We are a regionally-focused studio creating custom homes that reflect our clients’ values, sites, and place.
Chris Cahill has been leading CahillStudio studio for fifteen years, and practicing for over 25. The Studio is guided by a regional aesthetic that is characterized by a strong connection with the environment, its beauty, and contemporary design principles.
We enjoy getting to know our clients, their properties, and how they live; learning about their preferences and needs, and helping them define and refine their wish lists. The homes we design are a reflection of our clients’ values, their sites, and the region.
We design and execute with aesthetic skill, technical acumen, regional intelligence, and environmental responsibility. CahillStudio leads with kindness, good humor, integrity, and respect, and is defined by its collaborative spirit.
Chris Cahill, Principal
Chris founded CahillStudio in 2010 to focus exclusively on designing custom residences and vineyard estate properties in Northern California. A great communicator and collaborator, Chris excels at team-building, and his site design skills and keen eye for detail provide the foundation for creating buildings that delight, endure, and co-exist seamlessly with their natural environments. Chris approaches every project by identifying a clear design concept, and allowing discovery of the best solutions through a rigorous process of evaluation and collaboration. Guided by his strong vision, clients embrace the creative process from start to finish.
After completing his education in New Orleans, Chris spent a year abroad gaining professional experience with a London-based architectural firm, which combined with three months of travel throughout Europe, profoundly broadened his understanding of the crucial role architecture plays in shaping cultural identity and connection to the natural environment.
Chris began his career in 1990 in San Francisco at Backen, Arrigoni & Ross Architects, working on a range of signature projects under Howard Backen. Chris’s portfolio included flagship store designs, several iconic Napa Valley wineries, and custom homes in the Bay Area. Subsequently, Chris joined Backen’s new Napa Valley office, Backen & Gillam Architects, where he served as the firm's senior designer responsible for executing several award-winning commissions. In 2000, Chris joined RossDrulisCusenbery Architecture as lead designer responsible for establishing the firm’s residential design studio; it was here that Chris began forging enduring collaborative partnerships with property developers, builders, designers of all walks, craftspeople, and artisans who he works with today.
Education
Bachelor / Master of Architecture, Tulane University
Independent Study, Pratt Institute School Of Design