Architetti che hanno vinto il Best of Houzz a Santa Monica

“Jonathan came recommended through a friend of ours who worked with him on her remodel and gave nothing but a glowing review. We had no other friends who could, in good faith, recommend their former contractors, so we immediately knew he was something special. We were looking to add a new room to our house as an ADU above the garage. Many other companies we spoke to either quoted astronomically high or were simply unresponsive. Jonathan was immediately a very clear communicator, a straight shooter, and offered solutions that others did not propose to make all of our asks a reality. After the initial meeting, we threw in a curveball of wanting to replace all of the windows and doors on the main house as well. He was able to fold this into the plans and re-adjust the schedule and price accordingly. He is a diligent time manager and kept each part of the process moving, and even nudging us when the ball was in our court. Most importantly, he is extraordinarily responsive. Whatever question we had (and we had a lot of them), he would take the time to clearly explain the details of the situation. He and his team are professional and courteous (shout out to Carlos!) and, since we stayed in the house during the re-model, aimed to make the process as unobtrusive as possible. We even asked him a question two months after the job finished and he responded immediately and helped send a team to handle what we needed. Above and beyond. For all of these reasons and more, we highly recommend Jonathan and his team for all of your contracting needs!”

“Words cannot accurately describe what a productive, professional and ultimately joyful experience it was to work with Adrian Koffka and his excellent team at Koffka Phakos Design. From our initial discussions regarding the renovation of our 98 year-old house to the delivery of completed plans, the experience was collaborative, illuminating and thoroughly satisfying. In fact, we were able to retain the contractor we urgently hoped to work with because Adrian’s blueprints demonstrated the degree of precision and sophistication this contractor demanded before even considering a bid. Also, because of this, our permitting gauntlet was surprisingly stress-free. Once construction began, we didn’t make many changes –– when it’s right, you don’t need to fix it –– but there was one addition we wanted to make mid-schedule. Adrian and his colleagues were able to accommodate this change quickly so we were able to stay right on schedule. Completing a long-overdue renovation on a century-old house will trigger any number of stressful situations but Adrian and his team were never the source of any stress whatsoever. We always knew we were in good hands. To this day, simply walking into our new kitchen fills us with more happiness than we could have even imagined when we started this project. If you have the opportunity to work with Adrian and his team, and then live in the art that he creates for you, you should certainly take it.”

“(For photos of this project, see the “Sunoo Residence” in the Whitten Architects portfolio on houzz) My wife and I hired Whitten Architects (WA) to shepherd our remodel project from concept through construction completion. Our situation was as follows: We owned a 1600 SQF townhome built in 1978. It was initially 2BR/2.5BA. We wanted to add a BR upstairs and were considering a remodel of the downstairs portion of the unit. WA nailed the concept and design. We are beyond thrilled with the final product. We ultimately ended up with a home that is MUCH nicer than we had initially hoped for. Even now – 4 months after completion, we wake up every day and feel exceedingly grateful and fortunate to be living in a home that we’re so in love with. Here is what impressed us the most about working with WA: 1) Space planning - our project involved some tricky re-configuration of our unit. We wanted to add a 3rd bedroom while keeping 2 bathrooms upstairs. Also, since it's a townhome, we wanted to keep everything within the existing building envelope. Alec was able to achieve everything that we asked while also getting us a really nice sized master BA -- AND everything upstairs flows really naturally. WA also came up with an outstanding design and program for our downstairs. It really is our dream home! 2) Details - there are SO many details/customizations that Alec designed into the project (in addition to fully customized cabinetry, he also designed a room divider, a desk/sewing corner, various bathroom/pantry nooks, kitchen island, etc) many of which he came up with on his own and then presented to us unprompted. 3) Mediation – While we were also very happy with our contractor, as is the case in most projects, this one also involved a number of contentious conversations with him. Alec was really great at mediating these -- engaging in shuttle diplomacy, and also ensuring that both parties left the table satisfied. I would recommend WA without hesitation. If you would like to speak with me further about this project --- or if you would like to see the project in person, please have Alec contact me. I would be happy to give you a tour of our place!”