partners

Erik Maran, Principal, received his Master’s in Architecture from the School of Art and Architecture, Yale University, and holds a B.A. from Columbia College, Columbia University. He is a Co-Founder and Principal of Smith Maran Architecture + Interiors llc. Erik has served a wide variety of corporate, commercial, institutional, and residential clients. He is known for the patience and care he brings to every project, from site analysis and budget planning to programming and spatial design. Material specification, color selection and finish detailing are particular strengths. This thoroughness has translated into numerous public and private projects where the financial investment has translated directly into superior utility and enduring beauty. He is particularly and keenly aware of the needs and opportunities that businesses have when renovating, repositioning and/or relocating their facilities. Highlights of Erik’s creativity and expertise include new headquarters for various NYC businesses, design prototyping for The Hertz Corporation, interior alterations to the Montclair Public Library, and the redesign of South Park Street in downtown Montclair.

Ira Smith, Principal, received his Master’s in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and holds a B.A. from Columbia College, Columbia University. He is a Co-Founder and Principal of Smith Maran Architecture + Interiors llc. Ira has served a wide variety of corporate, commercial, institutional, and residential clients. Ira is noted for his over-riding interest in problem-solving at different scales, from site and building design to natural lighting strategies to finish detailing. He is particularly attuned to the nuances and opportunities presented by historic structures and adaptive reuse, in general. In addition, Ira’s downtown experience includes the planning and design, from conception to completion, required to intelligently fit-out the retail and restaurant components of renovated and new structures. Highlights of Ira’s creativity and expertise include the adaptive reuse of “Main Street” buildings, development of a prototype dealership design for Southeast Toyota, numerous residential transformations, and the recently completed master plan repositioning Connecticut’s first synagogue as a major heritage tourist destination.