Take 10 With Matt Ininns of Mist Architects
Varda Landing by Matthew Ininns, artwork completed while working for EYRC Architects
One of Heirloom Builders' collaborators is Matt Ininns of Mist Architects. The California native spent a year studying architecture in Florence. After receiving his Bachelor of Architecture from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, he interned in Paris and worked in Stockholm. Returning to California, he settled in San Francisco, finding employment at the esteemed firm Mark Cavagnero Associates, where he focused on commercial and civic projects. He switched to residential work when he moved to Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects. Opening Mist Architects, Matt's combined background and experiences acknowledge the past while committing to a sustainable future.
HB: What drew you to choose a career in architecture?
MI: I grew up in Laguna Beach, which is filled with beautiful homes. Architecturally, the town has everything from quaint old cottages to modernist mansions, and they inspired me to pay attention to how a well-designed home can improve the site around it and create moments of magic for its residents. The striking beaches, steep terrain, and stunning views have attracted artists for decades, and the creative energy is palpable.
My father is also a residential architect, and he’s been running his practice for almost 40 years. His work focuses primarily on single-family homes, and growing up, I was drawn to the fact that each project he worked on was so different. Every one of his homes had unique clients with specific needs and problems to solve, and each site’s singular character could inform each decision.
HB: You’ve worked in Paris and Stockholm; how did those cities compare to San Francisco?
MI: While studying architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, I had the incredible opportunity to spend a year studying architecture and Italian in Florence, Italy. My time spent in Florence and traveling around Europe that year was beyond expansive, and all I wanted to do after graduating was get back.
I interned for three months in Paris with Studio Bellecour, where I learned Revit in French (which was an adventure in itself)! Paris is a dense, high-functioning city with many different urban characters in each neighborhood. From there, I had the pleasure of working with Street Monkey Architects in Stockholm, designing custom, prefabricated, and modular homes and schools. Stockholm is idyllic, Sweden’s quality of life and balance between work and leisure was eye-opening, and Swedish architecture’s refinement, minimalism, and calm are something I always strive to match.
San Francisco combines the density, cultural pull, and neighborhood variety of Paris with the stunning landscape and proximity to the water of Stockholm. It's hard not to miss Swedish summers or Parisian parks, but when it comes to American cities, you can't beat San Francisco's character, variety, and access to nature.
Some of the creatives behind Throughline, from L to R: poet Michael Wayne Turner III, photographer Brandon Ruffin, co-creators Taylor Smalls and Xavier Rernard, and vocalist Mara Hruby
HB: Favorite place to view art?
We San Franciscans are blessed with many incredible museums and galleries, but the most impactful art I have experienced recently was Throughline, which ran at 1500 Broadway in Oakland at the end of 2023. Throughline is a multi-disciplinary, interactive art show that celebrates the Black women who lead Oakland’s art and creative culture and inspire its future. The show was assembled by creative directors Taylor Smalls and Xavier Rernard, and it honored groundbreaking Oakland Black women like Dr. Akilah Cadet, Sherri McMullen, and Tanya Holland. The show featured paintings by Taylor Smalls, performances by Michael Wayne Turner III, and culinary delights from the Last Supper Society. The sensory immersive show culminated in commemorating these women and the essential role they play in defining Oakland and Bay Area culture beyond.
HB: Who is your favorite author?
MI: I have a hard time finding enough space to read these days, but my favorite books are Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five and Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove. I love Vonnegurt's surrealistic approach to addressing real-world problems and McMurtry's storytelling and celebration of the American West.
HB: What are some of the projects you are working on with Heirloom Builders?
MI: Working with Zach Heir and the Heirloom Builders team has been great. They are thoughtful, proactive, and creative; their end product shows this. Right now, we're working on two projects together. One is a home in the Castro with a complete interior remodel where we have shifted many interior walls, added skylights and larger openings, and found playful tiles that combine to bring light and fun to the family of four that lives there. The other project in the Mission, currently in the design phase, aims to revive a stand-alone tiny home behind a larger condo building. The clients are two musicians, and we will maximize the home’s small spaces with built-in storage and an open plan that allows for creative flexibility.
HB: How do architects and builders collaborate?
MI: In a perfect world, the contractor and architect are part of the process from day one. The synergy of creative ideation from the architect and practical problem-solving from the contractor gives the project the best chance at success. I have so much to learn on the job site, and I truly welcome the opportunity to hear feedback, absorb some of each contractor's knowledge of detailing and construction, and understand their overall approach.
HB: What’s inspiring you in architecture right now?
MI: Good architecture must succeed on both the macro and micro levels, and my focus is always straddling across both. On the grand scale, architects, clients, and builders need to do a better job ensuring that each building is high-performing and made of sustainable materials. Fully electrified buildings with well-insulated envelopes and high indoor air quality should be the norm, and each project must use sustainable products that can be recycled, repurposed, or stand the test of time. On a smaller scale, can each project's overall goals be applied to our decisions on the tiny moments within a building? New innovative finishes, details, and concepts inspire me every day, and finding which ones mesh with the projects I'm working on is the fun part.
HB: How does being Passive House certified influence your design process?
MI: "Passive House" is a building concept that was initially theorized in the 1970s and 1980s and developed into an official standard in Germany in the 1990s. The idea is fairly simple and mandates a well-insulated, air-tight, ventilation-balanced building with high-performing windows and doors that require very little energy to keep users comfortable. Essentially, the typical house is a plastic water bottle, and a Passive House is a thermos. If you fill both up with cold water and leave them in the sun, the thermos will be cold for hours while the plastic bottle is warm in minutes.
Although I have not been lucky enough to find the right client for a Passive House-certified project, I have already applied the concepts I learned while obtaining my Passive House Consultant accreditation to my work. Passive House is excellent because it does not hamper a project's form, aesthetic, or feel; it only provides performance standards that guide each building to a more comfortable and satisfying user experience while also saving energy.
HB: What might the built world look like in 10 years?
MI: As architects, builders, and developers, we have a lot of work to do! I hope regulations like Passive House, the Living Building Challenge, and WELL become standard and we take sustainability more seriously. A “good” building is unsuccessful unless it is high-performing, uses green materials, and improves the community beyond it. Learning from my time in Europe, I also believe that we need to see buildings as a more long-term investment than is typical in the United States. Homes, schools, and offices should last over 100 years, and the added cost of better materials and systems will surely pay off over time.
HB: What are your ideal weekend plans?
MI: As a surf nerd, my ideal weekend would center around lots of beach time. I'd also weave in some tennis with my wife, a long walk around Mt. Tamalpais, and wrap it up with dinner at Che Fico. I'm ready for fall to kick off soon and make these dreams a reality!
Matt Ininns