Thiel Architecture + Design

08/14/2026

It’s slowly coming together. We started with a small house in Fairfield that a lovely couple from Weston purchased to downsize. Gutted most of it. Added a new kitchen (and so much more 👀). Next month we start on the addition. Yes, it definitely stretched the schedule but when it is complete, this sweet 1940s house will sing! Stay tuned!!

07/27/2026

Spent the weekend in my hometown, State College PA. I stayed at the Nittany Lion Inn, the iconic hotel situated on the Penn State University campus, just a few blocks from where I grew up. The building was originally designed by Hart & Shape in 1931. It was renovated in 1953 and then again in 1990. Recently, the building went thru another renovation. The spirit of the place remains. The lobby has plenty of spaces for gathering (I’m looking at you, football weekends 👀). My only nit - the entry sequence is confusing. They need to make reception more obvious or add a greeter at the entry to direct guests. Otherwise, a lovely stay. The accommodations and service were excellent. And had a wonderful time seeing old friends.

07/19/2026

I’m going to see Odyssey today. In anticipation, I pulled out a book my mom used to read to me. Mythology by Edith Hamilton. The book is falling apart. The pages yellowed and worn. But the stories about the gods, and the illustrations by Steele Savage, are beautiful, moving, and lasting.

07/08/2026

I am at The Westport Library ••• listening to a reading of the original Declaration of Independence. Libraries across the country are doing the same thing this evening. It is inspiring. If you have not read this version, may I suggest you do. In fact, reading out loud is even better.

🇺🇸

07/01/2026

We are so honored to be selected as a finalist for an athome in Fairfield County Magazine A-List award. They have selected our project Joylark Kitchen in the commercial space category. Congrats to my team, our client, Chef Jenna McPartland, our restaurant consultant, Mark Moeller of The Recipe of Success , our contractor, Corso Group’s Jonathan Meilec, our terrific photographer, Sam Sachs Morgan, and all of our wonderful artisans and vendors.

If you haven’t been to Joylark Kitchen, you’re in for a treat. A plant-based menu that appeals to everyone! Go check it out!!

06/26/2026

What a week! It started in NYC checking out a space for our clients. Stepping over a missing piece of sidewalk for the umpeenth time. Figuring out an outfit (ta dah!), enjoying a fabulous party to celebrate a new spa in Greenwich, and attending a wonderful lecture in New Canaan about the Gilded Age by author Phillip James Dodd. Closing out the week, a visit to a construction site in Fairfield and saying hey to the official site supervisor. Phew. Have a great weekend everyone.

06/15/2026

This past weekend I visited La Jolla’s Museum of Contemporary Arts San Diego. The museum has been growing over the years. It was originally designed by Irving Gill in 1941. In 1996, Venturi Scott Brown designed an expansion. The most recent renovation in 2022 was by Selldorf Architects.

We saw a terrific show from the collection of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz. The couple are local and very involved with the community. Bravo. Their art collection features the work of living artists, primarily brown and black, and the work is fantastic.

After enjoying the art, we drove to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography for a glass of wine overlooking the Pacific Ocean. A clever restaurateur took a former university cafe and transformed it into an elegant oceanside spot called Destiny Coast. And, yes, dear readers, it’s right next to the home of that lovely couple whose artwork is featured at the museum. See, it all comes full circle. What a lovely, generous and talented couple. So much respect. 💛✨

06/11/2026