Portfolio

Studio Update: Looking Forward to Fall

By Marisa on . Posted in Behind the Scenes, Construction Updates

It’s hard to believe summer is already behind us! The studio has been full speed ahead these past few months, with projects moving through every stage from first sketches to move-in day. Here’s a look at what the team has been up to.

Studio News

Birthday Week

We’re turning 16 this week, and we’re celebrating all week long! Follow along on social media to see the fun.

Cover of Women of Architecture book
Women of Architecture & Field of Vision

As you may already know, Marica has been included in Women of Architecture: A Collective of Unique Voices, an upcoming book celebrating trailblazing voices shaping the field. The book gathers architects whose work and perspective are helping redefine the industry, and we couldn’t be prouder to see Marica’s vision recognized alongside them. Women of Architecture officially launches this fall, with a celebration planned for October. We’ll share more details, including where to find the book, as the release gets closer.

Marica was also recently featured in Marvin’s Field of Vision series. Read it here.

Photographing Barnstormer

Last week, we spent the day photographing Barnstormer. Keep an eye out for the full project showcase in November.

Valley MMag Spring/Summer 2026

Issue 10 of Valley MMag is about to go to print. We’ll let you know as soon as copies are out in the world – keep any eye out for a super cozy fall issue!

Table of contents from Issue 10 Valley MMag
July Team Day

Back in July, the team came together to celebrate one of our teammates and her growing family. We started and ended the day with site visits to projects under construction, complete with tours from the contractor and owner, and spent the time in between designing and decorating onesies for the newest team member to be. Take a peek at the day here.

Team Day celebrating newest team member of studio mm

In Design

Gallatin Plains

This new home is taking shape in the Gallatin/Pine Plains area for a later-in-life couple with adult children who love entertaining. It’s a part-time residence for now, with plans to eventually become full time, so we’re balancing space for gatherings with a feeling of coziness for two and plenty of storage. We just wrapped up our first round of schematic design, presenting three distinct schemes that each take advantage of the rocky hilltop site and its views.

Sunlit forest clearing with mossy exposed bedrock outcroppings, fallen logs, and tall leafy trees
Hand-drawn view-analysis diagram with colored marker lines and arrows labeled for mountain, forest, and valley views
Studio MM Architect inspiration board collage with nine photos of a modern forest and lakeside home
Cortlandt Manor Reno

Schematic design is underway as our clients look for more room to grow into. We’re exploring options that add bedrooms in the attic or extend the home toward the back yard, along with the possibility of a carport, so they can review the choices and plan for what comes next.

Hand-drawn pencil floor plan on yellow trace paper showing a ground-level layout with bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, and a deck
Hand-drawn pencil floor plan on yellow trace paper showing a compact rectangular ground-level layout with bedrooms, bathroom, and deck
Sunny backyard with a large lawn, shade trees, a small patio with outdoor furniture, a dachshund-mix dog, and a play structure in the background
Sunny image of an existing home and driveway, with blue light blue siding and double hung windows.
Pace

We’re wrapping up schematic design and leaning toward a single-story plan topped with a roof deck. We’ll be moving into design development by mid-September.

Overlapping hand-drawn sketches on trace paper and a printed site plan with blue pen notes on site view, sunset, ridge view, pool, and pool house

Terrasse

We’ve been doing plenty of sketching in person with our clients as we work through schematic design together, with design development coming up soon.

Topographic site survey drawing with colored hand annotations marking north light, ridge view, and front winter view around a house footprint
Hand-drawn floor plan sketch of a linear room sequence with red-marker notes on views, gallery clerestories, and big sliding doors
Overhead view of a hand holding a pencil over printed Studio MM Architect floor plans and a topographic site plan on a table
Overhead view of a table covered with four printed Studio MM Architect floor plan schemes labeled A through D, with a laptop video call open
Digital floor plan with hand-drawn color markup in pink, green, blue, and magenta highlighting different rooms and zones, including a two-car garage
Cedar Rock

We’re reworking the floor plan to open up access to the rear yard, gathering inspiration images to capture the spirit of the scheme, and modeling different volume options.

3D architectural rendering of a two-story modern house with wood vertical siding, a stone-clad entry volume, and angled flat roof
Beacon Firehouse

A big month here. We received our Certificate of Appropriateness from the town, and demolition has started so we can learn more about the existing structure. We’ve also worked through interiors, run a preliminary round of bidding to flag where we may need to value engineer, and spent time designing the new front entry gates, drawing inspiration from wrought iron gates of the late 1800s and early 1900s alongside imagery our clients shared with us.

Architectural presentation board for a historic firehouse renovation showing existing and proposed front elevations with notes
Stony Clove

We submitted the permit set for pricing on this project, which connects the existing house with a new wing and ties the surrounding yards and landscape together.

3D massing rendering of a long addition transitioning from a modern cantilevered dark volume into a traditional gabled house form
3D architectural rendering of a two-story modern house with wood vertical siding, a stone-clad entry volume, and angled flat roof
Fermata

A former client reached out about adding a carport and more storage to Fermata. We love the chance to help returning clients with new requests, and we’re working through how to make the addition feel like it was always part of the original design, with a floating roof and screening to connect the new carport and storage to the existing home.

Wider 3D rendering of the same black slat-clad modern building showing an L-shaped roofline and wood-slat screening around an outdoor seating area
3D architectural rendering of a modern black vertical-slat-clad structure with a cantilevered flat roof and wood-slat privacy screen

In Construction

Quattro

Clients are getting ready to move in at the end of the month. We ran our first round of punch list, received our certificate of occupancy, and watched the millwork and tile installation transform the house.

Two installers fitting a stacked appliance and cabinetry unit, one connecting utilities while a second works inside the upper cabinet
Close-up of dark stained horizontal wood siding meeting a black metal gutter on a building exterior
Newly tiled shower stall in progress with blue square wall tile, a recessed two-shelf niche, and a capped shower valve
Kitchen under construction with dark green vertical-stack tile backsplash surrounding a wide window looking into forest
Exterior of a modern dark wood-clad house with a flat black roof and glass corner, set among trees on a rocky, partially cleared site
Acorn Hill

Clients are selecting tile and fixtures, windows and doors are in, and rough-in electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work is underway. We also found an opportunity to raise the ceilings in the upstairs bedrooms, bringing more light and openness to this older home. The views from the new kitchen are a favorite so far.

Interior of an older home under renovation showing a mix of exposed original hand-hewn ceiling beams and new dimensional lumber framing
Exterior of a two-story home mid-construction wrapped in green ZIP System sheathing with white-trimmed Marvin and Infinity windows and a new deck
Interior view through a newly framed wall opening showing exposed wood studs, green ZIP System sheathing, and a grassy backyard beyond
Interior of a framed addition showing exposed roof rafters and several new windows and a glass door with manufacturer stickers, overlooking a deck

This renovation in the Bridgeport area of Connecticut is nearing the end of construction after we started design back in March. It’s a fast-moving project to get this family settled into their new home, transforming an interior that was once dark into one that works for how they live. Drywall is up, and millwork and tile installation is in progress.

Empty living room with hardwood floors, a row of frosted multi-pane windows, a dark wood built-in bookshelf, and a leaded-glass door frame
Gutted living and dining room with hardwood floors, string work-lights hanging from the ceiling, and sliding doors covered in protective film
Dated kitchen mid-renovation prep with white cabinetry, black electric range, laminate countertops, and an open refrigerator
Freshly painted corner room mid-renovation with large uncovered windows, bare plywood subfloor, and painting supplies on the floor
Kitchen mid-installation with white cabinetry mounted on the walls, unfinished plywood island boxes, and patchy hardwood flooring
Fowler Lake

We’re wrapping up punch list. A new kitchen and pantry create better flow for the primary living area, and upgraded mechanical systems and a new rear deck with covered dining space round out the project.

Covered outdoor porch with dark stained wood ceiling and decking, a large black dome pendant light with gold interior, and a ceiling fan
Built-in light wood cabinetry in a mudroom or pantry nook with upper and lower cabinets, black countertop, and open wood shelving
Finished dining and kitchen area with dark wood beamed ceiling, a round stained-glass ceiling fixture, and a linear pendant over the island
Pond Lane

Kitchen cabinets, including island lighting, are installed. Bathroom tile layouts are underway, and the siding is complete.

Kitchen under construction with vaulted ceiling, wood-trimmed windows, dark lower cabinetry, and a deep matte-black sink basin
Close-up of newly laid gray tile flooring with leveling spacer clips, next to a wood-trimmed window overlooking greenery
Exterior of a nearly finished modern home with tall vertical wood siding, black-framed floor-to-ceiling windows in a two-story gabled section, a covered porch area on the left, and ladders and buckets still present near the foundation.
MCM32

We’ve completed repair and replacement of damaged framing, framed openings for new windows and doors, and removed the existing blown-in insulation and all concrete. Underground plumbing and electrical conduit are installed, and we’re now preparing the radiant system and concrete slab.

Interior demolition scene with exposed ceiling joists, a partially exposed brick chimney, and mounded dirt for new plumbing trenches
Exterior corner of a house mid-renovation showing an overhanging eave, green ZIP System sheathing, and partial stone veneer application
Exterior of a mid-construction single-story home with green ZIP System sheathing, partial stone veneer, and a covered outdoor sitting area
Interior of a home under major renovation with exposed floor joists overhead, dirt subfloor, wood support posts, and a stone fireplace
Queensbury Reno

A few milestones this month: we confirmed all materials for the office bathroom renovation and main bathroom addition, the foundation and crawl space slab are poured, and framing is beginning this week.

Overhead flat-lay of labeled material swatches including wall finish, shower and countertop stone, vanity wood, fixtures, and new flooring
Excavated foundation lined with insulationand plastic sheeting, viewed through a window overlooking a river and distant mountains
Overhead flat-lay of labeled bathroom material swatches for wall finish, shower/countertop stone, vanity, fixtures, and new flooring
Artists’ Ranch

Our clients have officially moved in! Millwork is complete, and punch list is in progress.

Interior view through a light-wood-clad archway framing a hallway, with an open laundry room and washing machine visible ahead
Bright open-concept living and dining room with light wood floors and floor-to-ceiling windows; workers cleaning tall corner windows overlooking trees and a red barn
Person wearing shoe covers standing at the top of a light wood open staircase with built-in wood-paneled walls, checking their phone
Exterior of a modern black house from the pool side, showing large glass walls, a covered patio, and a rectangular pool
Exterior of a modern single-story black wood-clad house with a metal standing-seam roof and a large tree in front
Hudson House

Punch list is underway for the interior. Plaster details and millwork are being finished, railings are installed, and exterior siding is in progress. Clients will move in before the end of the month.

Interior view of an unfinished white archway opening between rooms, with visible outlet box and blue painter's tape
Close-up of black wood-look exterior siding corner detail held by blue plastic installation clips, next to a protected wood post
Close-up of a white curved architectural trim detail with visible seam lines against matching walls
Three round, perforated metal pendant lights hanging in a stairwell in front of tall black-framed windows overlooking greenery
Unfinished living room with a black brick-tile fireplace surround, protected stone hearth, drywall in progress, and a subfloor
The Gallery at ClusterOne

Last but certainly not least, The Gallery at Cluster One had a big month on site: garage doors delivered and installed all the way from California, the concrete floor polished, siding progressing, and the pivot entry door being installed.

Interior of an unfinished garage or studio space with exposed wood framing, insulation, two skylights, and a mini-split unit
Exterior of a partially built garage or studio with green ZIP System sheathing, open bay doors, workers inside, and a dumpster nearby
Exterior of a small black wood-clad structure with orange vertical trim accents in a wooded yard

Summer gets busy! We’re looking forward to many of our clients moving into their homes in the next month or two, and progressing into Design Development on a number of new construction projects. Summer is always a rush of construction – fall tends to be a rush to design and get in the ground before the colder months of the year!