Donald Lococo Architects

Over the last year, I've had the pleasure of working with Donald Lococo Architects through the concept development, design/specification drawings and contractor bidding process on my whole house renovation. Donald and David have been very responsive, insightful and collaborative throughout this process. They've made a daunting endevor of an extensive renovation, understandable and enjoyable. I look forward to entering the construction phase of this project in 2025 and seeing all of our wonderful designs come to fruition!

Donald is one of those unique people that sets an entirely different standard for excellent design. He is a joyful, creative soul that balances the artistry of architecture with the application of its every day purpose for those inhabiting a space. His work speaks for itself…Plus, he’s just a lot of fun to partner with!!!

Donald is a gifted visionary architect with a high class and unique process for trend setting execution. A charismatic and meticulously oriented creator- Donald will prioritize the quality and meaning behind each and every thoughtful decision. Every detail, each redline; an envy of admiration for the craft of branding at the highest level. Donald and his team are an exceptional talent and a brand unparalleled.

It was our great fortune to work with Donald on our recent home renovation. The project was more complex than anticipated: an addition, reformulating interior spaces, asbestos abatement, and COVID, among other challenges. But Donald’s passion for and commitment to the project kept it moving forward. As the homeowner, my relationship with Donald was one of trust. I trusted his design vision and process, and he advocated fiercely for us throughout the build. At the same time, Donald’s distinctive design inspired and united the team, maintaining everyone’s interest and investment and pushing each stakeholder to perform their best work. Because Donald possesses a keen understanding of the minutia of contracting, he was a true partner to our very experienced builder and worked collaboratively with the team at every turn. The result was a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that we now get to call our home. I am forever grateful that he took on our job.

Donald’s unique combination of gifts make him a highly original person and a creative juggernaut. He brought endless creative vision to our home renovation project, combining his historical knowledge of home design with a sharp artistic intuition. Because of Donald’s taste, skill, and inventiveness, our home turned out to be a work of art. Donald is also emotionally intelligent, a trait that centers his design philosophy on the home’s inhabitants. Donald got to know our family so that our home’s design would meet our needs. When necessary, he gently pushed us to consider alternative approaches to the home’s functionality and design. The result is a stunning architectural home that suits our needs and is beautiful beyond our dreams.

Inspired by the vision of what my husband and I considered to be a happy home, Donald and David never wavered. Subsequent meetings allowed DLA to redraw and hone that image. The team was emotionally invested in designing a home perfectly suited for our needs. A home was built around our family, rather than our family being placed in a house. Donald worked closely with me, refining our vision, never letting it go, making it more beautiful every step of the way. No stone was left unturned. Donald and David planned for the form and function of private and public spaces, working closely with the interior design team, landscape architect, and the general contractor. The final product, resulting from a confluence of highly skilled experts, all charged by the architecture, a timeless home I am thrilled to call my own.

I've worked with Donald for 15 years and he is absolutely brilliant. Immensely creative, and attuned to his projects, he is also a problem solver. He stands out with his vision, level of detail and hard work. While working on the House with Moving Walls, many a time a problem was turned into an opportunity. He has an uncanny ability to read what a client wants, and take the project to a higher level. Donald Lococo Architects is extraordinary. Highly highly recommend Donald and his team. Kelly Schuler

Donald is an artist! His mind works in ways that bends the imagination. He's intimate with his projects and always cares to make the outcome perfect for his clients. He's a guy that thinks outside the box, and in a world of many "box-thinking" individuals, it's a pleasure to find someone else who's imagining and creating things which aren't obvious or easily achieved. Working with Donald is unlike any other collaboration we've experienced, and we definitely look forward to future projects together.

Donald Lococo Architects was a pleasure to work with! They understand and anticipate the questions. This was a complete Home restoration, and renovation taken down to the studs. The front was completely changed from entry and elevator while the back kitchen-great room were moved out to the west and south. We now have a modern, up to date, home with an indoor and outdoor feel.

Explosive creativity, unrelenting attention to detail, and a teamwork atmosphere are all traits which come to mind from the perspective of a General Contractor building a Donald Lococo Architects project. After well over a decade of experience working with Donald Lococo and his staff, it becomes evident that this is one of the most focused and talented Architecture firms in the Washington region. Being associated with Donald Lococo Architects has enhanced our success as a General Contractor, allowing us to be a part of numerous award-winning projects.

Before I met Donald I had already seen his beautiful work in Architectural Digest among other publications. His sensibility and fantastic understanding of both architecture and interiors led me to call him at the first opportunity to invite him to work alongside me with a prospective client. How wonderful it is to collaborate with a truly talented and personable professional. My experience with him and his team couldn’t have been any better. They took his lead to make our joint efforts a true success. I look forward to future collaboration with DLA.

My husband and I hired Donald Lococo Architects to help us update the house we bought from a family who had lived in it for 45 years. We asked for help with the kitchen/family room, master bath, and a bad traffic flow situation between the kitchen and living room. Donald immediately understood our vision for the 1910 house. He spent a lot of time asking us persistent questions about how we spend our time at home, challenging us to be sure that what we thought we wanted was what we actually wanted. He identified several creative solutions and his design meets all of our expectations. We could not be happier. He and his team (hat tip to David Moore!) are a real pleasure to work with.

We have had the pleasure of working with Donald and his wonderful team on several projects. Being in the trade for over 16 years, I have worked along side of many of the areas top architects and I can honestly say, I enjoy immensely working with Donald. His designs are always inspiring and in-line with the vision of his clients and he communicates well with the other members of the team. I highly recommend his services to anyone seeking high level of detail, great knowledge in architecture and construction as well as a good team work and communication.

I have been working with Donald Lococo Architects for the past few years as a marketing and social media consultant. I have gotten to know Donald's work first hand and having seen projects move from concept to completion, I don't hesitate in sharing that he is one the most talented architects I have had the pleasure of knowing. From modern to traditional, his work is unique and inventive yet rooted with personal details for each clients taste and lifestyle. Although Donald's work speaks for itself, we have made great strides in sharing Donald's talent with the design world and because of those efforts DLA has become somewhat iconic in branding and style. Donald's incredible talent, energetic personality, humble demeanor and unique architectural and design outlook set his work apart. Client or colleague, any person should consider themselves lucky to collaborate with Donald Lococo Architects.

Donald Lococo has an uncanny ability to turn people into houses. No other architect could have ever imagined our home. He might have met with us for month before he ever picked up a pencil. But from a blank piece of paper, the result is not only original and architecturally striking, but a home perfectly designed around our individual lifestyles, personalities, and habits. Donald is gifted with unique eye for landscape, setting, architecture, and interior that is a potent combination. He is passionately irreverent in both his approach and design, yet deeply respectful to the best of classic elements that give a home character. His attention to detail includes both the largest vantage points to the smallest of finishing details. He never stopped designing during the two year construction, continually improving and refining every surface and every angle. Supporting Donald, the DLA team has been a pleasure to work with and a lifesaver in navigating construction management process. They literally fought to ensure that every detail in our project was perfect. They conducted themselves as though we were their only client. Lococo is a natural talent. God forbid my wife ever allows me to build another house one day, but if I do, I won’t even consider another architect.

Every trade professional should be so fortunate to collaborate with a firm as talented and professional as Donald Lococo. Creating a home for clients is a balancing act and requires stamina for the many levels of detail inherent in the design process. Donald and his team are interested in new or different ideas from others while contributing their extensive experience and expertise. It is simply a pleasure to work with a firm that embraces the challenge of working as a group to create a stunning end result for the client. In the end Donald and his team made our windows & doors look terriffic.

As a landscape architect, I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Donald on a project in DC and can attest to his enthusiasm, attention to detail and innovative thinking. Donald is one of the best types of architects - one who can take a beautiful concept and be sure that that it is reflected through every detail. He also is simply a pleasure to work with!

Over the past year my husband and I have been working with a most gifted architect by the name of Donald Lococo. Working with an architect can be a very intimidating experience, not so with Donald Lococo. Donald is not only incredibly creative but he is also one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Donald takes the time to get to know his clients and he listens, really listens to your ideas and then interprets those ideas in the most amazing way. I am an avid gardener and really wanted to bring the feeling of incorporating the gardens into our home. Donald is doing this for us right now. We are currently renovating our kitchen, family room and powder room. Our home is now becoming an open, light filled space that we really want to live in. Donald originally trained as a concert pianist and it shows, he is truly an amazing artist and this can be seen in his love of architecture, nature and in his ability to combine both in a most creative way. Donald Lococo is totally dedicated to his work and is never too busy to have a conversation with his clients about the direction in which your project is moving. Donald's attention to detail is unparalleled. Once Donald's architectural drawings are approved and construction begins Donald remains completely involved in the project until it is completed to perfection!

Bethesda Systems had the pleasure of providing AV, lighting control, and systems integration for a 14,000 SF new home designed byDonald Lococo Architects. The home is an elegant design combining the Clients' passion for old and new world ideas in a home w/ state-of-the-art technology. To achieve this goal, Bethesda Systems, Donald, and his team worked hand-in-hand for over two years. Our daily interactions w/ Lococo Architects were professional, motivated, and respectful in every way of the home-owners, their budget as well as the architectural, interior design, and technology needs of the home. As a student of architecture myself I continue to marvel at Donald's keen sense of human scale, purpose, "commodity, firmness, and delight" manifest in this unique home. It was an honor to work on this project w/ Donald Lococo Architects. We look forward to working w/ them again. Thank you, Lynn Hopffgarten Bethesda Systems

Donald Lococo is an amazing architect. He has a very well developed eye for creating space into exactly what we wanted. He studied how we used the space and made it into a beautiful, flowing home. He knew instinctively where the flow of the house was and where we should improve it. We highly recommend Donald Lococo as an architect. We will work with him again!

I hired Donald to help with the design of our kitchen and family room addition. I had a very good idea of what I wanted my dream space to look like and Donald perfectly captured what I had envisioned. He was easy to work with, available and great at helping me come up with cost saving solutions to help extend the life of the project. I have recently hired him for our master bathroom renovation and we are in the process of looking at various options to minimize the cost. He is creative and ingenuitive - I am looking forward to having a master bath that is as stunning as my kitchen.

We were Donald's first client when he started his business (1998). He was MORE then we could have anticipated. Our home in Chevy Chase was a showplace, photographed a # of times, and a source of great joy and pride for us and our family. His absolute attention to detail and his creativity are still part of his work and we love following his latest projects.

The firm of Donald Lococo Architects designed and provided oversight during the construction of our new home in the District of Columbia. The design is quite unique and it matched our tastes to a T. The exterior of the house is beautifully proportioned and the windows and doors are remarkably styled. The interior space is in a word beautiful. The flow between rooms is uncomplicated, the crown molding tasteful and the flooring (parquet) is stunning. The interior elements emulate a period of craftsmanship that is hard to find in today's home market. The three floors provide visitors an open view of magnificent stand of trees as the home sits on a wonderful property surrounded by park land. The Lococo team provided exceptional service, candor and great ideas. I recommend the company without hesitation.

I have supplied high-end windows and doors to DLA for a few years now. Working with Donald's team has been a great experience. The staff is responsive, team oriented and very talented. The architecture is designed with an exceptional level of detail. Donald is a real visionary and artist. Looking forward to the next project.

Working with Donald and his team at Donald Lococo Architects was an absolute joy. We did a fairly extensive renovation of our home, adding on several rooms and redoing several others. Donald's team was creative, responsive and flexible. They brought great ideas to the table and listened when we gave feedback about various approaches. The result is a home that not only looks fantastic, but that functions really well for our needs. I'd work with them again in a heartbeat.

Donald Lococo Architect's work was spot on with our desires for an addition that appeared as if it had always been part of our home. Understated, elegant, crisp with perfect detailing in every part of the house. We are pleased to have worked with them on two home renovations and each time trusted Donald Lococo's impeccable design direction to guide us to the final product.

Donald did a renovation and extension of our home. The transformation could not be more wonderful. Not only are we thrilled, but friends and guests again and again comment on how beautiful and inviting the place is. Ours is, even with the extension, not an overly large house, but it has a wonderfully spacious and airy feel to it, thanks to Donald's design. We have several friends and relatives who were doing renovations when we were, with tales of woe regarding the difficulty of getting their architect (often larger firms) to hear their needs. The process with Donald could not have been more delightful. He listened carefully, synthesized or ideas with his own. He was aesthetically attuned to our hopes and attentive to our desires. He was willing to keep going to the well to reshape his ideas in accordance with our responses, rather than being fixated with his own original plan. We needed space for a great many books and works of art but did not want to feel weighed down by things. We wanted not to lose the wonderful view of our garden and the woods beyond it. We were concerned that the new parts of the house not feel added on and disconnected form the old. He managed to create a sense of continuous flow, of relationship between the inside and the outside, with pleasing display space for precious objects. He promised us the house of our dreams and he delivered.

Donald Lococo truly rescued our renovation plans as we were far down the design path with another firm when we agreed to change in hire Donald. He listened and asked questions, and was able to deliver the elements that others had said could not be done. He has a passion and vision, but listens, and also on a few items he really ask me to reconsider my initial decision on a few things, and it made a huge difference. The part of my home that he touched is remarkable, functional for a family of kids with a dog, but also beautiful and elegant at the same time. His personality is very high energy and committed, he really cares about every aspect of your project. We have built two homes, and have done 2 rather large renovations, and the last renovation being Donald's. Hands down, no question, the best experience and the most talent brought to the project by his team.

Donald Lococo Architects is first rate. What you look for in professional services are competence, ease to work with, and reasonable cost for what you get. On all scores, Lococo is outstanding.

Have used the company for an addition to a single family home. They came highly recommended and we also were very happy with their product and service. They understood what we wanted and provided the perfect plans.

For years I had admired a house near my neighborhood but never knew who the architect was. When it was time to look for an architectural firm I did a lot of research. At AIA I found a picture of the house I had admired. It had been renovated (transformed, really) by Donald Lococo. My project was small relative to the scale of the impressive projects undertaken by Donal Lococo Architects (DLA). I was very happy when DLA took my project.DLA approached it with the highest care and sensitivity. Now our home is functional and has the most subtle, but interesting, architectural details. Donald’s vision tranformed our home completely. I have caught passersby stop to admire the house’ great new curb appeal. We are delighted with the tansformation.

Loved working with Donald on this project. He is a great architect, a created a wonderful project. The entire team was wonderful.

Loved working with DLA! The entire team is wonderful and led by the amazingly talented, Donald Lococo. Donald is extraordinarily creative, intuitive, insightful and very fun to work with. We wanted a very particular style home, a quirky mix of traditional meets modern, and he "got us" in the first sitting. By the second sitting of our interview process, he arrived with nearly 300 images for us to peruse together so he could delve even further in to our mindset - and that was just us considering to hire him. The idea generation has never ended. Donald and his team consistently come to us with wonderful ideas on how to tweak an already perfect design. His drawings are extremely detailed and he did not miss a single aspect of what we wanted in the house design. The DLA team is thorough, efficient, comprehensive, supportive, and so creative. Donald told us in that 2nd interview that he & his team would be with us till every last detail was taken care of, even post move-in, post punch list, and he has.

Team Lococo goes out of its way to address precisely whatever issues or dilemmas one puts before them, to provide helpful suggestions and useful contacts, and to follow up afterwards as to whether they could be of any further help. They have assisted us particularly on kitchen redesign in our Bethesda home, including vital coordination among the different contributors for execution, and the lighting up of a spacious panelled lower level of the house by redoing the whole floor in brilliant white 18-inch marble tiles and installing recessed lighting in the ceiling. Donald Lococo himself also kindly visited our small 16th century chateau in France and advised helpfully on best ways to solve paint damage and dampness at the lower levels due to absorption of water from surrounding moat.

Donald Lococo of DLA is arguably one of the most talented architects in the nation. He is gifted with a very grounded perspective and has the vision and ability to design and execute on projects that stand the test of time. We feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Donald look forward to working with him again on our next house.

Donald Lococo is a blast to work with. Indeed, his whole team is terrific. They are smart, thoughtful, and full of restless, creative energy that is simply cool to be around. When my wife and I ran into difficulties with another architect who was renovating our Washington, DC bungalow, Donald came in and graciously found solutions for us that made the whole project come together. We later hired him to design a live-in/work-in garage that turned out perfectly. Donald insisted we use as much as possible of the structure's historical underpinnings, and the result was outstanding. Highly recommended!

We loved working with Donald. From the very beginning we were taken with his method of helping us discover exactly what we wanted from our house. We have told many people that Donald knew exactly what our vision was but came back to us with something even better than we ever could have imagined. I was constantly impressed by his imagination and ability to make the house the best it could be. Simultaneously, his attention to detail was beyond belief. This struck us as not a very common personality trait but gave us not only a great house but allowed for a fairly easy process. I am most impressed by his ability to have our house look "old" and seem as though it had been in the neighborhood for generations. We had a great time working with Donald and his team and would recommend him without reservation.

Donald Lococo Architects did a fabulous job designing a home per our wants and needs, helping us find a great builder (Block Builders Group) for the project, and overseeing the construction of the project. Throughout the process their vision, attention to detail, and determination to find ways of improving the project were invaluable. They were extremely well respected by all who worked on the home. The experience was a team effort that resulted in a great sense of pride for all who were involved.

Donald is truly gifted. He was able to hear what we wanted and transform it into something more interesting. He was respectful of our budget. I felt like he was truly invested in our project. We remain friends with him and refer him to our colleagues. We love our house and continue to give him credit

Donald Lococo was the archtect for our house labeled House of Moving Walls. If you could see the before photos, you would be amazed by the transformation of the house. As background, our family bought the house for the piece of land it sat on, not for the house, per se. The house was plain, almost ugly. It had little character. It was 30 years old but not taken care of at all; it was entirely dilapidated. We did not want to tear down the house because it had a rich history -- we had bought it from Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, who had recorded two albums in the basement recording studio. Over the course of a few years, we had hired (at much cost) different architects to come up with ideas for remodeling the house to be more interesting and fit better with the land. None of their ideas inspired us. At the suggestion of our decorator, Kelly Schuler (who is brillian in her own right), we turned to Donald. Our house was smaller than many of his projects, but we thought it would be intriguing -- taking a dull house on a piece of land with complex topography and turning it into something spectacular. Donald came to our house several times and sat in the driveway, just staring at the house for hours. He came to the door one day and said, "I figured it out: your house has no character, because it is facing the wrong direction. When a car approaches the house down the driveway, they are approaching the side of the house. We need to create an addition that changes the side of the house into the front of the house." At first, this did not make sense to us. But Donald came back with a graphic video that made perfect sense. As we watched the video, we noticed that Donald had started crying. It was a brilliant design, and we embraced it wholly. Working with Donald during the construction was also a joy. He has vendors lining up to work with him. Everyone wanted to please Donald -- knowing that they were working on the creation of a piece of art from a modern master. This made the process very smooth. I head read once that the family that hired Frank Lloyd Wright to create Falling Water had send him a letter years later saying that what he created for their family was one of the great achievements of their lives. We feel the same way about what Donald has done for us.

Phase 2: We hired Donald Lococo Architects because of their ability to design the home we envisioned within our given budget requirements. The first and most important phase of our project was the design of our new home in McLean, VA - the American Farmhouse. Then as phase 2, we asked Donald to help us convert an existing 3 bedroom structure on the property into a pool house which was no easy task as it was currently being used as a rental. Once we began work on this space we decided to add stone walls around the pool deck that would compliment the stone work of the new house. In an effort to maintain our budget and build the stone walls we desired, Donald made alterations to the pool house renovation and material selections which resulted in a savings that paid for the added work. Overall, we were very happy with Donald’s adherence to our budget requirements and guidelines and we are thrilled with the final outcome of the entire project. Phase 1: Donald Lococo Architects did an absolutely fabulous job on our home! Throughout the entire project they were incredibly dedicated. They were extremely well respected by all who worked on the home. Their knowledge, technical expertise, creativity, attention to detail and ability to communicate far exceed expectations. I would highly recommend them!

I have been working with Donald Lococo Architects for the past two years on a large residential project in Alexandria, Virginia. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Donald and his staff. The house is a fabulous hybrid: traditional front facade contrasted with a thoroughly modern section in the back. The house is nearing completion...seeing this space come together - full of glass, light and dramatic open spaces - has been wonderful to watch. Five star design...five star firm!