Today we’d like to introduce you to Shane Pavonetti.
Hi Shane, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I began working in construction for a small commercial firm after I finished undergrad. I really enjoyed seeing the spaces come to life and the pile of materials turn into a finished product. While I loved seeing this through, I felt that I was better suited for the more aesthetic / design-oriented aspect of building and construction. I fell in love with the architecture I experienced while on a backpacking trip through Western Europe, and it was then I decided to go to architecture school. I did well, winning a design award in grad school at UT Austin, and went on to work in Barcelona, Paris, and New York before my wife and I settled in Austin. I worked for a well establish luxury residential firm in Austin before starting my own practice in 2013. For the past 10 years, we have worked in all scales and scopes of residential architecture in Austin and beyond. In 2020 I started our west coast office in Santa Cruz, CA. We now have exciting projects in both areas.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has had ups and downs, but I would say overall, it has been a steady improvement. Covid was a strange time (obviously) but did fine through that, and the last 2 years have seen quite a bit of growth for our office. Our west coast operations have been slow to grow, but we have a few projects on the boards that I feel will make a big splash once they are built. We now have 4 team members, and our future looks bright!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
We specialize in creating beautiful spaces with a mind to how our clients live, current trends, and value. We work in the luxury spec home space as well as the custom residential space. Our work in the spec world helps us identify means and methods that can help with the value equation in our custom projects. In turn, our work in the custom realm gives us the tools and experience to provide our spec clients a product that puts them at the top of that highly competitive market. We believe that good design that incorporates natural materials, natural light, and comfortable spaces is important for our health and well-being, especially in this tech-driven world. And so, In the end, I am most proud that we have been able to design beautiful spaces to quite a few clients and provide them with a pleasant backdrop for their lives.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Austin is a great place to be an architect willing to take some risks. The community seems very open to creative design, and that has allowed us to push our architecture more often than if we worked in a more conservative area. We take a risk every time we send a schematic design to a client. We try to push the design on most projects. We often have to pull back for various reasons, but as they say – you gotta risk it for the biscuit. Also – every time we hire someone, we are taking a financial risk, but that comes with the growth of all business.
Contact Info:
- Website: pavarch.com
- Instagram: pavonettiarchitecture
Image Credits
Amanda Kirkpatrick
Andrea Calo
