“Every project is a canvas to artistically demonstrate what I think the client will desire and a chance to impress them not only with quality drawings, but as design concepts. Idon’t want to specialize in any particular area of architecture. I want clients to think of me as their architect.”
Yet the work of past architectural masters continues to inform Paulos’s design approach. For instance, when taking on the renovation and expansion of a 230-year-old Connecticut farmhouse in 2014, Paulos invoked Wright’s penchant for building homes with fireplaces that serve as thefamily’s congregation space by redesigning the old home so that its original fireplace would be adjacent to the kitchen.
“When I am in the schematic design phase of a project and I know what style the client wants, I imagine myself in the spaces of the home and often think about what I would want it to feel like or what I would want to see. I usually start off with that in mind, and, most of the time, it sends me down the right path,” said Paulos, who also counts UK architectural icon Sir Edwin Lutyens as one of his architectural heroes. “I also bring in elements that I have found are very important to me throughout my studies and travels.”
For the future, Paulos, a self-described “perfectionist,” is looking forward to boosting the reputation of his boutique firm while preserving the collaborative nature he’s tried to foster between himself and his colleagues. With an eye on the environment, Paulos, who says his “dream project” remains to be built, is also looking to better integrate sustainability in his firm’s design solutions.
“I would like to still maintain a boutique-type firm that is known for well thought-out design and exceptional service,” said Paulos. “My designs coincide with my philosophy of being as diverse as possible, which makes you a better architect.”
— Excerpt from New View: A Curated Visual Gallery: Twenty Magnificent Homes by Northeast Architects
Photography by Robert Benson
Photography by Robert Benson
Photography by Robert Benson