Leslie Bristow Mather fully intended to teach and make art for a living when she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in studio art with an emphasis in oil painting. But she felt increasingly isolated sitting alone in front of a canvas day by day.
Seeking a more collaborative way to channel her creativity, she convinced Chicago architect, Chip von Weise, to take her on. She had grown up in a late nineteenth-century Victorian in Chicago’s historic Lakewood-Balmoral neighborhood and always felt an affinity for residential architecture “At a certain point, I realized that you could be paid to design a space, and that sparked something in me,” she says.
Indeed, Mather never looked back. After earning a master’s degree in architecture from Cornell University, she burnished her credentials at Urban Outfitters in Philadelphia and dSpace Studio in Chicago. In 2020, she launched her own firm, BristowMather.
Confident that Mather’s husband, James, is overseeing the business, Mather and fellow architect, Ethan Werkmeister, create streamlined and contemporary interiors with a restrained palette of warm materials. Think oak, steel, stone and plaster. Built-in cabinetry and handsome millwork often distinguish Mather’s projects and she is increasingly designing custom furniture as well.
“The design evolves from a high level down to the details,” she says. “We take our work very seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and I think that spirit finds its way into our designs. There’s a feeling of ease and comfort.”
Although located in Chicago and Atlanta, the firm has irons in the fire across the country.
Mather dreams of one day opening a storefront design studio and designing a line of home furnishings. For now, she relishes the opportunity to help others create the backdrop for their lives. “Life is not always easy, so I feel privileged and grateful to have the opportunity to create intimate, sacred spaces for people to come home to,” she says. “Sometimes I pinch myself.”
Photography by Matthew Williams.
Styling by Cate Ragan.
Design by BristowMather.
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