Merrell Soule Architects, P.C.

What Merrell Soule Architects, P.C. does

Merrell Soule Architects, P.C. ("MSA") is a private residential architecture firm organized as a New York professional corporation, founded in 1988 by James Merrell in East Hampton, NY, and renamed in 2014 when partners Stephen Soule and Janara Garcia Soule joined the practice. The firm specializes in custom residential architecture — primary residences, vacation homes, additions and renovations, and historic reinterpretations — primarily in the Hamptons (Sag Harbor, Bridgehampton, Southampton, Amagansett, Sagaponack, North Sea) with selected projects in Sun Valley, Idaho, and Sarasota, Florida. Underlying capability is a documented design philosophy the firm terms "Narrative Architecture," in which floor plans are treated as plots and rooms as characters, paired with a historic-reinterpretation methodology evidenced by the 2010 Palladio Award for the Maycroft Estate.

MSA operates from two studios: the headquarters at 66 Main Street, Sag Harbor, NY, and a sister studio in DUMBO, Brooklyn, headed by Christopher Mechaley. Services cover the full project lifecycle — concept, schematic, design development, construction documentation, and construction administration — with interior-design coordination handled via established collaborators including Flatiron 27, Kelly Behun Studio, and Eve Robinson Associates, and landscape architecture via LaGuardia Design and Hollander Design. The firm operates a Client Project Portal that hosts each project's drawing directory and image gallery for client review.

The business model is professional services: project-based design fees quoted per engagement, billed across multi-year contracts, with scope and complexity varying materially by client. GTM motion is high-touch, relationship-driven — clients are acquired primarily through editorial features (Architectural Digest, Luxe, Elle Decor, HC&G), a 1995–2022 stream of AIA Long Island and AIA Peconic awards, and referrals within the luxury Hamptons real-estate ecosystem. Total team size is approximately 13 across both offices, dominated by billable designers and a small administrative core. Revenue and capacity utilization are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Merrell Soule Architects, P.C.

Legal name

Merrell Soule Architects, P.C.

Website

https://merrellsoulearchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Merrell Soule Architects, P.C. is a private residential architecture firm founded in 1988, designing custom luxury homes, renovations, and historic reinterpretations primarily for affluent homeowners in the Hamptons and Eastern Long Island, with studios in Sag Harbor, NY, and DUMBO, Brooklyn.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Architecture Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Residential Luxury / High-End Home Construction (IMAFABAJ), Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)

Keywords

• Residential architecture services
• Luxury home design
• Custom home design
• Historic preservation architecture
• Hamptons architectural design

Headquarters

HQ city

Sag Harbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full-service residential architecture including design, project management, construction administration, and interior design coordination. Revenue generated through project-based fees for custom residential projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Merrell Soule Architects is a residential architecture firm that provides full-service custom design for affluent homeowners, including concept design, project management, construction administration, and interior design coordination. The firm specializes in modern, traditional, and hybrid architectural expressions primarily for private homes in the Hamptons and Eastern Long Island, with select projects in the Western United States (Sun Valley, Idaho and Sarasota, Florida).

Product overview

Merrell Soule Architects is a modern residential architecture firm offering full-service architectural design primarily for private clients in the Hamptons region. The firm provides residential architecture services as its core product, supplemented by a Client Project Portal allowing clients to access their design drawings and project galleries. The portfolio includes diverse residential projects such as Pond House (featured in HC&G Architecture Now 2024), Hamptons Potato Barn, Bridgehampton Beach House, Southampton House (featured in Architectural Digest 2019), Amagansett House (featured in Luxe Magazine 2021), and Maycroft Estate (2010 Palladio Award winner). The firm operates from Sag Harbor, NY with a sister studio in Dumbo, Brooklyn, and works primarily on Eastern Long Island and in the Western United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Architecture Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Palladio Award (2010) for Maycroft Estate renovation/restoration
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Flatiron 27minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior design collaborator on Amagansett House project, featured in Luxe Magazine July 2021 issue
• Cardel DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilder partner on Amagansett Lanes project
• Wright & Co.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilder on Maycroft Estate (Palladio Award 2010) and Gibson Farm projects
• LaGuardia DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture collaborator on multiple projects including Coecles Harbor House, Sunset Boulevard Sarasota, and Sun Valley
• Men At Work ConstructionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilder partner on Bridgehampton Beach House and Daniel's Lane House projects
• Ellen Hanson DesignsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior design collaborator on Sunset Boulevard Sarasota and Sun Valley projects
• Kelly Behun StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior design collaborator on Southampton House, featured in Architectural Digest June 2019
• Hollander DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture collaborator on Southampton House project
• Eve Robinson AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior design collaborator on Hamptons Potato Barn project, featured in Elle Decor April 2024

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Olson Kundig: Olson Kundig is a Seattle-based luxury residential architecture firm with a design-forward, craft-driven approach similar to MSA's narrative philosophy. It serves ultra-high-net-worth clients seeking one-of-a-kind custom residences, paralleling MSA's value proposition in a different geography.
• Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects: Stelle Lomont Rouhani is a NYC/Hamptons luxury residential architecture firm of similar scale, designing custom high-end homes for affluent clients with an emphasis on craft and contextual design — a directly comparable competitor for similar commissions.
• David Mann Architects: David Mann Architects is a NYC-based luxury residential firm designing high-end homes and apartments for affluent clients, including Hamptons and country properties, directly comparable to MSA's bespoke luxury residential practice.
• Ike Kligerman Barkley: Ike Kligerman Barkley is a NYC and San Francisco firm known for high-end residential and country house design with a traditional-modern sensibility, directly comparable to MSA's luxury residential practice and Hamptons/country house portfolio.
• Steven Gambrel: Steven Gambrel is a NYC and Hamptons-based luxury residential design firm offering architecture and interior design for affluent clients, directly competing with MSA on integrated design commissions in the same geography.
• Selldorf Architects: Selldorf Architects is a NYC firm with a notable residential practice serving cultural and high-net-worth clients, including country houses. Its design sensibility of restrained modernism paired with contextual sensitivity overlaps with MSA's approach to luxury residential commissions.
• Bates Masi + Architects: Bates Masi + Architects is a Sag Harbor/Hamptons-based residential architecture firm with a comparable practice size, similar luxury Hamptons clientele, and a parallel emphasis on context-driven modern design — making it the closest direct peer in the same geography.
• Peter Pennoyer Architects: Peter Pennoyer Architects is a NYC firm specializing in luxury traditional and classical residential architecture for affluent clients, including Hamptons projects. It competes for the same narrative-driven, historically-informed luxury commissions as MSA.
• Ferguson & Shamamian Architects: Ferguson & Shamamian is a NYC-based luxury residential architecture firm known for traditional and historically-inspired country houses, including Hamptons work. It competes for the same high-net-worth clients seeking bespoke homes with classical references.

Broad incumbents

• Robert A.M. Stern Architects: Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) is a much larger, established firm operating broadly across residential, commercial, and institutional architecture. While not a Hamptons specialist, it is a major competitor for the largest luxury residential commissions and sets the bar for traditional luxury design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/jamesmerrellarchitects
• Instagraminstagram.com/jamesmerrellarchitects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/merrell-soule-architects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Merrell Soule Architects, P.C.