Meet Shawn & Edward Alshut: Architect + Interior Designer (Shawn)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shawn & Edward Alshut and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shawn & Edward, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
If you maintain your passion in Life and Career | Business GIVING UP is not an Option. Life is Change : A set of given, yet variable conditions, challenges, opportunities and personal choices. Our business, STUDIO A2, was founded at the beginning of the 2009 Global Economic Crisis. We had both been laid-off from our respective firms and decided that at that time of a paradigm shift, it would be as challenging to start our own business as to find a job with another office. We were confronted with unplanned Changes requiring Choices. A quotation we had on the back of our first business card was “Our Choices Define Us.” That choice defined our lives for the following 11 years. “Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.” H. G. Wells In Nature, Life and Business it is not an option to give up but a necessity to ADAPT to changes in one’s environment. When we are confronted by game changing social and economic world events, as we are now, at first we struggle to understand them, then evaluate options on how to best adapt our business plans, and personal priorities and make informed changes | choices. To EVOLVE.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
STUDIO | A2 ARCHITECTURE INTERIORS is a full service architecture and interior design firm founded during the 2009 Global Recession. Starting our firm was “like getting in on the ground floor of a building being evacuated”. Sink or swim. Going into our 11th year, we know that it takes a lot of hard work, an ability to see the big picture and the small details, and the support of great colleagues, advisors, clients and collaborators. We learned to focus on what we do best and bring in experts to complement our experience. As a firm, we are most proud that over 90% of our business comes from repeat clients and referrals. As individuals, we are happy to support, and to have earned the respect of the design industry, who have recognized us with numerous design awards. Our firms’ portfolio is built on residential, commercial, and corporate architecture and interior design that illustrates the breath of our experience. Our firm is dedicated to providing thoughtful architectural and interior solutions, characterized by refined design and attention to detail. STUDIO | A2 speaks several stylistic languages. We create contemporary solutions that draw upon the best principles of traditional design. We strongly believe that good design is enduring, and that good contemporary design should reflect the influences of it’s time and place. STUDIO | A2 believes in holistic design; We look at the big picture and the small details : architecture, interior design, lighting, art, landscape, engineering and construction. Whether leading your project in collaboration with consultants and contractors, or working in partnership with other architects or interior designers, STUDIO | A2 recognizes that the creative and well managed contributions of a team are crucial to a successful project. “As two, we are one” As Partners in Business and Life, our personal and professional collaboration began as students in the Master of Architecture program at the University of Texas at Austin. Our creative energy is built on mutual love, and respect for each others’ abilities. The integration of our private and professional lives makes the work richer and more personal. Our individual experiences, and unique strengths, Edward supplies the big design idea and Shawn adds life to the projects with the detail, result in a complementary fusion of creative solutions for our discerning clients.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
Great question! Let’s start in Midtown Atlanta. Love spending time at the High Museum and then taking a break while sitting in the exterior courtyard or getting a spot at Table 1280. This area feels so international. Afterwards we would walk across the street to the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA). This is the only museum in the southeast devoted exclusively to the study and celebration of all things design. It has great exhibits. In West Midtown we always stop at Switch Modern. Favorite restaurants : Cooks & Soldiers & Tacqueria Del Sol. As architects, we love to drive around the Buckhead neighborhoods and admire the beautiful homes. Suggested stops : the St. Regis Bar or, if you have the password, the Himitsu Lounge. A visit to Ponce City Market is a must. It’s great to see this historic building renovation given a new life (And the view from the roof is fantastic).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Georgia Chapter members provided much appreciated advice and information to us during our initial start-up and support throughout the years. The opportunity to do great work requires exceptional clients. Thanks to Switch Modern who champion refined, contemporary furniture, lighting and accessories and support our warm contemporary aesthetic by introducing us to like minded clients.