Three Oaks
We hired Laurie Stubb for a large renovation of our home which included a gut renovation of the primary bedroom and bath, the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, and the front hall/stairs. We chose place architecture:design because Laurie’s aesthetic matched our vision and her reviews have been stellar. We were not disappointed. Laurie was a pleasure to work with and we couldn’t be happier with the final result!
In formulating the plans for the various rooms, Laurie listened carefully to our preferences and needs. She provided beautiful and creative solutions for difficult spaces. Her designs are both lovely and practical. She connected us with a terrific contractor, and was always available for questions and guidance throughout the job. We found working with Laurie so positive that we have hired her for a second large project. We highly recommend Laurie Stubb and place architecture:design!
Rosebery
Embarking on a big renovation is always nerve-racking but having someone like Laurie Stubb and her team, from Place architecture:design, to support you through the process makes all the difference. Laurie listened to what our vision was and she made it come to life. Every other architect we consulted with told us that we would have to do an addition to achieve what we wanted. Not Laurie. She looked at our existing space and reimagined it completely. Laurie was always available and whenever there were any issues or challenges she worked through them for us. I honestly believe this project would have been WAY more stressful had Laurie not been involved. Not to mention we now have a space which reflects our family and our needs. We love every inch of our new kitchen, butlers pantry, dining room, mud room and laundry. If you are considering a renovation, Laurie and her team are 100% the right choice and worth every single penny!
Skyline
We hired Laurie to be the architect and project manager on a major 2 year gut reno of a mid-century ranch. She did the full redesign of the home – changing room and wall configurations, entry and exits, window and door layout – everything. This was a major overhaul and change for this house requiring the work of a smart and talented architect. The design work on our house was flawless, the end result is everything we dreamed, and her project managing skills are beyond reproach. I cannot recommend Laurie highly enough.
1. AESTHETICS AND DESIGN SKILLS – Laurie has wonderful aesthetics and a keen design sense. We are contemporary / mid-century / minimalists and I found Laurie’s taste level to be at the highest level. Her ideas were always clever, but with a good mind towards keeping the overall design unified and tasteful. That said – though she was always quick with a lot of well thought-out ideas of her own, she was always incredibly excited and supportive of our ideas. We are both artists/designers – and in that way we are extremely picky clients. We had strong ideas about what the house should and should not feel and look like – and laurie was all about making our ideas come out as perfectly as we wanted. She never imposed her vision on us – and we really worked well as a team to get to the best possible outcome. She was never shy telling me when she thought I was wrong (and she was usually right!), but she was also incredibly supportive when we had a strong vision in our mind and just wanted to run with it. Above all: Frankly I don’t there are many people working locally with this refined of a taste level. If you want a beautiful contemporary and timeless home, you cannot go wrong working with Laurie.
2. PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS – I cannot stress enough how good Laurie is at general pragmatic problem-solving – which is a byproduct both of her intelligence, but also her pragmatism. This is a real strength, Anytime an issue came up – and they will – she was a quick and ready problem solver. This always kept the job moving -and she has a keen mind toward the practical. She always had a great suggestion to get us where we wanted to be with the least amount of cost and hassle. This was an incredible asset and really kept the job moving. I cannot understate how important of a skill this is. We worked well as a team, bouncing ideas back and forth quickly and every problem was resolved handily without stress.
3. CONFLICT RESOLUTION SKILLS – We had a terrible time with our contractor (who I do not recommend) but Laurie was a god send in that situation. I ended up really having to rely on her to be a go between and neutral party in that conflict. She really rose to the occasion – and her stepping in allowed the job to get finished – and not devolve into a walk off or lawsuit. I have not doubt without Laurie’s calming presence I or the contractor would have walked – and in the end it was better for everyone that we just finished and moved on. She is dispassionate, calm, collected and cool at all times. She was literally the only person on our entire job who never once lost her cool. She gave honest sound counsel about how we could be better clients and keep conflict to a minimum and she was empathetic when the fault lay elsewhere. If you hire laurie just do drawings with no oversight – she’ll do a great job – but if you need a more hands on approach – she is an excellent full-service project manager. I would trust her implicitly, not matter how big the job.
I have no reservations and recommend Laurie with my highest recommendation. Even after a really stressful time with our contractor she was always the ray of sunshine on our job – so much so that we just hired her for another giant full gut reno on a building downtown. My highest recommendation.
Stringtown
Nothing but high praise for Laurie Stubb and Place Architecture! Creative and thoughtful design, responsive to requests and opinions, and good working relationship with the contractor. This is our first project with Laurie, but we’re very familiar with two others of hers that are also terrific. She is very skilled at making traditional spaces more contemporary without making radical changes. She is particularly good at adding glass to maximize views. We would work with her again in a heartbeat!
Hampton
We were introduced to Laurie for architectural design in a multi-phase backyard reconstruction project to transform our deteriorating 1960s back patio and yard area into a relaxing, mid-century modern outdoor living space.
Laurie was a true professional – knowledgeable about mid-century modern design; open to our ideas and input; collaborative in working through decisions on structure, colors, materials and finishes; and always respectful of balancing design with budget. She seemed just as excited about the project as we were; and, it showed in the creativity of her work.
Laurie was able to take our vision and elevate it to a sophisticated aesthetic and warm atmosphere that is impossible to articulate. The end result just takes your breath away…
If you are considering Laurie for a project, I would say don’t hesitate. Get into her queue ASAP. She may be in high demand and having Laurie’s design expertise on your project is well worth the wait.
Woods Hill
A year and a half ago, my wife and I bought a rather frumpy and dilapidated 1969 house on a wooded hillside bordering Lake Roland Park, in hopes of turning it into a comfy and sleekly modern home in tune with its beautiful surroundings. Laurie Stubb’s design helped us do just that. She was a pleasure to work with at every step along the way. From the first meeting onward she had wonderfully creative ideas, yet she was always keenly attuned to our own likes and dislikes, and to what we were hoping to achieve. She assisted greatly in selecting a builder, and in trying to hold down costs down along the way, and she remained closely involved throughout the process, while offering good advice on decisions large and small. We highly recommend Place Architecture, and are thrilled with how the house turned out.
Glen Arm
We worked with Laurie to renovate the kitchen in our 1969 rancher. Working with Laurie was a wonderful experience and we would absolutely work with her again. Before we started the project, we were unsure of how extensive a renovation we wanted. Laurie really helped in the design phase to formulate the best plan to match our wishes and budget. Laurie thought a lot about the details in our kitchen and helped us spec out finishes, especially with our cabinets, to ensure that those design details came through in the finished kitchen. Laurie was always very responsive and helpful over email and we bounced a lot of ideas off her throughout the entire process, from the preliminary design stages, to choosing lighting fixtures and finishes when the project was mostly complete. We are very pleased with the final product and Laurie was instrumental in making the project a success.
Skywater
After a 2 year relationship with Laurie, I can attest to her professionalism, her creativity, her patience, and ultimately to her talent and insight. She was able to have a vision for a renovation that met many unexpected challenges, and she came through with a beautiful ….spectacular ….finished product! And she listens!! It was a long distance project, so communication was key. I highly recommend her professionally as well as a woman of high integrity. She is joy to work with.
Mt. Rain
Laurie helped to change our house for the better, even in ways we did not expect at the outset of the project. The end result reflects the insight, creativity, and competence of an experienced architect who knows how to work with the clients to maximum effect. We engaged Laurie to remodel our 1960s-style, closed-in kitchen and to convert our rundown carport into a two-and-a-half-car garage. Laurie, meticulous and easy to work with, was exceptional throughout the process of design and construction, listening carefully to our wishes and helping to modify them when they were unworkable. She also served as our advocate with the many and diverse contractors who carried out the work over the course of six months.
We recommend Laurie without reservation. She has a wonderful ability to meld her fine aesthetic sensibilities with practical designs that can transform outdated structures into appealing and functional living spaces.
Ruxton
Laurie Stubb was a key partner in my major house renovation, and I highly recommend her. My project included: (1) more than doubling the size of my kitchen by pushing it outside the house footprint, plus adding a cathedral ceiling and a large island with seating, prep sink and cabinets; (2) creating a much larger master bath with a wall of storage and a separate toilet enclosure, a updated hall bath, and a walk-in master bedroom closet, all by gutting the center of the circa 1956 house and pushing the master bath wall out a couple of feet; and (3) more routine work, such as building a deck, powder room and pantry.
Throughout the complex process, it helped to have her expertise. For both the design and construction phases, she continually came up with innovative ideas. Even more important, I felt she listened to what I wanted so that there was an effective give-and-take that resulted in a higher quality end-product. Additionally, she supported me by suggesting various other professionals and vendors (e.g., the structural engineer and the manufacturer of the beautiful, handmade kitchen backsplash tiles). After the design plans were complete, she recommended building contractors and helped with the bid process.
Once I had chosen the contractor, she stayed with the project, providing construction and selection advice in a timely manner whenever I needed it. It helped that I found her aesthetic sense excellent, and that she was professional, flexible and also friendly. I am delighted with the final results, and visitors always comment on how beautiful the new rooms are, worthy of a spread in a magazine. I definitely enjoyed working with Laurie. She is a real asset if you are undertaking an extensive home renovation.