deJong Studio | Architecture PLLC

When I started to look for an architect to work on a major home renovation in Falls Church, I struggled to find the right person. My house is unusual, with a lot of light and mid-century modern flare, but also quirky, with some odd built-by-original-owner decisions. My hope was to highlight the characteristics that we loved, while addressing some poor choices and outdated features. Christiane was the first architect who didn’t want to erase the personality of the house and turn it into a cookie-cutter contemporary space. She immediately appreciated the beauty and distinctiveness and really focused on our needs. Christiane ended up creating plans for a new kitchen, four baths, several rooms, and a custom-designed reading nook, as well as taking on the role of interior design consultant and some of the general contractor tasks. The results are stunning and it was a joy working with her. What stands out about Christiane is her collaborative approach. She is attentive and seemed to intuitively understand our style – even when I couldn’t explain myself! She came up with a range of exquisite options in her proposals for every space, and was always willing to continue modifying plans. The results were so much better than I had imagined, a combination of our vision and her creative ideas. Christiane was also onsite frequently and, when issues arose (sometimes a supplier’s fault, other times an issue with the material), she was often the person with the solution. She has an eye for color and details, while also prioritizing functionality. Christiane is a pleasure to work with in every way, personally and professionally. We are thrilled with her work and recommend her without reservation.

I hired deJong Studio Architecture for two renovation projects in my mid-century modern home. The kitchen project was first. The goal was to modernize the kitchen but keep the same basic footprint. Within a few short months, we went from envisioning to a finished product. The result was a perfect melding of my desires and Christiane’s expertise with the MCM aesthetic. The space is simple, functional, refined, and high-end. It is somehow ahead of the times (2020s) and yet of the times (1950s). The stair project was second. The goal was to replace the existing staircase with one that is architecturally interesting and cohesive. The original stairs were unrefined and bulky. They covered up poor design with non-sensical design elements. The redesigned stairs are once again, simple, functional, refined, and high-end. When you enter the front door, the stairs draw attention and demand close inspection. Upon close inspection, the complexity of what seems simple becomes apparent. The turn of the handrail floated on steel posts allows for a firm grip as one moves up or down the stairs; the two material (wood and concrete particle board) risers provide necessary visual separation; and the wedge-shaped turn with varying width treads enables an ergonomic ascent/descent. The stairs are a study in human-factors engineering. In addition to hiring Christiane for her design expertise, I also hired her to assist with identifying contractors and managing the project through build. Hiring her for the 3 services was a game-changer for me. She shepherded me through the process, let me be involved with the Contractors as I wanted to be, and ensured my satisfaction with the end product. I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome of both projects and would highly recommend deJong Studio Architecture.

We can't overstate how highly we recommend Christiane as an architect and overall design guru. We bought a run down 1960's house with wonderful mid-century bones, but a complicated site and damaged foundation. We've never done a whole house renovation project before, and we interviewed a number of firms to find an architect with experience with both mid-century-specific design and strong structural knowledge. We were incredibly lucky to find Christiane, who excels in both. Christiane designed a stunning house for us which is true to mid-century design while incorporating important contemporary elements. We had a triangular shaped plot, which inspired Christiane to create a wedge shaped addition with a gorgeous butterfly roof. We are the envy of the neighborhood. Equally important to the design, Christiane is a strong project manager. She worked well with the contractor, but never let the timeline, details or quality slide. She always kept our best interest in mind and advocated for us at every turn. She also worked extremely with us, two clients with strong personalities and opinions. When we disagreed, she patiently explained her rationale, but if we decided to go another direction, she worked hard to make our ideas succeed. You will be lucky to have the opportunity to work with Christiane, we could not be more please with our house, and it is all due to her vision and professionalism.

Mid-Century Modern Surprise! My husband and I approached this project thinking we knew exactly what we wanted! To our surprise we found ourselves amazed at the ideas Christiane presented to us! Each consult session came with alternative considerations and ideas keeping us both focused and excited. Christiane was also considerate of our budget and ultimately provided us plans for both today's project and a project in the near future. We are incredibly pleased with the design outcome and our project is currently underway! It was great working with deJong Studios and we would recommend their services to anyone thinking about going down the renovation journey!

Christiane is so great to work with! She is so thoughtful in the design that she brings to fruition. She spent countless hours working with us to create a design that worked perfectly for the needs of our family while keeping the sometimes complex design of our mid-century modern house in mind. We highly recommend deJong Architecture and would definitely work with her again going forward!

Christiane helped us transform our 1949 cape into a gorgeous new home. She was able to stay true to the time period of the original house while ingesting a classic and modern appeal. We are thrilled with the end result. Throughout the process, Christiane provided thoughtful, smart options. Once we narrowed in on the direction we wanted to go in (with her guidance), she designed a super functional home that checked all of our boxes. We get endless complements about the beauty and functionality of our home, all designed by Christiane. Thank you!!

Working with Christiane deJong to renovate our midcentury modern home was a wonderful experience! Christiane's knowledge and experience helped our project move forward smoothly. As things came up she was able to quickly provide solutions. She also was very respectful and mindful of our budget throughout the project, taking care to check in on that when the scope of the project expanded. I highly recommend working with her!

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Christiane DeJong. Her style, attention to detail and eye for design is unmatched. Before the project began she asked all the right questions so she knew exactly what we wanted. She gave us ideas that we never even thought about to level up our own expectations. She also managed the project with the contractors which was very helpful as she knows the industry, how long things take upon ordering, etc. It saved us a lot of work and headache. She had our back when there were changes/delays in the project and fought for us until we came up with an agreement that satisfied us. She is very organized and really made us feel like we were her top priority. Her ability to juggle multiple things, readjusting design until we were 100% satisfied without hesitation made us feel confident from day 1. Not only does she have superior architectural design skills, her interior design abilities went above and beyond our expectations. She aided us in that department as well which was not in our scope of work. Her business is so well rounded and we will be using her for all future projects. Knowing we are in the best hands makes very big renovation projects seem easy. Hands down the best! We couldn't be happier!

We work with deJong on plans for an addition to our home. The plans were thoughtful, taking into account the unique style of our home, its location and the history. Christiane listened carefully and improved each iteration with our feedback. We arrived at a truly fantastic plan that integrates seamlessly with the existing home. It was an easy and collaborative process.

We worked with Christiane for a full kitchen and 1st floor remodel from ideation all the way through construction and had a wonderful experience. She was thorough and thoughtful in her design approach and really took our lifestyle and tastes into consideration. There were a few design specifics we were adamant on, but she accommodated our requests beautuflly and worked them into the design. When it came to the construction, I would not have wanted to do it without her! Her attention to detail, both inside and outside the walls was amazing and gave us a peace of mind I know we would not have had otherwise. Our space turned out beautifully, is perfectly functional for us, and we get complimented on it whenever someone comes into our home. I would definitely recommend working with her.

We hired Christiane for our mid century home in Holmes Run Acres. We presented her with an extremely tight schedule, a BIG challenge. We are very pleased with the outcome. Thank you, Christiane!

Christiane really helped us see the design possibilities of our kitchen renovation. She worked to create a plan that opened up our space to enhance the clean modern lines of our 1972 contemporary home. The end result is a kitchen that honors the era and style - but is much better aligned with how we live, cook and entertain.