Our core tenets:
Humility . Rigor . Play . Honesty . Equality
What we rebel against:
We refuse to pursue a project on the basis of anything other than mutual respect and trust for all individuals and professionals involved. The quality of built work can only reflect the quality of the team that created it, and we endeavor to hold ourselves and our teams to the highest standards of focus, respect, and trust. We rebel against the notion that design is a luxury and believe that all humans are entitled to live in spaces filled with objects and artwork that inspire and enrich their daily lives. We are not a design firm. We are a workshop: a collaborative environment where things get made. As such, research and experimentation are vital to our process and no voice is less-than.
We rebel against:
designiness . pretentiousness . cold rationality . design divorced from making . sacrificing performance for a photograph . over-cleverness . style without substance . things that aren’t cool
What we do:
We are interested in working with people who are curious about what their project could be. We believe that passionate collaborators are the bedrock of achieving a good and lasting project, and that these solutions emerge from excited and interested minds that want to bring their lives, patrons, and clients lives up with their own. We check our egos at the door, we remain open to unforeseen possibilities, and challenge our preconceptions. Our highest ambition is to stir the soul of the perceptive, and calm the mind of the frenzied. Justice, sustainability, and lasting positive impact are integral in every object, building, story, and action we pursue.
We:
have fun . collaborate . trust each other . build with future generations in mind . listen to the quiet voices . get our hands dirty . believe in the positive impact of design . fall down, and get back up
What we don’t do:
We don’t take our collaborations lightly. We won’t take a client for the sake of the next project—every partnership is sacred and essential to our identity as thinkers and makers. Our work fits within any schedule and any budget as long as our ideals are aligned and our minds are armed with ‘yes, and.’ We can overcome any challenge to realize our high ambitions. We don’t shy away from responsibility.
As a minority and women owned business, we do not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia, or ignorance in our employees, collaborators, or clients.
We don’t:
bullshit . pigeonhole ourselves, or others . do anything inefficiently, or half-assed . ask anyone to be something they aren’t . play the game . ever stop dancing . steamroll . ever stop evolving
Marisa Ferrara + Kristin Washco
Photographs by the incomparable Ula Muntean.
Métier was born through conversations and collaborations with Steven O’Hara + Amber Clarke, two architects and friends who continue to support us intellectually, emotionally, and creatively. Their insight remains vital to the ethos of our company.