A studio for calm, durable homes shaped by land, technology, and craft.
Bristlecone began with a risk – a return to Northern Nevada where I was born and raised. The studio grew from that choice to practice and to live in a way paced for attention, clarity, and presence.
I returned to Nevada after building my career in Seattle, Washington where I was fortunate to work for innovative companies including Sustainable Living Innovations, Katerra, and Amazon. I wanted fewer compromises, closeness to the land and the people I serve, and a pace that protects attention. Starting small was both the risk and the opportunity – every line would matter, and every client would feel heard and cared for.
This landscape allows life to be lived beautifully – long light, clean air, broad horizons, the quiet after weather. From the Tahoe Basin, to Truckee, the Reno foothills, or Carson Valley, Northern Nevada invites a calm cadence. The land asks for architecture in harmony with its context.
Here, the land sets the terms. High‑desert sun, winter wind, diurnal temperature swings, and Sierra snow loads demand attention and humility. Roofs must shelter from both snow and heat. Ventilation must be prevalent. Eaves should give shade and refuge without darkening the day. When these are right, a home remains calm even if the environment is dynamic. The goal is stillness – rooms quiet enough to focus and soft enough to rest.
Nevada’s bristlecone pine is the image I return to. It endures, steadfast, growing with patience and purpose. It is our emblem. We remember the long view, choose restraint over spectacle, and listen to the voice of the land. Our practice is observant, restrained, and steady. We would rather listen to a site than impose on it.
My path toward Bristlecone emerged from years in the construction and tech industries – designing buildings, iterating prefabricated systems, shaping digital workflows, and developing tools that reduce error and expedite decision-making. That experience informs how we practice today.
Technology doesn’t replace craft – it restores space for it. I’ve drawn by hand for as long as I can remember, and I still think by sketching. I believe beautiful architecture emerges from the human experience – walking sites, listening carefully, choosing restraint when restraint serves the whole. Architecture is a composition: how light travels through a room; how a surface feels underfoot; how an entry envelops and warms you; or how materials endure, bearing a quiet patina over time.
How we work is best described by qualities rather than steps: humility; listening before drawing; communicate with both candor with empathy; pace that keeps choices digestible; clarity so everyone knows what matters now; patience where time improves the result; decisiveness where it helps. The process should feel like stewardship – attentive, calm, durable.
The projects follow from this outlook. We design luxury and custom homes, multifamily housing, and select small commercial spaces. We welcome backyard cottages, studios, and any modest projects where thoughtful planning matters most. We encourage prefabrication and kit‑of‑parts strategies when they raise quality or access – never at the expense of character.
The services we offer and the landscapes we honor provide a different kind of life – more sky, less friction, and a daily rhythm with room to breathe. Architecture can either amplify this freedom. At Bristlecone, repose and ease are not luxuries – they are our design targets.
If this resonates – if you desire a home shaped by the land, and composed for your lifestyle – let’s talk. We’ll start by listening, walk the site together, and set a cadence that fits. The aim is simple: a house that lets you live the way you want to live.
Email us at info@bristlecone.co to start the conversation.
