The Mutuus studio in Georgetown is easy to miss — it’s hidden behind a gated courtyard tucked in between Ciudad and Mezzanotte along 12th. Once discovered, the massive steel door to this architecture firm opens into a space that feels less like an office and more like an artist studio: tall ceilings, white walls, and evidence of creativity strewn around abundantly. Mutuus, which is Latin for “reciprocal” or “done in exchange”, was founded by Kristen Becker and Jim Friesz and focuses on high-end, meticulously detailed work — primarily but not exclusively residential architecture. Becker’s role on the team stands out — he joined the team to integrate an approach to art and making that goes well beyond our traditional understanding of art or craftsmanship in architecture. 

Becker’s bona fides are many, the most exemplary of which include receiving a 2010 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, NYFA Fellowship, a 2005 Virginia Museum of Fine Art Fellowship, and a 2011 Artist Trust Fellowship. His work has been shown in The New York Times and The New Yorker, he’s had numerous solo exhibitions with Horton Gallery in Chelsea, New York; he’s been featured at Artists Space, the Horticultural Society of New York, and the Socrates Sculpture Park. In March of this year he had a show at the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue. Today, Becker is preparing for his upcoming show at the LA Natural History Museum, opening in September 2024. 

Becker’s art is infused into the firm’s projects wherever it can be and in as many ways as there is opportunity to. This integration is different from simply adding a piece of Becker’s artwork. When incorporated, he makes objects uniquely inspired by the location or the client’s story — think of drawer pulls made from brass and shells from a nearby beach, or a light installation that maps the client’s home state of Montana like a constellation of warm, round, metal stars. An even more personal example of his work is a light he designed after a friend’s father, who went by Bud, passed away. Becker received one of Bud’s work shirts and laminated it, forming it into a cylinder and then finishing it on a lathe.  He created a pendant that feels emotionally textured in that it maintains the character of the shirt and the marks of wear and age. He called the piece “Bud Light”. Reflecting the iterative artistic nature of his work, which primarily manifests in the firm’s residential architecture, Becker notes: “A title for myself that I’ve tossed around for a while is ‘artist in residence’, a little play on words.” Becker is not only contributing to residential work, but is also a permanent “resident” at Mutuus.

The objects Becker designs and fabricates, often by hand, are under the Mutuus Made umbrella and are rarely for sale to the public. Instead, they are a byproduct of what it means to work with the firm; a way for clients to take their commitment to art and craft further. 

When talking about this work, Becker shows a modesty you might not expect from an artist of his talent and accomplishment. He admits: “I don’t really know where I’m going to take the Mutuus Made stuff”, adding: “My work is very exploratory, and I've given myself permission to just design - to follow my interest.” He adds: “The home is the last handmade thing you’re getting. It’s the last custom consumable, and one of the only places where you can pursue this kind of inquiry.” It’s easy to agree — there are few other places in our lives we can infuse with the same level of identity and story. 

To this prompt, Becker brings a creativity that is constantly emergent: he has ideas, upon ideas, upon ideas. His skills have a wide range, and he pursues what he is curious about — photography, collage art, material research; working with brass, wood, metal, and fabric to make it react, or collaborate. A recently finished Mutuus project in LA used one of Becker’s experimental finishes on the kitchen cabinetry. By coating plywood with dropcloth, linen, and resin, the materials work together to create a gray tone that is uniquely textured, and feels very organic, as if the cabinets were made of fabric. 

If being in a gallery or artist studio loft has ever inspired you, then being inside the Mutuus studio would feel similar, but with the added excitement of knowing that Becker is making art that carries function and can spark consideration in our daily environments. As we look out across the landscape of LMN’s The Shop, JAS’ Corner Store, Housewright, Mutuus Made and beyond, we can see Seattle studios branching out and finding new ways to give their innate creativity more legroom. This seems to be a net-win, not just for their clients, but for the practice at large; creating precedent and permission to design in ways that are increasingly infused with values, identity, and perspective.

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