Annabelle Selldorf is a German-born architect based in New York, known for understated yet highly refined buildings and interiors. Her practice, Selldorf Architects, has become closely associated with galleries, museums, and residential projects where proportion, light, and material carry the work more than overt formal gestures.
In exhibition spaces, Selldorf focuses on how art meets light and viewer. Walls are carefully aligned, ceiling heights calibrated, and daylight controlled so that works can be seen in a calm, stable atmosphere. Details recede, but their precision is felt in the ease of movement and clarity of sightlines.
Residential and mixed-use projects follow similar principles. Plans emphasize straightforward circulation, well-scaled rooms, and a restrained use of texture—stone, wood, and metal deployed in a way that feels both contemporary and quietly classical.
The firm’s work on museum renovations and expansions often involves sensitive engagement with historic structures. Interventions clarify circulation and bring in light without overwhelming existing character, demonstrating a preference for continuity over spectacle.
Over time, Selldorf Architects has built an international portfolio that exemplifies a particular kind of contemporary architecture: measured, durable, and focused on the quality of space rather than graphic impact.
Annabelle Selldorf is a German-born architect and founder of Selldorf Architects, recognized for elegantly restrained galleries, museums, and residential buildings. Her work emphasizes proportion, material refinement, and clear, quiet spaces.
Annabelle Selldorf is a German-born architect known for understated, precisely detailed galleries, museums, and residences. Her practice, Selldorf Architects, focuses on proportion, material refinement, and calm, functional spaces that support art and everyday life.
