From the North Shore to New England’s lakes, coast, and islands, OLSON LEWIS designs homes shaped by the people who live in them and the places they belong.
A home can feel familiar before you ever step inside. Its scale feels right for the neighborhood. Its materials sit comfortably alongside the surrounding buildings and landscape. Even when it is new, it seems to belong.
For OLSON LEWIS + Architects, that sense of belonging guides residential work across New England. Known for homes on Boston’s North Shore, the firm brings the same attention to place to the lake regions of New Hampshire and Maine, as well as communities along the coast and on the islands. Each project begins with the people who will live there and time spent on the land.
Q: Your work is closely associated with the North Shore. What connects it to the homes you design elsewhere in New England?
A:
The North Shore has shaped how we think about architecture. We’re drawn to the scale of its homes, the materials, and the way buildings relate to the shoreline and to one another. Those relationships give a place much of its character.
We find plenty to connect with throughout New England. A lakefront property in New Hampshire asks different things of a house than an island site or an established coastal neighborhood. We approach each with the same curiosity: What makes this place distinctive, and how can the home feel comfortable here?
Our experience with coastal architecture carries into that work through an understanding of proportion, materials, and the relationship between indoor life and the landscape.
Q: Where does the design process begin?
A:
With a conversation. We want to understand how our clients live now and what they imagine life in this home could be like. How do they spend an ordinary morning? What happens when family comes to stay? Where do they go when they want a little quiet?
We also spend time on the site. A plan or photograph can tell us a great deal, but being there helps us understand the views, the light, and the shape of the land. Sometimes a connection that seems secondary on paper becomes the most compelling part of the project.
Our knowledge of New England architecture informs the work as it develops. Those first conversations and visits give it direction.
Q: Your homes often look as though they have always been there. How do you create that feeling?
A:
A great deal comes down to scale and materials. We look carefully at how the house sits on the land, how its roof forms relate to nearby buildings, and how the overall volume feels from different viewpoints. The size and placement of windows, the depth of an entry, and the texture of an exterior all contribute.
A house can have generous space inside and still feel comfortably scaled outside. Breaking down its mass, working with the contours of the site, and choosing materials that suit the setting help make that possible.
When those decisions work together, people tend to notice how naturally the house belongs.
Q: What draws you to Shingle Style and New England coastal architecture?
A:
There’s a freedom within that architectural language that we enjoy. Shingles can bring continuity to a house with varied forms, and the familiar materials and proportions allow room for different interpretations.
Some clients are drawn to historic character and detail. Others prefer simpler forms, more open interiors, or a more modern expression. New England coastal architecture can accommodate those sensibilities while keeping a strong connection to its setting.
We let the client and the site guide how that language takes shape. The result should feel personal to the people who live there.
Q: How does collaboration influence the outcome?
A:
Our best projects come from a close working relationship among the client, architect, builder, and the other people on the team. We like to bring that group together as early as possible.
Everyone contributes a different kind of knowledge. Clients understand their daily lives. Builders bring practical experience with materials and construction. Interior designers and landscape architects help us consider how the home will feel and how it will connect to the outdoors.
Working together early gives us time to explore ideas, ask useful questions, and make decisions with a fuller understanding of the project. That shared understanding carries through into the details.
Q: What holds a design together as it evolves?
A:
Every project needs a driving force at its center. It might be a view, a part of an existing house that the family loves, or something about the way they live that deserves particular attention.
We sometimes think of the design developing like a pearl. There is something at the center, and the project grows around it over time. Conversations, sketches, and decisions add layers, each shaped by that original idea.
That center helps us judge what belongs in the design and where to focus our efforts. By the time the home is complete, the connection should be clear: a house that feels right for its place and for the people who call it home.
