Building a custom home can be a complicated process that involves many different players. Not everyone sees eye-to-eye and the priorities of an architect can often conflict with those of an interior designer or a landscaping planner. However, with studio g ARCHITECTURE, everything operates in perfect synergy.
“We take a holistic approach to design,” says founder Michael Gardner. “The process is property line to property line.” Everything is done under one umbrella with a team of in-house professionals and managed consultants. “Our clients only have to worry about working with us,” says Gardner. “We manage all the pieces for them.”
The company began small, building two to three homes a year during a period when the luxury market was shifting away from Mediterranean-style homes in favor of a more contemporary style. Gardner found success based on a word-of-mouth reputation, eventually taking on commercial work as well. Now his reputation is spreading throughout the country. Current projects include a high-rise in Nashville and the renovation of a historic New Orleans building into a boutique hotel.
Custom homes remain about half of the company’s workload and Gardner sees tremendous potential in character-rich “Old Vegas” neighborhoods near Downtown. He was recently selected by the National Association of Home Builders to design and construct the 2019 New American Remodel. The project will redevelop a 1950s ranch house on Pinto Lane with a mix of modern, traditional and unconventional design elements.
In a process he calls “responsible design,” Gardner is retaining part of the home’s exterior walls while adding a complementary two-story structure. The finished product will feature ambient daylight, clean lines and a full turnaround driveaway that makes full use of a large 1.3-acre lot. “This property is going to have an orchard. It’s going to have chickens. It’s going to be in a certain sense, sustainable.”
The New American Remodel is expected to be certified for numerous green initiatives and will officially debut at the NAHB International Builders’ Show in February 2019. But Gardner is also hoping the property will help kick off a new era of home design in a historic but somewhat neglected Las Vegas neighborhood. Ultimately, he says it’s important to leave a mark on the community — to make it a better place for the generations that follow.
“Architects are always looking for importance in their work. Even if it’s just a little thumbprint that we can leave on changing the mentality of Las Vegas, I chalk it up to a great success.”
Image credits: Studio G Architecture, Bethany Paige Photography
