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.

Leit House:
Blackened volcanic rocks, surprising in their lightness, inspire the distinctive roof of this Sonoma fire-site home>

Millions of years ago, the fiery volcanoes of Sonoma Valley spewed hot magma across the landscape. As the lava cooled, the eruption’s gases became trapped, forming porous cavities instead of crystallizing into dense stone. In 2017, fire transformed this landscape again, revealing the ancient igneous rocks still strewn across the burnt, yet strangely beautiful and resilient, landscape.

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
Neal J. Z. Schwartz, FAIA:
Founder + Principal

Neal completed Master of Architecture and Master of Public Policy dual degrees at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and Kennedy School of Government. He graduated with Distinction in Architecture, received the Thayer Award for Meritorious Scholarship, the Sheldon Traveling Fellowship, as well as national awards from the Urban Land Institute and American Planning Association. His capstone work included a critical look at the design of juvenile detention facilities –“Points are Earned; You Start the Day at Zero”– and a policy manual for a non-profit advocating for affordable housing for people with disabilities in Massachusetts. This unique combination of design and policy is the foundation of Neal’s practice –a commitment to creative excellence combined with a devotion to rigorous management of the entire process through construction.

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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