wanta-architect PLLC

I’ve known Stephen for more than 30 years and worked with him on my SOHO loft and on major projects on our homes in the Chicago suburbs and Princeton area. My wife and I reached out immediately to Steve when we purchased our 1892 San Antonio home. Thanks to Stephen’s design brilliance and the work of many talented professionals, we were able to transform a historic house in serious disrepair into a family compound which combines beautiful historic restoration of the original house with new buildings that are quite contemporary. The result is a property that respects and reinforces the historic look from Crofton Avenue while looking quite contemporary from the San Antonio River and Blue Star Arts Complex across the river. We’ve worked with Stephen on multiple projects over the past 30+ years because he is a brilliant designer, architect and creative problem solver. He understands our taste and translates it into finished design elements that we love

I've worked with Steve on several projects, including the renovation of my NYC apartment (2011-12) and another of my East Hampton New York house (2014-15), as well as several additional smaller jobs since. Steve has terrific taste and terrific ideas--both of my homes are a complete pleasure to be in as a result of the wonderful design choices he helped me make. He's lovely to work with and gets along with all the contractors. Perhaps most important of all, he is always responsive--when you call, he answers!--not always the case as we well know from dealing with others.

We had never done any sort of construction project before, let alone a full gut renovation, so we were well out of our depths. We interviewed several architects, but Stephen was by far the one who put our greatest fears to rest, and also seemed to understand exactly what we were looking for: essentially to turn a 1940's three family NYC townhouse into a mid-century modern single family home, all within a budget. He took my own crude sketches, refined them as only an architect on their game can do, and gave us EXACTLY what we wanted -- even a few things we didn't know we wanted until Stephen pointed them out, including unexpected stair railings, a kitchen that doesn't look at all like a kitchen if you don't look carefully enough, and a floorplan that not only makes sense for our lifestyle, but for any family that might move in subsequently. In addition to his design, Stephen also vetted contractors with us and found us the perfect fit, who was also a pleasure to work with and did excellent work. How many people can say that about their CONTRACTOR? We have been in the house for 6 years now, and we still couldn't be happier with the end results, and still marvel that THIS IS OUR HOUSE! We could not have done it without Stephen.

Steve Wanta designed and oversaw the renovations to our loft in The Singer Building in Soho. We decided to give him free rein with the design and we were ecstatic with the results. He created a stunning ironwork and granite island for the kitchen in a whimsical "eyebrow" shape, which was in coördination with the odd shape of the existing space. His lighting in the form of fireworks (you would have to see it) was brilliant as well. Then he took a relatively small master bath and turned it into a very elegant and comfortable spa - with an invisible laundry room! Our working relationship with Steve was so relaxed, it was like having an architect in the family. Highly recommended.

Steve is a fantastic architect. He has done three major projects for us over the years. First, he created a great design for my TriBeCa loft that divided the open space with ingenious screens/cabinets that made separate spaces (plus closets/storage) but preserved the openness and light that made the space special. Perfect for a person living alone. After I married, we bought the loft upstairs and Steve combined them. He designed a stunning staircase that solved a difficult design and engineering problem. Later, we bought an old (ca. 1810) farmhouse in Vermont that has an unusual design—very interesting but with several layout issues. The structure is subject to historic preservation restrictions, but Steve was able to solve the layout issues while preserving the original farmhouse charm and adhering to the historical restrictions. Steve is brilliant at solving difficult layout problems. He also has an encyclopedic knowledge of cutting edge as well as historical building and interior design materials, which allows him to come up with great designs. We saw several of the ideas he had for our projects become pervasive trends in following years. His designs always look brilliant, but it’s not “his” vision foisted on the client. He is excellent at understanding what the client wants the place to look like and developing designs that incorporate the client’s vision. He’s great with contractors; in particular, he worked seamlessly with our Vermont contractor. Because of his focus, we were able to complete the project (basically a gut renovation) in record time. In addition to his architectural services, Steve designed all of our interiors, he helped source, fabricate and select fixtures, furnishings and even artwork. For the house in Vermont, he scoured antique markets to find vintage lighting, rugs and furniture and when we couldn’t find pieces, he had them made. In addition to these major projects, Steve has helped us on a variety of smaller projects in NYC and Vermont, including an active project for our roof garden.

Stephen was recommended to us by a broker who showed us an apartment he had done in a building we were considering buying in. We were so impressed with the level of detail and clever solutions he devised for that space that we interviewed him for our project. He is a great person to work with and his skill level is impressive. He adapted to our style and came up with many clever solutions to our problems. We were impressed with his ability to customize pieces and the variety of craftsmen he could call upon to realize his ideas. The completed project is beautiful and we would happily engage him again.

Stephen Wanta is a talented and detailed architect who we have had great experiences with. He has done interior architecture and design for our family in both in a city apartment and suburban home. His attention to design details ranges from work for us on custom furniture, bathroom and kitchens. Strong knowledge base around both technical issues with lighting, plumbing fixtures and finish materials. We are thrilled with the outcomes in both our projects together. Easy to talk to and partner with; focus is always on helping us to achieve our home goals and vision.

We have worked with Steve for close to 20 years. He did our home (which still looks fresh and current after 15 years) as well as two of our showrooms in NY and NJ. Steve's versatility along all disciplines as well as his unerring eye for scale, sets him apart from other architects and designers we have worked with in the past. Looking forward to our next project....

I have worked with Steve on multiple projects over the years in both New York and Nantucket MA. It is always a great experience working with him so I keep seeking him out for advice and assistance on whatever project I have. It started with an apartment renovation in NY based upon a recommendation from a seller who decided not to sell her apartment that I loved. He did a makeover on the apartment I later bought which had already been improved but not in my style. We added built-ins throughout, refinished floors, refaced cabinets, chose paint colors, and all furnishings in a style that felt uniquely my own. He had an excellent way of learning what I like and do not like and made the process for me very efficient because I almost always loved at least one of the options he presented to me for furnishings, curtains, carpets etc. Later we did a bathroom renovation which is a jewel box and very unique. A few years later he took a one day turn around trip with me to Nantucket to scope out my new beach house and came up with a very clever strategy for access to a second floor loft previously served by a ladder. This added tremendous utility to the space. He designed the new kitchen as well. He designed a brand new much expanded deck, and subsequently an outbuilding along the lines of a tiny house. I love working with Steve and hope to have more projects in future that we can work on together. Highly recommend!