dSpace Studio

I wanted to build a radical house—a three-story box with the living room on top. When I looked at the dSPACE website and saw the aesthetic of their other projects, I knew I had found my architect. Attention to detail is part of their passion. They want to make sure the project is as perfect as possible so we are as happy as possible. Bob and team were responsive, and they saw more than I did.

I enjoyed the design meetings where the team presented their ideas—they helped me come up with a realistic and livable version of my radical vision.

dSPACE is highly professional. They added value because I could have not done this on my own. I was happy to work with them and become friends.

dSPACE is second to none! Very thorough and responsive. They made sure we were happy. If every business worked like them, there would be many more successful businesses out there.

Working with dSPACE was a great fit. We wanted to create a beach house to enjoy family time and be with our kids. Summers are an important time in life to make memories—dSPACE gave us exactly what we wanted while accommodating the realities of site and budget.

At design meetings, we were able to express our desire for something beautiful. The team translated our vision into a beautiful home that is functional, especially with small children. They are really good listeners.

Building a custom home for the first time, we had a lot to learn. It was wonderful to work with dSPACE because it felt like a journey, a learning process that they were supporting us on. Kevin and the team were great collaborators—they listened and really cared about what we wanted. It was a happy process that we really enjoyed. I always felt they were working on a project for us, not for a portfolio.

dSPACE helped us deliver the vision for our home. They guided us on when and where it was worth it to spend, and where we could save. For example, they modified the floor plan to be more efficient, but it still feels grand and comfortable. I don’t feel like we sacrificed or took shortcuts. The level of collaboration, team spirit, and comradery was always great. The team was highly available and responsive to questions and ideas.

We miss the dSPACE team! We genuinely feel like we built a wonderful house and we miss the process and working with the designers and builders. I still walk around and think, “We really built a great house. It’s the right size, mood, function, and feel”. dSPACE was a huge part of that, and I’m appreciative of the time and care they put into it.

Jason Bukowski opted not to leave a text review of dSpace Studio

Niko Apostal opted not to leave a text review of dSpace Studio

Manny Cruz opted not to leave a text review of dSpace Studio

We are so happy we picked dSPACE! After interviewing multiple firms, it was clear that dSPACE was the best choice for our project. dSPACE has the talent and expertise of a big firm and all the personalized attention and focus of a smaller boutique firm. dSPACE has a modern and fresh design aesthetic, and we were very impressed by their previous projects. We spoke to just about every reference, and they all had only positive things to say.

Tom has been our project manager and is always on top of everything. He thinks through every decision and detail. We would call Tom with a question, and within a day, he would draw up a couple of different options and walk us through each choice. Kevin has a great design eye, loves landscape architecture, and knows all the latest architectural products and lights. Tom, Kevin, and the rest of the design team stayed engaged and focused from the concept phase through the punch list. Everyone at dSPACE really cares, and we knew that they would always advocate on our behalf. Even as COVID-19 created work stoppages, delays, and other problems, dSPACE worked hard to adjust the plan and keep everything moving.

We had many of our own ideas and knew that we wanted to be very involved. From the very start, dSPACE was excited to work with us to build our dream home. dSPACE made sure that all our requirements were discussed and incorporated into the design. They presented us with unique concepts for both the exterior and for different layouts. dSPACE provided 3D renderings that allowed us to explore different ideas and understand different perspectives. The 3D model was helpful throughout the project as it allowed us to understand tradeoffs, how different finishes would look, and even how to design the lights. The facade was pretty complicated, but dSPACE made sure to model every brick and detail so that we didn't have any unpleasant surprises.

dSPACE also helped us with the contractor selection process by recommending high-quality contractors, reviewing bids, and developing the budget. Throughout the project, dSPACE worked with our fantastic contractor (Fraser Construction) to ensure that every detail was executed perfectly. All projects have "problems," and modern architecture presents many other complexities, but Fraser and dSPACE communicated well to resolve problems while keeping us on budget.

Kevin, Tom, and the entire dSPACE team are talented architects who are passionate about modern design and we highly recommend them.

The value added by dSPACE is tremendous. Working with them and having them as your advocate throughout the construction process is priceless. My wife and I appreciate and respect their design aesthetic, and we get along famously with the team. You spend a lot of time with your architects—make sure you like them as people. They will likely be our first dinner guests at our new house!

We chose dSPACE over the other architects we interviewed for many reasons. The biggest factor was their project management service. Throughout our entire project they effectively handled every detail. We thought about hiring a GC without a design architect—that would have been a HUGE mistake. If we had to do it all over, we would absolutely choose dSPACE again.

We knew we had a challenging project on our hands. The house we chose to renovate had the right footprint, on the right street, in the right neighborhood. But we wanted to change everything inside! My wife and I are not handy people and had no idea how to get to the vision we had. From our very first conversation with dSPACE, they explored our ideas and found realistic solutions within a couple of percentage points of estimated pricing.

dSPACE also challenged us to think about our design goals—in the best way possible—to further develop them while being realistic and within budget. Kevin and his team were passionate about keeping a consistent theme throughout the entire house so that everything would flow. Their ability to tie the house together is something we had not thought of and are very grateful for.

We would recommend dSPACE Studio for anything, whether a completely new project, addition or renovation—they can handle it. They have done a tremendous job. Their team is always available to answer our phone calls and emails. Our design meetings always included date-by-date schedules and line-by-line budget estimates, so there were no surprises.

dSPACE presents their design work with detailed perspectives—these visuals really allowed us to understand our project. They have been great at taking our ideas and implementing them into a complete project. One of the designs was exactly what we were looking for, but it was nice to have very usable alternatives in case we couldn’t go with our first choice.

Early on, they visited the site to gain an understanding of the property. dSPACE even showed how the sun would hit the property in different seasons which is something we could never have imagined as part of a presentation.
We really thought that the time difference (we were in Japan when we started) was going to be an issue at first, but it was not a problem. dSPACE worked around our availability, and our meetings have been executed with zero hassle. Sometimes we are indecisive and make changes, but they are always accommodating and patient. The experience has been great.

We so valued all dSPACE brought to the project including fantastic vision, unbounded creativity and uncompromising attention to detail. They were truly our partner on the project, and their passion was an extension of our passion. They valued our ideas and opinions—there was no ego whatsoever, and instead it was a wonderful collaboration.

I was familiar with dSPACE’s incredible work so it was a no brainer to select them to remodel (gut) our modern ranch home. My wife, our two young children and I could not be more pleased with the outcome. Kevin and Kathryn helped transform our house into our dream home.

One year after completion, no exaggeration, I still smile as I walk around the house as each room unfolds to express itself. Our vision was “modern yet warm and should feel at home in the woods”. That is exactly what was achieved. One of their strengths is presenting the ‘right’ number of options – not too many and not too few – yet each a complete winner in its own right! dSPACE made countless suggestions that we could not have thought of on our own, yet now cannot live without!

Four specific favorites include:

1. Main Fireplace (between the living room and family room). They suggested cutting back one side to create a beautiful asymmetry and to open up the room. The mixture of black steel, white textured porcelain and gray tile create a stunning focal point and really a centerpiece of the home.

2. Master Bedroom Fireplace. The original master was oddly long creating a design challenge. They suggested breaking up the room with a fireplace – the bed on one side (TV mounted on bed-side) and a cozy seating area on the other. We used the white oak floor planks and black steel present in the rest of the house to create an unparalleled warmth.

3. Master Bathroom. The original master bathroom had a very odd layout and was beyond dated. The new bathroom is literally perfect both in form and function. It energizes in the morning and calms at night.

4. The house did not have a basement yet we wanted a space for our young kids to enjoy now and in the future. The addition dSPACE came up with is amazing and this is where our children spend the vast majority of their time (not to mention our time). The kids’ art wall spurs creativity and makes the room feel alive. The entire room is youthful yet sophisticated.

Honestly, I could go on because dSPACE’s signature is present throughout the entire house. The house was built in 1979 so while it offered up an amazing mid-century back-bone, it also created design challenge after design challenge. dSPACE overcame each one. The soul of the house is still intact, yet it is so so much better!!! I think the original architect would be beyond impressed. We are. I would highly recommend dSPACE for anybody looking to create a modern forever home that will warm and wow for years to come.