Meet Erin Morgani

Kelsey Munson on Nov 07, 2024

New York native Erin Morgani moved to Chicago in 2022 right after college to join the BBA team. “I moved here from New York having only visited Chicago twice in my life, but I really felt drawn to the city,” she notes. 

While Erin grew up with architecture, it wasn’t the path she immediately set out on. “I have a few architects in my family, but it wasn't something I considered as a career until my last two years of high school.” Her sense of creativity was supported by her mother, a creative in her own right, all throughout her childhood. With some encouragement from her parents, she started to explore classes and subjects she hadn’t considered before which helped her to realize that she might be well-suited for a more technical career. 

“When I was in high school, I took a CAD drafting class that I begged my mom to let me drop (but she wouldn't) and I ended up loving it. After touring a few art and design schools while looking at colleges, I realized architecture is my passion.”

An internship during college was instrumental in helping Erin decide which architectural niche she wanted to pursue. “I spent the summer at a high-end residential architecture firm on Long Island where I absolutely fell in love with residential design. I remember thinking 'Why would anyone want to do anything else?'”

Upon joining BBA, Erin dove head-first into a massive renovation project. 

“My first project with BBA was the Modern Makeover. During my first week, we went to do some site measuring and the existing site was so rough. The client bought it as a gutted demo site, and we were able to create their dream family home within the existing bones of the structure. It taught me so much about existing conditions - especially historic construction as this house was built in the 1890s, drafting techniques, zoning and permit processes, and more.”

Erin is glad to be surrounded by a team with such diverse talents and specialties. “BBA is a very collaborative office. Because we do such detailed work, we often have challenges come up that need to be resolved with the rest of the design or structure in mind, and it's great that you can always count on the team to work together through those issues.”

In that collaborative environment, Erin particularly lends her strengths when it comes to creating 3D models to help communicate a design vision to clients. 

“I love 3D modeling and being able to show the client their design in a different way. We create and understand many 2D drawings like plans and elevations, but sometimes the client has a hard time conceptualizing that into a 3D space.” For the Modern Makeover, Erin was especially excited to render a few views of one of the most important rooms for many families, the kitchen. “It’s so rewarding to see clients’ incredible reactions when we can show them a 3D model of their future home.” 

One of the things Erin enjoys most about the design process is the collaboration with clients, especially when they’re open to a little bit of exploration. “I really like being able to create a client’s vision and expand on things they didn't even consider. So many of our designs ultimately have such personal details integrated into them, and those details are so different from client to client and project to project.” 

When it comes to her own professional exploration, Erin is always looking to expand her knowledge so she can continue to help clients create unique spaces that work for them. “I am always learning more about design finishes. I think it’s so beneficial to a designer to be well versed in things like materials, color schemes, tile and stone durability, or facade materials, for example, and to have that knowledge readily available to help match clients to the right products and finishes to bring their dreams to life.” 

Erin follows the pull of her interests and passions in all areas of her life and is willing to put in the work and take the time to explore them. From age six until college, Erin was a competitive equestrian, even spending time working in a barn and riding up to 10 horses a day. While she still loves riding, these days her adventurous spirit drives her to travel, along with her fiance, Michael, even on short notice. 

“Michael works in the airline industry, so we take spontaneous trips all the time, even for just a day or two. Most recently, we went to Iceland just for 24 hours!”  

That leap-of-faith move to Chicago in 2022 has paid off for Erin. “I was able to find what I love to do so early on. I am proud to be able to live my passion and bring it to my work every day.”