Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Gray.
Hi Chris, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I didn’t begin my working career in architecture but started in the design field later in life after education and work focused on engineering and business. Entrepreneurship was always a passion of mine and I found the combination of architecture and entrepreneurship to be an interesting mix of professions. My business partner and the co-founder of BLDG. Collective, Steve Perce and I met in graduate school at the University of Colorado Denver and had similar interests and philosophies when it came to design and creating a business. We created our company 15 years ago with the mission of creating exceptional design solutions while providing top notch professional services to our clients. For us this means design and is focused on the client and their aesthetic, time and financial goals. We have been focused on the Colorado market since we founded the firm in 2009, and have expanded to service the Ketchum/Sun Valley market in Idaho in 2023.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course things are not always smooth, but we have taken a slow growth approach to ride out the challenging times. We started the firm during the downturn in the economy in 2009 so that taught us to be frugal and consider a wide range of projects to help us get established. The Covid times were tough on our industry, but because of clients moving to the area from all over the US during that time, we were as busy as ever. Boulder is a fairly stable market for custom residential design compared to many places which makes it a fantastic location to be in.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We provide architectural and interior design services for the high-end custom residential market. We provide services from the initial concept phase of the project and help to manage the project all the way through to the end of construction. We believe in a transparent process and apply this to our design work, our billing and our employees. Architecture is a profession that many people don’t know much about and we want to make the process as comfortable and easy to understand as we can. The process is really important to us and we want our clients to enjoy the evolution of the design and involving them in the process allows them to take ownership in what we are creating together. Collaboration is a very important part of the process and this pertains to clients, engineers, builders, sub-contractors, and all colleagues that we partner with. Homes are more complex than ever and we really need to lean on the creativity and knowledge of our partners to provide the best and most complete options to our clients. One thing that we are very proud of is our track record of built projects. We have had very few projects go unbuilt throughout the life of our firm which we believe is a testament to listening to our clients and respecting their input and budgets.
How do you think about happiness?
Seeing a happy client and maintaining a friendship with them even after a project is complete. It’s very rewarding when a client moves into a new home and after living there for a while they experience things in the home that they never expected….like how the sun comes into the kitchen in the morning or the glimpse of the landscape that they saw while descending the stairs.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bldgcollective.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bldgcollective/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bldg.collective/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bldg-collective/
Image Credits
David Lauer
Jess Blackwell
Raul J Garcia
Christina Kiffney
