Diane Waingrow Architect AIA

Diane was such a pleasure to work with. She really listened to our needs and designed several options. Additionally she is knowledgeable in new design trends. We will definitely use her again for our next project.

Stop looking for an architect—you've found her! We live on a small, narrow lot in Venice and wanted to expand the kitchen. Creating a beautiful and functional space that feels natural is where Diane excels. She is particularly skilled at solving problems imposed by space constraints. Diane is knowledgeable about all aspects of the process. She has discerning taste, is excellent at interior style, and has a keen eye for the smallest of details. She is meticulous, is a facile communicator with all tradespeople involved, and her supervision of the project's progress was invaluable. She is a true professional in both skill and manner. We are very happy we hired an architect to help us reimagine our home. We couldn't have achieved the custom, personalized design without her. You are going to get what you want and also what you didn't realize you needed. We recommend her to all of our friends and would work with Diane again without hesitation.

We planned to demolish our house in Santa Monica and build a new house, a challenging undertaking for several reasons. We had very specific needs that included accommodating a large family for frequent gatherings and our potential changes in mobility as we grew older. We also knew that the city of Santa Monica presented a lot of challenges to new construction in what they deemed a historic district on Georgina Ave. We interviewed six architects and chose Diane Waingrow. In that first interview, we were impressed with her excellent educational preparation, her rich professional experience, and her extraordinary communication skills. Over the next few months, Diane listened carefully as we sketched out our hopes for the new house. She provided many innovative ideas. For example, she suggested that instead of pushing our old house (built in 1923) to a landfill, we donate it to charity, an option we didn’t know existed. She connected us to the appropriate NGO. The tax benefits paid for the cost of boxing and shipping the materials. Thanks to Diane, the house also has a LEEDS (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver designation and is highly energy efficient. The house was going to be in a neighborhood of predominately Spanish and Mediterranean homes, but we hoped for a transitional style inside that would allow for an open floor plan and a more modern design. She achieved both brilliantly. She suggested that we include an “outside room” connecting the dining and family rooms to the outdoor garden with bi-fold doors. She designed a fire pit in the back yard that is a perfect gathering place in the evening. She also designed radiant floor heating throughout the house, as well as individual air conditioning by room so that we didn’t have to close off the house to achieve the temperature we wanted in a single room. Her kitchen, complete with a waterfall center counter, is the perfect design with minimal steps from refrigerator to sink to stove. The kitchen can easily accommodate five cooks at once, but is equally efficient for one person. She recommended that we include a small refrigerator and coffee maker in an area off the master bedroom, which allows us to have morning coffee without having to go downstairs. These examples are just a few of the dozens she recommended. Although we lived in San Francisco during much of the planning and construction, we met with her regularly as she developed the blue prints that eventually became our new home and obtained all the necessary city permits. Between face to face meetings and email, we always felt we had excellent communication. Diane did weekly inspections of the construction site and had a great relationship with the general contractor, which insured a smooth building phase. We are now happily living in our new five bedroom home. We finished the project with great appreciation for Diane’s ability to translate our inchoate wishes into a stunning home. We highly recommend her to anyone needing an architect and would choose her again in a heartbeat.

From a contractor’s perspective, it is a pleasure to work on any size project with Diane. She is a professional whose communication style includes being very responsive and easy to contact. She also has an impeccable sense of style – making her a team leader that is easy to get behind. As an experienced team leader, Diane is always readily available to make those spur of the moment decisions – the ones that can stop a project in its tracks. She keeps in close contact with the owners and is able to bridge any discrepancies allowing the project to continuously move forward. As the architect of the project, Diane is the center-point between owner, contractors, designers and anyone else involved with the project. One of the keys to her successful projects is her responsiveness to inquiries coming from every direction and keeping the communication flowing between everyone. By incorporating her natural sense of taste, the owners vision, and awareness of LEED/Green Space concerns Diane has created a spectacular space for her clients with minor impact on the environment. I look forward to working with Diane on many projects in the future.

Diane was the architect who processed my Mills Act Contract for the City of Santa Monica. The Mills Act Contract is the tax reduction program for those who maintain a historical house in California. The process is complicated and requires an experienced architect for approval. Since she has experience with the Mills Act Contract and has very good communication skills, she successfully completed the process. She is organized and a pleasure to work with. I can highly recommend her for those who want to apply for the contract.

We needed an update of our 1920's Spanish house, especially in the kitchen and living areas. After consideration of several architects, we chose Diane Waingrow. Diane was extremely helpful in developing creative solutions to space planning and working within our budget. She conceived several initial plans and worked with a contractor to determine preliminary costs. After deciding on one of the plans, she refined the idea until we were satisfied with the concept. Her designs were attentive to detail and included creative uses of the space. She took the time to understand how we lived in the house and incorporated that into her plan. She also honored the original architecture of our home which was extremely important to us. Diane worked well with our contractor and interior designer, and was open to their suggestions in the field. She was present on the job site and always available for consultation. I would highly recommend her work. We are very satisfied with the project and happy to have had Diane as a partner in this renovation project.

Diane has done a whole home remodel for my family in the early 1990s and a 1000 sq. foot separate building on a different property in about 2012. She is a good listener when it comes to understanding the clients needs. Her understanding of how a space will be used is clearly reflected in her modern designs. She has a tremendous attention to modern detail. I was very pleased with the finished results on both projects and enjoy living in these spaces. She has excellent skills on state of the art architectrural CAD software that allows her to create very detailed plans and specifications. This is critical during both the bid and construction phases. She has a depth of knowledge regarding building materials and finishes that help to create a coherent aesthetic design. She is LEED certified and sustainable development is clearly part of her philosophy, Her services include construction observation as part of the fee and it is well worth it. She is on site making sure the construction is per specification and correctly detailed. I can't emphasize how important that is. She is a true professional and a joy to work with. I recommend her without hesitation.

Diane did a great job in filing the Mills Act for my landmarked property in Santa Monica. She is very professional and competent in all aspects. She kept on top of the project which was difficult due in part to the city's reluctance to share information. I am hoping for a much lower property tax deduction in the coming years to offset the projects I have agreed to do with the city. I can only hope the Mills Act will work in my favor and not just contractually obligate me without providing adequate funding. I should get the final answer in about a year when I my property tax reduction is set to begin.

We've lived in this Diane Waingrow designed home for nearly a decade and have never lost our appreciation for the skill and artistic sensibility it reflects. I've often described Diane's work as the perfect blending of form and functionality. I continue to marvel at what I call the 'geometry' of the house - the lines and planes (and perfectly placed skylights) adding up to a overall feeling of spaciousness and 'rightness.' That same feeling of rightness is reflected in the way the house commands but does not overwhelm the lot. Diane's work is imaginative and skillful but - even more importantly- it's extremely liveable.