After interviewing about 7 architects, we hired Donald Billinkoff for architectural & design services for the near-gut renovation of our NYC upper west side apt. The project was completed & we moved in at the end of Feb. 2015. You can see pictures of our apt. on the Houzz website under Billinkoff Architecture as well as Donald's personal website.
So it's now been just about 2 years that my family has been living here. While I've been remiss in not submitting this review much sooner, it's quite beneficial to do so now since I can share a few years of experience of living in the space designed by Donald.
To begin with, I believe that Donald & his colleague Judy Mellinger are fabulous! You will never work with a pair that may actually care more about the end result than you or anyone else. Donald also is an artist & is intensely focused on delivering a flawless finished product.
Aside from the architectural design, Donald & Judy also assisted with the furnishings & interior design. Donald applied his artistic talent & Judy shared her wonderful style & knowledge of the world of interior design. Judy has an exquisite sense of style & the two of them are committed to finding the perfect answer to your design needs.
Prior to engaging an architect & designer, one should review & be familiar with the style of those you choose to work with. We did some due diligence & just loved what Donald & Judy are about stylistically. This is of critical importance. They fully lived up to our expectations & then some.
As I said, our project was a near-gut renovation. The place we bought was a wreck. The world of coop renovations, coop rules, NYC Department of Buildings approvals, & NYC Landmarks approvals was foreign to us. Thankfully, it isn't to Donald. This was no job for the uninformed & inexperienced. It quickly became quite evident that this wasn't Donald's first rodeo. Donald expertly navigated the pitfalls, unexpected surprises, etc., of this project.
Donald worked seamlessly with the contractor, Ron Bo, of KRS (Ron was nothing short of fantastic). From what I've heard, this is extremely important as poor miscommunication between the architect & contractor can be quite problematic. Fortunately for us, Donald & Ron were outstanding & exhibited excellent teamwork throughout the project.
After living here for almost 2 years, I now appreciate Donald & Judy more than ever. Donald brilliantly designed our kitchen & his innovative placement of our refrigerator was genius. He also creatively managed to enlarge 2 bathrooms without violating the "wet over dry" building rules. Donald's design of the customized cabinetry in our master bedroom continues to draw compliments. Most visitors to our apt. rave about our living room & kitchen cabinetry. Even the smallest details were addressed. Only now after living here can I really appreciate the kitchen hardware, the bathroom hooks & their placement, the doorknobs, the style of the doors themselves, the choice of tile, the backsplash, etc.
I admire the beauty of our interior design every day. Judy has an exquisite sense of style & is committed to finding the perfect answer to your design needs. Donald & Judy tirelessly worked to make our place look like a "show-stopper". We just love our dining room lighting, living room couches & chairs, custom rugs, throw pillows, ottomans & bedroom headboard, other lighting, appliances, etc. Sometimes during the process (we met just about every week), I almost felt like they were going to live here rather than us, That's how much they cared.
As time went by after we moved in, things came up & Donald & Judy always were available to assist with ongoing needs. Even now, they continue to timely respond to & address any minor issues that come up every now & then.
We are contemplating a vacation property & without reservation would engage Donald again if his expertise were needed. We wholeheartedly recommend Donald & Judy. Let me close by suggesting that anyone about to go through a major renovation makes certain that he or she works with an experienced & knowledgeable architect like Donald Billinkoff. All the best!
24 Comments