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About FOCAL ATL

We believe construction should begin with a vision.

FOCAL ATL is a design-led build studio in Atlanta. We design architectural features and interiors, show them to you before they exist, and build them ourselves. One process, one team, one focal point.

Elevation drawing of a slat wall on a studio desk under a brushed bronze lamp
Design directionAtlanta

Design and execution

The drawing and the building are the same job.

Most feature work is split in two. A designer draws something and hands it off; a contractor builds what they can from the drawing. The gaps between the two are where proportions drift, lighting becomes an afterthought and the finished wall looks added on.

We close the gap by keeping both jobs in the same hands. The person who decides the slat spacing is the person who has to make it run true across the whole wall. The person who chooses the bronze reveal is the person who has to scribe it to the ceiling. Design decisions get made with the build in mind, and the build honors the design.

The result is the thing we care about most: a feature that feels like it was always part of the architecture.

How we work

Six things we do not skip.

  1. Design thinking

    Every project starts with one question: what deserves attention in this room? The answer sets the proportion, the material and the light, before any product is chosen.

  2. Visualization

    You see your actual space, to scale, with the real materials, before we build. It is how couples agree, how owners stop guessing, and how changes stay cheap.

  3. Material selection

    Species, grain, finish, felt, metal and light are sampled together in the room they will live in, because the same walnut reads three ways under three lights.

  4. Communication

    One point of contact, plain words, a fixed scope and a fixed schedule at approval, and an update every working day during the build.

  5. Craftsmanship

    Panels fabricated in the shop, set to a laser line, scribed to the ceiling and the walls, with reveals that run true and hardware you never see.

  6. Execution

    Short installation windows, protected floors, a clean site every evening, and a reveal walked against the visualization with you.

Walnut, ivory plaster, brushed bronze and black acoustic felt samples on a black steel table
Walnut · ivory plaster · brushed bronze · acoustic feltMaterial study

Where we work

Atlanta, and the neighborhoods around it.

  • Atlanta
  • Buckhead
  • Midtown
  • Decatur
  • Sandy Springs
  • Brookhaven
  • Alpharetta
  • Roswell
  • Marietta
  • Smyrna
  • Dunwoody
  • Johns Creek
  • Athens
  • Savannah
  • Augusta
  • Macon

Somewhere else in the metro? Ask. Most of our work is within an hour of the city.

Leadership

Founder-led. Built to last.

Marques Watson TrentCo-Founder & Director of Design + BuildLeads design and build on every project, along with the company’s growth, partnerships and operations. Read the story
Adetokunbo OnasanyaCreative Director & Co-FounderHelps lead FOCAL’s creative direction, design vision, client experience and overall growth.

The studio

Small by design.

FOCAL ATL is built to stay close to the work. The people who design your feature are the people who build it, which keeps decisions fast and details honest. We take on a limited number of projects at a time so each one gets the attention a focal point deserves.

If you want to know who you would be working with, ask. We would rather meet at the wall than describe ourselves here.

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