At the forefront of thoughtful architecture, Front Studio - a privately owned architecture and design firm based in New York City - is revered by developers, businesses and homeowners alike for their original use of space, color and design. Their highly diversified client roster includes The Badge Building Condominium in Long Island City, French Embassy Diplomatic Residences in New York, Fischer-Harling House, AXA Art Insurance Corporation Office and the Village Kids Nursery. At the helm of this successful firm is Michi Yanagishita, who along with her friend and partner, Yen Ha, oversees all aspects of Front Studio's business from the inception of a project to its full completion. Yanagishita's success in the architecture and design industry comes as no surprise to those who know her. A world voyager from the moment she was born, she was raised alternatively between Tokyo and Washington D.C. Her parents, a biochemist researcher and a demographics professor, took her on two backpacking trips through Europe before she was even required to wear a backpack for school. These travels fostered her passion for food, adventure and of course, diverse architecture. After completing high school, Yanagishita decided to pursue architecture as a career and chose Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Penn. to foster her passion. It was at Carnegie Mellon that Yanagishita met Ha. Following graduation in 1996, Yanagishita spent a year at Pittsburgh's McCormick Architects as a designer before making the move 375 miles north to New York City to work as a project architect for SPG Architects. 10 years later, Yanagishita made the jump to AvroKO, serving as the architect responsible for the design of Stanton Social Restaurant in Manhattan's Lower East Side. In 2005, Yanagishita joined Ha as a partner at Front Studio, the full service architectural firm now in its seventh year. In her role as one of the principals, Yanagishita's natural curiosity and love of adventure informs all her designs, articulated in visually appealing yet completely practical work. She balances a temperate sensibility with an enthusiasm for the built environment that produces perfectly moderated spaces. One of Yanagishita's current projects is Manhattan's first high-end European men's footwear boutique, Leffot. Front Studio is converting the 1,500 s/f West Village space into a custom designed non-traditional shoe boutique with unique details, such as a custom fabricated dining room table to showcase the footwear and a nickel chandelier reminiscent of tree branches and nature serving as an accent piece. The partners plan to maintain the raw character of the Leffot space by leaving the high ceilings, plumbing lines and conduit exposed. Front Studio also recently completed a project in Williamsburg for the sales office of Urban Green - a new construction condominium that will eventually be comprised of two buildings surrounding a landscaped garden. The new sales center is located adjacent to the construction at 125 North Sixth St. and takes advantage of the building's naturally high ceilings by displaying the model in a unique manner. In lieu of a traditional display, the model kitchen and master bath are contained within a white box in the center of the space—a very distinctive way of showcasing a model apartment. The duo has been just as busy with their residential design work. Recently, they completed an apartment for a couple in downtown Manhattan at Hanover Square. The renovation of this one-bedroom apartment focused on maximizing storage space for a stylish older couple that had amassed a lifetime of books, vinyl records, designer shoes and suits. To do this, Front Studio integrated bamboo cabinetry to accommodate these needs while establishing a common design language for the space. Equally impressive was their project for a family moving into a Brooklyn townhouse. This renovation focused on creating an owner's unit on the second floor with a rental apartment on the first. By removing a portion of the interior partitions, the second floor opens up into a modern "great space" with a smartly appointed kitchen and dining room. Much of the original detailing was kept where possible and refinished to give it a new life. The successful integration of modern with tradition resulted in a clean, rich and inviting living space. From Front Studio's new offices located at 239 Centre St. in downtown Manhattan, Yanagishita creates moments in her design that are meant to captivate her audience while maintaining a respect for their experience of the space. Known for her flawless communication skills and ability to clarify the complexities of the design process, Yanagishita continues to push boundaries worldwide as a member of a duo known for their thoughtful notions of space and visionary ideas.