Diane Whalen Architect

In 2019 Diane provided design services and construction drawings for the renovation of our master bathroom. This was a cramped, three-piece bathroom wedged under the sloping gable of our post-war house and had received only superficial changes since the house was built in 1945. Diane was immediately able to see the potential for this neglected space and suggested a creative way to “steal” a few feet from an adjacent bedroom, providing not only a more spacious and brighter bathroom but also providing much needed closet space in the bedroom. In this way she was able to listen to our needs, visualize a solution and encourage us to look beyond our initially limited ideas for the project. Diane’s working style was very collaborative, sensitive to our needs as clients, respectful of our design tastes, and careful in integrating our choices into a coherent spatial and aesthetic design. Her impressive attention to detail was evident in the accurate and clear construction drawings she provided. Despite the constraints of a modest budget and tight schedule, Diane worked with us to design a bright, spacious and beautiful new bathroom. We would not hesitate to work with Diane again on future projects.

I loved working with Diane. She made this project a truly enjoyable collaboration. She turned our vague longings into a beautiful and functional space. Diane is a conscientious professional with deep, precise knowledge of everything from the codes and bylaws to the techniques and principles of excellent design. She is a smart, innovative architect who brought a clear, creative vision to the project. Her plans were beautiful, detailed and precise (according to contractor and tradesmen--not just me). She is generous with her time and knowledge and worked closely with our contractor to adjust the plans quickly and effectively to deal with those surprises you run into when you're renovating a really old house.

Diane provided excellent service. Her design helped transform a 1949 home into a wonderful open concept that stayed true to the character of the neighbourhood. Diane facilitated valuable design discussions and played an important challenge function to keep us on the right track! And, she brought her work boots to keep a finger on the pulse of the project. We are extremely happy with the final result!

We have lived in our 99 year old home for 15 years and have spent countless hours planning our dream to transform the kitchen into a gathering place for friends and family. We also knew we wanted to extend our living into the back yard for our fair weather days. After all these years of dreaming Diane helped us make our plans a reality. She listened to us and shaped the project in a way that respected our vision. Diane was considerate to the heritage of our home and character of the neighbourhood. Diane was impressive in her knowledge of building codes, and all of the engineering requirements, let alone her attention to the smallest detail, which in the end made all the difference. We couldn't be happier.

It was a pleasure working with Diane! She has a great eye for classic simple design and knows the building code very well. She anticipated and worked through problems so that getting the permit was very easy. Great about explaining all the technical stuff, very knowledgeable about products and fastidious about detail. Lots of helpful suggestions about what would work in terms color and furniture layout.

Red Pine Camp has been providing family camping on Golden Lake for almost 100 years. Many of our cabins are staring to show their age, so we began an infrastructure renewal program. We engaged Diane to help with the design of the replacement cabins. She had to meet new code, have the design fit in with older cabins, and incorporate new features, all within a very tight budget. She succeeded on all fronts, and provided us a reference design we can use going forward. She also went above and beyond the call in travelling to Golden Lake to oversee key aspects of the construction to ensure the designs were meeting expectations. I can't commend Diane highly enough and would definitely hire her again.

It was such a pleasure working with Diane on my kitchen project. My vision was to open a cramped galley kitchen into the adjacent dining room in order to fill the space with light and to improve flow, which is why I wanted to get an architect involved. Am I ever glad I brought in Diane from the get-go. She had the vision, technical skills and know-how to create the kitchen of my dreams -- all the while tracking costs and ensuring good value. I told her that I wanted the kitchen/dining area to be the 'hub of the home.' The project involved some major structural work because a steel beam was required and heating vents needed to be moved. In the end, original cabinets were shuffled, reused and repainted (they look brand new and better than custom cabinetry), a large kitchen island with a bar fridge was added and I got a wonderful light-filled family kitchen that is just PERFECT. I highly recommend Diane. She is talented, environmentally conscious, cost-conscious and a pleasure to work with.

Diane walked with us through the re-design of several rooms on our main floor, which included the design of a whole new bathroom space. We found Diane personal, professional and thorough. She worked creatively with our initial ideas, adding many design elements that worked well within our constrained spaces. Diane also helped connect us to resources that helped us stay within our budget. We are very pleased with the results and highly recommend her.

We bought a house in an old neighbourhood and wanted to add a two storey addition that wouldn't look like an add-on. Diane surpassed all expectations. From the outside, the house is well-proportioned and in keeping with the character of the street. Inside, the house feels integrated and the flow is natural. Diane's design brought in lots of natural light, made a narrow entrance gracious and opened up the upstairs to give it a more spacious feeling yet maintain the privacy of each bedroom. What has impressed me most about Diane is her attention to getting the bones of the building right and at the same time her attention to detail, from creative ideas for smart use of hidden spaces or adding interest to a room right down to paint colour. I have often remarked to others that Diane was right about every design feature she suggested, including those we didn't take on board and now wish we had! I have worked with Diane several times since this large renovation and have always enjoyed working with her and been pleased with the results.

An architect elevates a basement renovation to a household renovation. We no longer think of the space as a basement - it is integral to the house. Diane brought our renovation to a new level and inspired everyone who worked on the project to make it a success. We said we wanted to reuse old existing wood panelling and she conceived of a centre piece installation which incorporated the refinished wood - it is the focus of the living space. Her knowledge of products pushed the project past renovation to a thing of beauty. Our house is almost 100 years old and the reno, while contemporary, respects the quality and the heritage of the established build.

Diane's ideas for our kitchen and back entry renovation were exciting, very practical and on budget. We loved working with her, she is so creative and fun. She was firm with the trades and very determined to get the product we planned together. The project transformed our home and our lives.

Diane's architectural design talent, extensive knowledge of all aspects of the renovation process, attention to detail and excellent client service made our renovation an exciting and rewarding experience. She developed a very fruitful working relationship with our contractor (who was also excellent!) and this contributed to the success of the project. We would highly recommend Diane.