Santa Barbara, CA Space Planning Professionals

“We had a 60+-yr-old high-rise apartment in Manhattan that needed serious, thorough renovation. Asbestos tiles. Ancient kitchen cabinetry and sink. Obsolete and inadequate wiring. We needed help re-imagining the space to achieve several goals at once. These goals included a) modernizing, b) ADA compliance, c) planning for aging-in-place so that we could live in our own home as long as possible, d) knocking down and rearranging walls to open the space, e) placement of glass transoms to allow eastern light to pass through the entire apartment, and f) establishing a backdrop on which to display our rather large and varied art collection. We also needed people to help navigate the insane process of getting permissions from everyone from our co-op management to the NYC Dept of Buildings. We discovered SmartDesign during an open-house tour event in our co-op where people who had renovated their own spaces were showing their projects to tours of other co-op residents. We walked into someone else's home and said, "Whoa! This is what we want! Who did this?" And the person responsible for pulling it all together, Alan Mishali, was there, ready to talk with us. We spent the next short while with Alan and his SmartDesign team helping us plan our dream home. Our "forever" home. They were a one-stop shop, meaning that they handled everything from design, to getting the permits through the NYC bureaucracy, to supplying the materials, to hiring the demolition and re-building team. They helped us through a unified design process that took into account everything we knew we wanted and thousands of things that we didn't know we wanted. They helped us design things like the various possible layouts of our kitchen backsplash, and the subtle color variations of our tilework. They helped us plan for a possible future where we had to deal with arthritis, and so there are no doorknobs in our home; all door handles are levers. The microwave is down low, so we don't have to reach above our heads to pull hot food out of a high place. They built custom-made bookshelves to keep our books and curios behind glass to avoid dust, and integrated pocket doors into these cabinets so that should we need a wheelchair in the future our bedroom is ready for it. All these things, and thousands of other details, can be seen in this project photoshoot once we moved back into the completed space: https://smartdesign.nyc/projects/morningside-heights-2-residence/ Once we got final permission from the NYC DOB and our cranky co-op management, work proceeded quickly and efficiently and was done on-time, on-budget, and actually early. With a project of this scope, naturally things will go wrong. Alan and SmartDesign are standing behind their work and have sent repair people out to handle every little problem that has popped up. Things like cabinetry problems, ceiling board joints settling and displaying cracks, and other problems. I trust Alan and SmartDesign.”

“Impeccable with every detail. My husband and I are fashion designers, so it was important for us to find an established designer who would understand our unique vision. Antoinette has great presence, determination, but most importantly, she has a great fucking eye for design, and we would work with her and her team again. We redesigned our entire showroom from top to bottom with Antoinette, and we couldn't be more excited to have our clients experience the new space. We explained the vision for our showroom, and they let us be as involved as we liked, while also guiding us to make great decisions. From going over floor plans, choosing furniture, explaining inspirations, installing light fixtures, and paying for their services - everything was easier than anticipated. They handled the things we did not have time to do, and even source contractors for us. To say this was worth the investment, is an understatement. Throughout the whole process, there were no feelings of stress or anxiety, I knew that they could handle everything.”

“We interviewed a number of contractors. We are so grateful to have hired Form. Working to get a permit when the building was in such repair was extremely challenging. They came through like champions.i would highly recommend them!”

“I interviewed a number of architects and talked to a couple of references before selecting David Ferrin and Arketype Architects for my rather different project, that of building a two story home on top of an existing stone warehouse, providing three floors plus roof-deck in a tight urban setting. Before I selected him, I was impressed with his "can-do" attitude and examples of some of his thinking outside-the-box. The design work I saw was classy and much of it different. His use of materials tends towards the green but when price becomes an issue, he will demur or come up with an alternative. David is quietly spoken and his demeanor is thoughtful, low-key and confident. The project is still 12 months away from completion (I'm writing this in May 2015 ) so it isn't possible to give you final comment but to this point I have been VERY happy with his work. He is quick to effect changes and is very thorough with his plans, attention to detail (according to several other architects and planners) being well above what is normally produced. I swear this attention to detail is what allowed our plans to get through to permitting in so few hearings.”

“It was a pleasure working with the Dovetail team! Ryan, Cate and Ashley were all super responsive and attentive to my projects requirements. They had great ideas and offered creative solutions to the inevitable snafus that arise in any construction project. The construction team was great - excellent craftsmanship that is clearly evident in the final result. And the final result of my ADU project is absolutely stunning! The space was transformed into a lovely little home that would satisfy the most discriminating of occupants. Huge thanks to the entire Dovetail team. I would heartily recommend Dovetail and I look forward to working with them again in the future.”

“Jodi Fleming's work is the definition of perfection. She truly cares about each client and goes above and beyond to ensure the finished project is exactly what the client had envisioned. I have known Jodi and her team for many years and she has worked with my family in five different homes. I can honestly say every person that has stepped foot in each one has been amazed at the beauty and the detail of her work. I would HIGHLY recommend her services to anyone who is looking for a place that not only feels like home, but is envied by everyone who steps inside!”

“Stephanie was the architect for the remodel of the master bathroom (about 10 years ago) of and two other bathrooms in our house in 2019. We found her to be extremely thoughtful about space planning. In both cases, she presented multiple layout options that were above and beyond anything we'd considered (or others professionals had suggested). She explained the pros and cons very clearly in terms of space, cost and so on, and took into account our priorities for the space. She also gave us a lot of options and ideas in terms of fixtures, tiles and so on. She is an expert on the city codes and there were never any issues with inspections. She was also really helpful at giving advice to the contractors when they ran into a few issues during construction.”

“Carol is fantastic to work with! She's incredibly knowledgeable from the grand scale of a project to the most minute details, all while being professional and approachable. I appreciated how open minded and patient she was during our bathroom remodel and overall house rehab. Her vast work and life experiences come into play when creating a warm and functional space for our family. The timeline on our project was very tight, but covered everything from flooring, electrical, paint, plumbing, cabinetry, pool building consultation and so on. The subs that Carol recommended provided quality work, stayed on task and were very professional. There were times that we used workers that we had prior relationships with. Carol always welcomed them into the fold and treated them as if she has been working with them throughout the project. Carol has established relationships with many vendors throughout the local area. Our budget was tight in the kid's bath, but she was so creative that the feel of the room came off as custom and fresh. I couldn't have done it without her!”

“DD Ford Construction has worked closely with Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis on many custom home projects over the past 30 years. The projects have varied in design and scope, both new homes and remodels. Consistent through every project has been NMA’s commitment to creating spaces and environments that reflect all the building site has to offer. Spaces that take in to account natural light, natural landscape and natural scale that relate to us as humans. As a builder it is very important to work in a collaborative relationship with all project members. The talented team at NMA has always provided direction and input consistently and in a timely manner. NMA Architects blends and balances the desires of their clients, the input of consultants and the needs of the builder in a team environment that allows & encourages design to evolve into remarkable structure.”

“We have worked with Andrea Schumacher for over 7 years, and can't recommend her more highly! She is extremely responsive and makes what could be a painful process so much fun. Her creative vision is second to none. She first helped us make our new Denver Country Club house a home, working her magic with color and texture, all the while making things livable for our family. We have just wrapped up our second project with ASI and again are so happy with the results. Andrea and her team are always conscientious about working within our budget and her architectural background was also incredibly beneficial in designing the addition to our home. In fact, we relied on her design for the space more than the architect that we hired for that job! Our home is beautiful thanks to her team and we will continue to work with Andrea and her firm for many years down the road.”