Studio

Studio

An independent studio for architecture, interiors and landscape. Twelve people between Amsterdam and Vienna, working on a few projects at a time and seeing each one through to the last detail.

Est. 2014 · Amsterdam / Vienna

Twelve people, one table

Site model with trees on the studio table

Site model for The Terraced Villa, built by hand in the studio

Amsterdam

Twelve people White study model on a pale blue base at one long table, between the North Sea and the Alps. We draw by hand, build models before renders Architect drawing a plan by hand and visit every site more than once.

ARCHEA is an independent practice working across homes, retreats and public rooms. Each project starts from its site, never from a signature style.

What we do

What we do

Aa

How we think

Four principles that guide every project, whatever its size.

How we think

Four principles that guide every project, whatever its size.

Stone, oak and slate samples on the studio table

Stone, oak and slate: the short palette we keep returning to.

01

Site first

Every project begins with time on site. The slope, the wind and the light set the first lines.

02

Fewer, better materials

A short palette of honest materials, chosen to age well and to stay quiet next to the view.

03

Light as material

We draw with daylight. Openings, depths and shadows are designed hour by hour.

04

Built to last

Details are solved early and simply, so a building improves with use rather than wearing out.

The studio in numbers

0
0
0
0
0
0

people in two studios

0
0
0
0
0
0

homes and interiors completed

0
0
0

countries we have built in

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

the year we began

Ten years, slowly.

A short history of a practice that grew one project at a time, never faster than the work allowed.

Ten years, slowly.

A short history of a practice that grew one project at a time, never faster than the work allowed.

2014

Founded in Amsterdam

Two architects, one long table and a first commission: a small stone house above the sea.

2014

Founded in Amsterdam

Two architects, one long table and a first commission: a small stone house above the sea.

2014

Founded in Amsterdam

Two architects, one long table and a first commission: a small stone house above the sea.

2017

Models before renders

The model workshop opens. Every project is now built by hand before the first image is made.

2017

Models before renders

The model workshop opens. Every project is now built by hand before the first image is made.

2017

Models before renders

The model workshop opens. Every project is now built by hand before the first image is made.

2019

A second studio in Vienna

Interiors, furniture and lighting move into a courtyard studio in the seventh district.

2019

A second studio in Vienna

Interiors, furniture and lighting move into a courtyard studio in the seventh district.

2019

A second studio in Vienna

Interiors, furniture and lighting move into a courtyard studio in the seventh district.

2023

Our first public building

The Hill Library opens inside a medieval town wall and soon becomes the living room of the town.

2023

Our first public building

The Hill Library opens inside a medieval town wall and soon becomes the living room of the town.

2023

Our first public building

The Hill Library opens inside a medieval town wall and soon becomes the living room of the town.

2026

House of the Year

The Still Residence is recognised by the Mediterranean Architecture Review.

2026

House of the Year

The Still Residence is recognised by the Mediterranean Architecture Review.

2026

House of the Year

The Still Residence is recognised by the Mediterranean Architecture Review.

Two studios, one table.

Architecture and landscape in Amsterdam, interiors and furniture in Vienna. One team and one standard, a short flight apart.

Two studios, one table.

Architecture and landscape in Amsterdam, interiors and furniture in Vienna. One team and one standard, a short flight apart.

The Amsterdam studio on Keizersgracht

Amsterdam

52.3727° N, 4.8848° E

Address

Keizersgracht 214, 1016 DX Amsterdam, Netherlands

Focus

Architecture, landscape, model workshop

Our first studio, in a former stone warehouse near the harbour. Drawings, site models and the material library live here.

Amsterdam

52.3727° N, 4.8848° E

Address

Keizersgracht 214, 1016 DX Amsterdam, Netherlands

Focus

Architecture, landscape, model workshop

Our first studio, in a former stone warehouse near the harbour. Drawings, site models and the material library live here.

The Vienna studio on Hofgasse

Vienna

48.2082° N, 16.3738° E

Address

Hofgasse 4, 1070 Vienna, Austria

Focus

Interiors, furniture, lighting

A courtyard studio in the seventh district, where interiors are drawn, furniture is prototyped and light is tested at full scale.

Vienna

48.2082° N, 16.3738° E

Address

Hofgasse 4, 1070 Vienna, Austria

Focus

Interiors, furniture, lighting

A courtyard studio in the seventh district, where interiors are drawn, furniture is prototyped and light is tested at full scale.

The people behind the work

Our leadership team guides every project personally, from the first visit to the last detail.

The people behind the work

Our leadership team guides every project personally, from the first visit to the last detail.

Elena de Vries

Founder and principal architect

Tomás Reyes

Director, residential

Ines Albrecht

Head of interiors

Daniel Okafor

Spatial strategy lead

Twelve architects, designers and makers, working between Amsterdam and Vienna.

Meet the whole team

Meet the whole team

Published in

Selected features, 2019–2026

  • Mediterranean Architecture Review

  • Interior Quarterly

  • Habitat Journal

  • Stone & Timber

  • The Quiet House

  • Nordic Space Annual

  • Casa Moderna

  • Mediterranean Architecture Review

  • Interior Quarterly

  • Habitat Journal

  • Stone & Timber

  • The Quiet House

  • Nordic Space Annual

  • Casa Moderna

Lived in, then reviewed.

We measure a house by how it feels a year after the keys change hands. These are the people who live in our work.

Lived in, then reviewed.

We measure a house by how it feels a year after the keys change hands. These are the people who live in our work.

01

02

03

/ 03

“

They listened for a year before drawing a single line. The house they gave us is quieter than any room we have ever lived in, and it still feels like ours.

They listened for a year before drawing a single line. The house they gave us is quieter than any room we have ever lived in, and it still feels like ours.

Every decision was explained, never imposed. We walked into a home that understands the light of the courtyard better than we ever did.

ARCHEA turned a difficult site into the calmest place on the coast. Guests stop talking when they step inside. That is the only review that matters.

Marta and Jon Ellery, clients of The Still Residence

Marta and Jon Ellery

Private clients

Coastal hillside, 2025

View project →

Hannah Voss, owner of The Courtyard House

Hannah Voss

Owner

Walled garden, 2024

View project →

Lucas Ferreira, founder of Ferreira Hospitality

Lucas Ferreira

Founder, Ferreira Hospitality

Rocky shoreline, 2025

View project →

White volumes of The Still Residence
Stone colonnade of The Courtyard House
Layered white terraces of The Coastal Pavilion

The Still Residence

Coastal hillside, 2025

The Courtyard House

Walled garden, 2024

The Coastal Pavilion

Rocky shoreline, 2025

01

02

03

/ 03

“

They listened for a year before drawing a single line. The house they gave us is quieter than any room we have ever lived in, and it still feels like ours.

They listened for a year before drawing a single line. The house they gave us is quieter than any room we have ever lived in, and it still feels like ours.

Every decision was explained, never imposed. We walked into a home that understands the light of the courtyard better than we ever did.

ARCHEA turned a difficult site into the calmest place on the coast. Guests stop talking when they step inside. That is the only review that matters.

Marta and Jon Ellery, clients of The Still Residence

Marta and Jon Ellery

Private clients

Coastal hillside, 2025

View project →

Hannah Voss, owner of The Courtyard House

Hannah Voss

Owner

Walled garden, 2024

View project →

Lucas Ferreira, founder of Ferreira Hospitality

Lucas Ferreira

Founder, Ferreira Hospitality

Rocky shoreline, 2025

View project →

Luxury Villa on the beach

The Still Residence

Coastal hillside, 2025

The Courtyard House

Walled garden, 2024

The Coastal Pavilion

Rocky shoreline, 2025

01

02

03

/ 03

“

They listened for a year before drawing a single line. The house they gave us is quieter than any room we have ever lived in, and it still feels like ours.

They listened for a year before drawing a single line. The house they gave us is quieter than any room we have ever lived in, and it still feels like ours.

Every decision was explained, never imposed. We walked into a home that understands the light of the courtyard better than we ever did.

ARCHEA turned a difficult site into the calmest place on the coast. Guests stop talking when they step inside. That is the only review that matters.

Marta and Jon Ellery, clients of The Still Residence

Marta and Jon Ellery

Private clients

View project →

Hannah Voss, owner of The Courtyard House

Hannah Voss

Owner

View project →

Lucas Ferreira, founder of Ferreira Hospitality

Lucas Ferreira

Founder, Ferreira Hospitality

View project →

Luxury Villa on the beach

The Still Residence

The Courtyard House

The Coastal Pavilion

ARCHEA hero in light and dark mode
ARCHEA pages shown as a wall of screens
ARCHEA on four phones
ARCHEA hero in light and dark mode

Buy Template

$129

Create a free website with Framer, the website builder loved by startups, designers and agencies.