The intersection of architecture and nature has been an interest of Natalie’s since early childhood. Her parents designed and built their A-frame home in the early 80s, a departure from the standard mix of Capes, Colonials, Queen Annes, and ranch houses that surrounded their home in small-town northeast Ohio. Each year, they bought a live Christmas tree and planted it in the yard, slowly molding the landscape from a windswept field into a comfortably nestled dwelling space. From ten to twelve years old, Natalie joined in a family project to dismantle the post-and-beam bank barn that once stood across from her grandmother’s house and reassembled it on her family’s property. Her father was lead engineer and designer, her cousin was the architect and project manager, and she worked through the summer with her brother and a few others, tagging every piece of the timber frame. When her family moved to Maine around 20 years ago, she was instrumental in designing a garage and barn for her mother.

Natalie earned a Bachelor of Arts in biology and environmental studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. She spent time abroad, both in Northern Ireland and Copenhagen, Denmark. From there, she settled in London, UK, where she embarked on her formal architecture studies, earning the Best Portfolio award in her first year at London Metropolitan University, followed by an academic scholarship to finish her Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Part 1 qualification at the Architectural Association. During the early years of her architecture studies, Natalie worked at the Royal Institute of British Architects, assisting with their International Dialogues: Architecture and Climate Change and Emerging Architects talks series, absorbing as much as possible about the design process from successful designers from all over the world. Natalie went on to earn her RIBA II qualification at Oxford Brookes University, and RIBA III professional qualification at London Metropolitan University, while working full time in practice. She is registered in the UK with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.  

While living in London for nearly fifteen years, Natalie had the opportunity to work for award-winning firms, including Grimshaw, Allies and Morrison and Conran and Partners. She was promoted to associate level at a mid-size firm in 2016, where she focused on leading small teams to develop concept strategies for a variety of project types and scales. Natalie has a wide range of project experience, having worked on schools, large infrastructure projects, including Heathrow Airport, Crossrail, and the Olympics Legacy Masterplan, as well as mixed-use developments and residential projects of all shapes and sizes. No matter what size or scale the project, Natalie believes in working hard to understand and support the user experience and making sure proposals sit comfortably and positively within their surrounding context.  

Natalie and her husband moved back to Maine with their young son two years ago, where they have been juggling the joys of new parenthood with the challenges of renovating a c.1790s home that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.