In Conversation with Menendez Architects

Luis Menendez and Nasrin Nourian Menendez share about their love of elegant design and inspiration from clients

February 7, 2024

CHL Staff,

Photo Draper White Photography

Luis Menendez and Nasrin Nourian Menendez—partners in life and in business—have been at the helm of Menendez Architects for nearly 20 years. Motivated by a love of design, gifted with an inherent global sensibility and drawing on deep experience, they create elegant designs that are as distinctive as the clients who inspire them.

What is the advantage of working with a team that offers both custom architecture and interior design services?

Combining architecture and interior design services allows for a seamless integration of both disciplines, resulting in continuity of the vision for a project in all aspects of design. We explore interior space planning and furnishing arrangements at the earliest stages of the programming and design phases, resulting in thoughtful, functional solutions that marry structure, finishes, furnishings, and experience.

Photo Draper White Photography

Your team offers diverse cultural backgrounds in addition to a deep understanding of Aspen’s unique environment. How do your designs benefit from your global sensibilities?

We use our knowledge of various lifestyle values and practices to create solutions that are responsive to our clients’ needs. On a recent project, understanding the beneficial role a Finnish sauna plays in daily life allowed us to create a meaningful physical and psychological respite in a Northern European client’s custom home in Aspen, an achievement for which we were recently awarded an ASID Crystal Award.

Have you noticed shifts in how clients hope to live in their mountain homes?

A common theme is clients’ increasing desire for homes that can remain in the family for generations. We’re currently designing homes that serve as many as three generations,
each with unique requirements. The key is incorporating the correct amount of flexibility in the home to allow it to adapt to changing family dynamics.