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.

Portola Valley Home:
In the end, it is all a façade>

To add a bit of surprise to what otherwise could be a standard ranch house façade, we wanted the updated ‘face’ of this home to feel as if it were suddenly coming alive and welcoming you as you approach. Driving up from the road, the façade screen appears solid and extremely private, yet as you move closer to face it, views through the screen open, giving glimpses into the hidden second floor courtyard beyond. Adding to the surprise is a subtle egg-shaped indentation carved into the interior of the screen –a bit of an architectural “Where’s Waldo?” that flickers in an out of view as you move past it.

Work ^ In The Landscape
Green House

The original home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s protégé, Aaron Green and built by Echler Homes in 1966, is a modern masterwork in Palo Alto, California. Remaining preserved in time by its original owner until 2019, its new owners, a young couple with two young children and one on the way, needed additional space and amenities. But how to update and extend Green’s low-slung complete thought for a new era and new growing family?

Work ^ In The Grid
S^A Studio:
Family, food, and furry friends bind our creative studio together>

Given the intensity of our work in the studio, we are lucky to enjoy the company of each other so thoroughly. Outside the studio, our Fine Wine Fridays (FWF) have a no-work discussion policy. Our Summer Fest and S^A Holiday Party are epic cooking throwdowns –competitive sushi rolling to cookie bake-offs, cassoulet to fried chicken.

In the studio, at our monthly Culture of Design (COD) workshops, we find images using randomly selected prompts that combine a building element, a quality of space, and a sensation ­–stair, open, moist– that then spawn often-rollicking conversations about our design and process. Even our Culture of Practice (COP) sessions evoke passionate and hysterical debates about office standards and technical detailing. Of course, there is also Beyoncé, true-crime dramas, the Warriors, and reality TV to banter about every day at 4:00 pm.

 

Work ^ In The Studio
Christopher W. Baile, Architect:
Principal

Christopher, a licensed architect in the state of California, has been with S^A since 2015 after completing his Master of Architecture at the California College of the Arts, where he has since served as a guest instructor and juror for graduate architecture studios. His thesis work –Raum-Fiction– focused on architectural representation as a lingua franca between those in –and out of– the know. Christopher is originally from Indianapolis and holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Ball State University, where he was a fellow at the Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts and an employee of the Institute for Digital Fabrication.

Practice ^ Team
Looking In & Looking out Not only at the center of our ethos but also not a bad way to view architecture! Taking a moment to reflect on a past project, this gem is a San Francisco dream! Its adaptation to the city hills gave us the opportunity for some pretty great views! Check out more on our website. #bayareadesign #modernhome #customhomes #architecture #dreamhomes #sanfrancisco #midcenturydesign #cleanaesthetics #simplemoves #residential #design #designlovers
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