Universal Designers in Santa Fe

“We used Shaw Architecture when we built our home in Santa Fe in 2005. We also used them when we added a casita in 2012. Steve Shaw was a professional in every way. His plan for our home met our needs completely. We love living there. He made wonderful suggestions and when problems arose he was creative in solving them. We have complete confidence in Steve's abilities and trustworthiness. He wants to satisfy his clients and is a pleasure to work with.”

“As realtors and developers in the Santa Fe area we are always happy to work with Architectural Alliance. They are knowledgeable, professional, and local so they are easy to reach and communicate with in order to collaborate and come up with a design that works for us. We have had a strong professional relationship for years and it is apparent that they take their work and clients very seriously. They are always willing to work with us on difficult and challenging projects and we are always happy with the finished design. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to hire an architect for new construction, commercial, or residential in the greater Santa Fe, NM area! They can do it all!”

“Jon Dick of Archaeo has provided excellent design work, careful communication and compete integrity in working through sometimes difficult team dynamics. The approximately $2M project consisted of a top to bottom addition and renovation to an existing house located in a difficult to access area of Santa Fe.”

“Had a meeting at my home to discuss interior layout, living room couch and kitchen cabinet color. Lisa Samuel was energetic, professional and aware of my preferences.”

“Sue helped me transform my ideas into practical and beautiful realities. Her knowledge of how form and function interact to create a unique but livable space was invaluable in realizing my "dream house". Would not hesitate to recommend her unequivocally.”

“We had our 1972 bathrooms brought up to date by Diane and her crew. Although both are tiny by today's standards, she managed to suggest design tweaks that visually enlarged each little space, and kept to our very modest budget with no problem, and on time. This, despite a motorcycle accident to one worker, and the wrong sink sent, resulting in a little wait. We went from poky, conventional, faux French to sleek, modern, and individual; it still looks fresh and up to date, after 8 years. Diane was very easy and pleasant to work with, always incorporating my ideas and wishes whenever practical. She nixed the idea of bronze fixtures, because our water is notoriously hard, and they would turn white with use. Her expertise and experience was invaluable. In the master bath, the sink is situated in a short corridor leading to the toilet and shower; she matched the cabinet to the dark oak of our antique furniture, for continuity, and kept the tiles, flooring and fixtures all one light hue - again, for continuity from the beige carpeting in the bedroom, visually enlarging the space. In the other bath, she suggested a sink cabinet that floats 6 or 7 inches off the floor, so that the eye isn't stopped, but continues to the back wall. I fell in love with the iridescence of Antique Labrador granite, but neither the budget nor the space would support a lot of this dark stone. Diane used it in a band, framing the mirror and sink, with a matching band around the tub/shower, topping off the almond-hued tiles. A collection of decorative, antique family photos, from the early 1900's, was hung in matching frames, and that added a very personal touch. We had fun with the pulls, and used the same style cabinetry in both baths. That kept the budget happy, and lent a subtle, visual continuity throughout the whole town house. The only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars, is our budget, which didn't allow for everything I would have liked. Besides, perfection is humanly impossible. We couldn't be more pleased with the work of Diane and Kitchen Studio. When I win the lottery, I will ask her to redo the kitchen!”

“I collaborated with Bill Kleinschmidt developing a playhouse with an art focus for ages 6-15. Bill was very professional and great to work with as we created designated areas of art making and incorporated the building design to work with the activities. Bill is an attentive listener and creative designer, who is able to merge fabulous design with function. I would gladly work with him again on another project.”

“Prull Custom Builders was professional from contracting with the owner, the greatest communications with the owner and architect during the construction phase and finalizing the finish to everyone's high standards.”

“We spent over 2 years meeting with nearly 10 highly researched architectural firms. We selected Spears Horn and developed a great partnership in the design and build of our home. We remain amazed at the work and live in our dream home.”

“Chris designed my dream retirement home for me, and I couldn't be more thrilled. I gave her a very basic sketch of what I wanted and she turned it into a home that is wonderfully aesthetic, extremely creative, and very functional. She has an innovative vision, and drops creative elements and architectural details in exactly the right places. She spent a lot of time with me at the beginning, getting to know my style and my daily routine, which ensured that my house would fit me in all the right places. She stayed involved from start to finish and was quick to alert me when any issues came up during construction. Her attention to detail and ability to meet my expectations was truly amazing. She was professional and gracious to work with. I ended up with a home that is unique, architecturally timeless, and fits in perfectly with the unique architecture of Taos, NM. It completely exceeds my expectations. I highly recommend her.”