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TMS Turns 41
1984. Gas was $1.13, the Celtics won an epic game 7 against the Lakers to earn the title of 35th NBA Champion, and the original Apple Macintosh personal computer went on sale. This also happened to be the year that TMS was founded (the most significant fun fact, if you ask us. Who needs computers, anyway?).
41 years ago, William “Bill” Soupcoff and John Merkle joined together to create what is now TMS Architects & Interiors, a boutique home design firm servicing New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and beyond, to create wonderfully unique and luxurious homes.
TMS Founders John Merkle and Bill Soupcoff on the cover of the 1999 May-June Issue of Residential Architect.
TMS Group Photo, 2003.
From the jump, Bill and John shared a common passion for architectural design and both heavily valued ethics, fairness, and the insistence of superior work quality. Coming from different backgrounds (John graduated from NYIT; Bill from MIT), these two took their shared interests and unique educations and created a partnership that resulted in some of the finest architectural work in New England. Some projects you may recognize if you are local to the New England seacoast area include the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel restoration, the Music Hall restoration, and the Bridges House, as well as many stunning residential projects that pepper the coastal, lakefront, and inland roads of the region.
Wentworth by the Sea Hotel.
Portsmouth Music Hall Restoration Team Uncovers Original Ceiling Mural.
As the decades have passed, there have been monumental changes within the industry and the world in general, but TMS’ values have remained the same. Our mission is to fully embrace our clients’ visions and turn them into buildings that are beautiful, functional, and sustainable. Whether it’s a residential build, a pool house renovation, or commercial office design, communication and attention-to-detail are critical.
Residential Kitchen Design, 1997 Project.
Residential Kitchen Design, 2023 (Coastal Legacy).
Considering the growth of technology since 1984, our founders established the TMS name when architects primarily relied on hand-drawn sketches. We are now able to take clients on a three-dimensional tour of their future homes thanks to virtual reality. How times have changed! (although many of our designers still enjoy creating by hand). As technology and our business have developed, so have our skills, capabilities, and portfolio. We have worked to establish ourselves as both an architectural firm and an interior design firm, collaborating with clients in all phases of the design process. Whether in the initial construction phase or in the final decorating phase, we set out to not only meet our clients’ expectations but exceed them.
Archived TMS Hand-Drawn Residential Rendering.
Lakefront Residential Rendering, 2025.
Over the years, our work has earned us more than 40 awards for excellence of design. These projects have ranged from a 2004 National Trust for Historic Preservation Award for our work on the restoration of the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel (spearheaded by John Merkle, our initial historic preservation enthusiast!) to the 2025 Modern Luxury Interiors New England award for Best NH Architect. These awards and the variation of them display just how much time, thought, and energy goes into understanding what our clients desire for each project. and teaming up with them every step of the way to achieve just that. We are honored to have been serving our community for 41 years, and we look forward to the new projects we have yet to take on. Thank you to everyone who has helped make TMS Architects & Interiors into what it is today (employees, clients, family, community, etc) and here’s to the continuation of beautiful, unique, and sustainable building design!
Initial Rendering of Expanded Interior Design Resource Studio in the new TMS Office Space.
TMS Group Photo, 2025.
TMS Enjoy’s a Ski Day Courtesy of Thornton Tomasetti
A few of the TMS crew and some of their families were able to put our pens and keyboards down to enjoy a personal snow day at Black Mountain of Maine when our structural engineering friends at Thornton Tomasetti, who took over the mountain and invited us. The ski day took place on a great sunny early March day, and fun was had by all who attended. Tim, Dan, Ellie, and Kraig, along with some of our family members, were in attendance from TMS. There may or may not have been a skiing Yeti sighting or two as well! Thanks again to our friends and those that were able to participate with some fun team building and networking.
What Makes Shingle Style so Distinguishable?
TMS Architects and Interiors has been designing beautiful New England homes in a variety of traditional and modern styles for over 35-years. One of those iconic styles is called Shingle Style. Of true New England origin, Shingle Style was made popular in the latter part of the 19th century and was inspired by the idea of a slower, simpler and romantic lifestyle. For this reason, you’ll find this style populating locations where relaxation is a way of life, such as the oceanside, lakefronts and mountainside retreats.
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Waterfront Inspirations, Exceptional Exteriors
Summer is here. Brilliant blues abound; crystal skies, fragrant flowers, and of course – the sea. From 4th of July to days “upta camp,” all of New England is preparing for her greatest season as a regional gem. Vacationland, crisp air, and smoky evenings of glittering stars by the water. The imagery never ends. But there’s a certain imagery that can become a part of your home, all year round: classic waterfront architecture. With a few touches or even full renovations, your exterior can have you dreaming of gorgeous summer days, no matter the season.
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Real or Rendering? You Decide
The following amazing photo-realistic images were commissioned by TMS Architects to provide a client with a full understanding of the rather unconventional concept and design of cottages for their extended family and guests. These renderings will be used as a visual reference for the homeowners, the contractor and the architect to develop construction documents for future construction and were provided to TMS by Jonn Kutyla of PiXate Creative.
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A TMS-Designed Residence in Progress
Like a painting in which more detail is added or a piece of clay taking shape on a potter’s wheel, it is wonderful to see the construction progress of a new TMS-designed home. This residence, in northern Massachusetts, has been under construction by DiPiero Construction, Newburyport, Massachusetts, for a little less than a year and the homeowners are finally seeing the light at the end of the project…choosing colors, tile, fixtures, furniture and artwork for their new home as the abstraction of the floor plans become individual and specific rooms.
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A New England Cottage In Progress
Our client came to TMS to help them in realizing their vision of a New England rambling cottage that captured the rural character of their site which was defined by fieldstone walls and surrounded by sheltered vistas into the wooded landscape beyond.
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In Search of Haunted Seacoast Architecture
TMS couldn’t let Halloween go by without a piece on Seacoast hauntings from our local historian, J. Dennis Robinson! New England is famous for its stories about witches, witchcraft and haunted homes and according to Dennis, the Seacoast was not immune from these beliefs.
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Historic In-Town Home Renovation
The new owners of this historic residence wished to retain its formal aesthetics but recognized that their young and energetic family needed some additional casual space. The kitchen and the spaces in the rear ell did not meet the owners’ needs and the second floor master bedroom also served as access to the second floor spaces in the rear ell. All bathrooms were antiquated and the home also lacked direct exterior access to the large back yard and swimming pool.
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Elements of the Ultimate Vacation Home
If you could build your dream vacation home, which fun features would you add? That’s a question that has been on our mind ever since we shared this Family Playhouse under construction, which will eventually include a half basketball court and 9-hole mini golf course! When designing a vacation home — especially one in a rural area — many families are finding creative ways to keep the fun in-house. So what would we put in our ultimate vacation home? Read on for a little inspiration…
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Beach Front Progress
A few months ago, we shared the beginnings of a beach house project here on our blog. Now at three months in, we’re happy to say that construction is moving right along! Here are some highlights of the project so far…
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A Family Playhouse Under Construction
Family vacations are all about having fun and creating memories that will last a lifetime. So when our clients approached us to build the ultimate Family Playhouse in Maine’s back woods, fun was our number one priority! Take a look behind the scenes at our progress so far…
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Create Synergy with Your Outdoor Spaces & Landscape Designs
Great landscape designs all have one aspect in common — balance. And the wonderful thing about balance is that it doesn’t have to be elaborate to be effective. Simply adding a few structures for your kids to enjoy or creating a small garden room can resurrect a bland landscape. Below are some key tips to help create more harmony in your outdoor spaces.
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