Our name, our mission

We're Arocordis Design, and we've been helping our clients and communities thrive through our bespoke residential architectural design services since 2010. Our name comes from two Latin words we combined, Aro, and Cordis, which means "cultivating the heart, soul, and meaning in our design, place, and space-making." It is our North Star that guides our modern-inspired design of custom homes, additions, and major renovations for clients in Vermont and beyond.

Our principal architect, Stephen M. Frey, a licensed architect in Vermont, has over a quarter century of experience serving clients with a discerning taste for sophisticated green living. We collaborate as needed with other design professionals, trade partners, and engineers to ensure consistent enduring quality on a project-by-project basis.

We prioritize integrating indoor and outdoor spaces and natural elements in our elegant and modern-inspired residential designs while staying authentic to our New England roots. Our services range from early planning and coaching to detailed architectural design, builder sets, interior and exterior design, builder selection, and more.

About our firm

Arocordis Design provides a wide range of residential architectural design and planning services. Serving clients in Vermont since 2010, we provide personalized creative, and inspiring services in the work we do for our families and clients.

When you hire Arocordis Design you receive the full attention of Stephen Frey, a registered architect in Vermont and his team. He also leads the design and management of each project. He grew up in Vermont and attended the University of Vermont where he received a design in Studio Art. He headed west to Denver where he graduated with a professional master’s of architecture degree from the University of Colorado at Denver College of Architecture and Planning.

Spending his early professional years in Colorado at large commercial and institutional-focused firms, he moved back to Vermont in 2001. He practiced high-performance award-winning green architecture and planning as design director with Maclay Architects out of Waitsfield, now Maclay Studio of VT Integrated Architecture. Formed in 2010, Arocordis Design supplied customized sustainably minded commercial and institutional-focused architectural services at first.

In 2018, we changed our practice focus to exclusively residential architectural design and planning services with a high-performance sustainable modern green design mindset. Since then we have steadily designed custom homes, major renovations, and additions for our Vermont and beyond clients.

We also have created prototype designs for purchase and or adaptation to your site. They cover a range of Net-zero ready, or Net-zero climate-positive small to medium-sized pre-fab or modular-friendly prototype homes. Our designs are suitable for rural or country settings, as well as village or city locations, and hobby barns, accessory dwelling units, or ADU’s, with or without integrated garages.

What we care about:

At Arocordis Design, we believe in bringing nature into our designs, both indoor and outdoor, to create a space that truly reflects your vision. Our design work is always collaborative and we strive to add our signature modern style to each project. Our goal is to create a space that will be cherished for generations to come.

We pride ourselves on making sustainable choices and providing energy-efficient design and planning services that fit your budget and priorities. Our focus is on creating healthy and recyclable materials, low-energy building enclosures, and advanced wood framing designs to keep costs low and energy efficiency high. We offer a wide range of residential design services, including home master planning, floor plans, elevations, and interior design.

Our expert team is dedicated to turning your vision into reality, combining innovation and sustainability to create homes that will stand the test of time. At Arocordis Design, we specialize in prioritizing elegant sustainable design architecture, eco-friendly practices, and energy-efficient solutions all with a modern-inspired contemporary vision. Our commitment to sustainable home design services ensures that each project not only meets your aesthetic preferences but also minimizes its environmental impact.

From using healthy wellness-focused or recycled materials to optimizing energy consumption, we strive to create homes that live in harmony with the environment. Our goal is to provide you with a home and living space that not only reflects your style and functional needs but also contributes to the greater community and the health of Vermont and beyond.

Contact us today to begin the journey toward a residential project that is as durable as it is beautiful and inspiring and is a model for artful living.

Principal Architect

Portrait by StoryWorkz

Our firm principal, Stephen M. Frey

Steve is the Principal Architect and President of Arocordis Design. He has led Arocordis Design, a Vermont-based architecture and planning firm since 2010, the year he founded the company. Steve leads the firm in all client-facing work. He is building a practice notable for its mission and values-driven design process for his growing residential design practice. Steve is professionally licensed in the State of Vermont to practice architecture. He’s an avid professional artist who paints primarily in acrylic and watercolor. He also does custom home and business watercolor portraits. For more detail on his professional experience click on his resume below. He has been a member of the American Institute of Architects since 1992.

Our extended professional team

We regularly work with a talented team of professional engineers, energy consultants, interior designers, and other architectural designers to help us on our projects. We have worked together for many years, in some cases over twenty. Like us, all of our extended team are committed to creating climate-positive sustainable solutions good for our clients, community, and the planet. We are happy to provide more information about our team.

Working with Efficiency Vermont

We are also committed to working with Efficiency Vermont on our residential projects as much as possible. Like us, they want to help all Vermonters live better while spending less on energy bills. They provide objective advice and help with technical services along with financial support and rebates all focused on creating healthier, happier, residential spaces. They have an extensive network of contractors they regularly work with helping Vermont families. If you want to learn more about Efficiency Vermont, just ask us.

We have supported Montpelier Alive since 2023. We believe in their mission to: “Montpelier Alive celebrates the City of Montpelier. We work with partners to sustain and build upon Montpelier’s vibrant downtown community by offering and supporting special events and activities and by promoting City businesses. We work to ensure a thriving local economy for Montpelier and to preserve the City’s historic character and unique sense of place.”

“The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union — beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.” We support their efforts. It is important.

We have supported PBS and our local beloved network of public television, web, and radio service - Vermont Public. since 2022 and believe in the power of public broadcasting and news. In fact, we have been life long listeners and viewers.