Firm Profile
Huelster Design Studio’s focus is architectural design with additional services in landscape architecture and the creation of unique objects or details. We prefer to avoid the “branding” of our designs with architectural signatures and instead create a client driven novel design with each opportunity. The character and style of each project resolves the unique set of desires, problems and circumstances posed by the client and site. Our design values embrace a harmonious relationship between the built environment and the landscape, sustainable materials and methods, efficient use of space, and an enthusiasm for maximizing the experiential and aesthetic qualities of daily life. Our projects also reflect the regional character of the many locals we’ve worked.
Kevin Huelster – Architect
Founder and principal of Huelster Design Studio LLC, Kevin graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, MO (BA 1984) and obtained a Masters degree in Architecture (cum laude) from North Carolina State University’s School of Design (M.Arch 1988). He received the Design Achievement Award recognizing outstanding achievement in design from North Carolina State University.
His architectural education continued with postgraduate studies in Como, Italy under the direction of acclaimed architects Daniel Libeskind and Peter Eisenman. The studio focused on cultural and theoretical approaches to design yielding novel building forms. Kevin’s early experience includes erecting concrete structures and framing housing in the Midwest. He also enjoys designing and building furniture in addition to wood turning.
His professional experience in several award winning firms includes four years with Solomon Cordwell Buenz & Associates Inc. in Chicago, Illinois where he worked on Project Design Teams and was Assistant Job Captain for several multi-million dollar urban projects. Kevin became a member of the Connecticut architectural community when he moved from Chicago in 1992. Kevin became a Project Manager and rose to Partner at Z:Architecture in Wilton, CT. Kevin founded Huelster Design Studio, LLC of Westport, Connecticut in 2003.
In 2013 he was awarded The Barlow Cutler Wotton Preservation Award for Architecture by the Town of Westport for the authentic restoration of the John Green/Gideon Hurlbutt House, c.1710 as an accessory business use complimented by a new modern residence on the same site. His work has been published in several books by The Taunton Press and regional shelter magazines.
Kevin Huelster is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the Connecticut chapter of the American Institute of Architects, holds certification from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and is licensed to practice in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois.
Katherine Kamen – Landscape Architect
Katherine is a graduate of the University of Connecticut with a Major in Landscape Design (BS 1983). She obtained a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture from North Carolina State University (M.LARCH 1987). She further enhanced her education studying abroad in Cortona, Italy with the University of Georgia’s Environmental Design Program. Katherine gained valuable experience interning with famed landscape architect/architect, Kaneji Domoto, ASLA, AIA.
Katherine’s professional experience includes working with noted private firms specializing in residential and commercial site planning and with government agencies. She developed site designs and planning schemes for city parks, The Lincoln Park Zoo, recreational areas, and play lots while at The Chicago Park District. During her tenure at The North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Community Development, she created recreational master plans and urban forestry designs. In 1993 Katherine began her own Landscape Architecture firm specializing in residential and estate landscape designs. In 2003 she joined Huelster Design Studio.
An avid naturalist, Katherine specializes in creating beautiful designs that restore native habitats to the location of her projects while enhancing the architecture and adding drama to the landscape.
As an educator, Katherine has taught classes at: the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, CT; the Federated Garden Clubs of America; and the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford, Connecticut. Her work has been published in the Urban Land Institute Advisory Service Report-Graphics, 1985, The Rye Review, April 2001, The Family Home Idea Book (The Taunton Press, 2003), and Updating Classic America: Capes (The Taunton Press, 2003). She also appeared on Connecticut Public Radio’s Faith Middleton Show to discuss residential garden design.
Her interest in fine art was recognized by The Silvermine Guild Arts Center in New Canaan, CT when they awarded Katherine the Sterling Pastel Award for best in show pastel painting in August 2007. Katherine holds professional licensing in Connecticut, New York, Illinois, and North Carolina and is an accredited organic land care professional with Connecticut NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association).