Design Consultation Professionals in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY

“I can count on several fingers the times I have found a local business partner that I'd describe as a rockstar, and Brian Hopkins is on that short list. On Christmas Eve, my wife and I were out doing errands. We got a call from our teenage son, telling us that water was raining down from the upstairs bathroom, through our microwave and stove, into the basement, onto the furnace and water heater. There was some once-in-a-century rapid drop in temperature, we had some poorly insulated pipes, and one of those pipes ruptured in the floor of that second floor bathroom resulting in that disaster. Total nightmare. Thankfully, one of the other rockstars on our short list of local business partners is our general contractor. We already had a plan on the shelf to renovate that bathroom, our contractor was available, we were able to get all our tile and bathroom fixtures picked out and procured in record time, and shortly after New Year's our GC started the repairs and creating the bathroom of our dreams. Salvation! Everything was going awesome, until the building department showed up. In a rush, we neglected to get a building permit. We weren't being shady or playing games. We were just hasty and ignorant and didn't do the things we needed to do. We got an immediate stop-work order. And the only way to get back on track was to find an architect to do proper code-compliant architectal drawings for our already-in-progress bathroom renovation. I quickly learned that there are not a lot of residential architects hurting for business, certainly not at that time of year. I literally called at least 15 different places. Either people were too busy, or weren't interested in the project. I finally found one who couldn't take the job, but said "hey, we know this other guy in the area who is super good, that we refer people to when we're busy. His name is Brian Hopkins." Somebody directing business to a competitor?? I now understand why they referred me. Brian is only the second architect I've ever worked with, but as far as I can tell, he's as good as it gets. I was able to get in touch with him immediately, and he agreed to take on the work. He was incredibly transparent and clear about what he was going to do, when he was going to do it, and what it would cost. Throughout the process he was super responsive, empathetic, organized, patient, professional, and enjoyable to work with. He didn't nickel and dime us or play games; he was clearly focused on good customer service and outcomes. And from what I can tell, both the building department and my GC were very happy with the quality of his work. The entire ordeal we went through, particularly involving the building department and fines and delays was horrible. Had we not found Brian, had he not been so excellent, the situation might have been unbearable. He literally was our savior. It's absurd not to want to work with someone like this.”

“Phenomenal service, quick and professional! A++ I would highly reccomend Monica to anyone looking to renovate or build a new house!”

“We had never been homeowners, let alone renovators, before we bought a brownstone in Carroll Gardens, and ACHA was the perfect partner to get us through a daunting process to the home we wanted. Ali helped us figure out and then implement the right plan for us. He was great on the big picture and the detail -- taking the time to learn our style preferences and developing them into options we never would have thought of on our own. He was patient with us and effective at translating our priorities (and financial constraints!) to the contractors. Ali made optimal use of our limited space -- fitting in a powder room on a parlor floor, where it didn't seem one could fit, along with an open living/dining area, and three comfortable bedrooms and two baths on the garden level. And he designed a fabulous deck and got us through the treacherous Department of Building approval process for it! I cannot overstate the unusual combination of aesthetic sophistication and practical know-how ACHA offers.”

“Marianna is an amazing designer and architect. I'm a huge fan of her work and hope very much to have her creative direction on future projects..”

“The wall unit Shahin designed for me is centrally located in my house. He created a smart and harmonious focal point for my family's daily life. I hired Shahin as a designer because I had seen his other wall unit designs.”

“We highly recommend Brad to anyone seeking a design professional. We’ve worked with Brad through dozens of residential and commercial projects over the years. He is very talented when it comes to maximizing the functionality of space, creative ideas and navigating the often times complex permitting process. We're very grateful for his dedication in making our vision a reality.”

“Colin is a highly experienced home designer, having worked on many large high-end residential, as well as commercial projects. His planning to determine space usage is very thorough and thoughtful for daily living and future eventualities. Colin is also very hands-on in managing his projects.”

“David and his architectural firm did a wonderful job designing a new kitchen, pantry and dining area in our CT home. The work they did was exactly what we didn't know we wanted. We pulled many pictures from magazines and David reviewed with his team to design a footprint we LOVED and a kitchen that was beyond what we expected. His team assisted in the selection of materials when I needed it - and the results were perfect.”

“We hired Read to be our architects and designers for a full gut renovation of a Brooklyn townhouse and could not be more satisfied with this decision. We were first drawn by their aesthetics and then quickly came to appreciate several other aspects of their work including their communication skills, and creative problem solving. Their design is exactly what we were looking for and makes us feel instantly relaxed. It strikes a subtle balance between modern aesthetics and historic details. What was also very important to me is that every square inch of the house is optimized, there is no lost space. Come and his team have been very upfront and transparent throughout. They shared with us a clear roadmap for the project from start to finish, used a retro planning tool to keep track of everything and keep everyone accountable... a little bit overwhelming at first but very efficient! When we faced challenges from city agencies, they quickly came up with several solutions to resolve them. When creating a brand new staircase they found a creative way to achieve the look we wanted for a fraction of the price. At the end of the day, a gut renovation in NYC can be a very overwhelming project and working with Read has allowed us to alleviate a lot of the stress related to this project while staying within our set budget. Also, they are fun to work with!”

“I loved working with Haven Design Company! After viewing the informative webinar on the subject of adding an Axillary Dwelling Unit (ADU) onto one's property, I was ready to take the next step. Danielle Kemble and Sevki Topcu knew their subject and asked for a few parameters as a jumping off point. They did their research and at our first Zoom meeting it felt like familiar territory. They had checked into the towns zoning and code constraints; I had sent them the house plans and basement measurements. (I had enough architectural training to be able to do a 'close enough' measurement of the basement, where I wanted to add the ADU). At that meeting, the thoughtfulness of their approach to the project--a basement ADU, perhaps not the most exciting project--was transformed beyond any expectation. The sophisticated dimensional drawing were easy to understand and see the merits of their design. Opening the entrance wall, to a natural light garden, made the project exciting and my enthusiasm grew beyond an income generating unit. The team was very professional in monthly goals and deadlines met. They took my ideas and tastes into account (fortunately. I am very sophisticated--kidding) and were always responsive. The project is on hold for financial reasons, but I hope to be able to pick it up again with them.”