An Interview
We are happy to share an interview with Toby Witte by Anton Giuroiu of architecture lab. The questions elicited a conversation about our work and what makes Toby tick.
The Intro
>> Toby Witte is the German-American […] founder of Wittehaus, a Charlotte-based [architectural design] studio focused on contemporary, energy-efficient [homes]. Since its founding in 2017, Wittehaus has built a portfolio marked by spatial clarity, material honesty, and environmental intelligence, emphasizing the transformative potential of carefully considered domestic architecture.
The Gerendák Residence distills the studio’s approach to place, form, and construction. Positioned at the edge of a forested site, the project integrates passive design strategies, expressive structure, and finely detailed material assemblies. It has earned widespread recognition, including honors from the Architecture MasterPrize, the BLT Built Design Awards, the World Design Awards, and the APR Global Future Design Awards.
The Bhat Residence, located in Lake Wylie, South Carolina, extends these principles across a dramatic topography. Designed around a central courtyard and anchored into the hillside, the project responds to site and culture with a rigorous yet poetic material palette of red and black, articulated through exposed concrete and sectional layering.
Witte’s design ethos is further explored in his book Supersizing Bliss: How We Have Betrayed Our Homes and the Happiness We Seek, which examines the connection between architecture and lived experience. His work has been featured in Architectural Digest, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and other leading publications. In 2023, Forbes named Wittehaus among the top 200 residential architecture firms in the United States. <<
Some Excerpts
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What inspires you?
I firmly believe that good design has the power to transform lives. Our surroundings shape the perception of ourselves, influence our emotions, and influence our overall well-being. To appreciate good design is to embrace a life of abundance.
As a designer and occasional builder of modern, energy-efficient homes, my role is to create inspiring residential spaces. I guide clients through the entire home-creation process, ensuring their vision becomes a reality. In my book, Supersizing Bliss – How We Have Betrayed Our Homes and the Happiness We Seek, I explore how thoughtful design can elevate everyday living.
My own inspiration comes from the diverse life stories my clients share. Each project is a unique reflection of their experiences and aspirations. To keep my ideas fresh, I travel and draw from the rich architectural landscapes of the world.
What inspired you to become an [architectural designer]?
I have had the privilege of studying and practicing drafting, building science, and architecture in both Germany, where I grew up, and the U.S., where I currently work. Growing up, I was immersed in a rich urban environment—not always filled with magazine-worthy architecture, but with intentionally designed buildings that responded to the city and its inhabitants. It was impossible not to notice how the built environment shaped daily life.
A voracious reader with a sometimes obsessive curiosity, I vividly remember picking up a book on the Weissenhofsiedlung in Stuttgart—a landmark exhibition estate of Modernist architecture. In many ways, I never put that book down. Architecture has been a lifelong pursuit for me, and I doubt I will ever be done exploring it.
How would you describe your design philosophy?
I titled my book Supersizing Bliss to highlight the search for spaces that enhance the happiness of their inhabitants. The foundation of this idea lies in shaping spaces, expressing structural elements, carefully playing with material textures, and manipulating natural light and shadow. This approach may be rooted in phenomenology, but it might simply be described as a visceral and emotional pursuit of meaningful solutions for my clients.
What is your favorite project?
As for my own, it’s always the current one. Each project lives for several years in my headspace. Each one offers new avenues of exploration and discovery. I like to say that creativity lies between wonder and rigor. Each project starts by asking for my child-like curiosity. Once the design has found itself it requires a concentrated effort to see it develop, get built, and be moved into. Along the journey, each step is full of fresh and complex moments of engagement. I love all my projects.
As for the thousands of architectural moments that have been shaping my creative muscle, the Edith Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe has been the most impressive one.
Gerendák Residence / Images by Amanda Anderson and Toby Witte
What is your favorite architectural detail?
There are so many favorite moments, but the one that still brings a smile to my face is what my clients affectionately dubbed “The Chopsticks.” They supported a studio space that was dramatically cantilevered over a cliff. Structurally, it posed a major challenge. The studio rested with just a small portion on a hillside terrace held back by a story-high stone wall—imagine placing a long, boxed-up birthday present on a table and pushing it well past the edge, far beyond what gravity should allow.
The views were breathtaking, spanning three directions as you stepped off the cliff and into the floating edges of the studio. But the big question remained: how do you hold up the box? A true cantilever wasn’t an option, and simply placing posts underneath would have destroyed the illusion of weightlessness. Once you place columns under an overhanging structure, it no longer functions as a cantilever. More importantly, it no longer looks and feels as one.
Our solution was to pierce two round steel poles through the structure and into the ground at opposing angles. These weren’t plumb supports—moved away from the edges of the building, they cut through the interior space, and exited through the roof. They were uncomfortably thin and visible from all sides, as well as the interior.
Structurally, they functioned as posts. Visually, they did the opposite. Like giving the Roadrunner absurdly long stilts to pause mid-air, we allowed the studio to linger in its gravity-defying pose. Against all odds, the cantilever that wasn’t, and the posts that weren’t, kept the studio suspended among the treetops.
Do you have a favorite material?
That’s like asking me if I have a favorite child. I think any material is allowed to play with us. It’s interesting how certain materials get a bad reputation due to some random cultural bias. Take vinyl or linoleum flooring, for example—often dismissed as cheap, yet I’ve seen it used to create stunning, sensually flowing, continuous surfaces, heat-welded at the seams with a smooth, monochromatic finish.
I love juxtaposing contrasting textures—like placing a rustic, warm, earthen surface beside a sleek, bold structural element.
More recently, it’s become a fascinating journey to seek out materials that are gentler on our natural habitat. There are so many factors to consider: Where and how is it produced? How far does it travel? Does it store more carbon than it emits in its manufacturing and installation?
We ask a lot of our materials. In the end, the most important question is whether a material contributes to the overall composition in a way that evokes a specific, visceral response.
What is your process for starting a new project?
We guide our prospective clients through a comprehensive onboarding process. The goal is twofold: to equip them with all the information they need and to extract everything we can from them, the property, and any other influences. Often, this begins with helping them find a property; without it, we can’t proceed.
We discuss budgets and what they can realistically achieve. We explore personal aspirations and long-term life visions. We ask uncomfortable questions to unearth every consideration that requires seeing daylight.
By the time we begin formal design work, we want the “sandbox” clearly defined. That way, we can dive into the creative process without unexpected curveballs. We aim to provide a clear and well-defined path forward before real money changes hands.
Our projects often represent life-defining moments for our clients. They’re investing their life savings, and we take that responsibility very seriously.
How do you fuel your creativity?
I practice what I encourage my clients to do—explore the world and discover extraordinary architecture. Every Friday, I share an inspiring project on our social media channels, highlighting thoughtful design moves and celebrating the architects behind them.
This weekly ritual keeps me searching for homes crafted with intention, creativity, and care—spaces shaped by a thoughtful hand and a loving eye. The world is full of breathtaking architecture. With so much inspiration out there, there’s simply no reason to settle for cookie-cutter design.
Bhat Residence / Images by Rusty Williams
What inspired the Bhat Residence?
The Bhat Residence grew from the rich cultural roots of our clients, who were raised in Southeast Asia. They envisioned a bold, black house with bright red accents—and the site added its challenges, with a steep hill and an awkward approach.
From these elements—and their programmatic needs—the idea of a central, elevated courtyard was born. It became the heart of the home, with every space, the structure, and circulation paths arranged around it.
We saw it as a boulder embedded in the hillside, with the spaces flowing around it like a river cascading down a mountain.
Where do you see the future of global architecture heading?
We’re approaching an inflection point. Soon, homes that aren’t energy-efficient or nearing net-zero will struggle to sell. The market will shift toward a race to the top.
Instead of competing to build cheaper and cheaper houses, the focus will turn to creating higher-quality homes. They’ll likely be smaller to keep costs in check, but they’ll be better designed and better built. We’ll be out of excuses not to build this way.
What advice would you give to young architects?
First, get out there and explore—work with different firms, try different things. Approach it with curiosity and a hunger to learn. Use the experience to discover your sweet spot—a niche where your unique skills and passions align.
Aim for a life with enough purpose to get you out of bed in the morning, and enough financial security to sleep well at night.
Set audacious goals.
Go big. <<