The Agency knows innovation when it sees it—and it’s certainly apparent in Omar Nobil and Erika Stahlman’s exciting new project that offers buyers a unique lifestyle experience. The duo formed Unincorporated Associates, a futurist luxury lifestyle brand and real estate development company that creates immersive and transportive residences through thoughtful, sustainable and enduring design. The Agency’s Benjamin Teper is spearheading the marketing of the project, which launches with the sale of its first residence in Joshua Tree. The home’s $12 million price tag includes a customized line of clothing for its residents as well as a custom-designed Land Rover. The three-bedroom home is made of concrete and includes a guesthouse and an environmentally friendly, mineral-water swimming pool. Omar, Erika and Benajmin sat down with The Agency to talk about their process, vision and the future of sustainability.
The Agency: Omar, you are the former VP of women’s design at Banana Republic. What is your professional focus now?
Omar: My focus is entirely centered on launching Unincorporated Associates with Erika. At U’A, we have created a comprehensive lifestyle brand that encompasses architecture, fashion and custom vehicles. My decision to leave my previous role and go into business with Erika was born from our shared desire to create a holistic vision of what a sustainable, luxury lifestyle brand should encompass. We wanted to create something new and future-facing, together. I also knew that Erika’s extraordinary talent as an architectural designer would mean we would create something unique.
The Agency: Erika, you have been in the world of architecture for a long time. Tell me about the progression of your career and how it has led to where you are today.
Erika: I’ve been working in home design and architecture since the 90s. My career started in L.A. and then I moved to New York City. I had been practicing for over 20 years when I met Omar, building luxury, multi-home compounds at the time. During the pandemic, something special started happening to us and we were consumed with dreaming about what our ideal project would be. We dreamt up a home of inspiration, meditation and adventure—a place where you could walk out your door, go on a hike and feel both inspired and at peace. We’ve both arrived at points in our careers where we want to create the purest version of our art.
The Agency: Your launch project in Joshua Tree will be the first in a series of homes/lifestyle experiences, correct?
Omar: Yes, this is the first project, but we’re going to be creating more. In fact, we’ve already acquired land for our next development in Pioneertown, another location we find inspiring. We are in the process of sourcing the right lots in The Hamptons. The creative process is ongoing at all these locations—each architectural design will be unique to the site, and that’s part of what makes it so special. Within each location, we plan to develop a private residence as well as a members-only guest house where people can experience the U’A lifestyle.
Benjamin: Yes, the idea of pairing the home with a members’ club is interesting right now because there is a huge demand for these experiences. People are seeking out community. This project blends the elements of home, experience, location and community.
The Agency: How does the vision of this home relate to your overall design philosophy and perspective?
Omar: We want each of the experiences we create to be transportive. Places where people can really escape both physically and spiritually. They are designed to evoke your imagination and creativity. As for Joshua Tree, the desert itself has historically been a symbolic place of personal transformation.
Erika: The other homes will share the same design tenants as the Joshua Tree home, however, the architecture will always evolve. Each structure and experience will be unique. The principles will remain, but each will feel different.
The Agency: What kind of conversation is going on between the home design and its surrounding environment? How do they relate to one another?
Erika: Sustainability is a core tenant of our design philosophy. We should all be making the effort to be as undraining to our environment as possible, and now solutions are becoming more accessible to take us there. Our Joshua Tree property is a case study on being 100% off the grid. The residence includes two car charging stations, a heated pool during the winter, Gaggenau appliances and an amazing lighting system—you don’t have to give up luxury to be sustainable. This home operates entirely off of the sun and generates about $11,000 in value in electricity a year.
Omar: The experiences we create are luxurious but have an element of essentialism. Erika has designed everything the client will need from the architecture down to the furniture within the home. The apparel collection will be custom-curated for the client using sustainable fabrics. Nothing will go to waste. . Everything will have a clear use.
“Luxury should be leading the way in terms of sustainability and innovation in sustainability.”
—Omar Nobil
The Agency: What kind of materials have you chosen for this project?
Erika: The material list is minimal—mostly concrete with accents of reclaimed Cypress cabinetry and mirror polished stainless steel. We chose to conceal all lighting behind a custom louvered ceiling panel system, which cuts down on light pollution. The home has panoramic, 180-foot glass windows, so we didn’t want to interfere with the ambient light level at night. Solar panels are integrated into the roof systems—they’re matte grey and at zero degrees so they blend in seamlessly. We included a state-of-the-art battery backup for the solar panels, which will give residents three days of energy storage. We have used a hydronic radiant heating system that will keep the concrete warm to touch and heat the residence.
“The ultimate principle of the design is that sustainability does not impede the experience nor the beauty of the aesthetic.”
—Erika Stahlman
The Agency: Benjamin, this is a unique home. How are you going to take a unique approach to marketing it?
Benjamin: The first step will be to leverage The Agency’s global network and reach out to different offices. We’ll also use digital platforms and host an event that revolves around art, technology, sustainability and fashion. There is a huge audience for this type of project and we’re excited to get the word out.
The Agency: You are a crypto-certified agent. Might this be a crypto sale?
Benjamin: Possibly! There’s a big crypto audience right now, and this will undoubtedly appeal to those buyers. It helps that I’m based in Miami, which is the crypto capital of the world. It’s the right place to be for an offering of this caliber.
The Agency: One last question—not only are you business partners and creative partners, but you’re also life partners! Congratulations on your engagement. How do you manage working so closely and collaborating successfully on this project?
Omar: It’s an all-encompassing creative partnership and something we wanted to start on the right foot. We’ve both worked with the same executive coach, Jason Press, who coached us separately and as a team. He also happens to be our marketing consultant. Working with Jason allowed us to really understand each other and strategically carve out our roles and responsibilities based on our strengths and passions.
Erika: As part of that process, we did an in-depth personality test and cross-referenced the results. I’m a futurist—I can envision the future and anticipate what’s next. After we took the test, Omar began believing in me even more and vice versa; Omar is a great leader and once I saw it on paper, I was able to really grasp that information and internalize it. From the moment we met each other, we knew we wanted to start a creative partnership. So this project is everything to us.
