Home & Design's 100 Top Designers
“We are often taught, or teach ourselves, that good architecture must spring from urban settings,” architect Randall Kipp observes. “But my experience has taught me that life and practice in the country—in nature, surrounded by wildlife—is the true inspiration for good buildings.” His firm builds mostly on the shores of rivers, creeks and bays in the Chesapeake region.
Randall Kipp Architecture was founded in 1993 and comprises a team of six architects, interior designers and industrial engineers. Kipp brings a background in paper-making, letterpress printing, ceramics and carpentry to his work. “To me, architecture is a logical extension of these crafts, which are tactile in nature and employ form, transparency, structure and simplicity,” he notes.
Each project designer shepherds the work through the entire process, from design through construction, including the construction-document and construction-administration phases. In this way, the design intent is preserved and oftentimes amplified. “Our buildings do not stand proud and speak loudly, but blend calmly into their settings, enhancing the experience of living with nature,” Kipp says. “We pride ourselves on creating spaces that reflect our clients’ lives, and strive each day to be better designers and design better buildings—not only for our clients but also for the planet.”
Photography by Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer
Callao, VA
Irvington home featured on the cover of Portfolio
Irvington, VA
Irvington, VA