Architect Matthew Kragh, AIA, founder of MHK Architecture & Planning, with offices in Naples, Palm Beach, the Carolinas, and Colorado
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Coastal Contemporary
Looking over final proofs for his firm’s first book—containing some 500 pages of elegantly crisp, clean Old Florida–style designs—Matthew Kragh marvels at the volume. “I’m like, ‘How did we do all this in 10 years?’” he wonders. With a lifelong love of design, Kragh, 46, left the security of a local firm to launch his own in 34
2009, despite uncertainty from the Great Recession, so he could have more control in flexing his own design vision. Before long, MHK Architecture & Planning was a mushrooming, awardwinning enterprise, with offices in Palm Beach, the Carolinas, and Colorado. Of his cottage-style exteriors with clean-lined interiors, he explains, “The buzzword that’s stuck is ‘coastal contemporary.’ We took it to the next level.” Kragh, known for his effusive energy, puts the firm’s total output at nearly 650 homes—about half of its design output. The other half are com-
LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS ARE RAISING THE BAR IN THEIR FIELDS mercial developments and pro bono community projects, such as the Naples Dog Park, Norris Center, and Baker Park. The firm’s portfolio is celebrated in his new book, The Florida Architect. The secret behind managing a busy practice with several offices and his young family lies in his strict regimen. From about 5 to 8:30 every morning—when all is still and quiet—Kragh fuels up on caffeine and drills down on work matters and design. The early starts get him home for cherished evenings with his wife, Trista Sue, and their children, Maverick, 7, and Shiloh, 3. “I
NAPLES ON THE GULF 2020
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