RNThomsen ARCHITECTURE

I have lived in an addition to an existing house designed by Russell Thomsen (as principal archtect at COA architectural firm). Guests to our home quite literally did a double-take at what they saw. The typical reaction was Wow ... I had NO IDEA we could have done something LIKE THIS when we remodeled our house last year. We just FIXED UP our place. We could have RE-IMAGINED "house". One guest just stood there staring saying over and over wow you really did it, you really did it ... As the architecture-buff great granddaughter of architect Mies van Der Rohe, my design taste runs to "visionary" - the COA/Russell Thomsen design concept did not disappoint!! Often it turned out our remodel cost the same as or less than the typical home improvement. You can see COA/Russell Thomsen's work on our house in Dwell magazine (October 2001, "When Amazing Houses Happen to Ordinary Cities"). Despite the modest remodel price our house singlehandedly brought up the real estate value of our neighborhood because it's unique look and feel attracted a global customer base of clients who want to live in "architecture". Finally, Russell Thomsen relates to all concerned with warmth and sensitivity which goes long way to smoothing the remodel road.

Russell came in and took over after a design/build firm had severely messed up our renovation. Whereas other architects didn't want to come in and help finish the job, Russell was unfazed, and approached the project with calm, experience, and a keen eye. We had already purchased expensive, custom doors that had been mismeasured by the previous builders, so Russell found a way to re-conceive the renovation in a way that allowed us to use the doors. We ended up with a modern addition that still managed to fit the style of the house, and was far superior to what we had originally planned. Russell also supervises the construction in detail. He works closely with the general contractors to make sure every detail is right, and because of his experience, he will notice problems and issues before you will. When we first started the renovation and hired the bad design/build firm, we didn't understand the benefit of having a separate architect and contractor. It was only after the bad builders severely damaged our property and did shoddy construction work that we understood the importance of having an architect who is an advocate for the homeowner and who can help ensure quality work is done. Seeing Russell work with the contractor (Roman Janczak, who I would also highly recommend), we finally understood how a professional renovation is supposed to work. Whether you are starting from scratch or have a renovation project, Russell is a true professional who will help you complete your project.

Russell Thomsen is an unusually talented and skilled architect I recommend without any reservations. We hired Russell in 2009 to assist us with the design of a 1500 sq. ft. remodel and addition to our house in Santa Monica. Russell helped us prioritize and synthesize our design goals resulting in a design solution that far surpassed our original vision and met our practical and aesthetic needs with elegant simplicity and a smaller construction budget. Russell is a pleasure to work with; he is calm, organized, readily available, thorough and efficient. We enjoyed the design process with Russell Thomsen and we will be eager to hire him again for our next project.

Russ was the designer for our home in the hills of Elysian Heights in Los Angeles (completed in 2003) and for our detached guest house (completed in 2012). He was a pleasure to work with from beginning to end. He developed several options based on our conversations and was always mindful of how we live and function in the spaces that he designed for us. He was always an advocate for us and for the design in his management of the construction phase and in his interactions with the contractor. Since completion of the projects he has remained available to us when we have had questions or comments about how everything has worked since moving in and to this day, he remains interested in our happy interactions with his designs.

Russell Thomsen is a brilliant architect. He is also completely reliable, honest and dedicated. I would trust him with any project of any size. Russell designed two buildings for us: a three-bedroom house in 2003, and a guesthouse with a deck and a small pool in 2011. Both of the buildings are beautiful, innovative and incredibly livable. And in both cases the success of the project was a direct result of Russell's determination and uncompromising advocacy for the architecture and for us, his clients. I feel extremely fortunate to live in one of Russell's buildings. I recommend RNThomsen Architecture whenever I get a chance. I only hope that I'll have other opportunities to work with him in the future.