Val Nehez, Founding Principal, Interiors
Following art history and architecture-focused study at Bard and Vassar Colleges, Val’s design career started in earnest when she designed, branded, owned and operated two restaurants in the one-time ghost town of Tivoli, NY. Sustained by the rich history and natural beauty of the Hudson River Valley, Val’s successful endeavors as a restaurateur led not only to favorable reviews in the New York Times food section, but also to a cookbook, published by Simon & Schuster.
Though she spent her childhood in West Mt. Airy, Val now enjoys a second life in Philadelphia and focuses on the creation of inviting environments for her clients. Every project is a bespoke process and Val invites her clients to bring their idiosyncrasies and personalities to the table. As Val puts it, “I’ve gained the ability to dance in the moment with my clients, bringing joy to the design process as the projects take a direction of their own – I’ve learned the grace of moving with it.”
Kelly Ennis, Founding Principal, Architecture
Kelly’s interest in the way people identify a sense of self through the spaces they inhabit developed while she was earning her degree in anthropology from Brown University. What most excites Kelly, and in fact drove her to pursue a career in architecture, is the idea that these spaces can be designed and tailored to individual people’s lives. The influence of her childhood in New England and first architecture apprenticeship on historic Nantucket, MA remains in her respect for traditional and historic architecture. In renovation work, she feels strongly that it is important to keep to the character of the building and its surroundings for an effective meshing of the old and the new.
Kelly received her Master's of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Trudy Watt, Architecture, Senior Project Manager
Trudy believes that architecture is an act of cultural stewardship and narrative expression on all scales, from a single piece of furniture or interior material choice to the design of a large building or piece of urban infrastructure. In short, architecture is one way we tell our stories, as individuals and as a culture writ large. She earned her B.S. Architecture with highest distinction from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her M. Arch from Princeton University's School of Architecture. She has designed residential gardens, crafted couches in the shape of clouds, florally delighted brides, given bike and segway tours of Chicago, enjoyed time on stage, schematized residential renovations, made up stories and done a lot of dancing. A lot of dancing.
Peter Nevins McBride, RA, LEED AP BD+C, Project Manager
If Architecture resides in the liminal space between The Sciences and The Arts, Peter’s design sensibilities and architectural interests tend to hedge toward the logical and tangible realm of the former. He believes the success of a design is directly tied to its ability to create an elegant synthesis of a project's relevant systems, whether electrical, mechanical, environmental, social, etc. Since earning his B.S. in Business from Georgetown University and his M.Arch from the University of Cincinnati, Peter has brought his uniquely analytical design aesthetic to a wide range of commercial, residential, and strictly conceptual projects that range in scale from the logo design for a tech startup to the master planning of seven miles of Delaware River waterfront. These days, he can often be found contentedly rehabilitating his aged, yet venerable, rowhouse in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Lindsay White, Staff Designer
After graduating with her Bachelors of Architecture in 2010, Lindsay worked in New York City as an expediter specializing in building code and zoning consulting. She has extensive knowledge of the International Codes and specific jurisdiction regulations from directing hundreds of diverse construction projects through the NYC Department of Buildings approval process. Lindsay returns to the design world with Ennis Nehez to contribute to authentic, people first design. With experience ranging from small renovations to 50+ story new buildings, Lindsay's background brings foresight and efficiency to our design process.
Paul Schultz, Architecture (Chicago Satellite)
Paul earned his Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1992, and his Masters degree in Architecture from the University of Oregon in 2000. Additionally, he studied furniture design and sustainable design in Copenhagen, Denmark. He has ten years experience working in architecture firms specializing in residential, retail, restaurants, institutional, museums, zoos and aquariums and is a LEED accredited professional.
For eight years Paul taught architecture at the Charter High School for Architecture and Design and at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His interests in design expand beyond buildings, interiors and education.
He designs and produces furniture, products, graphics and creates art installations composed of plastic bread clips. His approach to design is simple and pragmatic. His approach to life is “Think without the box.”
Tom Judd, Artist-in-Residence