cJem Designs, PLLC

Outstanding Architect for Our Black Mountain Retreat! Jessica Larsen is simply the best decision we made for our custom mountain escape in Black Mountain, NC. From day one, Jessica joined us on-site, truly listened to our needs, dreams, and wish-list items, then translated everything into stunning designs that felt uniquely “us.” She anticipated every requirement of the architectural review committee and Buncombe County regulations. She collaborated seamlessly with our builder, keeping communication open, timelines tight, and everyone aligned. Her creative solutions maximized views, light, and flow while staying within budget and code. Our home is now the mountain sanctuary we envisioned—modern yet timeless, warm yet dramatic. If you’re building in Western North Carolina, hire Jessica before someone else does. We recommend her without a single reservation!

Hire this architect! Jessica was instrumental in the success of our condominium renovation in downtown Asheville. Her expertise and talents extended far beyond drawing up plans to helping us navigate zoning, permitting, inspections and develop solutions to structural/construction/fire protection issues that arose during our project. She was our trusted advisor, listening ear, and confidant as we navigated the complexities of a residential renovation project in a commercially-zoned building. If you're looking for an architect with inspired ideas, technical knowledge, a connected network, and a steady, no-drama approach to your construction project, look no further. Call cJem Designs!

We were so lucky to find Jessica Larsen to be our architect. We had purchased a 1950 brick rambler and wanted to refurbish it into our forever home. At the time, we were living in a different city and had to meet with Jessica online. She listened carefully, asked questions, and converted our wishes which seemed impossible into the possible. Our house was taken to the studs, walls were torn down, the living room ceiling was vaulted, and front porch added, better connecting to outdoors. At our request, many rooms were flooded with as much light as possible with skylights and large windows. The 1950 kitchen was enlarged and made into a dream professional kitchen. Its two bathrooms were completely renovated. When the design was almost completed, we decided we needed another complete bedroom added. This was tricky because of the backyard setback regulations. Jessica figured out how to fit the bedroom into the yard and design. Amazing. Besides her amazing architectural talent, she is a delight to work with. It’s obvious her main motivation is to give her customers what they want as much as possible. She was wonderful at prompting us to convey our thoughts and convert them into the design. We can’t say enough good things about Jessica and her architectural skills. You will be lucky to get her as your architect; and we know you will be very happy with the completed project. We can attest to that.

Jessica understood what we were looking for in our new-build home (aging in place design elements and mid century inspired style) and translated that to a beautiful home that we are extremely happy with and works perfectly for our lifestyle. She was super easy and enjoyable to work with, and very communicative. We highly recommend using Jessica for your home planning and design needs!

My wife and I built our home in Asheville NC about 2 1/2 years ago with the help of Jessica Larsen. We had some general ideas of what we wanted and she turned them into our dream home. She met with us on a few occasions and listened to our feedback until we developed a final design. We unfortunately had to make a few unforeseen changes due to HOA restrictions and she acted quickly so we could keep to our timeline. We don't ever plan on moving but we would not hesitate to work with Jessica in the future. We still see her in our travels around town and I'm amazed at how she remembers small details about our home and our personal lives.

We did a total overhaul of a 1912 home to preserve its charm but to also make it work for a modern family. Jessica helped us to make it happen! We came in with a good idea of what we wanted and she took that input, offered suggestions, and gave us a great starting plan for our renovation.

Jessica Larsen was amazing from start to finish. She takes the time to listen and understand the clients needs prior to doing the first set of drawings. She uses her experiences and understanding of space and design to create a space better than the client (me!) could have imagined. She keeps the project fluid so changes are welcome. Her level of service is unparalleled - I cannot recommend her enough!

In short, Jessica Larson made my dream home a reality! I had some rather unique ideas and Jessica took the time to listen no matter how crazy they seemed at the time, visit properties that were my inspiration and then turned my crude sketches into a home that is a perfect fit for my lifestyle (and budget). She met all deadlines and was responsive to questions and feedback throughout the process. Jessica was able to add stylish design elements while focusing on value engineering and her deep understanding of appropriate room sizes and layout made all the difference in my home feeling both comfortable and truly unique. She was both professional and fun to work with and I will continue to highly recommend Jessica to my friends, family and real estate clients.

Jessica was very friendly and helpful. She provided everything we needed from her to produce permit and construction drawings for our builder to use. I would use her again.

Working with Jessica was a pleasure. I came to her with big ideas for our home renovation and she made it a reality. I truly had so much fun bouncing ideas with her and rearranging things to make our perfect space. I would absolutely recommend her!

We were fortunate enough to contact CJEM Designs to help with a large home renovation in Asheville NC. Jessica Larsen was extremely professional and brought ingenuity to the design. She was with us every step of the way and made a creative but functional design for our home. She took the time to get to know our family and what we wanted and needed from the design to make our dream home. I could not give a stronger recommendation for CJEM Designs.

The personal touch provided by c.Jem far exceeded our expectations. Despite being geographically distanced from c.Jem, they invested the time to conduct 3 site visits to assess both our home, as well as the surrounding area to design initial drawings for our renovation. c.Jem was easy to work with as we provided feedback on the designs, and they ensured our priorities were folded into each option, as well. c.Jem helped us scope our project to keep us within budget, and would provide feedback on which concepts would stretch us too far. What we loved most about c.Jem is that the designs were extremely practical and maximized the use of small spaces to make your home both welcoming and efficiently designed. c.Jem's attention to detail, knowledge in design and construction, and hands-on involvement will make any homeowner beyond lucky to have the opportunity to work with them!