Philip S. Kennedy-Grant, FAIA

Phil Kennedy-Grant designed the complete renovation of our Manhattan apartment, which is located in a Special Preservation District. It has unique internal and external features. Phil's design harmonically integrated with these features. Our apartment is spacious, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. Phil listened and right away understood what we were aiming for. We are much delighted with the outcome. Phil and his staff very effectively interacted with the contractor in charge of the renovation work, with the building's manager and engineers, as well with New York City offices regulating apartment renovations. We are very happy with the renovated apartment and always enjoy living there.

Very professional and creative easy to work with willing to listen to your ideas. Quick your respond to questions accurate plans

Phil designed our new home, including all the features we asked for. He's a great listener and is very creative. Our home came out beautiful! We asked for a new home that looks old, and I can't count how many times people have been in my home and asked what year was it built. When I tell them, they are shocked that it's not 100 years old. Phil has great attention to detail and was cognizant of our budget.

We have enjoyed working with Phillip Kennedy-Grant on 3 projects from 1989 through 2004. After purchasing a house, which was built in 1785, my wife and I were struggling with how to make the interior spaces work for a modern family. Philip Kennedy-Grant listened to our concerns and to our ideas, then provided specific ideas to implement our ideas and a variety of creative suggestions that went beyond our thinking. Some were not 'right' for us, but the majority were very helpful. We used Philip Kennedy-Grant's ideas to reconfigure the Master Suite, including dressing rooms and Master Bath. His attention to detail and sense of 'flow' resulted in rooms that work and spaces we enjoy. The most difficult project was to expand the galley kitchen to provide a modern, usable space. That required constructing an addition, which would add to the character and charm of a 1785 house. Philip Kennedy-Grant's proposal and drawings were promising, but I couldn't visualize what the house would look like after the construction. Philip Kennedy-Grand helped by preparing a watercolor painting of the house with the new addition. With this reassurance, we went ahead with the project and have been extremely happy with the resulting new addition, comprising kitchen, pantry and eating area. Philip Kennedy-Grant worked closely with us to design and provide construction drawings for a 1 1/2 story artist's studio. This $250,000 project continues to grace the property and provide an aesthetic, functional environment for the highly successful author/illustrator in the family. Philip Kennedy-Grant is highly creative, very knowledgeable, and works hard for his clients. I recommend him highly.

We have worked with Phil on several projects including two house renovations while my wife and I were in residence. Our current project is in the historic district of Annapolis and involves significant interior and exterior modifications, including landscaping. Phil and I worked with the Historic Preservation Commission, resulting in an overall design that really works for all parties. I attribute this success to our close cooperation, Phil’s well-grounded creativity and ability to communicate. Renovations inherently involve a lot of new ideas some of which don’t quite fit well with the existing conditions. Phil’s creativity, along with his attention to detail and proportion, makes the pieces “work” using creative, but practical, solutions. In the process of dealing with the details, Phil’s collaborative manner has allowed us all to talk-through options. By the way, Phil’s design of garden furniture is really worth looking at. They look and preform very well. He has also designed several pieces of furniture for us that address unique requirements. As expected, they fit in well and compliment the architecture. Tom H.

My wife and I bought a traditional 3 bedroom home in Stockbridge MA that had been allowed to fall into ruin. Half of the house needed to be completely gutted, one chimney (not being used) was removed right down to basement floor. We added a screen porch and a family room downstairs, a master bedroom upstairs, and in the basement a wine cellar and a garden room that opened out to the re-graded yard. In the half of the house that was gutted we added: Upstairs: a master bathroom, a guest bath, and a laundry room Main Floor: a full bath, a kitchen, a pantry and a mudroom with closet. Exterior: We moved the driveway and re-grade the yard around the back of house, using boulders and back-fill, to the level of the new garden room. We had talked to another company but each set of designs they prepared moved further away from what we desired. So we explained the problem to Phil, showed him a few pictures and a plot plan, and his first sketch nailed it, on the back of a napkin no less (honest). Working with Phil on the developing blueprints was a pleasure. He listened to what we wanted and gave creative answers to unexpected problems that arose. For instance, an error in the laser floor-plan (prepared previously) ended up with a 6" problem after most of the framing was complete. Phil looked at the space, suggested book shelves, and now most people who visit (not knowing that history) comment on what a wonderful place to have bookshelves. Phil worked very well with our builder and listened to all of his suggestions, acting on those that made sense. Aside from a creative design that caught our dream and even expanded our ideas, it was in the details where Phil excelled. He designed custom patterns for several exterior details adding depth and interest to the house. Although from the street the house kept its basic outline (our intention), people still comment to us that they love the crisp new look that accents the traditional house - basically the details Phil added. (I have photos, but not sure how to post them.)

Choosing an architect, as with any professional can be a chancy endeavor. Luckily for us, when we decided to have Phil design our home, we eliminated the risk. Over the time it took to make all the choices and decisions, Phil was always available, affable, and very helpful. We have become friends and see each other regularly over a period of more than twenty years. This I think, more than any single fact, shows how satisfied we are with the experience of working with Phil and our love for our home. This house and the land that it sits on, seem to go together perfectly. Of course this is no accident. Phil's creativity and talent are obvious to anyone visiting our home; and naturally, compliments abound. In short, in choosing an architect,we feel fortunate to have made the best choice in Philip Kennedy- Grant. Sincerely, Ken and Peggy Davis

Phil helped us rebuild after Hurricane Sandy destruction. He was creative and professional, and never was insulted if we wanted to change or discuss any of his ideas. He worked exceedingly well with the general contractor, followed the progress of rebuilding closely, and always kept us informed about costs. There were no unhappy surprises. We're finally moving back home, and we're delighted with everything!