Meet Luke Taylor-Brown of LTBa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luke Taylor-Brown.

Hi Luke, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m the owner of LTBa, a modern residential architecture firm here in Denver. We’re a small, boutique firm that prioritizes design and personal attention for our clients. Our work emphasizes open spaces, abundant natural light, and a sense of connection between indoors and outdoors.

I’m not from Denver originally and took a somewhat roundabout route getting here. I grew up in western Massachusetts (which means I don’t have a Boston accent), and after graduating from Syracuse University’s School of Architecture, I lived in Boston and San Francisco for about 14 years before moving to Denver. So I guess I did the very cliché thing of moving from California to Colorado, but my wife grew up here so I think that gives me at least 50% street cred. We have two kids now and it feels like we’ve been in Denver forever.

Early in my career, I worked on larger civic and institutional projects before realizing my passion was designing homes. I learned that I really enjoy the size and scale of residential work and the personal connection of working with homeowners–solving design problems that directly improve their day-to-day life feels incredibly gratifying. Not long after moving to Denver, an opportunity came up to design a large new house. I was working at another firm at the time, so taking on the project meant going out on my own, which I hadn’t necessarily planned on doing before that. But I took the plunge, and now LTBa is coming up on its 10-year anniversary. That first house ended up taking six years to design and build (which is another story entirely) but it was a solid foundation for the firm’s early years.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Owning your own business definitely has ups and downs, so I can’t exactly say it’s been smooth all the time. I was pretty new to Denver when I started LTBa, so it’s taken time to develop a network of quality-minded builders, consultants, vendors, and other partners to work with. I’d also say that the economic pressures of building a home (lending rates, cost of construction, etc.) can be pretty tough on homeowners and project budgets, so trying to create high-design ‘architecture with a capital A’ is not always easy. You really have to cultivate partnerships with clients who want something special, and who have the resources to invest in that.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
LTBa specializes in modern houses that are warm and approachable. I like to say we combine the poetic and the practical, meaning we look for solutions that are inventive and artful, yet grounded in reality. I think I’m most proud of what I’d say is a holistic approach to architecture: good design has a clarity of concept, and yes it helps to use beautiful materials, but it’s more than that. I also love to nerd out on the technical details of how things are built, or how comfortable or energy efficient a home is. Anything and everything that affects how much someone loves a home we design–it matters to us. We’re really trying to look at the whole picture and do it all at a high level.

I also recently became a Certified Passive House Designer, so I’m excited to incorporate that into the firm’s work. For those that are unfamiliar, Passive House refers to design and construction standards focused on energy efficiency and high levels of indoor comfort and air quality. Basically: super-healthy, super-comfortable homes that cost very little to heat and cool. These types of homes have other benefits too, such as insulating homeowners against rising energy costs, and even offering better protection against wildfires. It’s very science-y stuff in some ways, but the headline is: Passive Houses are Better Houses. So if we can make better houses AND make them look sexy too…why would we not do that? It’s just another way where we can take what we’re already doing and raise the level.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Does two cups of coffee in the morning count as a ‘resource’? I also have to do the NYT Spelling Bee every single day, to get those neurons firing.

Anytime I’m stuck on an architectural problem, I pick up a Rick Joy book. They’re just so full of beautifully distilled design ideas.

I listen to The Daily and Hard Fork podcasts regularly, for quick insights about national/world news, and the latest updates on AI and how it may or may not be taking over the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ltb-a.com
• Instagram: ltb_arch

Image Credits
HUNTER RESIDENCE: Parrish Ruiz de Velasco
REED RESIDENCE: Mickkail Cain