Kevin Mason, Architect

The best way to describe a Kevin Mason house is that it feels right. You may not understand why, but it just feels good to be in one. I have been in six houses designed by Kevin (family, friends, and his other clients) and the sense is consistent, regardless of the design scheme. (He is not a "cookie cutter" designer.) We have had two professional artists come to parties at our house and their reactions were that "they got it", they understood his design concepts and why they worked to create that feeling. Most people's reaction is to just say "Wow!" Kevin is very easy to work with and a consummate professional. He will work with you to make your ideas real or lead you through a process to understand what will feel right to you. I have recommended him several times and am currently working with him on another project. I have not posted photos because our house is prominently featured on his website.

Who better than Kevin Mason to design a welcoming entry for my vintage home? When I started my project, I knew that Kevin is conversant with period house styles, having become aware of his efforts on my town’s historic preservation commission to establish its first residential historic district. Challenged by my house’s distinctive clipped gable roof atop a sheer front, I needed Kevin’s vast expertise to help me give my 1920’s house a portico that appears like it was “born with it.” Kevin’s design seamlessly transformed my house’s flat front by adding depth with a perfectly proportioned portico that gives my deserving house proper protection to and beauty around the front door. As a bonus, I learned a lot about my house– its design inspirations, structural framework and place in history. And because of our first successful collaboration, I asked Kevin to design a wing to add missing rooms on the back of my house- that project is on the boards. Thank you, Kevin Mason!

What we love about Kevin Mason is that he is far from the cookie-cutter architect! Kevin listens to your ideas and creates a unique design. Our house is a 100+-year-old farmhouse with original beadboard walls and ceilings (7-foot). The challenge was to design a living-room addition without disturbing the integrity of the original house. We were fortunate to be introduced to Kevin Mason through close friends who continue to use Kevin again and again. His solution for our house was to build a barn-like structure to the side of the house, mimicking the structure that previously existed on the property — Barn Again…! Kevin designed a living room addition with 16-foot ceilings, a loft, fireplace and an abundance of light from the many 5-foot windows. To connect the addition to the house, a hallway was created that extended from the existing back door. The “connector hall” with beadboard ceilings, lots of windows and a French door transitions beautifully to the addition and showcases the gardens behind the house. We can now sit at our café table in the hallway to enjoy our backyard. On top of all this (actually on the bottom of this), Kevin designed a basement with 9-foot ceilings without any lally columns to allow for a ping-pong table — much to our teenagers delight. We couldn’t be happier with Kevin’s work. He is passionate, detail-oriented and on call throughout the project. He made himself available at all hours to answer any questions posed by the contractor. Kevin Mason is definitely our architect of choice!

I can attest to Kevin Mason’s ability to design a well thought out addition with regard to living in the present, as well as a nod to the future. When we started our project our sons were in preschool and second grade. Kevin was sure to discuss how our addition would function at the time while thinking ahead to when we had teenagers. At the time the concept seemed worlds away. We wanted to add a modest addition to our home, Rounding the Corner. During the planning phase, Kevin presented two design choices. The first being a more typical A-frame addition, the second choice encompassed an asymmetrical roofline; mimicking a barn-like addition. This would visually and centrally locate our fireplace, affording us a view directly through the current living and entry areas of our home. It took some convincing on Kevin’s part but we put our full trust in Kevin’s vision. We used stock cabinetry and with Kevin’s talents he turned the ordinary into the extraordinary. We received a high-end look without the high-end cost. My sons are now in their 20’s and my home still functions beautifully to this day and will continue to do so well into the future.

After two contractor-designed renovation projects that went amiss because of their poor planning, I swore I would never do another house project without working with an architect. Happily, we found Kevin Mason through a local referral, and in the past 20 years we’ve never needed another architect. What started out as converting our garage into a sunken living room to find space for a piano became a four-project gradual renovation of a 1960’s ranch into a Craftsman-style house on the brow of a hill…the Ultimate Conversion. With his design talent, knowledge and attention to detail, Kevin developed an overarching design that carried through each project. Consistent themes, tile patterns, cabinet styles, window style, and color choices unify what is a large, rambling house into a cohesive whole. For example, Kevin designed decorative wooden screens that filled the bottom of the three openings in the dining room wall that overlook the new living room (once the garage). Those screens appeared again in the next project as “side light” type openings on either side of the entrance from the kitchen into the family room, and again as the main focal point at the entrance to the new master bedroom suite. Everything looks great, yet none of it is predictable. Besides being beautifully designed and unique, the house is so user-friendly. Light switches are right where you want them, electric outlets abound, closets and storage space have increased, and traffic easily flows from room to room. Kevin meticulously follows through on every detail, and function is as important as appearance in his projects. It seems to me that Kevin does his best work with clients who have a personal attachment to their home. He listens carefully to what his clients want and cares as much for the success of their vision as they do. Each project gets his intense focus from planning phase through completion. And being in my locality allowed him to pop over to keep an eye on our projects, even at times overseeing the projects in our absence. While working with Kevin on the four phases of our renovation, I’ve had the opportunity to see many of his other projects. Each has been as well-designed and executed as mine, yet each is unique. They reflect not only his talent, but the styles and tastes of their owners. Each reflects their owners’ unique vision of home.

TWICE we have used Kevin Mason for renovation projects and TWICE we could not have been happier. We live in a historic district and have a 100 year old home which had been modified in the 50's. We needed to replace rotting windows in the front and wanted the house to have a more historically correct and appealing appearance. We had an idea what we wanted to see but it was Kevin who was able to expand on our ideas and his guidance even through detail choices such as colors, resulted in a project which exceeded our expectations. Therefore when hurricane Sandy damaged our detached garage there was no question that we would utilize Kevin's services again. Once again we were thrilled with the results. Once a non-descript garage, now a carriage house styled garage perfectly suited to the restyled house bringing the whole property together. Kevin is an absolute pleasure to work with. His creativity, imagination, and his ability to understand and expand upon his clients visions is reflected in the outstanding results achieved. We would work with Kevin again without a second though and would highly recommend Kevin to anyone who wants to work with an experienced and talented architect.