Our Team.
Suzanne Zahr is the owner and creator of an Architect-led, Design-Build practice on Mercer Island. Her firm takes a symbiotic approach to designing and building creative environments. Suzanne empowers her team to bring creativity and ingenuity to life in close collaboration with residential, corporate, and retail clientele.
Job Openings - Join our Team!
SUZANNE ZAHR. Founder & Principal Architect
FAVORITE ARCHITECTURAL MOMENT: While traveling on an academic fellowship in Sub-Sahara Africa, I visited a Fulani village in the arid Northern region of Senagal & a Diola village made of 'impluvium' homes in the Casamance rain forest. Their adaptations of 'architecture without architects' were pristine, effective & as beautiful as their inhabitants.
THEME MUSIC: Blue Train by John Coltrane
LARA TEDROW. Architectural Designer
FAVORITE ARCHITECTURAL MOMENT:
Walking through the stairwell of The Broad, a contemporary art museum in Downtown Los Angeles. It was like walking through a man-made cave with these cool moments of organic cut-outs that look into the vault where all the artwork is stored away.
THEME MUSIC:
Defying Gravity from WICKED The Musical
PARKER EBERHARD. Construction Manager
FAVORITE ARCHITECTURAL MOMENT:
Therme Vals by Peter Zumthor. There is a hidden pool that I had to enter by swimming through a small tunnel made of stacked Vals quartzite stone. As I emerged from the tunnel, I found myself in a cavernous void of rock, the warm mineral water scented with local flower petals. There was a stranger in the bath chanting in an even stranger language, her voice reverberating off of rough-hewn stone walls. What had been drawn as a simple rectangle on a sheet of paper many years ago has become this sensory experience that I remember to this day.
THEME MUSIC:
Smallest Splinter by Hamilton Leithauser
JULIA HESS. Prolific Storyteller
FAVORITE ARCHITECTURAL MOMENT:
After seeing it five years ago for the first time, the Suzzallo Reading Room at UW-Seattle is still my favorite piece of architecture in the city. Its beautiful lighting and huge windows make me want to read and write all day!
THEME MUSIC:
Objects of my Affection
by Peter, Bjorn, and John
SHANNON CARVER. Development Coordinator
FAVORITE ARCHITECTURAL MOMENT:
The University of Oregon’s campus Architecture inspires me by connecting components of technology with nature, especially the Jaqua Center for Student Athletes and Matt Knight Arena.
THEME MUSIC:
UB40 Red Red Wine
CHRISTO DOKO. Master Craftsman, Doko, LLC
FAVORITE ARCHITECTURAL MOMENT:
The Acropolis of Athens.
THEME MUSIC:
So This is Christmas by Celine Dion
KIM BENJAMIN. Accounting Manager
FAVORITE ARCHITECTURAL MOMENT:
Exploring Mercer Island at night and finding the highest neighborhood in the town center, looking out at the lights and views, beautiful!
THEME MUSIC:
Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
KIZZY. Chairdog of the Board
FAVORITE ARCHITECTURAL MOMENT:
Nothing more breathtaking than walking the Enchanted Forest in Pioneer Park with my humans. So much to sniff, so many nooks and crevices to explore, and on my lucky days I find remnants of gnome villages.
THEME MUSIC:
Martha My Dear by The Beatles
SHAKIBA AHMADI. Architectural Designer
FAVORITE ARCHITECTURAL MOMENT:
Walking around the Naghsh-e Jahan square in the city of Isfahan in Iran, one of my favorite architectural moments. It is surrounded by historical buildings which are great samples of traditional Persian architecture that have inspired me as an architect.”
THEME MUSIC:
Jana by Ehaam
ALFONSO GUSMAN. Carpenter | Foreman
FAVORITE ARCHITECTURAL MOMENT:
God created the nature, the forests, the sea. I like to admire the skies at night. When I was a boy, I'd climb up to my roof and look at the stars. I liked to disappear into the heavens, admiring the universe.
THEME MUSIC:
Besame Mucho by Consuelo Valesquez
Rancheras con Mariachi
PAUL NUNN. Art & Signage Curator
FAVORITE ARCHITECTURAL MOMENT:
Cuba's National Art Schools, now known as the Instituto Superior de Arte, considered by historians to be among the most outstanding architectural achievements of the Cuban Revolution. It was built in a time when the US trade embargo made building steel reinforced structures impossible.
THEME MUSIC:
Tessellate by alt-J
Gary Henderson has been working with Suzanne for 12 years, completing several major projects together. Suzanne admires Gary’s experienced authority in the field of interior design, as well as his personable and friendly communication style with clients and across teams. He brings a humanity back to the process of design, and similar to Suzanne’s own philosophy, Gary designs with solely the client in mind.
Rêve is the French word for “dream,” and it is our aim to attract investors who dream of exciting opportunities in property development. With our combined background in real estate law, design, construction and property development, Rêve’s team handles complexities with ease to ensure that these dreams can become a reality.