About

Architecture and Interior Design produces built work that exists for generations while the world we live in is constantly changing. Through an exploration of this paradox, we at DiMella Shaffer have formed an ideology that we call The Art of Balance. On each project, we navigate a myriad of variables in seeking just the right balance among often opposing interests.

We explore and mediate the creative friction that exists between art and utility; tradition and innovation; and pragmatism and magic. This resolve creates successful design. On many levels, each project must listen to the voice of the client and respond with the right balance to meet their goals and surpass their vision. Coupled with a commitment to preserve natural resources, our projects become a collaboration of ideas, expertise, and experience. Our achievements are a reflection of the diversity of clients for whom we work, the talents that we as a firm possess, and the desire to exceed our design expectations.

We organize ourselves around the priorities of the projects – usually schedule, quality, and budget. It’s almost never the same and cannot be expressed as a number or percent. It is a combination of what we are told by the client and what we learn from asking why. We continually refine the clients' goals and respond with an approach and principles of design that is directed by the skills and sensibilities of our team and our partners.

We never stop searching for new ways to express the social, environmental, and aesthetic forces that shape the built environment. Clients benefit from this tenacity – a kind of restlessness that reflects both our high professional standards and our openness to explore innovative options and ideas.

We believe that design is, above all else, a human endeavor. Creating purposeful, sustainable environments requires a high degree of empathy, and a knack for helping clients take creative risks.

A building or a space is a lasting expression of the unique relationship that develops between a client and a design firm. Our job is to foster an inclusive working process so that everyone involved – architects, interior designers, clients, and users – will embrace the outcome of that collective effort.