René Graham

Founder & CEO  |  rene@renzoebox.com

A native of Texas, René Graham holds a Master in Architecture from the Rice University School of Architecture, where she completed her thesis work with Eva Franch Gilabert, Director of the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. Before entering the world of product design in 2017 and founding Renzoe Box, LLC, Graham achieved significant and diverse experience in architectural practice, community development and real estate development.

In 2010, Graham co-founded LaurelHouse Studio, a boutique architecture practice and interdisciplinary design studio based in Bryan, Texas.  In 2012, she co-founded BCS Modern, a real estate development company focusing on design and community-based development in Downtown Bryan, Texas. Combined, LaurelHouse and BCSModern have designed and/or developed over $65m in property ranging from small scale residential renovations to multi-story mixed-use commercial facilities.

In 2013, Graham was a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts “Challenge America” grant for her installation entitled “Artfill: Art as Urban Infill” a public art installation still on display in Downtown Bryan, Texas today. In 2014, Graham received her first appointment to the architecture faculty at Texas A&M University. In 2015 and 2016, Graham was featured on episodes of “He Shed, She Shed” a nationally syndicated reality television show for transforming backyard sheds into livable spaces. In 2016 she submitted her first ever utility patent for the Renzoe Box. In 2017 she began teaching architecture at the University of Texas School of Architecture.

In addition to leading Renzoe Box™, LaurelHouse Studio and BCS Modern, Graham is a long time Board Member of the Downtown Bryan Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the cultural vitality and preservation of Historic Downtown Bryan, Texas. She has held advisory and committee roles for many public and private organizations including City of Bryan, Arts Council of the Brazos Valley, Leadership Brazos, Startup Aggieland, the Texas Bighorn Society, and the National Science Foundation. Of all her roles Graham’s favorite is serving as a faculty member and educator at The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University. Considering herself a “design thinker across many scales,” it is at these institutions where she enjoys collaborating with students and colleagues, battling out ideas to investigate new potentials of the built environment. In her spare time she enjoys attending the symphony, exploring new cities, building wildlife guzzlers in the west Texas desert mountains, and snuggling with her niece & nephew, Elise & Grayson, or with her dog, Oliver.