Masa Studio Architects

I cannot say enough good things about MASA. Mark and his team are incredibly hard-working—working long hours to make sure everything is perfect—and they are truly passionate about ensuring their beautiful design is executed exactly as intended. They neither cut corners nor drag out the project; they walk the perfect balance between implementing the homeowner’s vision and pushing back when that vision is impractical or, well, downright bad; and Mark is professional yet easy to get along with. We ended up going all in with MASA (utilizing their design services as well as construction management for our new home) once we realized how amazing they were. And in case you’re concerned that the principal (Mark) won’t be involved in the details, to the contrary, the man is out there squeezing himself into crevices and crawling on roofs to ensure measurements are correct down to the .01 inch.

I found MASA Studio, Architects (Mark Adkins) in a rather circuitous manner. I first interviewed two other architectural firms before reaching out to a friend who is a corporate architect living in Italy. He recommended Mark as they had worked together previously. I contacted Mark and we had an interview via Zoom. The interview was completely different from the others, and I immediately understood what was involved, how much it might cost, and the process. Plus, Mark was very personable and approachable. Mark came out to my country location (1 ½ hour drive) and spent the day looking at our land and asked a multitude of questions. He gave me a questionnaire (75+ very detailed questions) which I shared with my son and daughter-in-law (as the house will be a home for us all). We each answered the questionnaire and Mark has seemingly aligned our dreams despite having three different opinions on most details. Mark is very creative, energetic and is well connected. I have a very flat acreage and drainage is problematic. Mark brought in innovative resources to help mitigate the issue. He was very proactive and scientific in solving the problem Mark’s design, creativity and attention to every detail are unparalleled. The 3-D interior images are amazing which gives you a complete feel for what it will look like. Mark and his team should absolutely be your go-to when you need an architect. His expertise and guidance make the whole process less daunting.

Working with Mark Atkins at MASA was a wonderful experience. He really listened to what we wanted and had such great ideas, concepts that we never would have thought of ourselves. He brought us great options, narrowing down our choices, which made it much easier to make decisions quickly. Mark designed a beautiful home for us, using wonderful vendors. There was so much attention to detail. We also had him design the interior of our home and assist in choosing furniture, accessories, rugs, draperies, etc. Mark provided us with a binder of all our purchases, which is a helpful reference. Our builder shows our home to potential clients and they all love the design. I would recommend Mark and MASA to everyone. We have been so happy with the experience and love our home.

Mark and his team were outstanding to work with. As architects, they brought an incredible level of knowledge, creativity, and flexibility to the process, and they did an excellent job turning our ideas into a clear, well-designed plan. They have a real gift for making your vision visible and achievable. They worked seamlessly with our builder, which made the entire project feel coordinated and efficient from start to finish. Communication was smooth, details were handled thoughtfully, and we always felt confident that the design was in expert hands. We couldn’t be happier with the result and would highly recommend Mark and his team to anyone looking for architects who truly care about both the design and the execution.

Our experience with Mark and his team has be just exceptional. He quickly understood the look and feel we were going for and at the same time personalized it with such class and sophistication it has been amazing. He sees things that 99% of people would miss or not consider and brings it to your attention to consider......in my options thats what makes working with Mark so rewarding......you get the information and ideas to consider early and often so you are equipped to make your home/project exactly the way you want it. I cant say enough Mark is exceptional and he takes the time to make you and your project exceptional. I know we are not his only client but frankly we feel like it and we love it! Thanks Mark you have made our home something special and our kids and grandkids thank you as well.

Plan sets and 3D design is out of this world. Had a simple structure done by them and the whole process was super easy. Loved the ideas they had and put in front of me.

I am a builder who has started working with MASA in 2019. Their process, work, and creativity are phenomenal. Mark and his team do an excellent job of taking our clients through the design process in a way that is collaborative, flexible, and allows the client to experience what the home will feel like inside as it's being designed. I highly recommend anyone to use MASA if they are interested in building a special and well designed home. Shawn Sidoti, Alleanza Custom Homes

MASA Studio is the absolute best designer I have ever worked with! It took over 20 years of development enterprises to find someone who sees the entire vision & brings it to life within budget. I’m addition to fantastic architecture & beautiful interior design, the organization and delivery are beyond any outfit I have ever worked with! Every contractor that bid on our job was amazed at the level of detail in the plans. I will continue to use MASA Studio for all high-end/luxury development projects! Excellent work & a joy to work with, as well!

If I had to summarize working with Mark Atkins and MASA Studio, I would say - he exceeded all of our expectations!!! We leave every meeting with Mark blown away by his creativity, thoughtfulness, attention to detail and knowledge. He also has a vast knowledge regarding the building process which is not a common trait with most architects. He is very in-tune to new building materials, methods and costs to execute...at times more so than some builders! I have been dreaming about this home for a few years now so this is certainly a project of love for me. Seeing it come to life has been so exciting and it is more than I even imagined - I definitely credit a lot of that to Mark. We ended up having Mark do the plans as well as the 3-d renderings for the entire house. I would say this is money well spent as the 3-d renderings have been so helpful in so many ways. Great way to physically see the concepts and how they will translate during building. Being able to see sun light patterns through windows and outdoor areas is a great tool for planning. At the end of the day - choosing MASA Studio is one of the best decisions we have made with our custom home project.

At the suggestion of a friend, we hired Mark Atkins of Masa Studio Architects to design our dream home in Houston -- and that's just what he did! Mark is an incredibly talented, honest, pleasant man to work with. He listens to what you want and translates it to paper. Our builder has stated that his set of drawings are the some of the most complete and detailed they have ever seen. I highly recommend Mark and his team to design your next home!

From idea to a house! Mark and his associates made everything so easy. Great, unique design on a brand new house. They accommodated all of our thoughts/ideas/requests in their design and we now enjoy our dream home which makes us smile every time we walk in. Everybody at MASA Studio was approachable, responsive and very helpful. We have already recommended them to friends and we will definitely use MASA again for our next project.

Masa studio was great. They were very timely and thoughtful in their approach. We were able to achieve all our goals within the timeframe. Their design was exactly how we wanted it. Highly recommend them

Mark and his team do a great job at design. Their plans are clear and detailed and the designs are original and thoughtful. Mark is always available to answer questions. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Masa for any project.

We can't give enough stars to rate the outstanding job Mark and his team did. He came in during the middle of construction and made what looked like a catastrophe into a beautiful home. It is one thing to start from scratch, but another to fix a custom home that has already been started and turn lemons into lemonade. We highly recommend him and his team. Mark's professionalism, communication of ideas, meeting deadlines, finding ways to save costs and design ideas are absolutely the best!

MASA group is creative, professional, responsive, attentive to details. My custom home is beautiful. MASA has been great throughout design and building stages. Would recommend without reservation.

Mark Atkins of Masa Studio Architects was incredible from start to finish. Before we even engaged Masa, Mark was there to help us review our options for several different lots that we were interested in and he showed us preliminary designs that would fit on each. Once we selected our lot, the real fun began and he helped us every step of the way. Masa not only handled all of our design work, they also managed our interior finish selections, and served as our construction administrator. This included General Contractor bidding, contract negotiations, weekly walk-throughs, builder meetings, monthly draws, applications for payment and a little marriage counseling along the way. :-) On top of that, I can't tell you how many times I showed up at our home while it was under construction and saw Mark working. Whether it was on a scaffold adjusting the lighting in the stair foyer, finishing grout details on our clay roof tiles, or ensuring that every light switch was perfectly level, no detail was left to chance. If you are looking for an extremely talented architect, Mark and Masa Studios will ensure a high quality project from start to finish.

We are a custom home builder who have collaborated with Masa Studio Architects founder Mark Atkins and his team on three custom home projects in the last two years. The three projects have been in very different architectural styles – traditional, transitional and modern. In all three projects the team at Masa Studio has shown great expertise in style elements, proper plan layout as well as material selection. Their plans are always precise and extremely detailed and are apt to use their 3-D modeling to make sure the plan flows properly and each element is dimensioned in the correct proportions to each other. They listen to their client wishes but are not afraid to impart their wisdom when they feel strongly about the direction of the plan development. Mark and his team provide the professional service, the technological know-how, and the genuine love of the process that his clients deserve. We have always come out of our project collaboration with the Masa Studio team with a whole new layer of knowledge about plan layouts and selections. As a professional in the custom home building field we highly recommend Masa Studio Architects to anyone looking to work with one of the finest architect firms.

A firm that understands the subtle nuances of different vernaculars in architecture. With an abundance of experience in a variety of styles, the firm was able to meet our family's needs while providing an exceptional, unparalleled look.

When I asked my husband (a commercial contractor who knows the architectural community very well) to recommend an architect for our home remodel, Mark was his first choice. Mark came out on several occasions to get an idea on what I wanted. Mark has splendid ideas and made suggestions where I hadn’t even considered the possibilities. Our plan never materialized to fruition as I decided I was making too many compromises in a major remodel verses building from scratch and I wasn’t quite ready to bull doze my house. So for now, a bit of paint and fluffing up will do until I decide to relocate/build and Mark will be the first call I make. He is very professional and talented.

I hired Masa Studios to renovate the back of my home after Hurricane Ike destroyed much of it in the storm. Mark Atkins is an excellent designer and worked with us to create a wonderful space. I appreciated his thoughtful attention to detail suggesting ideas for fixtures, textures, and concepts. He is not only an excellent architect but he designs the entire environmental concept.

Had the pleasure of meeting Mark Atkins during the construction of several projects where we performed as the Builder and MASA Studios had been hired to Design the home as well as provide Construction Management services. Marks extensive knowledge of construction as well as the unique designs and finishes produced by MASA Studios, motivated me to hire Mark's firm to design my personal home. So not only am I a professional who worked with this company, I also hired them. Needless to say, I have great admiration for the designs that are produced by MASA Studios. Here's a a little additional info on Mark as a CM. As a builder, I admit that Mark's drive to achieve excellence is tough on the contractors. However, that attitude, knowledge along with his hardworking effort assures the homeowner that they are getting the best construction and highest quality finishes of their home that is humanly possible. After 25 years as a Builder/GC, I've yet to meet an architect that can walk on a job site and spot the slightest inefficiency like Mark can. Those essential qualities for excellent homebuilding and design are passed on the staff at MASA. They are always ready to provide assistance and answers to your questions. You can rest assured that Mark as well as the staff member that is working on your project will know all the necessary construction details of your home, inside and out. Hope this helps anyone looking for an outstanding A&E firm. I will make sure to post pictures of my home upon it's completion.

Very professional. Listened to clients' needs to make the project not only the vision of the architect, but with clients ideas in mind the entire way.

Services were timely, creative and communicated very professionally. Of particular value for the creative ideas to work around the fact that I am in a motorized wheelchair with no ability to stand or use my hands. Could not be more pleased with the resulting product.

I've worked with a fair number of architects on various projects over the years. Mark Atkins at Masa Studios is flat out the best I've seen. Mark first walked us through a great process to define our needs. He then had an uncanny sense of knowing what design decisions he should make as our architect versus the things we would want to choose. Mark had solid recommendations all along the way. Mark also served as our construction administrator, and he worked well with our contractor even through the inevitable problems that come up during construction. No hesitation giving Mark and Masa Studios the highest rating possible!

Masa Studio has the experience to achieve original work from residential to commercial. Mark is a good listener as to the client’s needs and offers options to achieve the desired result. His strengths are original design and his ability to scale spaces to fit the flow of the structure.

We worked with Mark on his "Soothing Santa Barbara Style" home a while back. What Mark dreamed of, we created. The result were two spectacular light fixtures that make the rooms entirely. Mark was a pleasure to deal with from day one, until now. Highly professional, and knew what he wanted to make his and his client's vision a reality.

I've had the privilege to work with Mark Atkins on several projects throughout the years. It is always a great experience to work with him, he is very detail oriented, not afraid to step outside of the box to create a fabulously unique design, easy going and very loyal to his vendors. Some of my favorite design jobs have been in collaboration with Mark. Nicki Kana

A truly delightful and knowledgeable Architect/Designer to work with. Very precise when working with color selection and very sure of what is necessary to complete any project. Listens to his clients needs and executes them along with his great taste in selections.

Mark Atkins is an incredibly talented architect! His attention to detail is appropriate for his craft and his dedication to the built environment is exemplary. He is not restricted to aesthetic and can work with equal comfort in modern to classical settings, including the building structure as well as interior design elements. I have personally viewed two projects that are under construction in Houston and believe that he understands the options available for all levels of budget, appropriate to neighborhood, and delivering on time and on budget! His talent is only exceeded by his dedication to his clients needs!

Working with Mark at MASA Studio Architects is effortless. His general knowledge of the demands from the electrical to HVAC in relation to the appliances requested for a job are impeccable. You might say he lives by the old addage of "measure twice and cut once".

I have worked with Mark Atkins of Masa Studio Architects on numerous projects including remodels, new construction and lighting design. We have a good working relationship and I find his designs innovative. I highly recommend Mark for anyone's architectural or lighting needs. Jessica Horn Lighting Inc.

Always a pleasure to work with this firm. Very professional and courteous. Worked on large glazed lavastone countertops for a kitchen / residential Jean Pauwels at Pyrolave USA