Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Garcia.
Hi Matt, 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 backstory with our readers?
I moved to Austin in the fall of 2005 and worked directly under Austin legend, Dick Clark Architect for close to 6 years. While there, I sharpened my understanding of residential design and construction. Dick was an amazing mentor and ultimately a great friend. My time there was highlighted by a trip to Kenya, with Dick, to visit an award-winning basketball court we designed that brought clean water to an entire rural community.
I started Matt Garcia Design in 2011 with a focus on designing the best custom homes in Austin, providing a more casual yet professional experience for my clients. I found inspiration in the architecture of 1950’s and 60’s Los Angeles and Palm Springs and it has set a baseline for my design over the years. The seamless connection of a home’s interiors to its exterior surroundings in an effort to provide a healthier lifestyle spoke true to me and does with every project still. My early clients were my biggest cheerleaders and shared my story and passion with their friends, family and colleagues and it’s led to 15 years of constant residential work. The quality of work has led to multiple commissions and completed projects on Lake Austin. The work has grown beyond Austin with completed projects in Healdsburg and new projects completing soon in Telluride, Los Cabos and throughout central Texas. In 2016, I ventured into the hospitality world designing Suerte restaurant and a few years later, Este, both Micheline Guide listed and Austin staples. The relationships along the way have led to our success and continue to bring exciting people and projects into the office.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been a surprisingly smooth road overall. I feel very lucky to say that. Our clients have really trusted, supported and given us so much freedom to design projects we are proud of and that they love. There have been bumps a long the way of course. The pandemic was a scary time for everyone, we had numerous exciting projects get shelved which was tough to accept but understandable. I’ve learned that deeply listening to our clients and collaborators and over communicating has significantly lessened the impacts of the unforeseen and obstacles.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Matt Garcia Design (MGD) designs custom modern homes throughout central Texas and beyond. We have built a reputation for providing our clients with a more casual and intimate design and construction experience. We are a very small firm of three people that allows us to be selective in our projects and allows me to be deeply involved in every project. That is really our strongest offering, our clients know I am leading the design and trajectory of every project as opposed to a number of project managers and staff. I am most proud of the reputation we have built amongst our clients, builders and realtors. All have continued to recommend us for work which means so much to me. I believe they all see my passion and commitment to the team more than the individual.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The architecture and design industry will absolutely be in a major evolution soon with the continued implementation of Artificial Intelligence. The mystery is how much will it impact? I hope I can find ways to use it efficiently and in time saving ways, never for design. I have had recent potential clients show me their ChatGPT designs and imaging already, I am still figuring out how to navigate those conversations. It does concern me in that the general public could see using AI as a way to circumvent architects and designers in efforts to save on design fees and time. I do believe that passionate architecture enthusiasts, such as my clients, will always prefer designing a home in real dialogue and genuine human interaction as opposed to design by prompt. It is going to be interesting, indeed!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mattgarciadesign.com
- Instagram: @mattgarciadesign
Image Credits
All photos by Casey Dunn
