Meet the Team
At our core, we believe in forging strong relationships with our clients, built on trust and expertise. Our commitment to a personal yet professional approach ensures that we are not just building structures, but creating lasting value for our clients.
Salvatore Raffone, Principal Founder
Graphite Architecture + Interiors
Salvatore Raffone, AIA, NCARB, Principal Founder
Salvatore Raffone is an architect and real estate investor with over 25 years of design and project management experience. He has been recognized for leading award-winning projects globally, including a wide range of residential, commercial, institutional and public projects in New York, Seoul, Cairo and Manila. Skilled in business strategy & market analysis, Sal possesses the rare combination of design sensibility and business acumen that allow him to be versatile and effective in his professional projects and investments.
Prior to launching Graphite, Sal received a Masters of Architecture from Harvard’s School of Design and an MBA from Columbia. Post graduation, Sal trained under the internationally renowned firms Machado Silvetti, Office dA, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
Outside of design and real estate, Sal currently holds a Visiting Assistant faculty position at Pratt Institute School of Design. In addition, he is a regularly invited critic at Cuny, NYIT, UPenn, Syracuse University, Pratt Institute, and the Instituto Universitario di Architettura in Venice.
Salvatore is a Registered Architect in New York and Connecticut, and is NCARB certified. He is also a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Brett Barshay, AIA, NCARB, Director of Project Management
Brett Barshay is an architectural designer and project manager with over 6 years of professional experience. Brett’s professional work spans the breadth of high-end residential design, efficiently commercial fit-outs, and experiential art exhibitions. Specifically, he has worked within the cannabis industry on cultivation facilities and dispensaries throughout the Northeast. He has also worked on numerous retail projects with clients such as Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, Alo Yoga, Warby Parker, Rothman’s, and Madewell.
Born and raised in NYC, Brett graduated magna cum laude, receiving his Bachelor of Architecture from the Macaulay Honors college at The City College of New York. At CUNY his work focused on sociopolitical projects ranges from Affordable Housing, Prison Reform, and to Academic Outreach.
Since starting with Graphite in 2019, Brett has managed all of the cannabis related projects within the firm. In addition to management, he also initiated the BIM, rendering, and marketing departments for the office. In 2021 he opened his own design practice Bread and Butter Studios, bab.nyc , which works in close collaboration with Graphite.
Our Approach
In our practice, we seamlessly blend both the technical and aesthetic aspects, adopting a harmonious and flexible approach that caters to the unique requirements of every project. By striking a balance between these elements, we ensure that each endeavor receives the utmost attention and care.
By leveraging our vast network of collaborators, we develop a customized strategy for each project, tapping into our collaborators whenever needed. This approach not only saves our clients valuable time and resources but also guarantees operational efficiency and delivers top-tier design solutions.