Finding imaginative yet carefully considered solutions. Architecture that delights. Beautifully designed with clarity and purpose. The everyday reimagined.
We are Studio Elephant, design led architects specialising in high-end residential architecture. We operate a design+build style approach, in collaboration with our trusted team of partnered contractors and consultants, ensuring innovative design and high-quality construction in a streamline process. We focus on full house renovations, extensions, and bespoke new builds. Our goal is to make the building process enjoyable and stress-free, providing you with a dedicated architect as your single point of contact to deliver unique projects on time and within budget.
How We Work
We offer a full scope of services to our clients in line with the RIBA Plan of Work. We understand that every project and client is unique, requiring us to tailor an equally bespoke set of services for you and your project.
Each project is led by one of our founding ARB accredited directors. We believe exceptional design is key to any project, and to ensure its success it should be executed by an equally talented build team through a tried and tested relationship.
Our trusted partners bring expertise in construction, structural engineering, planning, landscape, and interior design. We adopt a comprehensive design and build style service that we have progressively evolved and improved to minimise risk, foster confidence, and alleviate the stress of building work. Having collaborated on numerous projects, our tried-and-tested team work together seamlessly, delivering exceptional projects.
Who We Are
We are a London-based architectural studio, with an extensive portfolio of both London and far reaching projects, from Yorkshire down to Dorset —so we’re not averse to a long train journey. Our work spans various scales, types and budgets, but each project is uniquely tailored to our clients and considerate of its context. As a result, our approach has led to an exceptionally high success rate in obtaining planning permissions and happy clients.
With years of experience at some of the world’s largest and creative architecture studios, we bring cutting-edge 3D immersive technology and software to every project. This enables us to engage clients in the design process and develop a comprehensive, detailed design package that ensures projects run smoothly with fewer changes on site.
George Guest ARB
With a career spanning over 14 years prior to co-founding Studio Elephant, George has built a broad and in-depth knowledge of architectural projects across a wide range of scales and typologies. He has a particular passion for crafting highly creative design solutions for the everyday spaces and places that shape how we live and interact.
After graduating from Oxford Brookes and the University of Westminster, George began his career at the acclaimed Heatherwick Studio, where he worked under the renowned designer Thomas Heatherwick on projects such as the Bombay Sapphire Distillery and the London 2012 Olympic Cauldron. This experience led to his involvement in the confidential design team for the London 2012 Opening Ceremony, collaborating with Danny Boyle and a close-knit group of film and costume designers to develop the set and narrative for the world stage.
George later joined Foster + Partners and then Make Architects, where he spent eight years contributing to a number of significant projects, including The Hiscox Building in York, Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, 48 Leicester Square, and 5 Broadgate in London. He subsequently moved to Jo Cowen Architects to explore the more intimate scale of domestic architecture — a shift that deepened his appreciation for the intricacy, design detail, and immediacy that smaller-scale projects afford.
Lara Orska ARB Cantab
Lara is passionate about creating imaginative yet practical design solutions that are tailored to each client's unique needs, ensuring every project feels personal and distinctive. Beyond a strong client focus, she believes that successful architecture must be site-specific and sustainable — responding thoughtfully to the local context through materiality, scale, and a celebration of natural light.
Her commitment to sustainable design began with her thesis on living building materials at the University of Cambridge and has remained a central theme throughout her architectural career.
Before co-founding Studio Elephant, Lara spent eight years at Make Architects, where she contributed to a diverse range of projects — from cutting-edge workplaces in Shoreditch and Westminster to sculptural weathered steel bridges in the City of London. During this time, she developed extensive experience in landscape and interior design, working closely with consultants to deliver well co-ordinated, high-quality outcomes.
At Studio Elephant, collaboration is at the heart of our approach. We work as an integrated team with our clients and consultants to bring thoughtful, context-driven designs to life.