Sometimes, our childhood dreams do come true, and in Lauren Thomsen’s case, becoming an architect took some surprisingly unconventional turns. However, these decisions enhanced her ability to truly listen to what her client’s needs are and have helped her create homes that are not only well-designed but warm and inviting.
Growing up outside of Philadelphia, Thomsen was exposed to design and building at a young age as her dad was an engineer and her mom was a graphic designer.
“When I was seven, we moved, and I have been interested in houses and floor plans ever since,” Thomsen says. “I still have the drawings I did as a child, and it’s neat to look back on the evolution of what one’s ‘dream home’ is over time. I’ve always had a penchant for architecture and intrinsically love designing a space.”
Although Thomsen knew she wanted to be an architect, she attended Hamilton College, a place where she delved into language, culture and art.
“I see architecture as a language, as one form of cultural expression." - Lauren Thomsen
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“I majored in Comparative Literature and Art History and spent my third year in Paris studying art and falling in love with the culture there,” she explains. “During summers, I interned for an engineering firm, a landscape architect and an architecture firm.” Always maintaining her interest in design.
She eventually went to Rensselaer in Troy, NY, for architecture school and worked for a firm in Albany for nine years. When her husband had an opportunity to move to Philly, where they could be close to family, Thomsen took a leap of faith.
“I decided it was the ‘now or never’ moment to start my own firm,” she says.
Thomsen understands her clients well and is able to meet their needs because she is an excellent listener and can translate their wants into the home of their dreams.
“It is a product of being dedicated to listening and also believing that everyone’s home will be different – a manifestation of what the idea of ‘home’ means to them,” Thomsen says. “It’s important not to impose the same thing on each client. Instead, we let the information unfold through the conversations and relationships we develop. That is where the magic happens, where abstract ideas become spatial concepts that are ultimately solidified into materials, details and craft.”
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Philadelphia has proved to be a unique place to be an architect, as Thomsen has the opportunity to work on historic renovations and design new builds. Each project comes with its own set of challenges.
“When you work on a building that is 150 years old, there are different considerations to have than when working on a new build, especially because you never know what is hidden behind those walls,” Thomsen explains.
Thomsen also utilizes a great deal of technology in her projects. “Often technology changes quicker than architects have a chance to react to it,” she says. Thomsen thinks through each project carefully to ensure that whatever choices she presents to her clients, they will get a few decades of use out of their choices.
“I see architecture as a language, as one form of cultural expression. To me, art is governed by scientific and practical parameters. I think a lot about how the idea of ‘home‘ is more than a spatial concept – it is an idea that is pretty sacred,” Thomsen says. “ I like thinking about and discovering what the idea of ‘home’ means to each client and how I can best help manifest that. I enjoy the challenge of creating unique or unexpected solutions that clients are looking for but can not arrive at themselves. The most fulfilling moment part of my job is seeing clients happy, settled and comfortably enjoying their homes once a project is completed.”
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