Schiller Projects

Schiller Projects Award-winning design shop based in NY. Our work exists at the intersection of strategy + craft.

“To build a home at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains is to negotiate a paradox: the natural beauty demands attentio...
05/11/2026

“To build a home at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains is to negotiate a paradox: the natural beauty demands attention while the wind and unforgiving California sun require refuge.” -

The home, lovingly named ‘Windblock House’ by the owners, is conceived as a protective form carved from the desert.

The south façade is entirely windowless, shielding the interior from intense solar exposure and prevailing winds. To the east, deep overhangs open the house toward the landscape, creating shaded outdoor rooms and a protected pool terrace.

“The home stands apart in other ways, operating entirely off the grid with solar panels concealed behind parapets and water drawn from snowmelt. But for all its 21st-century self-sufficiency, the house remains grounded in the site’s long history.” - Architectural Digest

The architecture balances enclosure and openness, responding directly to the desert climate.

The home is currently featured in the May issue of Architectural Digest - available now in print (pages 42-46) and online (via the link in our bio).

Photos by .

[luxury home design, private retreat architecture, secluded modern homes, architecture for privacy, high end refuge homes, calming minimalist architecture, contemporary living, green architecture, sustainable architecture, palm springs house, architectural digest]

“Ground-level rooms reveal a sequence of compression and release that culminates in a double-height living room, its con...
05/09/2026

“Ground-level rooms reveal a sequence of compression and release that culminates in a double-height living room, its conversation pit upholstered in a paprika-hued fabric that nods to the carpets at Yale School of Architecture.” -

Set four steps below the ground floor, the space creates an intimate room within the larger living area. Its paprika color references the desert palette and the architecture of Taliesin West, anchoring the otherwise restrained interior.

Within the house’s minimal material language, this becomes the emotional center of the home.

Photos by .

[conversation pit living room, sunken living space, luxury interior architecture, statement living room design, intimate gathering spaces, modernist interior design, luxury entertaining space, bespoke living room design, architectural focal point, palm springs house, architectural digest]

“The resulting structure reads less as a building than a geological formation ‘carved by the wind,’ as Schiller puts it....
05/07/2026

“The resulting structure reads less as a building than a geological formation ‘carved by the wind,’ as Schiller puts it. Made from a plant-based material and tinted with pigments inspired by Taliesin West and the site’s own soil, its plastered walls appear to rise from the desert floor.” -

Material restraint defines the project.

Concrete, plywood, and metal shape the interior surfaces, while the exterior plaster is pigmented using soil from the site, allowing the house to visually emerge from the desert landscape.

Rather than applied finishes, the materials are integral to the architecture itself.

The home is currently featured in the May issue of Architectural Digest - available now in print (pages 42-46) and online (via the link in our bio).

Photos by .

[luxury architecture materials, natural stone design, high end home finishes, bespoke material palette, craftsmanship in architecture, refined modern materials, tactile interior design, premium building materials, timeless home materials, palm springs house, architectural digest]

Some homes are designed to shelter a family from the land. This one was built to root them in it” - for This Palm-Spri...
05/05/2026

Some homes are designed to shelter a family from the land. This one was built to root them in it” - for

This Palm-Springs based home, lovingly named ‘Windblock House’ by the owners, sits within a century-old olive grove at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains.

Rather than removing trees to build in the center of the orchard, the home was positioned along its edge, preserving the landscape while creating shelter from the desert winds that build across the open terrain.

The grove remains an active part of the property. Each November the family harvests olives here, reinforcing a living relationship between architecture and land.

The home is currently featured in the May issue of Architectural Digest - available now in print (pages 42-46) and online (via the link in our bio).

Photos by .

[luxury home design, modern home, green home, sustainable home, private estate, bespoke home, landscape integrated architecture, architect for large properties, luxury retreat design, high end residential architecture, nature driven home design, palm springs house, architectural digest]

05/01/2026

Recently featured in Architectural Digest, Palm Springs House sits within a historic olive grove at the edge of the desert landscape just beyond the city’s northern boundary.

Rather than building within the orchard, the home was placed at its perimeter, preserving the trees while shaping protection from the prevailing winds across the desert floor.

The architecture is conceived as a geological form carved by light, wind, and shade.

Read the full story in ’s May issue - available now in print and online.

[luxury sustainable architecture, bespoke modern eco home, high end off grid residence, custom luxury home architect, architect for private clients, contemporary eco estate design, design led sustainable homes, off grid luxury retreat home, low impact luxury architecture, energy efficient modern homes, desert house, palm springs house, architectural digest]

“Some homes are designed to shelter a family from the land. This one was built to root them in it.” - Architectural Dige...
04/30/2026

“Some homes are designed to shelter a family from the land. This one was built to root them in it.” - Architectural Digest

We’re excited to share that Palm Springs House is featured in the May issue of - Schiller Projects’ first-ever feature in Architectural Digest.

Set at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains just north of Palm Springs, the house emerges from a century-old olive grove at the edge of protected BLM land.

Designed as both refuge and observatory, the architecture balances shelter with openness, framing uninterrupted views from the desert floor to the mountains beyond.

Read the full story in AD’s May issue or on their website - available now.

We want to extend our sincere thanks to the editors at Architectural Digest, writer , photographer , interior stylist , and our clients, , and , for their invaluable collaboration and support throughout this project.

We’re looking forward to sharing more about this project with you in the coming days!

We are very pleased to share that our principal, Aaron Schiller, be speaking at .cityusa 2026 in West Palm Beach on Apri...
04/09/2026

We are very pleased to share that our principal, Aaron Schiller, be speaking at .cityusa 2026 in West Palm Beach on April 14!

We’re looking forward to joining a panel of leading voices, including Daniel O’Keefe (Commissioner of Economic Development and Chief Innovation Officer, State of Connecticut), Eulois Cleckley (CEO, Friends of The Underline), and Natalia Martinez-Kalinina (Founder and Principal, NMK Group), to explore the role of adaptive reuse in shaping a modern economy.

At Schiller Projects, this line of inquiry extends beyond individual projects to a broader rethinking of how we build - prioritizing adaptive reuse, circular material systems, and low-carbon construction as fundamental drivers of design.

Our Brooklyn Mass Timber House, the first timber house of its kind in Brooklyn, serves as one example within our larger and evolving body of work, demonstrating how innovative sourcing and material-led design can reshape both process and outcome.

The conference will bring together global leaders to examine the future of smart cities, with a focus on innovation, urban resilience, and the evolving relationship between technology, infrastructure, and the built environment.

We’re thrilled to be part of this important conversation!



[smart cities, urban innovation, city leadership, future of cities, sustainable development, urban resilience, built environment, city planning, adaptive reuse, timber building, mass timber, build with timber, low carbon]

With the ridge beam now in place and the majority of the roof assembled, the building has fully taken on its intended fo...
03/24/2026

With the ridge beam now in place and the majority of the roof assembled, the building has fully taken on its intended form.

What was once a series of individual components now reads as a cohesive whole, the roofline defined and the architectural vision clearly expressed.

From here, the focus turns to enclosure. Windows and doors will be installed, sealing the structure while introducing light and a stronger connection to the surrounding landscape.

This is the phase where the project shifts from structure to refinement, where atmosphere and materiality (the finer details) begin to shape the experience of the space.

More to come soon as the building continues to evolve…

[mass timber ADU, prefabricated ADU, prefab architecture, mass timber construction, ADU design, accessory dwelling unit, sustainable housing, prefab housing, timber architecture, circular design architecture]

Day 4 carries the momentum forward. As the final wall panels are set, the structure becomes more defined, its volume now...
03/23/2026

Day 4 carries the momentum forward.

As the final wall panels are set, the structure becomes more defined, its volume now clearly visible.

At the same time, additional deliveries arrive carrying the roof panels, signaling the next phase of installation. With each movement of the crane, the project advances steadily toward enclosure.

Next, the structure will be brought fully together as the roof is installed.

[mass timber ADU, prefabricated ADU, prefab architecture, mass timber construction, ADU design, accessory dwelling unit, sustainable housing, prefab housing, timber architecture, circular design architecture]

On Day 3, the structure really begins to take shape. Panel by panel, the crane lifts each wall into place, gradually rev...
03/22/2026

On Day 3, the structure really begins to take shape.

Panel by panel, the crane lifts each wall into place, gradually revealing the footprint and form of the building in real time.

Each panel is a carefully considered assembly - CLT providing both structure and interior finish, layered with insulation and weather protection - designed to perform as a cohesive system. What would traditionally take weeks begins to unfold over the course of a single day!

Tomorrow, the structure continues upward as the final walls are set and the next phase arrives on site.

[mass timber ADU, prefabricated ADU, prefab architecture, mass timber construction, ADU design, accessory dwelling unit, sustainable housing, prefab housing, timber architecture, circular design architecture]

By Day 2, the pace begins to pick up.The crane arrives on site, followed closely by the first truckloads delivered via f...
03/21/2026

By Day 2, the pace begins to pick up.

The crane arrives on site, followed closely by the first truckloads delivered via ferry, each carrying prefabricated components that will soon define the structure.

Fully finished bath pods are lifted in first, placed directly into their final positions within the building. They are complete with fixtures, tile, and fittings already in place.

As wall panels are unloaded and staged nearby, the site begins its transition from preparation to assembly.

Tomorrow, the structure will begin to take shape panel by panel.

[mass timber ADU, prefabricated ADU, prefab architecture, mass timber construction, ADU design, accessory dwelling unit, sustainable housing, prefab housing, timber architecture, circular design architecture]

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55 Hudson Yards
New York, NY
10001

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