, impressionable mind, inspiration is almost everywhere.

How do you approach the design process?
I had a great mentor in my graduate year that called it “diving into the sea of creativity.” The longer and deeper you dive, the longer you remain in suspension, the more possibilities you can entertain. I try not to freeze the design too early. Sometimes it’s by saying “that’s it” that we sever future opportunities yet to be born.

How does your aesthetic stand out amongst other designers/architects?
I am always surprised by how often we have been asked this question and more surprised about the way it has been answered by editors and jurors who comment on our work. Ironically they comment as if they know questions we ask (and answer) ourselves. They are: “Where is the focus or the visual center of gravity of the composition?”; “Where or from what point does the audience witness this focal?”; “Who is the audience?”; and finally “What is being conveyed to the audience?” I ask these questions constantly while designing and don’t feel the design is complete until it confidently addresses these questions.

What is the greatest value you provide your client?
What sets us apart from many is the effort we put forth to collaborate with interior designers, landscape architects, contractors, and the craftsmen involved in the endeavor. The architect is often the conductor that has the opportunity to steward, foster, and summon the talent in others to channel excellence. The day of the singular designer is dead. This, for me, is not only a method but the responsibility of the residential architect today. If done correctly, you don’t even need to encourage; the success as the end product unfolds stokes and encourages everybody.

What does the Sub-Zero and Wolf Kitchen Design Contest mean to you?
Two words come to mind: honored and shared. I am honored to be recognized by such a prestigious organization and I know that this award must be shared by all those who had a part in its realization: the interior designer, Sandra Meyers, who was the most major component; the construction crew led by Block Builder; craftspeople building the cabinetry; and of course Sub-Zero and Wolf who provided the pivotal products within the design. I am privileged to have worked with the best of the best in this field and have learned from all of them.

Where do you see kitchen design going in the next 5 years?
I view all design, all art, and all music as a pendulum constantly swinging back and forth. The further away it moves from a design direction, item or style, the more potential energy it has to move back. At its furthest point the energy is the strongest. I pay more and more attention to this phenomenon in art, design and even music. For instance, the very last instrument I would ever put in a rock song would be the accordion. I couldn’t imagine it in any other song than the Lady of Spain, yet it’s the main instrument in the recent Kongos hit: (WAR) Come With Me Now. Who knew? It’s pure genius! Regarding kitchen design, look to those things that seem most out of style or quickly rejected today as a clue to the next thing.