We design modern architecture that balances function, beauty, and livability. Driven by a deep respect for our clients and a thoughtful response to each site, we create spaces that enhance how people live, work, and engage with their environment.
David Strand
Principal | Lead Architectural Designer, LEED AP, RBC
Raised in a small rural community in central Wisconsin, David comes from four generations of craftsmen, artists, and builders. He spent much of his childhood in the woods, harvesting poplar trees and transforming them into increasingly ambitious tree forts. By high school, David had created his first business designing, building, and selling intricately joined handcrafted furniture, gaining early experience in proportion, detailing, and execution. That early, hands-on engagement with materials, paired with a family immersed in art, carpentry, and construction, formed his belief that good architecture begins with strong material knowledge and deep respect for craft. This synthesis of creativity and construction continues to define his architectural approach, where strong design intent is always informed by how a building is actually assembled.
David later moved to the Twin Cities to study architectural design, refining his technical knowledge and spatial sensibility. He studied architectural styles, circulation, and building assemblies during the day, while working in a lumberyard and as a carpenter throughout school. After completing his education, he spent several years at a commercial architecture firm before returning to residential design, real estate development, and construction.
Unlike many designers, David brings extensive hands-on building experience to every project, including many of the earlier homes featured at Strand Design. This background gives him a clear understanding of construction sequencing, cost implications, and on-site problem solving. Clients value this perspective, knowing their homes are thoughtfully and architecturally designed yet firmly grounded in reality. Architecture that is refined and purposeful, while remaining efficient, buildable, and enduring. His ability to understand, detail, and personally execute every component of a home truly sets Strand Design apart in the custom residential market.
David has completed complex residential projects across the country, navigating diverse building codes, climates, zoning requirements, and regional construction methods. His work brings design sensibility together with local context that responds carefully to site, climate, and vernacular while maintaining a cohesive architectural language. He enjoys collaborating with regional builders and trades, guiding projects and bringing architectural clarity and technical expertise that respects local practices, material availability, and building traditions.
Today, David designs bespoke residences that balance restraint and expression, homes that are as practical as they are refined, that reflect their owners, respond intelligently to their surroundings, and evoke natural movement through space to create dynamic, experiential living environments. His work bridges architectural design and craftsmanship, offering clients confidence that every detail has been intentionally considered from initial concept through construction.
david@stranddesign.com
Nicholas LaNasa
Senior Architectural Designer
Nick grew up in a mid-century modern home designed by his great uncle, where thoughtful spatial planning, material warmth, and integrated art shaped an early interest in residential architecture. He recognized early on how architecture can support both privacy and connection within a home, a perspective that continues to inform his belief that residential design should balance beauty, restraint, and livability while remaining deeply connected to place.
With a decade of experience in architecture, Nick has worked across commercial and residential projects ranging from large-scale urban developments to highly detailed custom homes. After six years in San Francisco working in commercial architecture at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill before transitioning to residential design at Klopf Architecture, he developed a strong interest in the relationship between architecture, landscape, materials, and daily life.
At Strand Design, Nick brings a thoughtful and detail-oriented approach to residential architecture, with a focus on spatial clarity, material expression, and creating homes that feel both grounded and enduring.
nick@stranddesign.com
Roderick Varh
Senior Architectural Designer | RBC
Rod is an Architectural Technician and Project Manager with more than a decade of experience in custom residential architecture, specializing in design development, construction documentation, and field coordination. His work is grounded in the production of clear, highly detailed, and graphically strong drawing sets that translate seamlessly from design intent to construction execution.
With extensive experience developing buildable construction documents, Rod is known for resolving complex architectural conditions and coordinating structural systems, millwork, and detailing with precision and constructability in mind. He has particular expertise in integrating structural steel within residential projects and works closely with engineers and consultants to ensure alignment throughout the design and construction process.
As a licensed general contractor, Rod brings a valuable field-informed perspective to every project. His understanding of construction practices and trade coordination allows him to bridge the gap between design and execution, helping projects move efficiently while maintaining design integrity through every phase of construction.
Rod holds both a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from University of North Carolina School of Architecture.
rod@stranddesign.com