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Michael Chen

@michaelkchen

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Architect // New York
👨🏻‍💻 @mkcarchitecture
🐶 @archibaldwiener
Cofounder @designadvocates

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A peek inside @mkcarchitecture founder @michaelkchen’s Chatham Towers home in Sunday’s @nytimes. Michael, his husband @andydbeck, and their beloved miniature dachshund Archie have lived in the Brutalist co-op in Manhattan’s Chinatown since 2007. “I’ve always been in love with this building,” Michael says. “I think the way it meets the city at the ground, the way it meets the sky and its sculptural expression is really beautiful.”

In their roughly 800-square-foot apartment, limited space often means choosing pieces that can serve multiple functions, like a mid-century cabinet by Italian architect Gianfranco Frattini that doubles as a bar. “It’s one of my favorite design eras, and it’s one of those historical periods I model my own practice after,” Michael adds.

Read about their favorite Design Finds at the link in our bio. 🔗

✍️ Tim McKeough
📷 Photos by @winniewow

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A Harvest Moon housewarming for @heartofdinner’s new SoHo studio, lovingly designed by @mkcarchitecture. Hosted by Heart of Dinner founders @yinchang @moonlynntsai and MKCA founder @michaelkchen, the evening celebrated the organization’s first permanent space supporting its ongoing work addressing food insecurity and isolation among New York City elders, with a table full of longtime friends and advocates.

Michael, who often talks about the meaning behind the making, remarked that evening that the power of design is in giving shared values a tangible form in the world. This effort, designed and built at cost with help and donations from @a05studio, @ladiesandgentlemenstudio, @safar_rugs, @dahingplantsnyc and more, is an example of architecture as an act of care, a living thing by and for community. Since 2020, Heart of Dinner has delivered over 250,000 meals to vulnerable Asian elders, and this space will help them to continue that work.

MKCA team @michaelkchen @harpernatasha @_inmo_omni_, plateware generously provided by @tortugaforma @truegenuine, florals by @fdk_florals, photos by @kelseycherry ✨

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Our client Elizabeth Graziolo, founder and principal of Yellow House Architects, joined Architectural Digest’s inaugural AD PRO Design Dialogues in New York, taking the stage for a conversation exploring the ideas shaping home renovations today, from vision through execution.

Featured in @archdigestpro | Client @yellowhousearchitects | Words by @efazzare | Photography @nickolassargent @seansime | PR @manyprgroup

#MirandaAgeeNewYork #MANYPR

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Design is ultimately about bringing people together. Which is why we are so honored to have hosted the 2026 ELLE Decor A-List at @LaMercerieNY and @rwguild, spaces we created for exactly that purpose. We welcomed some of the world’s best designers, architects, decorators, and friends into one room—to share a meal, catch up, exchange ideas, and celebrate one another.

Thank you to @stellenevolandes, @elisalipskykarasz and the entire team at @elledecor. We are grateful to have been included among this year’s A-List, and even more grateful to have spent the evening with so many people whose work we admire.

Photos by @justin_steele.

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The 2026 ELLE Decor A-List came together this week at @rwguild’s @lamercerieny from A-List team, @roman_and_williams_. Hosted by @stellenevolandes and @elisalipskykarasz, designers, architects, and decorators from across the country—and around the world—gathered for cocktails and dinner to toast to the people who continue to move the design world forward. 🥂 See more photos from the party at the link in our bio.

Photos by @justin_steele

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The most beautiful evening surrounded by colleagues and dear friends celebrating the @elledecor A List. @roman_and_williams_ designed @lamercerieny provided the gorgeous flower filled romantic setting - not to mention delicious food and cocktails. Dinners are magical when conversations feel like dream weaving. Gardens to plant, houses to be built, places to see, rare artisans to visit. Thank you @stellenevolandes @elisalipskykarasz and @williamlinyc for the best summer night.

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What a treat to spend an evening celebrating the inaugural class of @elledecor Rising Stars @cove.ny. A great big congratulations to all 35 honorees - and really, it’s quite a list. Wildly diverse and well worth a deep dive.

Three from our nominations were there to celebrate (@thomasyangstudio @present__practice @chromasf) but it was so special to see and meet many of the other Rising Stars and to feel the promise of emerging practices that are already making waves and meaningful change in the design world. A huge thank you to @elk_elisa @fourhandsfurniture and @cristobalita for bringing us together for this special purpose and the loveliest evening. Here’s to more of this!

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Celebrating eight years of Madame Architect at @bossafurniture’s New York City gallery!

Thank you to everyone who joined us last week, to everyone who has shared their story with our readers over the years, to everyone who reads Madame Architect, and to everyone who continues to send wonderful people our way.

I’ve always seen Madame Architect as something we are all building together - not only for the next generation, but for each other as well.

A special thank you to Isabela Milagre (@isabela.milagre) and the Bossa team for hosting us so generously in their beautiful space. Cheers, and happy NYCxDesign Week!
- Julia

Photography by Robert Byron Jones (@robertbyronjones)

#madamearchitect #bossagallery #architecture #architect

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A glance back at our incredible launch party at @zakandfox

Having so many friends in one room celebrating A Mood, A Thought, A Feeling meant so much to me. Thank you to everyone who came, and thank you again to @zakandfox for hosting it in your beautiful space.

I am carrying that feeling into this week as we continue the celebrations on the West Coast:
Los Angeles, Thursday May 7 at 10 AM
Cowtan & Tout Showroom
8687 Melrose Avenue, Suite B647

San Francisco, Friday May 8 at 10 AM
Cowtan & Tout Showroom
2 Henry Adams Street, Suite 135

Sacramento, Saturday May 9, 4 to 6 PM
Hudson Grace
3350 Sacramento Street

I would love to see you there 🤍

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I'm moderating a lecture with Michael K. Chen at CUNY CityTech on Wednesday at 6:00 PM. Come join us! "Beside, Between, Beyond"--design as an expression of cultural values and identity, exploring queerness, representation, and new modes of creative practice. Voorhees Hall (downtown BK), link in bio for tickets.

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Recently out on Wallpaper*: Michael K. Chen Architecture's (@mkcarchitecture) newly expanded Manhattan studio reflects the team's design approach and ethos - it’s precise but playful, sculptural and warm, and embraces a love of color, material, and crisp detailing.⁠
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Most importantly, the space serves as an instrument for bringing people together. As principal Michael K. Chen has noted, "In the studio, as in our design work, we enjoy the mingling of many voices and narratives that emerge from gathering people, objects, and materials in a space. Our studio is full of the fruits of collaborations and experiments over the years, treasured works of art and design — many by friends, and some by us". The studio allows the team to exercise their commitment to the social dimensions of design, including building community and equity in labor and collaboration, by providing space to support efforts like Design Advocates (@designadvocates ), a network of firms dedicated to enhancing equity in the built environment, that Michael co-founded. ⁠
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As Adrian Madlener (@adrian_madlener) writes, “A meticulously organised resource library and a centralised enfilade of desks give way to a lounge, a semi-enclosed conference room and an open concept kitchen perfect for cocktail parties. These concentrated vignettes serve as a kind of ‘calling card’, one that fully demonstrates the multivalent practice’s bold-yet-considered use of material, colour and visceral texture. The revamped space also reflects the firm’s guiding tenets of future-facing craft, civic responsibility, site-responsivity and collaboration.”⁠
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Read more about MKCA, the studio and its initiatives on @wallpapermag , link in bio. ⁠
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📸 @brookeholm⁠

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The one and only Michael K. Chen of @mkcarchitecture

🎥: @mikesuns

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