Architect Soledad Mendez

Tell us what you do, and what you’re excited to be working on right now.

Bellwether Architects is a full-service architecture firm. We specialize in designing homes that are true to their style, context, and history.

We are nearing completion on an exciting project in Sagaponack, where the owners asked us to convert a barn into a 5-bedroom surf shack. The challenge was sourcing the right materials while maintaining the home’s rustic appeal. Wherever possible, we reused the existing rough pine walls, including the living room, mudroom, and kitchen, even on tub fronts and the kitchen peninsula. To add texture, we selected Moroccan tiles in subdued natural tones and reeded wood cabinetry. In the bedrooms, we painted the walls with a grainy finish that highlights the wood boards beneath. For the building’s foundation and the pool and spa coping, we sourced a brown stone with hints of red and purple to create an earthly, grounded feeling that brings refinement to the property.

What’s a favorite project you’ve worked on? Tell us about the role you played in it.

We recently completed a dream project in East Hampton: a gut renovation and expansion that was three years in the making. We wanted to stay true to the home’s architectural heritage while updating it for the owner’s needs. For example, we wanted to preserve the ebony-stained pine wood floors that Kelly and Calvin Klein reclaimed from a church in the 1980s. Over time, these enormous planks of wood had begun to pillow underfoot, giving the floors a softness and visual texture that we recreated to extend the flooring to other areas of the house. We also researched the prior owners and designed features that paid homage to them and kept their stories alive. Take the fireplace mantel at the front entry, which we clad in steel with rivets to resemble an airplane wing, inspired by Juan Trippe, the CEO of Pan Am, who used to fly his seaplane into Georgica Pond near the home’s boathouse.

Where do you look for inspiration?

I worked for Mark Ferguson at Ferguson & Shamamian for nearly 15 years and always admired the restraint he applies to his designs. I am also deeply influenced by Oliver Cope (where I interned), Gil Schafer, and historically by Lutyen, Soane, and Candela, to name a few.

I travel for inspiration and try to visit places that have both architectural and natural beauty. I recently went to Mexico City, and last year I visited Morocco — both were incredible sources of history, color, and texture. They reminded me that buildings are influenced not only by landscape but also by a place’s culture, its sights, sounds, and even food. San Ignacio, Uruguay, is a place whose serene landscapes and slow pace give me the rare opportunity to absorb its architecture, culture, and natural beauty without distractions.

Who are one or two of your favorite collaborators and why?

I love working with artisans, interior designers, contractors, and clients. We all bring something different to a project, but we work best when we share a vision. On a recent project, we partnered with Bulgin & Associates, one of the most professional and humble GCs I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with. Working with a team of that caliber relieves significant stress. That same project included the Owner’s Representatives OAC, who kept us organized, on target, and on time. They were the glue that kept a complex project moving forward.

Do you have a mantra, a guiding piece of wisdom, or a question that you come back to again and again in your working life?

I often ask myself, “What would (my former boss) Mark Ferguson do?” Watching him walk a site for the first time or listen to a client’s requests always felt a bit like magic. He starts with a big picture — a view, a feeling — but he is also meticulous with details, rigorous when needed.

When I imagine what Mark would do in a given situation, sometimes that encourages me to be more playful, other times more restrained.

No one teaches you how to run a business or where to look for answers. Mark once told me an anecdote about a car accident in which the insurance company said all parties were partially to blame and asked what percentage of the blame could be his. Since then, whenever I come across a problem, I think about how our actions or inactions may have contributed to it, and how everyone involved can help create a solution.