Recently, a reader shared Studio Shell with us, and when we looked up their work, we fell in love with their tropical-influenced design style drenched in nature hues and organic materials. As two Florida-based architects, Noah and Johnny have a style that is reflective and appreciative of the local ecosystem and their shared backgrounds across design, art, and history. While they each have a unique design journey, their roads crossed, stars aligned, and Studio Shell was born. Meet Noah and Johnny.

DS: Hi guys! Welcome to Design Storytellers! You’re our first double feature interview, we are excited to learn your stories and what brought you to where you are today. First off, tell us your background - you each have such interesting educational paths.

NG: Sure! Hi, I’m Noah Garcia, an architect based in Miami, Florida. I received my Bachelor of Architecture degree from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City, my Masters in Human Computer Interaction from The University of Michigan, and I attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture where I developed experimental fresco paintings. This year, I'm a member of the New Museum incubator program, NEW INC, as a part of their Social Architecture group. I started studying architecture in high school at Design and Architecture Senior High located here in Miami and have worked in architecture ever since graduating from Cooper Union in 2010—time flies!

JL: I’m Johnny Laderer, half of Studio Shell. I did my BFA at Florida State University, where I also studied interior design. I grew up in Central Florida and moved to Miami about 14 years ago to pursue studio art. I ended up founding a Miami-made clothing line called Algae, doing some bootstrappy placemaking for developers, and found myself managing the landscaping in the Miami Design District. I ended up creating an urban oasis which was called “The Center for Subtropical Affairs” before finding my way into architecture, which I studied at University of Miami.

DS: Wow. You have such well-rounded design educations. Johnny, what made you made the leap over to architecture?

JL: I like to think that the experiences I had before in branding, identity, the art world, placemaking, and landscape design ultimately inform a more robust approach to our design process. I came to architecture because I'm obsessed with Florida history and had created a non profit called Florida Modernism with a friend, Lina Hargrett.

DS: Noah, how do you think architecture school has changed since you were there? So much seems digital and leans into technology now, was it that way for you?

NG: It was not! It’s crazy to think that when I was in school there wasn’t a single laptop in the studio and everyone used a good old fashion mayline or t-square.

DS: Architecture is such a passionate career, you have to be creative, but also practical. What do you love the most about your job?

NG: We love creating transformative experiences and working with a diverse community of creatives. For all of our projects, there is a team of creative experts in engineering, interior design, landscaping, graphic design…you name it, that all work together to bring the project to life.

JL: Projecting ourselves into the position of the client from where we can dream up the best, most inspiring use of the space. Getting into the dream-like immersive state at the project's conception establishes a marker by which all problems and decisions during execution can be answered by.

DS: Your portfolio is beautiful. What project you worked on that you are the most proud of?

As a relatively young firm we’re excited about the things that are cooking in our studio right now. We have a lot to look forward to including houses in Coconut Grove, Vero Beach, and an art studio in Allapattah. The variety of locations, typologies, and clients keeps things fresh and engaging for us. So, we are most proud of the future state and what lies ahead.

Your work is so interesting, and unlike much of the architecture we have seen in recent years around Miami. Where do you find inspiration for your designs?

NG: For me, inspiration mostly comes from the process, from the dialogue between the hand drawing and the eye. Inspiration emerges from iteration, experimentation, and embracing the process. I also pull inspiration from the building context and from an understanding of our client’s needs and wants. From an attentive reading of the site conditions (wind direction, topography, orientation, materiality etc.. ), and an understanding of our client’s design goals, we are able to draw out an architecture that is latent to the site and circumstances.

JL: I'm very much into history, that's typically my focus in reading and when I travel. I have built quite a library of Florida History and architecture books. The craftsman of the past and vernacular solutions specifically related to the location as well as ways of life are what I find most inspiring. When we have a project, the first step is studying the history of the place. I'm interested in creating spaces that are simple and support a simple lifestyle; what has been lost that we should remain connected to.

Books, film and music are also a great source. Nostalgic childhood classics of adventure and fantasy that sparked my imagination as a kid continue to inspire my work now.

I also like to collect things, odd objects, antiques, books, and I like to collect ideas and images. There is so much beauty in tradition and heritage. I try to filter the vast amount of images from the information soup of today into a sort of collage-like process avoiding any aesthetic trends.

DS: Johnny, you mentioned travel. Where are some places you guys like to visit or find interesting?

NG: I’ve lived most of my life in Miami aside from 12 years that I lived in NYC, so both of those cities have left a strong impression and impact on me. I visited NYC recently after a few years of being away and was reminded of what kept me there for so long: walkability, 24 hour public transportation, happenstance encounters, an incredible mixing of cultural experiences, and a limitless menu of culinary delights. On the other hand, Miami won me over for the long term because of the tropical coastal access, memories, and what feels like more space to grow as a professional. I recently visited Paris which left me in awe because of all the incredible architecture and civic spaces—I left feeling like I have to return and relive it all again.

JL: Miami, obviously. My favorite places aren't typically cities. I’ll give you Rome, the eternal city, for history and food. But on of my favorite places to visit is the Northeastern US, around Maine, Massachusetts, for the architecture and history. I think there’s a natural connection between early architecture of that area and the early architecture of Miami, like the barnacle. The shipbuilders who first came to the tropics knew how to build. Also, cold water oysters (major source of Shell inspo!).

DS: What advice would you give to aspiring interior architects and designers?

NG: Stay curious and set your own path. There is a daunting amount of information to learn to be an architect. You’ll end up learning about much more than architecture too. You’ll learn about mechanical systems, plumbing, the modulus of elasticity for concrete beams, and everything in between. You shouldn’t expect to know it all, or to remember everything right away, but over time you’ll build a personal knowledge base for how things come together. Don’t be shy about looking for answers in reference construction document sets, asking your managers questions, or researching best practices in books or online.

JL: Look at everything with a critical eye wherever you go so as to learn and pick up. Be hungry for art but prevent yourself from being oversaturated so that you retain your own vision. Avoid trends and be unique.

DS: What do you hope to achieve through your work? What do you hope resonates when people see it?

NG: As an architect, I strive to elevate architecture to the level of art and to bring the principles of architecture into the realm of sculpture.

DS: Beautifully said. Last question, who are some creative people that you find interesting throughout time?

NG: It’s tough to narrow down to any definitive all time favorites, but lately I’ve been interested in learning more about the work of Neil Gershenfeld, Robert Irwin, and David Chalmers. Neil Gershenfeld is the director of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms, recognized for his work in the fields of digital fabrication, physics, and computer science. Robert Irwin is an American artist known for his pioneering work in the Light and Space movement from the 60s-70s. There is a fantastic biographical book about Robert Irwin called ‘Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees’ that I highly recommend. I’m also very inspired by James Turrell who is a contemporary of Irwin. And David Chalmers, who is a little outside of the traditional creative world you might be asking about, but whose ideas could tangentially inform creative expression. He is a philosopher and cognitive scientist known for his influential work in the philosophy of mind, particularly on the nature of consciousness. He recently wrote Reality+ which is an interesting read, although I don’t fully subscribe to many of his conclusions.

JL: Definitely Alfred Browning Parker. His work in Miami is bar none and well known. Digging deeper I found early sketchbooks and notes are available on the UF smathers archives online, and they offer a unique insight into his hands on, in-the-field process (which feels elusive in this day and age, but something I strive for) as well as what he coined as “Tropical Subsistence Homestead.” As much about using indigenous materials and passive techniques, it also prescribed planting a mix of native and fruit bearing trees. It was sort of a romantic vision of an alternate future lost to industrialization and the modern lifestyle (and maybe the right idea for our path forward out of the perils of today’s world).

Also, William Lyman Phillips. A WPA era architect, engineer, and landscape architect who had a similar haptic relationship with building. His work is so romantic and emblematic of early Florida. And Gene Leedy, one of the founding members of the Sarasota School of Architecture. I’ve been super involved with restoring his home and office with Max Strang through the non profit Double Tee Arts. He was a maverick in the small town of Winter Haven where I grew up attending school. He left an indelible mark on the landscape visually and culturally. It feels like important work to build community around those spaces and keep that spirit echoing for future generations of designers and thinkers. Check out @doubleteearts for some pretty special events.

DS: Thank you, guys, so much great information here, and some new recs for our reading list. Thanks for sharing your journeys with us!

Thanks for inviting us to this interview. Looking forward to seeing this platform grow!

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Find Noah and Johnny:

Instagram: @studio_shell_

Website: STUDIO SHELL (studio-shell.com)

To anyone out there that is interested in connecting, feel free to send us a message at shello@studio-shell.com

Studio Shell

Millie Johnson

Kaitlyn Wolfe