Anuradha Shah Architects

We’ve been here at Cumballa Hill 406 for a while now. Most days it’s just us sitting around the desks, looking at drawings and trying to figure out how to make things work on paper before any bricks get laid. Anuradha started this place because she liked drawing houses, and it just kind of grew from there into a real business. It isn’t always glamorous, honestly. There is a lot of back and forth with contractors and waiting for permits that take forever to show up. We have a small office, and sometimes it gets crowded with rolls of blueprints and coffee mugs. People stop by to talk about their kitchens or a new room they want to add. We listen, take some notes, and try to draw something that won't fall down or look strange next to the neighbors. It’s mostly just hard work and making sure the measurements are right. We don’t have a fancy lobby or anything like that. Just a space where we do our thinking and planning. Some days are slow, and other days we can't find a pen when we need one. We just keep at it, project by project, right here in the neighborhood. It's nice being close to everything in Cumballa Hill. We know the streets and how the light hits the buildings around here. If you walk past 406, you’ll probably see us through the window just working away at our desks.