Manson-Hing Architects Inc.

Chris Manson-Hing was excellent to work with. Great ideas and execution! I loved that Chris would argue strongly for aspects of the design that he was committed to, but was also flexible enough to incorporate my own strong design preferences. He made our process working with the city seamless and efficient, and we ended up with a truly beautiful home that has been the perfect reflection of what we were going for. Beautiful, airy, light and bright, casual but elegant, with great flow and live-ability. We have lived here 10 years now and are as happy with our home as when we first moved in!

Chris and his team were great to work with. He worked closely with our contractor to make sure the plans were executed perfectly. Chris has excellent sense for design as well as construction, with a commitment to every detail. He was always available and kept us updated throughout the planning process and interaction with the city planning dept. My wife and I are very pleased that Chris' vision for the completed project turned out beautifully.

My wife and I purchased a 35 year old house in Santa Barbara. The house was built on a gorgeous lot with a fabulous view of the ocean. We loved the view, and the floor plan of the house. The house itself was dated and required substantial updating. Chris Manson-Hing was very helpful in finding beautiful and cost effective ways to modernize our house. We now have a beautiful house on a terrific lot with a great view of the ocean, which is exactly what we wanted.

Our experience working with Christopher Manson Hing was extremely pleasant and effective in guiding a difficult rebuild project to completion. Chris is a very pleasant person and is easy to work with. Our rebuild team consisted of an architect (Chris), a contractor (Gordobe Homes, Inc.) and a decorator. In addition to providing standard architect services, Chris was always available when needed at the work site and provided valuable information and ideas on important decisions, some of which were beyond the scope of typical architect services (kitchen layout and counter design, energy efficient outdoor patio tiles, etc.). He is a talented architect with a detailed knowledge of city and county building codes, and was very diligent in doing all that is necessary in securing the numerous permits and approvals required for completion of our project. We recommend Manson Hing Architects, Inc. without any reservations.

As the principal of Doyle-Morgan Structural Engineering, Inc., I have had the pleasure of doing business with Christopher Manson Hing over the past 15 years. An important distinction about Christopher’s architecture is that he can be seen promoting the vision of his clients. He listens and understands, he is engaging with people; and from an engineering perspective, he delivers technical expertise in all of his designs. The best architecture generally derives from the best client–architect relationships, and these relationships come out of trust generated through openness and integrity, as well as shared values and goals. Christopher is on point with those qualities and our collaboration with Manson Hing Architects on designs has resulted in superbly constructed, beautifully crafted homes. It’s no wonder Christopher’s firm was ranked within the top 5, of the 10 named best residential architects in Santa Barbara by LA Architects Magazine in 2018!

Chris is an absolute pleasure to work with. He orchestrates every detail seamlessly, handling his clients, generals and subs in a manner that not only brings out the best in everyone, but culminates into masterpiece after masterpiece. His elegant, timeless designs will endure long into the future. Michael Bennett Floor Corp

Chris has been my "go to" architectural professional since 1999. I first worked with him on my personal residence, where we hired him to design a remodel of an existing 900 SF cottage into our 2000+ SF ocean view permanent home. The work on our home continued through several phases (expansion, entry, kitchen) over several years. We are now settled for life into our dream home. Chris understood our program goals, family, lifestyle, site advantage/challenges, and mixed these all into a structure where strangers still stop and ask to take photos. In my professional life, I have also used Chris for small business tenant improvement projects, real estate investment consultation, and office interior space planning. If you want to work with someone who really understands how to translate functional and aesthetic goals into architectural vision, plans and details, I give Chris my highest recommendation.

Manson-Hing Architecture built a new home for us in Santa Barbara. We couldn't be happier with the results, as well as the design and building process. Our new house sits elegantly on its site, captures the surrounding views, delights us with its space and light, and works beautifully with our daily lives. It even ended up in Architectural Digest! And we have Chris Manson-Hing to thank for this amazing experience. From the beginning we were impressed with his clarity of thought, enthusiasm for our project and grasp of our objectives. He worked closely with us throughout, evolving the simple, elegant home we wanted, with imaginative design work, gorgeous materials, an exquisite sense of proportion and eloquent details. He was very collaborative, eliciting ideas and ensuring excellence across our team. Chris also has a keen sense of function and practicality, and worked creatively to realize the best results within our budget. His clear communications made it easy to make choices among different options. Importantly, as the inevitable problems arose, Chris met each challenge constructively and focused on finding an even better solution. He was also adept at anticipating issues and so helped us avoid costly errors. I cannot recommend Chris more highly. He builds stunningly beautiful homes that exceed his client's expectations and does so with careful attention to functionality and budget. And he is a joy to work with.

As senior citizens planning our first addition and remodel we needed an expert. After many interviews we selected Christopher -- he listened! He continued to listen, to hear what we wanted and needed throughout our year-long project, guiding us to choices that were better and more efficient. His exacting plans made the process go smoothly for the contractor and for the various subs. His presence was a delight, his expertise invaluable. He is a true professional with the highest design and coordination skills.