OSTERVILLE, Mass. — Doreve Nicholaeff Architecture (DNA), the Osterville-based architecture practice founded by architect Doreve Nicholaeff, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with a second consecutive recognition in Forbes’ America’s Best-In-State Residential Architects.
The 2026 Forbes recognition highlights residential architecture firms across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. According to the firm, the selection process considers factors including an architectural practice’s relationship to its local environment, culture, resources and craftsmanship, with input from an expert advisory board.
For DNA, the recognition comes as the firm marks four decades of designing residences shaped by their surroundings, including homes built on challenging coastal sites throughout New England and beyond.
“Forty years is an important milestone for our practice,” Nicholaeff said. “Today, our work is even more rigorous while we continue to understand space and function and relationships to the land. To be recognized by Forbes is an especially gratifying acknowledgment of the vision we strive to bring to every project.”
Four Decades of Design
Nicholaeff founded her studio in 1986 after establishing a career that included work with several prominent architecture and design firms.
A native of South Africa, Nicholaeff studied architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. She later received the South African Institute of Architects’ Graduate Scholarship to pursue an Advanced Master’s Degree in Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Her early professional experience included positions with Moshe Safdie & Associates and William Geddis & Associates in Boston, followed by work with Gensler Associates in Los Angeles and Sasaki.
That experience helped shape the philosophy that has guided her practice for the past four decades: creating homes that respond to their setting while reflecting the individual needs and personalities of their owners.
According to DNA, Nicholaeff combines a hands-on design approach with extensive knowledge of modern and classical architecture, architectural history and theory.
Designing for Place
A significant part of the firm’s work has focused on site-specific residential architecture, particularly properties where coastal terrain, landscape and environmental conditions present complex design challenges.
The firm’s approach emphasizes the relationship between a residence and its surroundings, balancing architectural form and function with the character of the site.
Today, DNA works with clients throughout New England and across the United States, as well as internationally. Nicholaeff is licensed to practice architecture in Massachusetts, New York, Florida and Rhode Island.
Her professional affiliations include the American Institute of Architects, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, the Boston Society of Architects and the Royal Institute of British Architects.
A Milestone Year
The Forbes recognition gives DNA another distinction as the firm reaches its 40-year milestone.
For Nicholaeff, however, the anniversary also represents an opportunity to reflect on how the practice has evolved while remaining focused on the fundamentals of architecture.
After four decades, the Osterville firm continues to emphasize the connections among space, function, landscape and the people who inhabit each home.
The combination of long-term experience and a site-specific design philosophy has helped Doreve Nicholaeff Architecture build a residential portfolio extending well beyond Cape Cod and Massachusetts, while maintaining its roots in Osterville.
