Our Story
DESIGNING TROPICAL ARCHITECTURE, INTERIORS, CUSTOM FURNITURE, ART AND LANDSCAPES.
Bringing life to the intangibles through the alchemy of design.
Tropical Architecture
We take our cues from the Ancients and how they lived in harmony with their environments. We examine the sun and the way it moves across the sky in every season. We study the effects of the ocean’s salt spray, the grittiness that each grain of sand brings, the gentle and sometimes harsh whoosh of wind, and the moistening of the rain. We then design and orient homes accordingly.
The Garden
The Italians have a principle known as villeggiatura. It’s the idea of an extended stay in a particular place for the distinct purpose of rest and recreation. At & The Associates Studio, we embrace the concept of villeggiatura and use it to inspire our spatial sequence, which invites one to enter through a secret garden and welcoming courtyard, continue through the home and out to a rear loggia or terrace and then arrive at a curated view of the pastoral setting. If not done well, you have a house on a lawn. If done well, villeggiatura is the reason one is drawn to the outdoor spaces and feels connected to the sunrise and sunset.
The Intangibles
The intangibles define what we’re most passionate about at & The Associates Studio across our multiple disciplines. They cannot be fully described—only felt and experienced with all of our senses. They exist in the way we connect with light and sound or the way an atmosphere inspires a sense of bliss. Architecture creates the intangible of shelter, furnishings create the intangible of repose, and material choice creates the intangible feeling of Zen. Together, they become one statement, one aesthetic.
Our design approach always begins with the land
— Clem Schaub
An ethos shared
We create a profound sense of place and connectedness through a one-thought philosophy of collaboration that fuses all of the design disciplines. The immense talent and unwavering support that go into each of our homes inspire the & symbol as our company’s emblem, embodying the principle that every contributor to a project, both inside and outside of the studio, holds equal value and significance.
In our collaborative approach, the architecture, interiors and landscape must all talk to one another. That’s where the Zen lives.
Meeting of the minds
It is only in humanity’s recent history that the disciplines have been subdivided. Scientists were once considered artists, mathematicians, inventors, architects, landscape designers and builders with strong ties to theology, astronomy and cosmology. At & The Associates Studio, we revive this notion.
Clemens Bruns Schaub, FAIA
Owner / Principal
Clem Schaub is a tropical architect whose work balances history, craft, and climate. Guided by landscape and light, he creates singular homes that marry the tangible and intangible—shaped as much by feeling as by form.
Christine Pokorney, NCIDQ
Owner / Principal / Interiors
Christine is an interior architect whose work honors the space between function and feeling. With a deep belief that homes are sacred, she composes interiors with care across architecture and design—balancing light, material, and proportion to elevate the everyday. As Partner at TAS, she leads with curiosity, clarity, and an enduring passion for design that lasts.
J. Michael Ohler, AIA
Owner / Principal / Architect
Michael sees architecture as both inheritance and inquiry—first learned through the hands-on craft of building, then shaped by decades of design. With a deep respect for tropical climates and construction, he brings rigor, warmth, and longevity to his work. As a mentor and Partner, he fosters growth through collaboration and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
Maria Davila
Senior Associate/Architecture
Shayna Weller
Senior Associate/Interior Architecture
Tatiana Sanchez Angel
Senior Associate/Interior Architecture
Neil Sickterman, ASLA
Senior Associate/Landscape Architect
Sasha Fradin, NCIDQ
Senior Associate/Interior Designer
Jared Mallard
Associate/Architecture
Jessica Stefanick
Associate/Architect
Khera Osbourne
Associate/Architecture
Brittany Mallard
Associate/Interior Design
Yajaira Cervantes
Associate/Interior Design
Viktoria Schaub
Senior Comptroller
Mercedes Newton
Comptroller
Bonnie Coats
Office Manager
Tilden Schaub
Assistant Office Manager
Emma Tyler-Boltrek
Procurement Coordinator
Every home we create is a portrait of our client.
Each painted with our brushstroke to reflect their personalities while preserving the tenets of tropical architecture. Embracing the local climate through landscape, architecture, interiors and energy flow, we carefully craft residences whose site orientation, topography and views become the foundation for a sequence of living spaces that are inspired by the past but designed for today’s lifestyles. In all cases, the sun reigns supreme and the garden is the most important room of the house.
