Anthony O. James, Architect

Tony helped us to plan an office renovation in the historic House of Hospitality in Balboa Park. He helped us get organized, analyze our use of space and determine the best layout. It was great to work with someone who understands the sensitivity of working with a national historic landmark and accommodating a modern office use into that space.

I hired Tony James to plan the renovation of my kitchen in our home. He was able to develop a plan that included everything I wanted in the kitchen ,including a large island that we were not sure could fit in the space. He was professional, courteous and met the deadlines in a timely manner. After 20 years I am still very happy with the kitchen, especially the large island where my 12 grandchildren congregate for food and fun.

We worked with Tony James on a long-distance cross-country renovation and remodel of an 1862 country doctor’s home and medical office in a small village in Western New York. After reading a number of reviews, we identified his experience and interest in traditional design and restoration as a significant influence on our decision, matching our own interests in preserving the historic feel of the home. We simply couldn’t be happier with his design. Tony intuitively saw potential changes in layout and function that never occurred to us or the contractor. He moved a small, barely-functional kitchen that looked out into the neighbor’s driveway clear to the other side of the house, where a traditional yet spacious-and-functional kitchen now has a wide view of the large lawn and pond framed by trees and field; it seems to be the obvious choice in hindsight – but it took Tony James to first envision it and incorporate it into his drawings. His design converted a small and unneeded nursery adjacent to the master bedroom into a large and luxurious bathroom with walk-in shower and separate bath. In converting an office and exam rooms (remember; it was formerly a Doctor’s practice and home!) into a comfortable family room, Tony’s design reworked the exterior to a more classical layout, respecting the history and features appropriate to a mid-nineteenth century look. And he was able to do this for our new home in Western New York while we were still living in California. Communication across the country and across time zones was excellent: Tony responded to our questions by phone and email quickly and with good, well-considered answers. Our contractor found his instructions clear and detailed. Even our decorator was surprised by Tony’s use of space and promises to take his inspiration to her other clients. In the two years we’ve been in the new house, there isn’t a week that goes by where we haven’t reflected on our good fortune to have had Tony James’ vision put in place in our home.

Tony was the architect on a kitchen remodel that we did 1 1/2 years ago. He listened to our desires and needs with our active family of 7 and came up with a plan that we just love. The kitchen truly is the heart of our home now where all the action takes place. We were fortunate enough to find 3 month old custom cabinetry at a demo sale. Tony was able to incorporate every beautiful piece but one, which is now being well used in our bathroom. One of the remarkable things about our project was that Tony did all of our work from afar since we live hours apart. Tony is a creative genius who is respectful and timely in his turnaround. He was highly recommended to us and we highly recommend him to others.

What most impressed us about Tony was his willingness to listen to the desires we had, to interpret them into a real and practical plan, to make accommodations based on our financial resources, and to finish with a design that was more beautiful than we imagined. We absolutely love what Tony did with our house. We took off an ugly front porch, put both front and back dormers off the second floor , making one bedroom now two, installed a master bath, and added a master bedroom balcony overlooking the woods. Neighbors and passers by cannot believe the change. It looks like it was always meant to be! Tony met with our builder and carefully went over the plans. He was always available when we had questions. Excellent service!