Why Focus on Homes? —
Our homes are our foundations; they shape our dreams, creativity, health, and relationships.
Why Apothecary? —
Because the power of architecture extends far beyond aesthetics and functionality; it has the ability to transform lives and promote healing.
What drives your designs? —
Each pre-designed home plan includes flex space for work, extreme porches, and principles of relationship-centered design.
Why name home plans after personalities? —
Home is personal. These homes are designed for a specific person or family; they have stories, a big why, a life to support, and healing principles that benefit connection.
What keywords inspire the home plans? —
Refuge, Advocate, Inspirational, Relational
The big picture —
When everyone feels seen, heard, & valued relationships thrive & homes are safe.
Jillian Souza
Fueled by the feeling of safety in the face of dark midwestern thunderstorms, Jillian decided early in childhood to pursue architecture in order to share that feeling of safety.
She received a Bachelors of Architecture from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville but then became a wife, birth doula, and mom before becoming a licensed architect. She then coached relentless creatives, authored The Relentless Creative Handbook, and created safe space within the grieving loss-mom community before founding Wooly Architecture in Montana in 2018.
Architecture Apothecary blossomed from Wooly’s soil 5 years later as Jillian decided to dig deeper into her life mission to create greater accessibility to safe, intuitive, healing spaces in which to dwell.
Jillian is a licensed architect in TN and MT and lives with her husband and children in Middle TN where she’s always creating something new and enjoying the land that’s been in her family for 5 generations.
What do architects really do?
Architects design buildings and protect people
In addition to determining the aesthetic appearance of a building, an architect also meets the needs of the client along with budget, safety, and function requirements. Architects are licensed by state and that licensure centers around protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public; that’s no small matter.
So while, yes, architects are a creative bunch and love elegant, beautiful solutions they are bound to protect your wellbeing over their design sensibilities.
We Believe in Holding Space
The idea of holding space for someone is that one party provides safe emotional space for another while they are going through an intense time. Architects can naturally hold space for the design and construction process.
Jillian has trained as a birth doula and that training informs the level of service and support that she offers — unparalleled emotional space and support for the process.
Process
Architects work in phases
Architects have their own names for these phases but here’s what they’re about:
Translate
The early phases of the design process revolve around clarifying the dreams and needs the project must address and then illustrating those concepts through a variety of media including schematic design drawings. The less glamorous side of these early phases involve defining the legal and safety requirements for the project.
Synthesize
The middle and late phases of the design process develop those initial drawings further and further until they are suitable as construction drawings. This process includes all building systems and details. Each piece must support the whole.
Support
Between design and construction an architect acts as ally and advocate. They can be your built-in support system when working your way through building departments, committees, necessary meetings, and the bidding and negotiation process.
Troubleshoot
It is typical for unforeseen circumstances to arise during construction. While an architect’s job during this phase is to oversee that the project is being built as designed, the architect is also available to offer clarity and is skilled in troubleshooting problems in a manner consistent with the design intent.