Architects Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee approach furniture as an extension of architecture, considering the relationship between objects, movement and occupation within a space. For the founders of Johnston Marklee, furniture contributes to the broader spatial composition of an environment.

Founded in 1998, Johnston Marklee has developed a diverse portfolio of architectural projects, including Vault House in Oxnard, California; Pavilion of Six Views in Shanghai, China; and Dropbox Global Headquarters in San Francisco, California. The firm’s work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Menil Collection, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Architecture Museum of TU Munich.

In 2022, the Menil Drawing Institute in Houston, Texas, designed by Johnston Marklee, received an Honor Award for Architecture from the American Institute of Architects. In 2024, Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee received the Richard Neutra Award for Professional Excellence.