Top New York Architects

New York is home to some of the world’s greatest architecture, so naturally New York architects rank among the top talents around the globe. The city’s residential architects are pros at creating livable urban spaces, renovating historic apartments, and creating country retreats away from the hustle and bustle of the five boroughs. Whether you need someone to maximize the layout of one of the Big Apple’s notoriously small apartments, build a Hamptons beach house or an upstate residence, or do a gut renovation of a prewar co-op, these 18 New York architects should be your first call.

Amie Sachs Architect

In this townhouse renovation by Amie Sachs Architect, artist David Wiseman was commissioned to set the stage with this stunning bronze and porcelain tree. The room was designed to bedazzle guests as well as offer a retreat for cozy family gatherings.

 

Architect Amie Sachs founded her boutique architectural design practice in 2012, which specializes in spaces that are elevated yet comfortable. Offering both architecture and interior design services, Amie Sachs Architect prides itself on a deep roster of talented and trusted collaborators, including contractors, consultants, and craftsmen. The firm’s projects—from a chic West Village townhouse to a cozy country home in Bridgehampton—showcase comprehensive attention to detail and plenty of personality.

Andrew B. Ballard Architecture & Interior Design

Andrew B. Ballard Architecture & Interior Design converted a 1916 painter’s studio into a stylish Manhattan apartment. The enormity of the three-sided steel-and-glass-defined living room features a Kyle Bunting geometric hide rug, a custom settee upholstered in Sandra Jordan’s Striped Alpaca, and soft Brazilian stonework with interlaced bronze throughout.

 

Classically trained architect Andrew Ballard has been devising elegant homes and interiors for over 30 years. His firm, Andrew B. Ballard Architecture & Interior Design, is adept at a wide variety of styles, from traditional to contemporary, and has completed projects across the United States and the Caribbean. Ballard and his team have worked extensively in New York City—including the combination of two apartments on Central Park, the renovation as well as interior and garden design of a Tribeca duplex, and many projects within Manhattan’s premiere building cooperatives—allowing them to navigate challenging projects with experience.

Bellwether Architects

A shingle-style summer home in the Hamptons renovated by Bellwether Architects fits in beautifully with the area’s classic residences.

After working for over 14 years at Ferguson & Shamamian Architects, Sole Mendez founded her own firm, Bellwether Architects, specializing in traditional residential architecture and design. Mendez and her team tackle a variety of projects in New York, from kitchen and bathroom remodels to apartment combinations to multifamily residence conversions, as well as renovations across the country. The client’s needs are at the heart of every project, whether it be a remodel or a new build, and the firm values collaboration and building strong relationships—not only with clients, but also with consultants, contractors, and tradespeople.

BoND

BoND’s concept for this light-filled living room in West Chelsea included a custom stainless-steel fireplace.

New York City architecture and design firm BoND (Bureau of Noam & Daniel) was founded in 2019 by Noam Dvir and Daniel Rauchwerger. The former journalists and Harvard Graduate School of Design alums devise bold work that is rooted in the conceptual realm, so you won’t find a signature style in BoND’s projects, which include high-end residential designs, work and retail spaces, and fashion and art-world projects. Though each undertaking is singular, the design duo is known for spaces that feature innovative uses of materials, such as the stainless-steel-clad fireplace in this Chelsea apartment. In BoND’s visionary hands, minimalism is joyful and welcoming.

David Bers Architecture

In the parlor of Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller’s Manhattan apartment, David Bers Architecture created a showcase for paintings by Agnes Martin (left) and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, as well as a Steinway & Sons piano that sits beside the bay window.

The history of visual and decorative arts inspire the work of David Bers Architecture, a go-to firm for creatives such as Isaac Mizrahi, Lena Dunham, and Jeffery Seller. The hands-on studio is committed to sustainability, believing that luxury design and environmental consciousness can and should coexist. Its projects range from new buildings to renovations, and it has designed everything from art galleries to country homes. Beautiful, natural materials are a hallmark of the firm’s work, and the team utilizes progressive building techniques and the latest material technology.

Fairfax & Sammons Architecture

Fairfax & Sammons Architecture added depth and history to an Upper East Side apartment, installing wainscoting and crown moldings to the formerly blank walls. The new architectural details create an elegant display for the client’s collection of 19th-century paintings.

 

Based in New York City and Palm Beach, Florida, Fairfax & Sammons Architecture designs buildings and spaces infused with history but made for the modern age. The firm works in a variety of styles, devising everything from Palladian villas to shingle-style beach houses to Arts and Crafts cottages. Founders and principals Anne Fairfax and Richard Sammons established the firm 30 years ago, and since then it’s built a team of 20 architects and designers who help create their classical and creative designs.

Gallery KBNY

Gallery KBNY channeled an eclectic farmhouse style in this Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, condo, highlighting the home’s high ceilings and exposed beams and bricks.

 

JAM

A striking blue spiral staircase is the focal point of this Brooklyn duplex, executed by local architecture and design studio JAM, in collaboration with interior design firm FIG.

 

Architects and longtime friends Joe McGuier and Megan Prime founded their firm JAM in 2014, bringing together over 30 years of experience in the field. The style-agnostic firm’s specialty is blending the old with the contemporary: Renovations are respectful of historic details while introducing thoughtful, fresh elements, and new builds are conscious of the existing landscape. The firm has tackled everything from Brooklyn lofts to upstate farmhouses, mixing vintage and modern pieces to create spaces that are unique to each client.

Kligerman Architecture & Design

Kligerman Architecture & Design took inspiration from Charles McKim when designing this shingle-style home in the Hamptons. Traditional, cottage-style landscaping punctuates the entrance.

 

Tradition and modernity are in perfect balance in the work of Kligerman Architecture & Design, both in the firm’s process and the designs themselves. Clients will see their projects visualized in watercolors and virtual reality renderings, experiencing the best of the past and present modes of design. From shingle-style homes in the Hamptons to modern retreats in the Pacific Northwest, the firm’s work is rooted in history while incorporating sculptural elements, enduring materials, and expanses of glass that allow the interiors to feel connected to the landscape.

Lang Architecture

Lang Architecture converted and restored this four-story Italianate row house for a single family.

 

 

Founded by Drew Lang, Lang Architecture thinks long-term when designing, focusing on the entire life cycle of a building. The interdisciplinary team pays particular attention to place and purpose, studying the site and its natural surroundings, as well as the client’s needs and lifestyle. The firm has applied its thoughtful and sustainable process to various renovations and new builds, including Manhattan and Brooklyn townhouses and modern residential developments in Mississippi and the Catskills region of upstate New York.

 

Lara Apelian Studio

Lara Apelian Studio transformed a former medical office in Gramercy Park into a stunning duplex home. The living room’s custom shelving wall adds character and warmth to the space.

 

Lara Apelian founded her full-service architecture and interiors studio in 2019. Drawing inspiration from travel, nature, color theory, and the artisans she collaborates with, Apelian brings color, craftsmanship, and well-considered details to each project. Though based in New York City, the firm takes on projects across the country and around the world and is currently working with clients in California, upstate New York, and Copenhagen.

Messana O’Rorke

For the renovation of a SoHo loft, Messana O’Rorke mixed contrasting materials and forms to create an eye-catching pied-à-terre. The main living area’s fireplace has a 12-foot blackened-steel surround, punctuating the crisp white space.

 

Manhattan and Hudson, New York–based firm Messana O’Rorke takes minimalism to captivating new heights. Its restrained yet detailed style uses a focused palette of materials and colors, and the firm works to highlight the intrinsic qualities of each space. Founded 27 years ago by Brian Messana and Toby O’Rorke, Messana O’Rorke takes on both residential and commercial projects, and its designs can be found in every type of environment, from cities to deserts. The award-winning firm published Messana O’Rorke: Building Blocks, a monograph of their work, in 2022.

No Architecture

No Architecture’s Courtyard House puts the site’s natural topography to work. Partially burrowed into the land, the home remains unseen from the main street and neighboring residences while also retaining thermal insulation.

 

Following stints at REX and OMA, architect Andrew Heid founded his practice No Architecture in 2014. Since then, the firm has become known for its harmonious designs that connect nature with modern life. No Architecture’s innovative projects include private residences, museums, and other buildings and structures around the world. In addition to his work at No Architecture, Heid is design critic in architecture at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and contributed the introduction to the upcoming book Glass Houses, which will be published in October by Phaidon.

Pulltab

Pulltab incorporated a vertical garden and a reflecting pool into the living area of a modernist apartment in the East Village’s Flowerbox Village.

 

Founded in 2001 by partners Melissa Baker and Jon Handley, Pulltab specializes in warm, light-filled residential designs featuring intelligent and practical solutions for modern living. Inventive details, such as hidden storage and built-in furniture, are incorporated into projects, helping clients utilize and organize every square foot of space in their homes. Baker and Handley find inspiration in everything from midcentury-modern architects, such as Carlo Scarpa and Marcel Breuer, to the poet Juhani Pallasmaa and author Leonard Koren's Book on wabi-sabi, resulting in unique and personal spaces.

Rise Projects

Rise Projects’s Upper West Side Residence embodies a warm, inviting modern look that is also family-friendly.

 

Led by architect Karen Frome, Rise Projects takes a passionate, highly involved approach to residential, commercial, and institutional design, offering practical yet inventive solutions for its clients. The firm is known for its thoughtful designs that blend elegant and bold elements. On the residential side, Rise Projects has completed everything from Tribeca penthouses to Brooklyn brownstones to Fire Island beach houses, each befitting the setting and showcasing the personalities of their occupants.

Spacecutter Architects

Spacecutter Architects designed the striking Cut Triplex for a Chicago family, placing the kitchen on the second floor where it is flooded with light. The room seems to float atop the lower floor thanks to the light wells that surround the space.

 

Founded by Alex Gil, Spacecutter Architects's mission is to realize “sublime, functional beauty” in each of its projects. The firm approaches each design—from the gut reno of a historic Tribeca loft to a colorful Mexican restaurant in Brooklyn—with careful attention to detail along with an experimental, inquisitive approach to finding the best ideas for the project. Spacecutter Architects is hands-on through the entire process, from concept design to construction to completion, infusing each of its contemporary designs with a variety of styles and influences.

Stadt Architecture

Stadt Architecture updated an early-20th-century apartment in the West Village, removing unneeded interior walls to create a free-flowing space with plenty of storage.

 

Small spaces are no problem for Stadt Architecture, a New York architecture studio specializing in elevated yet attainable designs. Established in 2016, the firm works hand in hand with clients to create modern, light-filled homes that meet the residents’ needs and bring out the best in the existing space. To arrive there, Stadt deploys inventive storage solutions, careful spatial planning, and curated material palettes. The firm’s sophisticated interiors have garnered numerous awards, including recognition from the American Institute of Architects.

Studio DB

“The goal was to create a cozy dark space saturated in color,” says Britt Zunino of this room in an Upper West Side apartment. The firm sourced a vintage Bellini sofa and covered the walls in hand-painted wallpaper from Porter Teleo.

 

Husband-and-wife team Britt and Damian Zunino are the talents behind Studio DB, a Manhattan-based architecture and interiors firm. The couple founded the studio in 2007, and since then it’s become a go-to for New York’s most creative residents, including fashion executives and filmmakers who love their mix of sophistication and fun. Its projects don’t shy away from color and are filled with unique details, such as whimsical patterns, unexpected shapes, and surprising materials. The design duo has completed homes across the city and the US at large and is currently working on projects abroad in Lake Como and Canada.

Studio Mellone

In the double-height living room of Andre Mellone’s Chelsea duplex apartment, the designer anchored the room with two reupholstered vintage sofas. He also brought in a Willy Rizzo coffee table, Adirondack-style chairs, Hans Wegner folding chairs, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings side tables and lamps, an Eames table, and a triangular Rick Owens table.

 

São Paulo–native Andre Mellone brings his refined and artistic eye to his Manhattan-based AD100 firm Studio Mellone, which he founded in 2012 after stints at several highly respected companies, including Robert AM Stern, Mark Hampton, and Sawyer | Berson. Mellone takes inspiration from Brazil and New York City and has developed a captivating, understated style that’s won him fans in the art and fashion worlds. In addition to private homes, the studio tackles retail, commercial, and product design projects.

Studio PHH Architects

This calming kitchen designed by Studio PHH lets older elements—like a painted, beamed ceiling—offset more contemporary millwork. Natural light filtering in through a pair of windows allows soft illumination to wash across the room’s natural textures.

 

“A good space is one where people want to stay, whether gathering together or meditating alone.” That’s one mantra of Brooklyn-based Studio PHH—and indeed, the firm’s architecture and interiors invite you to linger. Furniture maker and artist Pierre-Henri Hoppenot founded Studio PHH in 2016 after years spent in-house as an architect Weiss/Manfredi and Rafael Viñoly. That blue-chip training shines through in the designer’s projects, which take great care with materials, site, and craftsmanship. Beyond that, Hoppenot is adept at teasing out the poetry of a space, particularly through his work with natural light, which animates features like a spiraling staircase, or laps softly at the millwork of a kitchen. The studio is currently working on projects in New York City, the Adirondacks, Seattle, Mexico, France, and beyond.

Valerie Schweitzer Architects

This expanded Manhattan kitchen by Valerie Schweitzer Architects melds old-world details, like marble flooring and leaded glass, with clean lines for a modern twist.

 

Residential projects are a specialty for Valerie Schweitzer Architects, a female-led firm working on both coasts with offices in New York and Los Angeles. Sustainability is a driving force in the office’s work, which includes multifamily LEED Gold apartment buildings, modern beach houses, and elegant Manhattan apartments, with aesthetics ranging from rustic to eclectic. The team’s designs—including their award-winning creative pavilions—seek to forge connections with nature and enhance the surrounding environment.

Yellow House Architects

The terrace of a model unit that Yellow House Architects designed at the historic One Wall Street in New York City is made all the more inviting by a generously scaled door to the interior.

 

Collaboration is at the heart of Yellow House Architects's (YHA) process, whether the team is working on a townhouse renovation or the construction of a 19-story condominium building. Founded by architect Elizabeth Graziolo, the firm is known for its modern takes on traditional architecture. You’ll find a sense of luxury and comfort in every YHA project, no matter the budget.