Shop Talk | In Depth With Scott Edwards Architecture Partner Website

Written By: Cassidy Mantor

IN SHOP TALK, WESTERN HOME JOURNAL SITS DOWN WITH THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE WORK—THOSE SHAPING HOMES, LANDSCAPES, AND COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE WEST. THESE ARE CANDID CONVERSATIONS THAT MOVE BETWEEN PROCESS AND PERSONALITY, REVEALING THE STORIES, PASSIONS, AND PROJECTS THAT DEFINE THEIR WORK. IT’S OUR WAY OF GIVING READERS A DIRECT CONNECTION TO THE PEOPLE WHO FILL OUR P AGES AND MAKE THIS INDUSTRY TICK.

SCOTT EDWARDS ARCHITECTURE

RICK BERRY | PRINCIPAL, LEAD DESIGN

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Scott Edwards Architecture is a collaborative, people-first firm specializing in architecture, interiors, and planning, with a process rooted in clients’ visions, goals, and lived experiences. Rick Berry, a firm principal, leads the residential studio, a team with a nuanced understanding of residential architecture and the level of sophistication required in detailing. The studio’s work is defined by responses that are timeless, distinctive, and precisely tailored to each client.

Rick Berry: I’m inspired by people and places. Architecture shaped by its location and the people it serves ensures that no two houses are the same. I’m drawn to design rooted in specificity—where each response is cohesive from the overall concept down to the smallest detail.

Thoughtful place making resonates with me. Designing in mountainous regions offers landscapes unlike any other, and the most rewarding work happens when architecture speaks clearly with both the site and the client. As an avid skier and hiker, my connection to these environments is personal, which deepens the experience of designing within them.

“MY WORK IS INFORMED BY THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST,TREES, STONE, AND MOUNTAINS. THE HOMES ARE HUMAN SCALED AND COMFORTABLE, SUPPORTING HOW CLIENTS WANT TO LIVE.”

– Rick Berry, Principal, Lead Design

The process starts with listening and understanding each client’s goals and priorities. Time on site is essential. We’ll spend an afternoon walking the land, taking in the surroundings, and imagining what the home could become. From there, several early concepts are developed, discussed, and refined into a single direction. Early collaboration with the interior designer and general contractor helps refine the vision, ensure constructability, and align scope and cost. That collaborative rhythm continues throughout the project, creating a process that is open, communicative, and focused on shaping a home that feels genuinely tailored to its owners.

My work is informed by the Pacific Northwest—trees, stone, and mountains. The homes are human-scaled and comfortable, supporting how clients want to live. Materials are restrained and timeless. Working with these natural materials allows each home to settle into its surroundings with ease.

The clients. Every project begins with a different vision, and the most rewarding part is listening carefully and translating that into architecture. Each project is an opportunity to create something meaningful and specific.

Scott Edwards Architecture provides architecture, interior design, and planning services across nine market sectors, including residential, civic, commercial, community, education, healthcare, hospitality, interiors, and multi-family.

It started when I was seven. I convinced my parents to stop at a cedar home showroom, where I saw my first floor plan. From that point on, I was always drawing—#2 Ticonderoga pencil and sketchpad close at hand.

Off-trail backpacking. Navigating by map and compass to reach a small tarn or an alpine ridge brings me a sense of discovery that never gets old.

Rome, for its layers of history, centuries of architectural dialogue, and extraordinary texture.

Summer—when I’m high up in the mountains, backpacking, sleeping under the stars.

Living in Portland offers easy access to the outdoors and the ability to walk to work. The fact that both the ocean and the mountains are within an hour is hard to beat.

whj SHOP TALK