Building your dream home is an exciting and significant undertaking. Whether you're starting a new build in Sedona or planning a major renovation, one of the most crucial decisions you'll make is selecting the right architect. They play a pivotal role in translating your vision into a tangible, functional, and aesthetically pleasing space. 

Before I share my favorite local Sedona architects, let’s chat about the process of selecting an architect for your project! To ensure a successful partnership, you need to ask the right questions, consider key factors, and understand how architects collaborate with interior designers and general contractors.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the process of choosing the perfect architect and provide need-to-know insights into the home design and building process.

Finding the Right Sedona Architect

Define Your Vision and Needs

Before you even start looking for an architect, take the time to clarify your vision and requirements. Understanding your objectives will help you find an architect whose style and expertise align with your project. Take some time to sit with important points like –

What style of home are you aiming for? 

Your design aesthetic is important, as most architects have a favored style that they design around. Take some time to familiarize yourself with different architectural features and gather inspiration that you can reference.  

What are your must-have features? 

Do you want an indoor-outdoor living room to capitalize on your stunning view of one of Sedona’s famous red rock landscapes? 

And importantly, what are your budget constraints? 

A realistic budget is key for creating a home that you love, and for setting expectations about what design features you can afford to splurge on.

Ask for Local Architect Recommendations

Word of mouth is often a reliable way to find professionals in any field. Ask friends, family, and colleagues for architect recommendations if they've recently completed a construction project or worked with an architect. You can even ask local furniture makers, designers, and specialty home decor purveyors if they have any industry recommendations. 

And don’t forget to keep your eyes open to local construction! If you love a new home build that you see being constructed, pay attention to the construction company signage on the property. You can usually find the architect with some Google research or a couple of calls.

When researching local Sedona architects online, pay close attention to Google reviews and social media accounts to get a sense of an architect's personality, style, and reputation.

Check Qualifications and Credentials

Ensure that the architects you consider are licensed and registered in Sedona. Verify their qualifications, certifications, and affiliations with professional organizations such as the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Review Portfolios

An architect's portfolio is a visual representation of their work. Pay close attention to their previous projects to assess whether their style and design sensibilities match your vision. Look for diversity in their portfolio, indicating versatility in design, materials, and floorplans.

Questions to Ask Architects

Once you've narrowed down your list of potential Sedona architects, it's essential to conduct interviews or meetings to assess if they’re the best fit for your project. Here are five crucial questions to ask:

1. What is your design philosophy?

Understanding an architect's design philosophy helps ensure alignment with your vision. Their approach should resonate with your preferences, the goals you have for your home, and your design aesthetic.

2. Can you provide reviews from past clients?

Reading reviews from past clients allows you to gain insights into very important factors that a design portfolio doesn’t showcase – the architect's communication skills, project management abilities, ability to collaborate, and overall capabilities.

3. How do you handle project budgets and timelines?

Budget and timeline management is vital to a successful, efficient project. It’s important to know that the architect has experience working within your budget range and can clearly communicate their process and best practices for adhering to deadlines and scheduling.

4. What is your fee structure?

Clarify the architect's fee structure and typical payment schedule – including initial consultation fees, design fees, and any additional charges for revisions or project management.

5. How do you collaborate with interior designers and other professionals?

Understanding how the architect interacts with interior designers, contractors, and other professionals is crucial to ensuring a cohesive project and understanding the expectations for who will be managing schedules and logistics at each phase of the design and build process. 

How Architects & Interior Designers Work Together

Architects and interior designers work closely together to create a harmonious living space from top to bottom. Think of it this way: architects draw up everything in black and white, and interior designers flood everything with color. This is why it’s important to work with a full-service interior designer!

It’s great to pull in an interior designer early on when you’re space planning the home, to ensure it’s designed to functionally support your lifestyle. Interior designers design everything from proper furniture layouts and walk space, to kitchens designed based on how you use the space, to how your bathroom cabinetry is laid out.

Typically when working on a new home build, you’ll pick your architect first, and an interior designer is pulled on once the structure has been laid out (but before build begins). This is typically done 6 months to a year before you break ground. Your interior designer will work with your architect to build out cabinetry, elevations, and make layout edits, before the final package is handed off to the general contractor. From there, the entire team – the architect, interior designer, and general contractor – works together on the build!

Here are the most important points you should know about the collaboration between interior construction & design:

Architects & interior designers have overlapping & complementary roles

Architects focus on the overall structure, layout, and exterior design of a building. Interior designers specialize in interior layouts and floor plans, as well as selecting materials, colors, furnishings, and decor to enhance the interior spaces. Their collaboration ensures a seamless transition from the outside to the inside, and is crucial for designing an intentional, comfortable, and intuitive living space.

Communication & collaboration is key to building a luxurious home

Effective communication between architects and interior designers is vital. Regular meetings, cohesive collaboration, and clear documentation help ensure that the design vision is consistently executed throughout the project – from first black & white sketches to the placement of the last pillow.

Prioritize the early involvement of both your designer & your architect

It's beneficial to involve both the architect and interior designer in the project from the outset. This enables them to coordinate their efforts and align the design elements for a cohesive result, right from the start. While you obviously want the exterior of your Sedona home to be beautiful, you’ll spend your life living inside your home – so you want it to be designed & built with care and the utmost attention to detail!

My Trusted Sedona Architects as a Local Interior Designer

With all of that being said, here are a couple of my favorite Sedona architects! 

SIMONE MUSSA

I actually met Simone through a local Sedona cabinet maker! We’ve worked on a few projects together, with our most recent major Sedona home remodel slated to be finished in Spring 2024. 

An industrial designer & architect who’s been living in Sedona for 16 years, Simone is lovely to work with and deeply understands the challenges and joys of Sedona architecture and construction. He fully embraces the collaborative nature of design & building, and as an architect who also understands interior design, he loves to be involved in every detail – from initial sketches to final material selection meetings. We share the same ethos of wanting what’s best for our clients and centering their needs and wants in all of our design decisions.

He follows the same design process and uses the same design programs as SenHoma, and his design aesthetic mirrors my own, making us a natural fit as collaborators. His architectural style is very clean and modern with a lot of warm colors – perfect for Sedona!

He’s an amazing Sedona architect for clients that want an organic and fluid design process, with lots of room for frequent communication, design involvement, and collaborating together as a team.

ERIC BRANDT

I reached out to connect with Eric when I first moved to Sedona from Chicago, and I’m so glad I did! Eric is a pleasure to work with and an incredibly skilled architect. We’re currently working on a new build together here in Sedona, and I can’t wait to show off the final result. 

He’s relaxed and easy to work with, with a design style shaped by the desire to create environmentally aware structures. With over 25 years of industry experience, Eric knows how to compose the unique light, views, and terrain of the Southwest into homes that feel beautifully grounded in the Sedona landscape. 

Eric’s collaborative process of working with interior designers lets both of us focus exclusively on our individual zones of creative expertise, and breaks your project up into phases so that you can work with us individually at each part of the process. He’s the perfect Sedona architect for process-driven clients who want to hand off their project to experts who will work behind the scenes to execute your vision.

Looking for an interior designer in Sedona?

If you’re looking for a Sedona interior designer to help you build your dream home, we’re here to help! SenHoma is a full-service interior design studio based in Sedona. We combine our signature design aesthetic with your personal style to create a cohesive space that fits your needs, and work closely with your architect and contractor to execute your vision.

Our focus is organic modern interior design that compliments and highlights the beautiful Sedona landscape. Our approach harmoniously mixes muted colors, rich textures, and showstopping organic pieces to highlight the calming features of this beautiful and unique area. 

Get inspired for your Sedona home build by taking a peek at our portfolio, or get in touch about your project here.