When the Jonas Lake House was first published it was promptly picked up by many other publications. Most of those had an audience primarily composed of designers, architects, and the like. Though, three different blogs and magazines with a more consumer based audience also published it. From those three came an over pouring of calls and emails to Aldo, inundating his inbox and leaving his phone constantly ringing for weeks. Many of those calls and emails were potential clients and many of those leads turned into important projects for Aldo’s career.
Early on Aldo juggled those projects on his own, being extra selective of who the client was and what the project would be, and bringing on draftsman as needed. The work load rapidly became too much for him to handle on his own and it was evident he needed to establish an office. This, though, would require a return to the city.
When first operating, it was an office of five employees, not including Aldo, and later grew to over 50 at its peak. The first few years were rocky, to say the least as the firm struggled to find its foothold. Many of his projects during that period were met with sharp criticism or were completely overlooked.
Aldo returned to the lake house once during that period with the intention of taking a break, though he ended up working the entire time. The home he designed when he returned to his workshop was the only project to be dealt with praise and a positive reception during those early years of the office. Being one always aware of patterns before him, Aldo made the connection of the success of his projects to that of the lake house. And so it was that his routine of work at the lake house from fall through spring, when the office was at its slowest, was established.
A Page a Day 