Curating Timeless Spaces for a Modern World
Architecture shapes the spaces and places where we live our lives. My goal as an architect has always been to use design to reflect the core values and aspirations of my clients: to create environments that will be supportive, inspirational and nurturing. It is also important for a home to be sensitive to its site and community.
Projects
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Birdsall
This is the architect’s own residence, and we moved in March of 2020 after combining two separate households. The house is 30 years old, and appealed to us because of its first floor primary bedroom suite. Prior to our moving in, the kitchen and primary bathroom and closet areas needed to be redesigned.
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Windmill
This is a 1970’s front-to-back split level home, and the new owners, with two young daughters, wanted to expand and redesign their kitchen to add an island and create an eat-in area, added pantry space and a powder room on the first floor. They also wanted to create a connection between the kitchen and dining room and expand their entry foyer, as well as replace a small outdoor deck with a larger deck for entertaining. In the process of design, I proposed adding a new dormer window in the living room, to create a more varied roofline on the exterior and create a taller, more light-filled living room.
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Riggin
The clients purchased a wooded one-acre lot at Paternal Gift, an eco-community near Columbia, Maryland. The community had 28 lots with two horse stables, donating 75 acres as a land trust in perpetuity. The clients had two young daughters and wanted a cozy farmhouse, with the only requirement being to include a turret.
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Hillmead
This extensive addition/renovation in Bethesda, MD transformed a one-story 1970s functional brick modern house into a picturesque composition of stone and stucco reflecting the clients’ interest in the Arts and Crafts design aesthetic. First Floor additions for the kitchen and garage/guest suite, along with a partial second-story addition to the main house, created an eclectic home that took advantage of the beautiful wooded views and steeply sloping site.
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La Mora
Situated in Yonkers on the site of a former elementary school, the Yonkers Housing Authority wanted to provide 60 one and two-bedroom affordable apartments as supportive housing for seniors.
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Curtis
The clients, a couple In their sixties, acquired this turn-of-the-century home in Chevy Chase after living in Europe for over fifteen years. They had lived in a farmhouse in a mountainous region of northern Italy, and had become accustomed to a generous site where they had a tennis court and a lap pool. Returning to the U.S., the house they purchased was very petite on a lot that was under ¼ of an acre.
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My philosophy
I believe a good design should incorporate the proportions of human scale, abundant natural light, be connected with nature and positioned on the site so as to respond to the orientation and daily movement of the sun. It should feel sheltering yet liberating. I also believe that the quality of space is not dependent on size alone: shape, proportion and materials can create nurturing and inspiring places.
Working with clients
Listening carefully to my clients has always been at the basis of our working relationships. Before one line is even drawn, I meet with my clients to ask them about the things that are most important to them, whether designing a new home or renovating an existing home that is meaningful to them and their family. I have developed a questionnaire for larger, more complex projects to allow clients to discuss and record their priorities together before our first design discussion
The Design Process
Design is an iterative process that to many clients is often the most enjoyable and exciting part of creating a new or remodeled home. It starts by having open discussions with my clients to get a full understanding of their goals, aspirations, and some of the key elements and characteristics that they want to incorporate and shape the design.
Following initial discussions, we will prepare some preliminary sketches that incorporate, reflect and interpret what we discussed with the client. If we have truly listened and understood the clients’ priorities and ideas, the sketches presented have typically captured what is most important to them. Hopefully, these initial sketches are the beginning of a direction for the project. If there are issues that the clients wish to tweak, refinements and revisions will be made based on their feedback. The design refinements will continue along these lines until a design solution or approach is enthusiastically approved by the client.
The approved design direction will become the basis of more detailed and technical drawings, which will be prepared to obtain preliminary construction budgets, building permit submission, and review and ultimately used for the construction the project.
Let’s Build!
From conceptualizing to constructing, we’re ready to design your architectural dream. We promise a client-centric approach that empowers ideas, eases concerns, and delivers quality craftsmanship we’ll all be proud of.
About
Richard S. Rosen, AIA, is a highly experienced architect with over 45 years of expertise in residential design. Known for his creativity, attention to detail, and client-focused approach, Richard has a passion for creating homes that blend timeless elegance with modern functionality. His extensive knowledge, combined with a commitment to personalized service, ensures each project reflects his clients' unique vision and lifestyle. Now launching a new chapter in his distinguished career, Richard continues to elevate residential design with a refined and thoughtful approach to architecture.