Amadeo Bennetta

I was born in France and grew up in Virginia, benefiting from the simplicities of a rural upbringing and the opportunity to experience broad, rich cultures. My entire life, I’ve been on a single-track towards residential architecture in what has always felt like a predetermined life calling. I was fortunate to inherit the drive and work ethic of my mother, and of my grandfather, who was also an architect.

I spent my childhood building Lego creations, drawing houses, and dreaming up endless forts. I was perhaps influenced more than I knew at the time by George Mendoza’s book, “Les Maisons De Dame Souris,” the architect mouse who designs meticulously personal, customized homes for her animal friends. I still have my original, well-worn copy.

I journeyed Westward in 2011 to join Walker Warner, drawn to the firm’s understated, site-sensitive approach to contextual design. I tend to fall back to observing what the landscape has served up for us to work with—not as constraints, but as a backdrop and an opportunity to occupy the site almost invisibly.

Over the past 15 years, I have had the pleasure of working on a number of projects in Hawaii. Hale Huna, which was originally designed by Vladimir Ossipoff, presented a unique set of challenges. This end result is back-to-basics: simple comforts, functionality, and an architecture that is subservient to the landscape.

On Maui, the Makena project was a lengthy journey built upon a tremendous level of client trust and wholehearted immersion in the design process. The challenging site, pinched between cul-de-sac and ocean’s edge, prompted a design of dual nature—balancing a front face of modest presence and privacy with a two-story, ocean-facing façade with expansive views.

After the Makena project came to a close, the clients asked us to design a guesthouse on the adjacent parcel. Our mission was to carefully integrate the new program into the broader site while embracing a different and more casual, playful vibe.

Currently in progress, Driftwood plays with the vernacular gabled forms of the California coast. An exercise in simplification, reduction, and weathered materiality, this project attempts to revert to the basics—simplicity in form and refinement in detail.

I thoroughly enjoy the working process with clients—the listening and uncovering of the narrative that is going to make a home truly special. I get tremendous satisfaction out of working through the intimate details and nuances of what “home” really means, and then stringing the pieces together into something that resonates and feels authentic. 

Outside of work, I love spending time outdoors with my wife and children. I hope to pass on to my two daughters an appreciation for the American wilderness along with all of its opportunities to inspire, adventure—and just get muddy.

Throughout my life, I’ve found inspiration in places near and far. Whenever I travel, I try to capture the beauty of the built and natural environments and, with any luck, integrate it into my work at Walker Warner.