ABOUT
We specialize in residential projects: architecture, outdoor spaces, and interiors. The Arabic word Saha means “plaza” and “internal courtyard”, and it can be a refuge from a busy city street, or simply an inviting resting place within a building. For us, it represents the enduring design principles of beauty, calm, shelter, and enjoyment.
LOCATION
Our office is in Oakland, California in the San Francisco Bay area.
OUR APPROACH
Our work celebrates the opportunities inherent in a given site, building, room, or space: its orientation in terms of outlook and daylight, the relationship between the interior and the exterior- a classic Californian opportunity given our typically temperate weather, and the use of color- whether vibrant and bright or neutral and subtle.
We carefully craft our floor plans to allow for not only a pleasing flow but also the inclusion of the activities and belongings that might come with a given project type or family.
We have a roster of experience general contractors, and we collaborate with a team of experienced consultants during the design process as needed by the particular project .
Sustainability
STUDIO SAHA has been part of the movement in the San Francisco Bay area toward buildings and spaces that are healthy for their occupants as well as the planet.
Build It Green’s Green Point Guidelines have provided one framework for our green building work, as they are structured to mirror the construction process, while also providing tangible targets in the five categories of Energy Efficiency, Water Conservation, Indoor Air Quality/ Health, Resource Conservation, and Community.
Reviews
Mercedes came up with a gorgeous design for an addition to our house which had a few variations that we could include or omit, depending on cost. Throughout the project Mercedes was available to answer questions, solve problems, hold our hands when we got worried about something in the process. We always enjoyed meeting with her. She is a born problem-solver and truly an artist. We recommend her highly.
Bernard Gershenson and Paula Gocker
Mercedes Corbell is incredibly creative. She has designed two rooms in my house, including a Master Bathroom addition, and the conversion of a basement to a Family Room. Both rooms are beautiful and magical. We loved working with Mercedes.
Merry Ross and Pat Zimski
Mercedes is great. She listened to our ideas and then gave us a design that improved upon them. Now we have a beautiful new kitchen. She’s creative and intelligent and easy to work with, so the whole design process was very enjoyable. We’re pleased with the result.
Jim and Ruth Reynolds
We worked with Mercedes Corbell on the conversion of our garage to a deluxe home office. Mercedes was efficient, a good communicator, and lots of ideas and good suggestions. She listened to what we thought about the “big picture” ideas and helped make them specific. She worked well with the contractor and his crew, and the project went very smoothly. We are very happy with her work.
KB
In retrospect, it was clearly fate that found me leafing through an old pile of Sunset magazines while home recovering from the flu. Intrigued by an unpretentious kitchen remodel in a Craftsman home of similar vintage to ours, I picked up the phone and called the designer listed in the article. Thus began a wonderful partnership with Mercedes. She proved to be everything we were looking for in a designer; great ideas, easy-going manner, sense of humor and the good sense to know when we needed space to mull over options. As a result, we have a kitchen that is a joy to behold and still delights us each and every day.
Martha and Tim Singleton
Working with Mercedes was one of the highlights of our recent kitchen and den remodel. She was insightful, asked the right questions to determine what our vision was, and really listened to our answers. She worked well to create a plan that worked with our vision and budget. She made specific creative suggestions that added a lot of value to our overall plan. Throughout the project, Mercedes was always professional, thorough and we could count on her to follow through with action items. She made great materials suggestions and was equipped with a network of very capable consultants who provided opinions and support, each adding value to the process. We would love to work with her again.
Teresa and Mike Hardy
In addition to being a delight to work with, Mercedes has designed the most functional and gorgeous office system for me. Her use of color and texture can only be described as lyrical.
Jenny Shore