Cella Architecture

Erich is a wizard of an architect and a genuinely nice person. Our project was an' attic conversion to a primary suite. He listened to what we wanted and worked with us to create an amazing space. Erich has a rich network of resources and offered expertise beyond design to fixtures, materials, and even colors. It's been a great experience working with Erich and we would fully recommend Cella Architecture.

We hired Erich to help us renovate our 1909 Craftsman home, which was mostly untouched. We wanted to update it with some fairly significant changes -- removing walls for a more functional kitchen, changing the location of the main stairway, and making the second floor a full living space — but wanted the house to retain its original Craftsman look and feel. Like all old houses, there were numerous design and challenges, but Erich was good at presenting options so we could collectively come up with the best solution. Erich completely understood the period idiom so that the house now looks “original.” His design sense as well as his attention to detail has given us a very lovely place to live. We couldn’t be more pleased. David and Sarah

Erich designed and was an integral part in building our custom home on Lake Oswego. We told Erich we wanted a traditional Cape Cod house with a modern interior and that’s what we got. It was a very challenging project but we found Erich to be professional, creative, conscientious and extremely interested in getting the details right throughout.

Eric designed a to-the-studs remodel and expansion of our mid-1950s ranch in SW Portland. As you can see from the photo, the overall shape of the house was unaltered from the street view, but 50% more space was added (mostly in back). We were very concerned that the house retain the feel of the neighborhood and Eric pulled this off despite the massive changes we made to the layout. We have a large open floor plan now, that is completely up to date, but the interior retains the detailing that we fell in love with when we bought the place. Eric uses CAD tools with great facility, which makes him a) productive and b) able to provide 3D walkthroughs of design alternatives. He has a great relationship with the builder we used (Otis Construction). Here is one example of Eric's attention to detail. Note that the siding we have on our house now is vertical cedar board/batten but there is something special about the battens... the fronts are narrower than the backs, which tends to soften the shadows. Also, note the alternating widths of the boards and the detailed trim around the Marvin windows. Another example: specifying and laying out the lighting in the house with care, right down to bulb recommendations. Everyone who comes into the house notes how light and airy it is, despite having nominally 8' ceilings. Eric designed a cove for the living room that only adds 12" in height but transforms the space.

Erich designed our new master suite and worked with the builder (Olson and Jones) and engineers as needed through completion. The suite was added to the 2nd story of a 1940 home and there were several components which needed to be integrated both functionally and aesthetically. His competency as an architect was evident even to this nonprofessional. His communication style and ability to both collaborate and guide made the project a beautiful and enjoyable success. We could not be happier. Thank you Erich.

Eric was great from start to finish. He came highly recommended by my builder Jeff Jones of Olson and Jones and he did not disappoint. He was a great listener and really took the time to help me see the possibilities of my new guest suite. His designs were truly creative and functional... he was very detailed and took the extra time to ensure that I understood what the finished product would look like... He was quick to point out when I was about to “waste” money on a design element that was overly expensive and suggested great reasonable alternatives. He was my advocate throughout the process and ensured that the permits and finalized drawings were complete and on time. He was excellent, I would highly recommend him for any project.

I hired Erich to design my kitchen and basement remodel. I could not be happier with the outcome. From our initial meeting to the final walk through, Erich was a dream with whom to work. From my experience, he is a brilliant Architect, with an amazing eye for period architecture and all details attributed to it. He has high standards, and impeccable taste, yet also understands the importance of sticking to a realistic budget. He was efficient, accurate, and timely. He understood that I wanted the outcome to be stunningly beautiful, without breaking the bank in the process. Thanks to Erich's expertise, what previously was our small, cramped, barely-usable kitchen is now the gourmet kitchen of our dreams. Our basement, in it's original 1906 state was nothing more than a dark dreary laundry room. Now, it's a warm, cheery family room which we use daily. Erich is highly respected and admired by his colleagues, he collaborated so well with the all the workers on my job that the result was a smooth and enjoyable process for everyone involved. Whatever issues arose, Erich was quick to respond and worked well with all the members of our remodeling team. His guidance made the entire project fun, easy, and stress-free. Erich is a great communicator. He has a charming sense of humor, which puts everyone he works with at ease. He is compassionate, understanding, an amazing listener, and incredibly patient. What I appreciated most about Erich was the enthusiasm he brought to my project. Every step of the way, he was encouraging and supportive. This made each step a lot of fun! I feel so fortunate to have found Erich Karp and Cella Architecture. I cannot imagine working with any other Architect. Truly, the best decision I made was hiring Erich. He is a rare gem, and I'm thrilled I had the opportunity to work with him this past year.

Erich provided a wonderful design for our kitchen remodel! Our house was built in 1939, and Erich was able to provide us with modern features, yet maintain the character and feel of the era in which the house was built. We appreciated Erich's attention to detail, and his design fell well within the budget. When small problems arose during the project, Erich was able to provide valuable input on solving the issues. We LOVE our new kitchen, and will definitely call on Erich for further remodeling projects.

Cella Architecture was a vital member to the team for my new custom home. Erich did a great job in the design by listening to what I wanted and then adding some wonderful creativity. He also worked well with the various other consultants I assembled on the project. I would absolutely recommended Cella Architecture to family and friends.

Erich is a bright & talented architect whose attention to detail makes him a delight to provide for. I found his communication and questions to be thorough and concise. I would highly recommend Erich!

Our team has recently had the pleasure of working with Erich on a new construction project in the Portland, OR area. Erich has been great to work with and has had much insight into the details related to not only to the construction side but also the design aesthetics. We look forward to working with him on another upcoming project.

"I have worked with Erich the last few years on a 9000 square foot French Home. His construction drawings and design have been excellent and very easy for myself and all of the trades to understand and perform the work. He has been very organized and efficient with his details and understanding of the construction process. He has been a pleasure to work with as an architect and a person. I would highly recommend Erich for your architecture and design needs." Mike Cowan, Cowan Construction, LLC

I have had the pleasure of working with Erich on several projects throughout the years. On building projects, hundreds of problems will arise and how they are dealt with determines the true professionalism of an architect. Erich has never missed a beat on solving the problems with me on custom door and window orders and has come up with very creative solutions. It would simplify Erich's skills to just say he is detail oriented, he goes far beyond just details. He looks at the job as a whole and somehow manages to break every component down into sub assemblies and how they interact with each other. Not just how it's to be designed and built, but does the item work aesthetically in the overall design. Simply put, he is a pro, an absolute pro. I have always enjoyed working with him and look forward to working on the next project with Erich. Shawn Shallenberger Northwest Door and Sash