At Deborah Berke Partners, we distill complex considerations–environmental, social, and aesthetic–into meaningful architecture. Our work is transformative: from the reimagination of old buildings, to the creation of exquisite new ones.
Our buildings create powerful first impressions and continue to delight. The architecture we make captures the values and aspirations of our clients; strives to enrich the world around it through enduring design; and is mindful of the distinctive qualities of each place.
We connect people and places to create meaningful and lasting experiences: we consider how changing daylight shapes a room; how people move into a site and through a building; how materials feel and look through repeated use. Our approach is human-centered at all scales, from the broad vision of masterplans to the focused details of interiors (and everything in between).
We are a New York-Based Architecture Practice
For over thirty years we have made true-to-place projects around the country and the world. Partners Deborah Berke, Maitland Jones, and Marc Leff lead the firm with Senior Principals Stephen Brockman and Caroline Wharton Ewing, who have for many years worked side-by-side with each other and the firm’s seven principals. Each member of our design leadership possesses a deep and distinct area of expertise. Together, they have built a wide range of experience in five sectors: higher education; cultural institutions; boutique hotels; multi-family developments; and private residences.
In 2017, the firm was honored with a National Design Award from the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
Our best projects collapse an exterior idea with interior spaces to make a rich and complex whole. This house, a rigorous exploration of plan-making within a regular envelope, is no less driven by views, landscape, and how those things meet on the inside.
The design for this apartment on the southern edge of Central Park boasts true modern clarity: simultaneously luxurious and highly functional. Grand proportions are balanced with details that acknowledge the everyday.
The vistas for the apartment are remarkable in all directions.
A new home on the east end of Long Island. The homeowners wanted a house where they can relax, but also engage in athletic activities. They live high-pressure, busy lives.
The residence has two rooftop terraces. In this house, even if you’ve lived here a long time, you still discover something new about how lights enters it. There’s solidity and transparency; we’re really trying to allow the homeowners to appreciate the view and what’s beyond.
There are all these places you can be and enjoy during the day. You follow them informally, one room to the next.
This 250-square-foot house serves as a writing studio and place for repose within an expansive landscape. A small entry vestibule doubles as a wet bar and leads into the structure’s primary space, a 10’ x 13’ room with oversize windows to the south and west.
Our goal in this interior design and architectural project was to juxtapose a significant contemporary art collection with a riff on a traditional interior, one more typical of Park Avenue than Chelsea.
We created an intersecting “T-shaped” space of public areas that connects the large living room to more intimate library and dining room areas. Rich materials and colors balance the abundance of natural light.
