Imbued With Joy: Elizabeth Roberts on Creating Original Work, Encouraging Comfort, and Leading a Happy, Healthy Studio
Photo by William Jess Laird.
By Julia Gamolina
Elizabeth Roberts, AIA, began her solo practice in 1998, after completing her graduate studies in Historic Preservation at Columbia University and her undergraduate studies in architecture at U.C. Berkeley. A native of Northern California, she established her New York City-based firm, Elizabeth Roberts Architects, in 2016 and now oversees a practice that includes new building, restoration, and renovation projects, as well as furniture and product design.
JG: Your work is such a breath of fresh air and I've been admiring ERA for a long time. What's on your mind most these days, after the challenging few years we've all had. What are you most excited about for the rest of the year?
ER: I'm really enjoying a little stability after all of the change and volatility we've all been through. Though things are always changing and keeping a business running is a never-ending and morphing project of sorts—I feel like our team at ERA is really humming along these days. I'm so grateful for the many talented minds that come to the studio every day with an open mind and a good attitude. We put so much effort into our projects and I'm incredibly grateful for the dedication and devotion to our work together that is super obvious at our studio.
"The photo above resonates with me so very much—it's a detail shot of a backsplash in kitchen we designed—we created a planter behind the open shelf at the top of the stone so that vines could grow and eventually cover the double story walls in the large, light-filled kitchen. This particular shot feels spot-on to me with the sharp angular natural cleft of the stone in conversation with the soft windy vines. I love the vintage 1980s Mario Botta sconces and also the glimpse of the custom industrial hood." Photo by Matthew Williams.
"This is a new house that we designed for a couple who wanted an understated mountain-side ski house that looked nothing like a ski lodge. I love that from the street this appears to be two tiny little houses but upon entry, you are surprised with a massive view and stairs that lead to a lower level and the primary suite in the second, 'sunken' house." Photo by Chris Motallini.
Going back now, you studied architecture at UC Berkeley and got your Masters in Historic Preservation at Columbia’s GSAPP. What was the thinking behind both, and how did you choose both schools?
My first degree at UCB was a great experience—it provided me with two full years to study subject matter that had nothing to do with architecture and then two full years of architecture. I wouldn't have done it any other way—in fact it wasn't until I was a junior in college that I decided to study architecture.
During my undergraduate years at UCB, I spent a few summers with a friend who was studying classics at an archaeological dig in East Crete. In fact, the head excavator very generously gave me the title of “site architect” one summer and my job was to assist him by drawing what he imagined the ruins once looked like during Minoan times about 4,000 years ago. Being surrounded by historians who were fascinated with ancient history was contagious, and I became interested in exploring historic architecture.
After I graduated, I found that I loved juxtaposing history with modernity and that the Historic Preservation program at Columbia offered courses to explore just that. I am so grateful for the fact that Columbia brought me to New York City—now my favorite city on earth and my only home.
“I’d say our core mission is to create original work that is imbued with joy and encourages comfort. I am committed to creating a good work environment, not only for the talented architects and designers who work with me but also for myself.”
Tell me about ERA—why you started and how it has evolved over the years. What are you focused on these days?
When I was twenty-eight years old and had been working full-time at a large architecture firm in NYC for approximately three years, I felt compelled to quit the job in order to learn some practical skills. My mother had called me to ask about the floor finish at her house—what should she use to seal her wood floors? I found myself shocked and a little ashamed that I did not have an answer for her—I realized that I really wanted to be a well-rounded designer and architect.
I also realized that none of the work that I had been drawing at that large firm had been constructed and that I felt a bit "starved" to design something and to see it through construction. I thought that perhaps I would work at my friend's metal shop and that I would be happy to see a chair or a box of mine actually built. In the end, a friend introduced me to a client with a nice little loft project so I never worked at the metal shop, and so began the foundations for what is now ERA.
"This is a photo of my own home, the combination of refined, found, tech, ancient, and new brings me joy every day. My home is a place where things collect, I have not curated the interiors at my home, they have come together over the years organically, and as such, they represent so many different aspects of my family's travels and tastes." Photo by Matthew Williams.
"This is a detail of a kitchen that overlooks a sunroom in a house that I renovated in Orient, NY. I love the crisp white and black of the new millwork and countertops in contrast with the old work table that we adjusted to create an island. I remember telling my clients that I felt that the old house needed an old piece in the new kitchen—and this turned out so beautifully, in my opinion." Photo by Sarah Elliott.
What have you also learned in the last six months?
The last six months have been a wild time for me. I finished our first monograph Elizabeth Roberts Architects, Collected Stories with a small team of wonderful and creative people, and learned so much about the book industry. I also spent some time putting my thoughts into words for the introduction at the beginning of the book. It's so great to learn new things—and I now understand how a book can come together through concept, execution, production, and distribution. There are so many experts in so many other fields, it was such a joy to experience first-hand how a book can come to be.
Who are you admiring now and why?
I find myself admiring so many people—usually people who are kind and insightful. Friends who help me, parents who know me—people who teach me.
“Grab onto what feels personally exciting, relevant, motivating...Don’t worry about your ego or what’s trending. What matters is what is interesting to you, not what may be impressive to others.”
What is the impact you’d like to have on the world? What is your core mission? And what does success in that look like to you?
I'd say our core mission is to create original work that is imbued with joy and encourages comfort. I am committed to creating a good work environment, not only for the talented architects and designers who work with me but also for myself. During my training, I quickly realized that some work and even school environments can be a bit toxic, with too much ego and too little value placed on happiness and joy. I strive to continue to provide meaningful work for my studio in a healthy and happy environment.
Success is realizing the above-mentioned goals, along with being a good parent, a good daughter, and a good person.
Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their career? Would your advice be any different for women?
Grab onto what feels personally exciting, relevant, motivating. Then research firms that specialize in that kind of work. Don’t worry about your ego or what’s trending. What matters is what is interesting to you, not what may be impressive to others. Find a way to develop a portfolio that reflects your goals, even if it's small and personal work. Life is short and work takes a lot of our time. My approach is to make my work as enjoyable and meaningful as possible. I realized pretty early on that I was interested in context, history, furniture, and homes. I also realized I liked working with families. So, I steered my practice toward historic home renovations and developed a portfolio that led to increasingly exciting—and complex—projects.
For women in architecture, my advice is to aim for leadership. Women are massively underrepresented in our field. We make up less than 30% of all working architects. With those under thirty, the ratio is starting to even out. But gender parity is still a ways off. The more we normalize women-led architecture firms, the more women will join the profession. And since I happen to know that women make the best principals—and bosses—I would highly encourage all young architects of any gender to go work at a woman-led firm.