Fall 2023

with fine art, studying sculpture and working in metal and stone. He chose to take a hands-on approach to his architectural training and spent eight years interning with a variety of top residential architecture firms in Southern California. During those years, Sterling had the opportunity to work on projects alongside the offices of renowned architect Robert A.M. Stern, whose work continues to influence his practice today. Also hailing from Los Angeles, Partner Hugh Huddleson’s path to becoming an architect began at an early age. “When I was seven, I sent house plans that I had drawn to a formidable local architect Barry Berkus, who then met with me and gave me some drawing equipment,” shares Huddleson. It was an inspiring meeting, but the relationship didn’t end there, after graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and postgraduate work at the Architectural Association in London, Huddleson eventually worked for Berkus in Santa Barbara. After completing his education, Huddleson went on to live in Europe, residing in Paris for nine years as well as living in Marrakech, London and Florence.While abroad, he worked for a number of well-known architects and designers, including Philippe Starck, Ettore Sottsass, Andrée Putman, Santiago Calatrava and Bill Willis. Sterling met Huddleson in 1995 while working with a group of architec- tural colleagues that had originated from the Barry Berkus office in Santa Barbara. The two men recognized and respected each other’s individual skill sets, and their design philosophies aligned, so when the opportunity arose, they collaborated on a project in Coeur d’ Alene and then another in Aspen. By the late 1990s, Sterling had estab- lished an office in Santa Barbara. Sterling and Huddleson continued to collaborate on projects, while Sterling set up an additional office in Ojai, before formalizing their partnership in 2005 with the Hamptons Cottages & Gardens Idea House, a collaboration between the two archi- tects and Hamptons Cottages & Gardens Magazine . “During this period, I began work on projects within the Santa Lucia Preserve, which felt like a natural fit given my long standing connection to the area,” says Sterling. To better serve clients here, he went on to officially establish the S|H Architecture Carmel office in 2006. The Carmel-by-the-Sea office is small and boutique with four tal- ented professionals, in addition to Sterling and Huddleson. This Carmel team is augmented by San Francisco and Santa Barbara offices as well as a remote team of both domestic and international professionals who help support the firm’s projects in other regions of the U.S. and abroad. The firm’s portfolio is not at all homogeneous, and that is by design. Instead, S|H Architecture works in a broad range of architectural styles, pri- oritizing “space, light and form” rather than adhering to a specific architectural style or a signature aesthetic. Says Huddleson, “We enjoy the challenges and particular joys of working in a mul- 132 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 3 Once home to the Forbes family, this 7,200 square-foot 1920s Montecito estate under- went an extensive restoration with the addition of a pool house and guesthouse. Huddleson's projects exist harmoniously within their environments, highlighting the soul of the land on Photo: Krescent Carasso Photo: T. Askari