“You should be an architect,” was the seed planted in the mind of Senior Architect, Sid Mullins, from an early age. Throughout his career, Sid has been instrumental in bringing a wide variety of projects to completion through his unique approach to architectural design. His role here at Camens Architectural Group is quite interesting and we want to allow you to get to know Sid better, in his own words.

How Did You Get Your Start?
My father was an Air Force aircraft mechanic, and my mother was extremely creative and used to paint as a hobby. So, I had the best of both sides of things. I was interested in putting things together like model airplanes and a keen interest in drawing. At a young age, I received a comment from a teacher in response to a drawing. “You should be an architect.” I got that a lot as a kid, and over the years, that feedback planted a seed so that when it was time to make a college decision, I went into the architecture program at Clemson University.

Throughout grad school, I worked with firms during summer breaks. One year, I was brought on to a team in Atlanta for some specialty pieces that needed fabrication. Once I graduated, I worked in Atlanta for six years until my wife and I moved back to Charleston. My work before coming to Camens Architectural Group involved teams of both commercial and residential architects. I think one of the things that Marc and I both brought to the firm is our commercial experience and the large projects that are very detail-oriented. That experience translates into a high attention to detail in residential work.

Where Do You Derive Inspiration?
Marc does the conceptual work, and I see myself as the bridge from concept to finished design. Where I really get inspired is at the end of a project, looking back on it before we start the next one. I ask, what can I do better? How can we improve on what we’ve created? Sometimes that a technical resolution or software update, and other times it’s a challenge presented to us in the course of the project.

With our clients, there’s a common theme. Whenever they’re interviewing residential architects, they sense a difference with us. They get to learn how we work, and they understand that it’s a fully collaborative relationship. By the time we start together, we’re working in my favorite way to build houses – to be on a team with the clients and develop the best home possible.

Can You Briefly Describe Your Process?
We approach everything from the inside-out point of view, so the way I work is in that fashion. I work in a way that I call “working in circles.” As I’m developing a design from concept, I make sure all aspects are working together at once. Instead of finishing the interior and then moving onto elevation, I work on a little bit of everything at the same time. It’s a very holistic process that leads to a better finished product.

In under grad, one of my professors assigned a project to some of my colleagues that made an impression on me. It was to draw as plan, section, and elevation of a fruit. The end result of the project is the realization that all the drawings we do are really all the same kind of drawing. We can’t let part of the design live by itself without a relationship with the others.

Are you ready to experience the difference that Camens Architectural Group brings to residential architecture? Contact us today to meet the team and get started.