DGR Architecture + Interiors

We could not be happier that we chose Donna for our renovation project. She did an absolutely amazing job from start to finish. Donna was incredibly easy to work with, had fantastic ideas, and really guided us through the entire design process. She helped with everything from tile, colors, hardware, and flooring to lighting selections, always providing thoughtful options that matched our style and needs. What we appreciated most was how she walked us through every option to make sure the final design was the best fit for our lifestyle and family. She made what could have been an overwhelming process feel manageable and exciting. Her suggestions were always spot on, and it was so helpful that she would send links and examples to make decisions easier. Donna also handled an enormous amount of work with the city and clearly demonstrated her experience and professionalism throughout the permitting process. Several permit officials commented on how detailed and organized her plans and specifications were, especially so early in the project. One of Donna’s greatest talents is her ability to stay true to the architectural style of the home and neighborhood while still bringing fresh, beautiful ideas to the table. I shared my vision for what I hoped our home could become, and she brought it to life perfectly — even better than we imagined.

Donna was the absolute best. Her ability to understand what our family needed in our space, to think unconventionally, and to come up with solutions, was impressive. From the beginning through the end of the project, she was invaluable. Donna helped us choose fixtures and tile, and was absolutely necessary in dealing with the construction crew. I honestly cannot recommend her enough and will send everyone I know who needs an architect to Donna.

Donna was an amazing partner in renovating, restoring, and updating our 1895 victorian. She helped us reimagine each of the three floors of our victorian to maximize the space for our family, taking into considerations our preferences. We have lived in our house for 10 years and had a lot of unmaximized space (but a lot of experience living in the house and thus ideas of how it would flow). She helped us elevate those ideas, staying true to the house and helping us optimize the flow of our house. She also helped me choosing finishes for our house. We worked with the contractor she recommended (Michael at Artifex Construction) and had a great experience. She is also just a lovely person to work with.

We worked with Donna to design an extensive renovation to our Elmwood home. She was wonderful to work with throughout the process -- collaborative, flexible, reliable and with great ideas for how to future-proof a house for a growing family. Would recommend her strongly to people looking for a residential architect.

Working with Donna on my Craftsman renovation in Alameda was a dream come true. From having a strong vision of what the house could be to finding every last inch of storage space possible to incorporating my sometimes outlandish design ideas, she has created a home for my family that is more beautiful, more functional, and more special than I ever could have imagined. Her attention to detail is unrivaled, the contractors and engineers she recommended were amazing, and she is an absolute pleasure to work with. She managed the project from beginning to end with expertise, care, and humor. I couldn’t recommend her more highly.

We are remodeling our property in Piedmont, and love working with Donna. Her vision is creative, clear and inspiring, and her choices for each and every finish are perfect. In addition to her beautiful designs, Donna is a pleasure to work with - she has managed every aspect of the project with creativity and professionalism.

We started working with Donna in 2019 to make plans for major renovations to our 110 year old Bungalow in the Piedmont Avenue neighborhood of Oakland. She has been an absolute delight to work with throughout the project. She listened carefully to our wish list and all the problems with our current home that we hoped to solve, and came up not only with a design we love, but also a whole planned out/phased approach so that we can stage the work as time and budget allows. She worked hard to understand the code requirements for our old, non-conforming lot and existing structure, and incorporated that into overall design so that by the time she applied for our permits, she had everything lined up for the planning department, making approval seamless. She lined up engineers for us to work with, and arranged for us to get bids from several contractors. We're super excited to work with her as we move into the build phase of our project!!

We loved working with Donna on our major remodeling project. She is friendly and very easy to work with. She is very organized and has excellent project management skills which helped us complete the design and permit phase of our project well ahead our the schedule. As a parent herself, she thoroughly understands the needs of a family with small kids and advised us with lots of great ideas that was suitable, practical and worked well within our parameters. We would not hesitate to highly recommend Donna to anyone in need of quality work.

My wife and I could not have been happier with our experience working with Donna Roberts. Donna helped us envision our project, incorporating all the elements we asked for while making thoughtful suggestions of her own which we hadn’t imagined, particularly with the needs of our twins in mind. The end result was both beautiful and highly functional. She was also great at working with the planning commission, submitting such a complete and polished proposal that it got approved much faster than is the norm. Donna was always punctual and professional, while also warm, friendly, and genuine. We wouldn’t hesitate to work with her again on any future projects, and we will recommend her to any friends that need design work. Donna is the best!

Donna understood our aesthetic, our space, and our needs from the first time we met with her! We appreciated the options she gave us, with the pros/cons for each, and how she respected our final decisions. We were able to keep in touch easily, meet in person when needed, and keep the ideas and project moving forward. The end product was everything we wanted and more! We have had the opportunity to use the new space for a few months and can confidently say that Donna was the perfect person for our bathroom remodel and new roof top deck project.

Donna was stellar to work with. She was that wonderful combination of creative and planful, able to ideate and iterate on the design and always methodical with details and able to deliver on time. I would definitely work with her again and recommend her highly for any size project.

Donna was an amazing resource for our major home renovation (kitchen, bathrooms, deck). Her designs, advice and attention to detail throughout the project were amazing. I would especially encourage any clients to have her stay on for construction management, as she was invaluable through that phase!