Ellyn Amador, Architect

I’ve been following Ellyn’s work on Instagram since 2020, when one of her recently completed projects appeared in my feed. Having been born and raised in New Jersey, I was immediately drawn to her timeless style and the sensibility behind each of her projects — a perfect marriage of beauty, form, and function. As a mother of young children, I wanted an architect who instinctively understood that a beautiful family home doesn’t need to feel like a museum. It can — and should — be both stunning and deeply livable. Ellyn and Rachel, her design partner, are truly a dream team. Having raised many children of their own, they understood exactly what we needed without us having to over-explain. Over the course of the nearly two-year journey — from our initial consultation to construction drawings, guiding us through the RFP process, and then throughout construction and interior selections — they were consummate professionals. They remained calm and level-headed at every stage, listened thoughtfully to our feedback and concerns, and were consistently thorough and prompt in their follow-ups. We had always heard friends describe renovations as stressful and overwhelming, but by choosing Ellyn and Rachel, we felt the heavy lifting was completely off our shoulders. We were able to genuinely enjoy the process without constantly worrying about what might go wrong. They stayed one step ahead at all times and maintained an open, collaborative dialogue with our GC, Tim Stevens of Quality Craftsman — a trusted partner they’ve worked with many times. That strong team dynamic brought out the very best in the project. The result was delivered well ahead of the projected timeline, without any compromise to quality, attention to detail, or budget. As a Dallas transplant who will always miss the Northeast, Ellyn and Rachel brought me a little slice of home here in Texas. We will forever be grateful. I would welcome the opportunity to work with them again and recommend them without hesitation. They are well worth the wait and will ensure your investment is thoughtfully and beautifully spent.

We recently completed our extensive home remodel with Ellyn Amador and cannot believe how overjoyed we are with the final product. The architectural oversight from space planning to introducing high level elements was exemplary. The flow through the home and the attention to detail make a real statement that the project had intentional outcomes in mind with the early stroke of a pencil (or mouse). This project had very complex existing constraints that they tackled incorporating just the right amount of new areas to open the home up and make it look like a new build. We also had exceptional interior design with Rachel Helms. Both the architetural elements and material selections really worked together to make a fantastic outcome. I would highly recommend them for any remodel or new build project without hesitation! Thank you Ellyn and Rachel for making this process so enjoyable and for exceeding our expectations!

We are absolutely thrilled with the results of our home remodel, and we owe it all to the incredible work of Ellyn Amador and her partner, Rachel Helms. We came to Ellyn with a vision for reconfiguring our low-country style home in Kessler Park, built in the 1990s, and Ellyn's expertise was exactly what we needed to transform our space into something functional, stylish, and truly beautiful. From the very beginning, Ellyn took the time to understand our goals and priorities. She helped us reimagine the layout of the first floor, expanding our kitchen, adding a pantry and bar, and designing a more cohesive living space. Her thoughtful approach to the layout, lighting, and even the details like the fireplace and stair rail design maximized our space in a way we never thought possible. Ellyn is incredibly knowledgeable, with a deep understanding of both form and function. Her recommendations were spot-on, and we never felt any pressure from her to go beyond our budget or include features that didn’t make sense for our lifestyle. Ellyn was always clear in her communications and highly professional in every interaction, making the entire process smooth and enjoyable. We also had the pleasure of working with Rachel Helms on the design finishes, and we couldn’t be more impressed. Rachel's impeccable taste combined with her practical approach to design made every decision feel easy. She was instrumental in helping us navigate through the overwhelming number of options for appliances, window treatments, lighting, paint, stone, tile, and wallpaper. Rachel distilled down the best choices for us, taking the stress out of the decision-making process. Her insight into sourcing high-quality vendors also saved us valuable time and effort. Thanks to Ellyn and Rachel’s oversight, the project moved forward seamlessly. Their attention to detail helped us avoid costly delays and ensured that the remodel stayed on track. The entire experience was a true collaboration, and we could not be more pleased with the outcome. Their services were worth every penny, and we’re already looking forward to working with them again on phase two of our remodel. If you’re looking for a talented, experienced, and approachable architect and design team, we cannot recommend Ellyn and Rachel highly enough. Their combined expertise made all the difference in transforming our home into a space that’s both beautiful and practical.

We had the pleasure of working with Ellyn Amador on our home renovation and addition, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience and the results. Ellyn was incredibly thoughtful, creative, and responsive throughout the entire process. She truly listened to our needs and helped us design a space that is both functional and beautiful. Her attention to detail and her ability to balance aesthetics with practicality made all the difference in bringing our vision to life. We also worked with her sister, Rachel [SENSITIVE INFORMATION HIDDEN], on the decor, and she was equally amazing. Rachel’s expertise and eye for design brought warmth and personality to our home. She helped us make decisions that complemented Ellyn’s architectural plans perfectly, creating a cohesive and stunning final product. Together, Ellyn and Rachel made what could have been a stressful process feel seamless and enjoyable. We highly recommend them to anyone looking for exceptional architectural and design services.

We used Ellyn and Rachel for a large remodeling job that involved the majority of our first story, the addition of a screened in porch and expansion of our garage. We were so impressed with their expertise and professionalism. Ellyn provided great advice about how to approach our remodel in a way that improved functionality but was conscious of cost. She has a passion for remodels and it shows. Her design for our house was able to capture all the items on our wish list while maintaining the "feel" of our home. She continued to be very involved during the construction phase, working closely with our contractor to ensure the plans were being built as designed. Rachel too was instrumental to the success of our project. So available and so helpful with guiding us through all the design choices. She had a good understanding of what our style was and made great suggestions with both safe selections as well as those that pushed us a bit to think outside our comfort zone. We ended up with a beautiful space that perfectly meets our needs. I give Ellyn and Rachel, my highest recommendation. Great listeners, attention to detail, well versed in their fields and a joy to work with. You won't be disappointed!

I can’t recommend Ellyn highly enough! She was able to take our existing house that was built in the 60’s and create a plan that seamlessly added the functionality and style that we were looking for. This was not a small job as we added new space and reconfigured our existing footprint, requiring a great deal of creative-thinking and smart solutions that made sense both financially and design-wise. Not only did she have great ideas for the project, she also incorporated our input for a design that works perfect for our family. Ellyn is incredibly meticulous, thorough and able to strike the right balance of suggesting ideas that meet your objectives while also ensuring the additions are smart investments. If an idea we had wasn’t the best use of our funds, she would highlight that for us. And conversely, if she had an idea that we hadn’t considered that made sense, she would provide us with those options and we ended up moving forward with just about everything she recommended. After the plans were done, it didn’t stop there. She was on-site during construction and worked great with our builder to provide valuable input any time we ran into challenges. Not every architect goes that extra mile. Ellyn and her sister Rachel make a really great team. A couple of our favorite things Rachel helped with were picking out the perfect countertops as well as helping us find the slurry finish on the exterior of our house that really pulled everything together. Taking on a large remodel can be very stressful and it has to start with great plans and design – if you choose to go with Ellyn you will be glad you did! We would use her again without a doubt.

Amazing work! Ellyn transformed our typical ranch-style 3BR/2Bath house into an incredible modern 5BR/4Bath house with all the features we wanted and others we didn’t even know we would want until she suggested them! The house looks like it was built from the ground up, all while staying within our budget! Ellyn was a pleasure to work with and her designs were beautiful and easily executed by the builder.

We would highly recommend Ellyn Amador as an Architect, along with Rachel Helms as a designer who works with Ellyn. We hired Ellyn to design a second story addition and extensive remodel of our existing home. We are very pleased with the result and the process. Both Ellyn and Rachel were very responsive to our questions and came up with creative solutions to maximize the potential of an existing property. The project turned out even better than we could have hoped for due to Ellyn's design and Rachel's selections.

Ellyn and her designer, Rachel were wonderful to work with! Ellyn’s design for our addition maintained the integrity of our 1950s cottage while adding modern touches and a very well thought out space. We would recommend her to anyone.

Ellen and Rachel are an excellent team! I had an extensive remodel and it turned out better than I thought possible. The level of professionalism, knowledge and follow through is second to none. They truly care about my project and what my end goals were. They worked closely with me and my builder and kept everyone in the loop all times. They were able to bring my vision to life. I highly recommend them!

Ellyn was our architect for a renovation converting a old duplex (est. 1932) in University Park into a single family home, and she was phenomenal. She listened to us attentively but did not let our suggestions hinder her creativity, as she made recommendations beyond what we imagined and designed a house with a beautiful layout, fully suited to our needs as a family. She worked with us every step of the way, and she gave good reasons for each of her design decisions. There were no questions left unanswered and no concerns left unaddressed. She turned our old, redundant duplex into a wonderful family home and superb hosting venue. I would recommend her to anybody requiring an architect with thoughtfulness, care, and cleverness.

We worked with Ellyn on a second story addition to our family home. This project was a massive undertaking, and we could not have done it without her! From the onset of developing our plans, she was able to guide us on how to best utilize our space and budget, while making our dream home a reality. The plans she handed over to us were so detailed and complete, that nothing was unclear during the renovation process. If ever there was a question, we had the answer in the plans. Many contractors we interviewed were shocked and amazed at the level of detail she provided. Once renovations began, we kept Ellyn on the project to consult, and it was probably the best money we spent on the project. Having an expert in the process who knew our vision (often times as lay people, we didn't know what we were looking at) saved us from costly mistakes. We could not be more pleased with the outcome, and many times when people are in our home they will make comments like "every inch of this house is used so well". I cannot recommend Ellyn enough, and in fact, have recommended her to many of our friends!