Cass Calder Smith established the San Francisco architectural firm that bears his name in 1990. CCS-Architecture is located in a converted warehouse in the South of Market district with a staff of 20. In 2005, the firm opened an office in NYC to better meet the needs of its diverse range of residential, commercial and mixed-use clients.

Born in 1961, Cass earned his Bachelor and Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. Cass is recognized internationally for his architectural and interior design projects. Firmly based in the modernist idiom, he draws inspiration from history's great architects and cities as well as the epic filmmakers of the last century.

Dera-Jill Lamontagne is a project architect at CCS Architecture with 10 years of experience. Her project range includes residential, restaurant, commercial, healthcare, and research laboratories. She has been responsible for design and management of projects ranging from $500,000 to $200 million.

Dera-Jill received her degree in Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University. Since joining CCS in 2005, she has designed and managed numerous sustainable residential and restaurant projects. A native of Massachusetts, she has lived in California since 2001. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and is currently pursuing licensure.

At 15 years old, Mark De Mattei knew he wanted to be a builder. After countless weekends and summers of apprenticeship in his teenage years, at 23, Mark became one of the youngest people to receive a contractor's license in the State of California.

In the past 25 years, Mark has built and remodeled more than 1,200 of the highest quality homes in Silicon Valley. Today,
De Mattei Construction ranks among the largest residential remodelers in the U.S. and is one of the fastest growing private companies in the greater San Jose area. The firm has built four Idea Houses for Sunset in locations throughout the Bay Area.

Lydia Lyons worked in the new home construction and design industry for several years before following her passion and returning to school to earn a degree in Interior Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley.

Lydia first met Mark De Mattei when she was Home Program Director for Sunset, where she oversaw its Idea House program. She is now a project manager for the San Jose homebuilder, where her breadth of work spans designing for kitchen and bath remodels to whole house renovations.

Sarah Gaffney, Idea House program manager for Sunset, has overseen the design and construction of nine of the magazine's Idea Houses located throughout the West.

Sarah's job entails collaborating with diverse teams of architects, builders, interior designers, and landscape architects to ensure that Sunset's warm and modern aesthetic is translated in the design and construction of the magazine's unique show homes. She chronicles her exciting projects and experiences on the Home by Sunset blog at sunset.com.