Written by 
Earlier this fall, Elizabeth Roberts, founding principal of Elizabeth Roberts Architects (ERA) released Collected Stories, published by Monacelli Press. To tell a more accurate story about the lives of her projects, the well-designed volume includes historic photography, sketches, and even short fiction by Christine Coulson. Roberts spoke with AN Interior’s executive editor, Jack Murphy, about the publication.
Jack Murphy (JM): What did you learn by making this book?
Elizabeth Roberts (ER): Just like an architecture project, making a book is complicated and time consuming! And it takes a village. As with any design challenge, there are lots of pieces and considerations that go into a book—especially a visual book. I also learned that it’s deeply satisfying to figure out how to translate the sensibility of my practice into book form.
JM: How is design a form of storytelling in your view?
ER: Forming a story about a structure or a site is how I find my way into the design process—or, as I wrote in the book, it’s how I find the truth of my concept. That story always picks up on some sort of history. It also sets the stage for new stories to be written. When I “finish” a project, my part of the story is written. But I know what I’ve done is just the starting point for whoever is going to come along and occupy that space.
Read more of the conversation on aninteriormag.com.