Equine Residences’ Andrea Knowles Brings High Design to Equestrian Facilities

By David Graver | All Images by MODE VISUALS (@MODE.VISUALS) When Beverly Hills-based architect and designer Andrea Knowles founded Equine Residences in 2022 it bridged years of professional and personal experience with one observation. Knowles had been practicing interior, exterior and landscape design for nearly 20 years. Long before, she had been a competitive showjumper. During a period of reflection on the latter, Knowles realized that she had rarely seen luxury design integrated into equestrian facilities in the US and Europe—and everywhere else for that matter. View full issue. “It was shocking to me given who horse stables were being built for,” Knowles tells Elliman Equestrian . “The stable is a place where most equestrians want to spend all of their time. You want to be around your horses as much as you can, or be out riding, or hanging out in the stables with all of your friends.” Knowles developed a first-of-its-kind business, an interior and exterior equestrian facilities design firm. She then tested out concept imagery on social media. With an immediate explosion of interest, Equine Residences was born. Underscoring her mission is that the same principles used in high-end residential projects or luxury hospitality builds are applicable to horse stables, lounges and tack rooms. “There are premium materials that last a long time, given how beaten up a stable can get and considering how hard a horse can be on a stable,” she says. This means using better stone or wood, and coupling it with higher-end stable equipment. Choices like these prevent having to do repairs or replacements down the line. Of course, establishing an aesthetic standard is integral to her work, but so is research. “We read so many university studies. One of the highest principles of my firm is the health, wellness and safety of horses,” she says. “We try to know about everything in the marketplace that can reinforce all of this in the stable—from stall fronts to partitions, doors and windows. I keep it as chemical-free as possible, and make sure we are not introducing toxins into an equine environment. It’s about always knowing what’s better for horses.” For instance, Knowles does not use fly-spray systems, instead preferring air misting. In arenas, she commits to sand for footing. The tack room of the German headquarters of Röwer & Rüb, designed by Equine Residences. Equine Residences handles everything from start to finish, whether they’re working on a ground-up build, a remodel, or doing interiors. They provide a master plan and all of the drawings. They often tap into the power of AI for inspirational renderings and real-time updates. “A client can say to me, ‘I love the idea of Northern European/Dutch design, with a thatched roof,’ and I can say, ‘alright, let’s play with that’ and quickly have something to show them,” she says. Knowles shares her AI images on Instagram and Pinterest, many of which have gone viral. Andrea Knowles “I am giving inspiration to people who might not come to Equine Residences, for their own stables, because of the cost,” she explains, “but we are still offering them the opportunity to see what’s out there in the world. A stable doesn’t always have to look the same.” It’s that sentiment that distinguishes Knowles as an industry disruptor. “We don’t do things because that’s how they were done,” she adds. “We are doing things as they should be done. We are continuing to be as knowledgeable and creative as possible on behalf of our client base.” In November, Equine Residences unveiled a milestone project, a compound in the Netherlands designed for two of the biggest equestrian social media content creators, HorseWorldTV founder Matt Harnacke and acclaimed rider and trick trainer Jesse Drent. “We spent two years looking for a property and two years working on the designs,” Knowles says. The project required multiple trips to the Netherlands, as well as Germany where she met with the stable equipment company Röwer & Rüb. Ultimately, Harnacke and Drent “bought a 200 year old estate and we began to restore it. It has a lot of restrictions based on the monument clause in the Netherlands. We’ve worked with the local council. It’s an intensive process and it’s been a great education on the pairing of a restoration with a ground-up build and landscaping. We’ve loved every part of the process—and we’re having so much fun working on it together.” It’s the landscaping component that Knowles hopes everyone makes note of. “I really want people to know that they should start with their landscaping, so that when their construction is done, it’s already there,” she explains. “It’s such an important element that we really push. A master plan and planting plans should be done ASAP because the faster you get your irrigation and plants in, the better they’re going to be when you finish. It won’t look like an empty lot with a beautifully designed stable on it.” An indoor arena designed by Equine Residences with attached upstairs and downstairs spaces including a lounge, kitchen, cafe, gym and entertainment area. Moss from The Fat Plant Society. Located in Switzerland, this indoor arena was designed by Equine Residences as an all-glass showcase of the surrounding nature. Knowles has another equestrian advancement on the horizon. “A partner and I are in the founding process of a secondary business associated with Equine Residences, that’s a smart farm technology company,” she says. “We are going to launch an app that does stable management and keeps track of horse wellness and safety. Every time I walk into a high-end stable, it’s all run on a whiteboard. You are not getting up-to-date information. It’s been bothering me for years and I’ve come up with a solution.” Knowles plans to have it fully funded, developed, launched and installed around Los Angeles by the 2028 Olympics. “It’s a great launching pad for this,” she adds, “because all of the riders will be there, as well as their grooms.” It’s an apt pairing—an elite showcase and the latest debut from an individual revolutionizing the equestrian world.