Cathy Schwabe Architecture

Your work looks great, keep at it and I'll be following, thanks for sharing and I wish you success! Best of luck.

We have worked with Cathy on a number of projects over the past 20 years. Cathy is a creative, organized, energetic, and focused individual who demands much of herself and works hard to get the most out of a project. Her attention to details both large and small are what make her such a strong leader of a construction team. She takes the time to answer questions and problem solve and these qualities make the construction process workable for the builder and ultimately satisfying for the client. She has a keen sense of design and a commitment to finding solutions that are environmentally sound and technology up to date. I would highly recommend Cathy for any project.

Timeless, inspired + responsive design ... and, a joy to work with! These are how I would describe Cathy's work, and what it's like to undertake a project with her. A former client and soon to be a repeat client, I turned to Cathy to remodel my kitchen; mine is the Craftsman Kitchen on her Houzz webpage. I bought my 1914 Craftsman house knowing I would be re-doing the kitchen. While most of the house retained the original wood paneling + detailing, the kitchen had been horribly + shoddily tinkered with over the years. I had a simple but, as is so often the case, challenging goal - to create a kitchen that was modern yet sympathetic to the rest of the house. I believe Cathy achieved that. Cathy brings intelligence, sensitivity + creativity to her work in addition to being highly responsive to a client's goals, desires, budget and level of knowledge. She is insightful and highly collaborative, asking thoughtful + provocative questions, and fully enjoying the interests + skills a client brings to a project. In my case, I have a good sense of color and a heightened interest in materials; Cathy encouraged and drew from these, making the whole process all the more enjoyable for me. I've had the good fortune of being able to tour several of Cathy's projects - from modest renovations to large, new homes. Each is different, clearly reflecting the uniqueness of each client, site and budget. Some spaces are serene, others playful; all are comfortable, functional and beautifully detailed. Cathy has a special gift, I think, in working with light (balancing natural and man-made) and in creating special indoor/outdoor connections. Someday I'd love to have her design a new home for me. In the meantime, thanks, Cathy for a wonderful kitchen. I'm looking forward to working with you again!

Cathy Schwabe was the architect on a recent project of ours -- a green point rated house in Palo Alto. Cathy brought us in as the landscape architects on a multi faceted design team. It was a great pleasure collaborating with Cathy on many architectural features that blended indoor living with the exterior spaces. From the outdoor shower, bath, and lounging area, to the below grate patio, the seamless integration of architecture and landscape would not have been realized without Cathy's intuitive design instinct and ability to lead a synergistic design team. We look forward to working with Cathy again to create beautiful and sustainable homes.

Cathy is great to work with! I'm a structural engineer who have worked with her for over 20 years on many high-end challenging residential projects. Cathy brings me in early in the design process. This early interaction ensures the architectural and structural design progresses in a direction that allows for efficient structural systems and controls construction costs. Her thorough, well-detailed drawings make my work easier and construction go smoothly. Working with Cathy is a lot of fun and very satisfying. Cathy's house designs are creative, functional, and very liveable. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for an architect who listens to their needs and desires to help them create their perfect dream house.

the north californian spirit for me :-) really simple, really perfect for a retreat :-)

As one of the owners of the Russian River Studio featured. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to recommend Cathy for your future architectural projects. It was an amazing process to envision this building with Cathy. We wanted a studio/workspace/guesthouse when needed. Our primary residence sits 40 feet away. She spent time with us exploring our needs and desires and took such great care creating a remarkable space for us. I am the writer and my husband is a photographer. We also wanted a place to daydream. Be inspired. The building was sited perfectly for the latter taking in the views and bringing the green countryside in. An aspect of our space that we truly enjoy is the psychological impact when you enter. Immediately you are surprised by the volume, and combined with the view, you have the sensation of being safely perched in a tree looking into a forest. Sharing our space with others was equally important. I like to cook big and we have a long wooden table that we place in the middle of the space. It seats twenty and it will again be the location of our friends and family Thanksgiving this year. It has been used for writing and drawing workshops, a memorial and a classical guitar concert. We are imagining more uses. The couch shown in the photographs makes into a comfortable bed and the alcove becomes a cozy place for a sleep over allowing our guests to enjoy the stars before nodding off. It is meeting all of our needs and continues to inspire us. Not only do we have this lovely building, but a friendship with Cathy developed along the way that we continue to enjoy.