STUDIO Villanueva Architecture, LLC

Allen worked with us on a full gut kitchen remodel. He spent the time at the start of the project to understand what we wanted, more countertop space and better flow, and how the small footprint and window locations limited us. We also liked the storage space the to-be-eliminated walk-in pantry provided, but also wanted to use no upper cabinets at all to make the space seem larger. Allen presented various floorplan options that we all talked through and we eventually settled on one that we are overjoyed with now that the kitchen is done. He handled all the drawings for permitting with the city and also what our contracted worked of. Allen then spent time on understanding what "look" we were trying to achieve, and helped us realize how attention to even small details could help us achieve that. He assisted with the detailed cabinet layout and we used his artistic input on tile, range hood and countertop decisions. Allen checked in with us often, even after his work was done. We are overjoyed with our kitchen and a large part of that is due to Allen.

My husband and I worked with Allen on our condo remodeling project. Allen helped us turn our ideas into a series of technical drawings that were required by our building. Allen is a highly skilled professional with a keen eye for detail and great communication skills. He presented us with excellent solutions to some trickier parts of our project while respecting our own preferences. We had quite a few specific requests and Allen managed to incorporate each and every one of them into his drawings. Our building was very particular about how certain things need to be carried out and Allen proved to be extremely professional, patient and always prompt to respond to any questions. Home remodeling can be very stressful and involve tiresome processes during which one needs true experts to help along the way. Allen is definitely one of them and has made our process easier and less stressful. If we ever move and decide to do a home remodeling again, Allen would be a person we'd call to ask for help.

Working with Allen was a wonderful way to begin our home remodel project. Before creating plans, Allen took time to really get to know us as clients and understand our own vision and desires. We met on various occasions including helpful and inspiring visits to previous project sites. We received multiple design plans for our house, each of them reflecting elements that we had expressed interest in as well as Allen’s creative and professional expertise. Allen always made himself available for us to work together in synthesizing the plans until we had exactly what we wanted. In working with Allen we always felt confident in his knowledge and craft, respected and listened to, and were always provided with efficient, complete and inspired products. As a result of Allen’s architectural work, we now have a beautiful, functional, and thoughtfully designed home.

Allen was everything we were looking for and more in an architect for our gut-rehab project of our home in Chicago. We owned a property that was previously a 3-story 2 flat with a 2-bedroom apartment on the first floor and a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom duplex up on the second and third floors. We loved the charm of the home build in 1896 but wanted to convert the huge amount of space we had into a single family residence. Allen immediately saw our vision as we described it to him and improved upon it. He was creative and helped us to think "big" while at the same time being realistic and advising us to the limitations and potential pitfalls we might hit. His architectural plans had to take into account major structural changes including knocking down multiple walls and installing new beams while still keeping the space aesthetically pleasing. In the end, from a finished product point of view, we have our dream home and we didn't have to move. Allen was easy to work with, flexible, professional and responsive. Almost as importantly as his architectural skill was his ability to almost serve as our project manager and liason with the general contractor. We had never undertaken any sort of construction project and would never have known the right questions to ask or to push on certain areas in terms of finishing plans, materials, and costs. For the active part of the project Allen attended weekly on-site meetings with the GC and helped translate our concerns or the GC's questions in ways that we could understand. Allen knows the City's code like the back of his hand and his plans took all of that into account while meeting our lofty goals. He was able to ensure that the contractor stayed above board and followed all required aspects of his plans with respect to code. Finally, Allen's design opinions, insights and help with finishing choices such as tiles, plumbing fixtures, lights, floor colors, paint color, etc were invaluable. Again, not having experience with home projects or in the home design business, he was very helpful in pointing us toward features that were within what he believed to be our "style" and also market-popular and at a good price point. Our project included a full bar, exterior improvements and a new front door in addition to the bathroom and living space improvements. All of Allen's designs were on point. Overall, Allen is a really great guy, was knowledgeable, professionally, timely, reliable and talented. He has his clients best interests in mind and his finished product is unmatched.

Allen was great! He had a lot of great ideas. He was very professional and was always prepared and on time. He knew all the right questions to ask my contractor. He was very knowledgeable about the big things and all the little details. My space turned out better because of him and his input. I would definitely use him again on my next project.

We worked with Allen and David at Studio Villanueva on the plans for a conversion of a classic Chicago 2-Flat in a state of disrepair to a single family home. They were very helpful in working with us to find a solution to get the best use of the space taking in account our desire to reuse a lot of existing features of the space (like built in pieces). They generated multiple versions layouts both listening to our ideas but also improving on them. They spent a lot of time in face-to-face meetings explaining the trade-offs of various approaches and tweaking designs as we talked through them. They didn't just say that we would want to have rooms/lights/outlets/doors/etc in specific locations, they talked us through why we would want them in certain locations and helped us make those decisions. When we wanted things that they felt were atypical or odd they talked through them to either understand our desires or help guide us to a better solution to what we really wanted. They were very conscious of keeping the project costs under control (for instance working around the existing bearing wall structure) without sacrificing the utility of the space. The pricing was very transparent and the incidental costs (which were detailed in the contract up front) were very inexpensive. The architecture work was done in the time frame estimated and scheduling meetings was easy. The project is currently in the permitting stages.

We hired Allen in the Spring of 2016 to help us design our basement renovation which included a full excavation in our 100 year old home. Allen 's design recommendation fit perfectly with our needs. He also recommended a structural engineer and fantastic contractor that came in on time and on budget. It was the first time we engaged in a project that exceeded our expectations and in large part that is attributed to Allen involvement and oversight. We would highly recommend Allen for any architectural and design projects.

We used Studio Villanueva for architectural services on our custom home. Allen and his team were detailed in their explainations, creative, detail oriented and patient when it came to us changing our minds and making adjustments on the fly. They worked seamlessly with our contractor which provided efficiencies, piece of mind and cost savings. I would highly recommend Allen & team and use them for future projects.

My husband and I worked with Allen Villanueva to redo a partially finished basement. Allen helped us through the design process, prepared us for the construction and what to expect, recommended several contractors for us to choose from, and oversaw the entire process for us. Allen took the time to understand what we wanted in our new space and worked with us to develop a design that was very much in line with our vision, taste, and financial limits. This project involved digging down into our basement just over a foot. Allen prepared us the limits of how far we might be able to dig down based on our house footing. He also made sure the design was in harmony with the upper floor in our home. I also appreciated that Allen suggested things that we might not have thought of in the design, paying particular attention to details of things like our stairs, the bar design and our wine cellar. We have a beautiful and functional basement now that we are so happy with. It is a perfect extension of our first floor and has the functionality we were looking for.

We have collaborated with Allen Studio Villanueva Architecture on several projects. Although we have yet to work together, we really came out very impressed with their process on both the architecture and hands on approach with each client. Also has a very knowledgeable approach to the city and high rise development design. I would highly recommend hiring Studio Villanueva architecture for your next residential design project. -Silver Leaf Construction & Renovation

Allen worked with us to redesign our master bedroom and bathroom. My husband and I had very specific requirements in mind and some preconceived ideas of what we wanted. The space in the bedroom was also challenging. Allen was very patient and presented different ideas for us to consider. He met with us several times to discuss alternatives and listen to our input. Allen asked questions to guide us through the decisions. The ultimate design met all our requirements and expectations. Allen is a pleasure to work with.

Allen was a pleasure to work with. He helped my husband and I recreate our 1920's Arts and Crafts style home to perfection. His ideas and knowledge helped us transform the home to an amazing livable space that is perfect for our family. I would highly recommend Allen for any of your architectural needs.