About

We are Framestudio. We are a close-knit architecture and design studio based in the East Bay that runs on equal parts know-how and passion.

We believe in looking to the past as much as looking toward the future for inspiration, being careful not to forget that simple, common-sense solutions have served us well for years. We believe technology should be unobtrusive, not over complicated, and make our lives easier. And we believe in being good stewards of the environment, incorporating sustainable building technology and construction methods into all our projects.

We design beautiful, intelligent homes and commercial spaces that speak to the Northern California sensibility: honest, natural materials. Practical spaces for indoor/outdoor living. Natural daylight used to its best effect. A practice of living well through design. Zero pretension.

Chad DeWitt is the founder of Framestudio, serving as the guiding hand for all the studio’s projects. Chad studied architecture and interior design at California College of the Arts. While still in school, Metropolis magazine featured his work on a midcentury residence. After graduation, he was tapped by Sunset to join its internal design team for the magazine’s annual Idea House. He launched his own studio in 2005. Finished projects include updated residences by Joseph Esherick, Henry Hill, William Turnbull Jr., and Charles Moore. A self-professed design nerd, he receives close to one hundred auction alerts daily and favors California postwar designs, with a dash of 1960’s Italian design.

Andrea Cernusak is Framestudio’s project architect, coordinating everything from drawings to permitting, construction to finishes. She has an insatiable appetite for knowledge spanning Italian window structures to learning the guitar. Curious and outdoorsy by nature, Andrea spends most of her free time bike riding and taking photos of the built environment. ​ Andrea studied Architecture at the University of Idaho and is a Licensed Architect in the State of California.

Magazines

  • Dwell Magazine
  • Dezeen
  • ArchDaily
  • San Francisco Chronicle
  • California Home + Design
  • Curbed
  • Sunset Magazine
  • Spaces Magazine
  • Gessato
  • Minimal Select
  • Remodelista
  • Hunker
  • Retail Design Blog
  • Metropolis Magazine
  • Monocle — United Kingdom
  • Enki — United Kingdom
  • Haus+Wellness — Germany
  • Casa Vogue — Brasil
  • Maison Magazine — France
  • Elle Decor — Italy
  • Architectural Digest — Russia
  • Habitat Magazine — South Africa

Books

  • The Monocle Book of Homes
  • Modernist Escapes: An Architectural Travel Guide
  • 150 Best New Cottage and Cabin Ideas

Television

  • HGTV, Designer Finals