Where Architectural Integrity Meets Modern Living
At JT Hauser, architectural and interior design excellence is rooted in collaboration, craftsmanship, and a deep understanding of how historic homes can evolve for modern life. Partners Julie Tran and Mike Hauser lead the studio with a shared commitment to creating thoughtful additions, renovations, and new homes across Chicago’s North Shore, blending historical integrity with contemporary needs.
Julie Tran, Interior Principal
Julie Tran brings over two decades of multidisciplinary design experience to JT Hauser, combining expertise in architecture, interiors, and environmental graphics. Trained and previously licensed as an architect in Illinois, Julie brings her experience from high-end residential projects, luxury hospitality spaces, corporate offices, and custom renovations. Julie’s ability to balance historic character with modern functionality is shaped by years working with firms such as Simeone Deary Design Group, Lieber Cooper Associates, and Morgante Wilson Architects. Her approach is rooted in timeless materiality, smart space planning, and a sensitivity to both lifestyle and architectural heritage. Julie holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, including a year of study at the École d’Architecture de Versailles in France.
Mike Hauser, Architect Principal
Mike Hauser brings more than twenty years of architectural expertise to JT Hauser, focusing on residential and civic design in both Chicago and San Francisco. Before founding Hauser Architects in 2011 and later co-founding JT Hauser, he contributed to notable projects at Raino Ogden Architects, Waller Street Cooperative, and Beverly Prior Architects. Mike’s work is distinguished by an ability to modernize historic homes through respectful additions, adaptive layouts, and a commitment to craftsmanship. His design philosophy centers on creating spaces that feel both enduring and attuned to the evolving lives of their inhabitants. Mike earned his Master of Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis.
Together, Julie and Mike lead JT Hauser with a unified vision: to design homes that respect their architectural origins while adapting seamlessly to the way people live today.