Experience
Please get in touch with us.
We would love to hear from you about any
project you have in mind

Sophie Bates BA(Hons) Architecture, Dip(ARCH)
Sophie Bates, the founder of Sophie Bates Architects, has 20 years of experience as a qualified RIBA chartered architect. After spending several years at various award-winning firms, Bates set up her own business in 2010, marrying her three muses: her background in sculpture, a love of light and shadows and time spent in nature. Daughter of a travel photographer, Bates has spent a lifetime drawing inspiration from across the globe, which is funneled into her work and her personal life.
Having completed an art foundation degree in New Mexico, Bates took an interest in the area's unique cultural landscapes and how profoundly they were reflected in the art, architecture, and everyday life. Later, she began to see similarities, observing how her role as a designer in the broader world coloured and informed her decisions. Sophie Bates Architects was created based on these values. She and the team carefully craft homes through dedicated attention to detail, resulting in positive changes to people's lives through the intimate environment where the most quality time is spent — home.
As an architect, Bates understands how elemental environments and personal life overlap to shape many of our most treasured memories. Her artist-eye and value of biophilic principles are celebrated in her designs, which focus on light and vignettes told through shadows, spacial flow, materials and textures that complement the local environment. These are crucial elements to creating spaces designed to make its inhabitants feel better, supporting connections with the natural world, each other and an individual sense of well-being — contributing to a happier home life.
Her work with clients is an exercise in creative problem solving, creating practical solutions that allow for possibility. Her most recent work includes the transformation of a 1960s bungalow into a two-story contemporary home and a garden and ground floor renovation for one of the UK's top food photographers.Projects range from new-build homes to large scale refurbishments and extensions.
She notes, "A brief is more than just a list of rooms. It's where the key elements that make life enjoyable meet functionality."
Prior to setting up practice, Sophie has worked for award winning, highly regarded architectural practices. Sophie was an associate at Alison Brooks Architects where she worked from 2006-2010, during which time they were awarded the Stirling Prize, the Manser Medal and a number of RIBA awards for exceptional housing design including House of the Year.
Sophie graduated from the Bartlett School of Architecture with commendation and became a member of the Architect's Registration Board in 2003.
Projects
Sophie has transformed my dark London kitchen into a beautiful, light, family hub. The design is thoughtful, mixing old with new to wonderful effect. Sophie has been reliable and professional throughout with a keen eye for detail, an absolute pleasure to work with.