DAS Studio

We had the pleasure of working with DAS Studio, primarily with Stefanie Werner (one of the founders and principals), who served as the architect and designer for our project, which included a gut renovation of one bathroom and major improvements to the second one. Stefanie also ably assisted us with decisions on paint color, furnishings and lighting choices in other areas of the apartment and was able to consider the totality of our apartment and, through the use of color and design elements, increased the aesthetic cohesion of the space. Her design was intelligent, thoughtful and creative given the limitations of the small bathroom she designed. Stefanie has exquisite taste and is highly resourceful. She is patient, dependable, and personable and did a great job working with our contractor. Stefanie also accompanied us on visits to vendors and made sound recommendations on those trips. It was a pleasure working with Stefanie; we recommend her very highly.

Stefanie and David helped us with a major renovation of our apartment in NYC. I have only the BEST things to say about them! They transformed our apartment. Stefanie was very quick to understand our style and aesthetic. They were full of design ideas, and frankly our apartment looks way nicer than we thought was possible. They were also flexible and looking for effective workarounds whenever we ran into a problem. Of course a big risk of any renovation project is cost and time overruns. Stefanie was very conscious about costs, and tried her best to remind us of cost trade-offs at every step. They not only helped with the planning and design, but also with managing the contractor (who was very professional and careful), and even furniture choice and placement. Stefanie and David have the perfect combination of creativity to come up with out-of-the-box ideas and skills to implement them! You can't go wrong with DAS Studio. If we ever have another renovation, I will look nowhere else!

I've completed 3 renovations on my classic 6 co-op in NYC, and the reno at the direction of Stefanie and David exceeded, by far, my every expectation. Their ideas were spot on -- particularly the ones where I hesitated. In a delivery fit for a US Ambassador, they invariably demonstrated the superiority of their ideas. They were thoughtful, conscious of my budget and fully collaborative. We moved back into the apartment, having left given the extensiveness of the reno, some 6 months ago and I continue to marvel at the transformation. I had expected to be happy with the layout changes that we made (such as canabalizing the extra deep closets in the second bedroom and creating hallway closets from the annexed space); what has genuinely surprised me is how much pleasure that the little changes made. The simple things like outlets and lighting in the most convenient places and creating a coffee bar and floating cabinets at the end of a galley kitchen. Worth noting is that both leads from DAS suffered the loss of their mothers during the project. Despite their losses, we never skipped a beat on my project. I suspect that the most important element of working with an architectural/design team is trust. I trust the DAS team completely and I cant believe it, but, I'm actually sorry that the project came to an end. I could not have asked for more. Dayle Davison

We recently had the pleasure of working with DAS as architects for a 1,200 sf addition to our home. Included is a garage, an entry/mudroom, living space with 3-sided fireplace, full bath, closets and a conservatory which connects the addition to the existing house. Having never undertaken such an ambitious home improvement project before, we needed a ton of guidance. Working in collaboration with David and Stefanie was a wonderful experience. They listened to us. They advised us. But the decisions were ours. The design they created incorporates all the elements we wanted in a seamless flow that looks just as good from the outside as it does on the inside. One of the best aspects of working with them was the innovative and cost-effective ideas they generated that were essential in helping the addition not look like an addition. Throughout the project, their guidance was invaluable in balancing project requirements with budget. David and Stefanie are consummate professionals. They were always available to us, and they worked very well with the rest of our consultant team and contractor. The end result is a beautiful, cozy, light-filled space, perfect for the way we live. We couldn’t be happier. We highly recommend DAS. No one could have better professionals in their corner.

DAS helped us with a close to gut renovation of a 100+ year old property in NYC. They did a great job of helping us update and reconfigure the space while retaining its character. Given their deep knowledge and ability to draw from different styles, they came up with beautiful and functional designs for particularly the kitchen & bathroom and some spaces for which we needed to create a different footprint. In addition to design, they also helped us navigate the permitting process in NYC and its various hurdles, and helped us evaluate contractors, and find a contractor that we were very happy with. As renovations always involve some level of stress, it was helpful to have their input and experience to keep us on track. They are personable and easy to talk to, a pleasure to work with, and I would recommend them without reservation. I almost want to move again, just so we can do another project!

When we renovated our Brooklyn apartment last year, including the kitchen/dining/living area, the foyer, a bathroom and 5 closets, we wanted an architect that would address our needs for greater storage, more working space in the kitchen, a more open living/dining/foyer space, and more accessible closet space, and do all this with our aesthetics and within our budget. Working with DAS Studio was the best decision we ever made! They designed the space based on a detailed examination of our needs and came up with innovative solutions and beautiful designs, including the woodwork. We have doubled our storage, yet our apartment looks larger and more open and has a beautiful flow. Every single person who visits us comments that our apartment is looking so much bigger and commends the architect. My husband wanted function and I wanted form, and we got both! We would happily work with them again.

This is my second renovation with DAS. A few years ago I renovated my apartment with the exception of the bath. When it came time to renovate the bath, I didn’t hesitate and contacted DAS. As expected, DAS lent its expertise in rendering the design plans and exquisite materials and fixture recommendations, always keeping in mind my particular needs and taste (clean lines, storage, and desire for a spa-like environment) and price limits. What was once a small, dark space is now a bright, welcoming one. The final product was beyond my expectations and included suggestions that I would never have thought of. DAS was particularly helpful as liason among the co-op board and GC (also obtained at DAS’s suggestion), saving me from untold stress during the reno. I can’t recommend DAS highly enough and wouldn’t hestitate in calling them with any renovation project down the road!

The DAS Studio team turned our very old and teeny studio apartment into a fabulous and sleek and modern one bedroom heaven. We couldn't be more pleased. Constant communication, true listening, creative boldness and enterprise, the list goes on. We are in love with our new place and the low stress process that DAS Studio shepherded for us.

I worked with DAS Studio on apartment renovation drawings for my co-op. Stefanie and David were a pleasure to work with. As a new homeowner, they explained to me the general process and things to consider. Stefanie also had great ideas for materials and colors for my new countertop and making storage space in my kitchen. My drawings were prepared in a timely manner and Stefanie also communicated effectively with my management company. I highly recommend them!

DAS Studio has been a pleasure to work with professionally. Stefanie and David innovate creative ideas to produce a beautiful final product and also provide the technical detail to make it all happen. They are both easy to work with and responsive to changes that inevitably come up in the course of a project. We very much enjoyed working with them, and look forward to more projects in the future.

The renovation of our prewar two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan was a big project for us and we absolutely love the result and receive nothing but the greatest compliments from all our visitors from the Americas and Europe all while staying within the limits of our budget. We would strongly recommend the designers and managers of this project, DAS Studio, to our best friends and to anyone who is looking for two creative, dedicated and client-oriented architects. David and Stefanie listened carefully to all our needs and dreams and merged them with their ideas and our budget constraints, often offering solutions we had not thought of at all. The choices suggested by the architects regarding kitchen layout and cabinetry, bathroom style, tiles, fixtures, location and style of wall units in addition to the overall scheme of wall colors, created the ambience we had been looking for: modern but cozy, classy but comfortable, while preserving the basic prewar style of the apartment. Construction in a Manhattan residential landmarked building can be an organizational and regulatory nightmare but DAS Studio handled building requirements and contractor management with detailed familiarity and patient persistence. We were very lucky to find DAS Studio. Throughout the construction process they helped us manage the stress created by such a project and, in the end, made it a pleasure having experienced it.

Stefanie has been an instrumental consultant on various issues spanning multiple projects; everything from interpreting NYC building codes to actual design and construction management. Stefanie is smart and thoughtful and very responsive to client needs and sensitivities. I look forward to working with Stefanie again, soon. And highly recommend her to both design professionals and end-users.