Category Archives: News + Press

Here’s To The Year Ahead!

We are proud to say that 2015 was another productive and successful year here at SOMMA Studios. With the New Year now well underway, we thought we’d take a few moments to share with you some of the exciting projects we look forward to working on (and/or completing) in 2016. 30 Maplewood Ave. It’s no secret that we have a soft spot for urban renewal and mixed-use development. Bringing new life to old, historic structures is part of our company’s DNA. On the horizon, is the completion of our project…

Developing Community in Portsmouth’s North End

For the past few months, SOMMA Studios has been hard at work reshaping 30 Maplewood Ave. in the northern tip of Portsmouth’s downtown. Formerly home to the administrative offices for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, this beautiful old brick-walled building is being transformed on the inside from drab cubicle space into an exciting and vibrant mixed-use space that will be home to new restaurants and COVE, the new center for cooperative working. On its own, this is an exciting project. But what makes this project even…

Cooperative workspace takes shape at 30 Maplewood Avenue

PORTSMOUTH – Jennifer Ramsey has a unique perspective on what’s going on at 30 Maplewood Ave. She is the designer, developer and, ultimately, a tenant of the mixed-use commercial and residential project at what used to be the non-descript offices of the state Department of Health and Human Services. “It’s my baby,” said Ramsey, an architect and founder of SOMMA Studios who partnered with local developer Steve Kelm to acquire and rehab the two-story structure into three stories that include commercial space at street level and townhouse condominiums on the…

Let’s talk about LOVE — #SOMMAlove

When SOMMA revamped its website in February, we wanted to share the love. Expanding upon the #PortsmouthLOVE hashtag that had been ebulliently encircling the city’s Twitter stream for about a year (Thanks, LaughterCrystal!), Jennifer Ramsey said, “Let’s do #SOMMAlove.” And it was done. What, however, does SOMMA love? That came straight from the head of the company, Jen. On Feb. 7, SOMMA loved Nat King Cole. We chose the song “L-O-V-E” to feature along with Facebook and Twitter text: “The countdown begins #SOMMAlove” Come Feb. 8, SOMMA loved “Cluster of…

On The Town – Coastal Living

Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is a city of historic charm, with tempting shops and restaurants nestled along its waterfront streets. Overlooking the Piscataqua River and the iconic Memorial Bridge is a handsome brick and granite multi-story building in the classic Early American style. Located in the historic district, it could easily be a structure from an earlier time, except this one was built in 2008. It offers a mix of retail space on the first floor and residential space on the upper floors. The third and fourth floors are the elegant…

The Eyes Have It

Let’s go beyond the blog built upon an architecture of words, paragraph upon paragraph of text. Why say it with arial, tahoma, or helvetica, when you can say it with brick, columns, and marble? Here are just three recent projects that show what we at SOMMA have been up to. Happy Spring! While winter may seem to be hanging on a little longer than we’d like it to, at SOMMA we have just the idea to get you in a spring mindset. Below, is a rooftop deck and pergola design….

Q&A with Quiet Home Paints Founder, Lisa Teague

SOMMA: Tell us a bit about Quiet Home Paints. What got you interested in the industry? How did you go about getting started? Lisa Teague: I have two different businesses. I’ve been the principal designer at Lisa Teague Design Studios for twenty years. I started as a decorative painter and then developed a design following. While I still design and apply decorative finishes, my primary focus is interior design and project management. Quiet Home Paints is an offshoot of my design business. I conceptualized and then launched it along with my daughter…

Product Overview: Quiet Home Paints

From time to time we like to rave about the products we’re using to aide in bringing our developments to life. It’s easy to show something on paper, and get a client excited about what teir prospective space/project could look like. It’s easier still when the partnerships you’re forging with the products you like to utilize consistently come out exactly as described. One such element to many of our projects is color. Let’s face it – A white box is boring. We like to bring color into our projects (especially…

Foundation Set: Happy New Year!

As 2013 comes to a close we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the year that was and lay the foundation for the excitement to come in the year ahead. We were privy to great growth and exemplary amounts of inspiration here at SOMMA Studios throughout the span of the last twelve months. Our clients were vast, and the projects we took part in, plentiful and varied. In short, there was never a dull moment. One highlight for us was the collaborative work we did alongside Chinburg Properties. We…

Q&A with Tangram 3DS – Part Two (of Two)

SOMMA: What excites you about partnering with such firms as SOMMA? Tangram: You really chose the right word there — it’s all about partnering. Working with a partner-client such as SOMMA is especially exciting because they are open to, and appreciate the extra lengths that we go to in trying to help them maximize the success of a project. We’re especially thrilled to be able to showcase services and visuals that go beyond the building, ultimately sharing a combined vision with the public in marketing the project. SOMMA was receptive…