dwell design

We really are delighted with the outcome, the house couldn't look or feel more different! Whilst sitting having breakfast this morning, we remarked how amazing it was to have such a panoramic view of the beach.

Anthony at Dwell Design really impressed us. As well as producing a contemporary design that perfectly met our needs, he supported us throughout the build providing valuable technical advice and cost control when required. We were confident that he always acted with integrity with our best interests in mind.

We connected with Anthony immediately, he understood what we wanted to do to turn our house into a home. From the initial drawings to the planning permission through to the implementation of the drawings, Anthony helped us through every stage. He worked with us and helped us find the most reliable builder. Our home looks amazing and we are absolutely delighted with the end result. Fully recommend working with Anthony and the team.

Anthony and his team at Dwell are a credit to the RIBA and to a wider extent of the building industry. The practice designed in partnership with their engineering ‘friends’ a 550 year old grade II listed cottage complicated loft conversion and first floor reconfiguration of space comprising a heritage friendly design solution suitable for conservation and modern life. The attention to detail and in particular current building regulations is something Anthony and his team are experts in. I would highly recommend Dwell for architecture, and engineering in conjunction with their collaborators and a fully hassle free design and build solution from inception to completion on any project completing every aspect of the legislative implications throughout the process including English Heritage, Conservation, Building Control, Fire and Planning. Very happy client.

We contacted dwell design in 2021 when we decided to do our garage conversion. Anthony was super helpful and led us through the process from the very beginning. He cared about all legal matters, prepared very detailed documentation, and helped find a contractor to implement this project. In these unsettled times, with prices going up, his budget estimations were very accurate, and the difference between estimation and the final cost was just cosmetic. On top of that Anthony was looking after project during implementation phase and was visiting site regularly to check the progress and asses quality of the work. We’re delighted with the outcome, and we can’t recommend dwell design enough if you have any project in your head.

Anthony was very responsive and worked hard to ensure that our project was successful. His attention to detail and the high standards to which he held himself were very reassuring. We would recommend Dwell and have been very happy with the service.

Chopstone Property Group has been working with Dwell Designs for the past six months. Earlier in 2020, we instructed Dwell Designs to complete drawings for our mix-use commercial property in Fareham. Soon after, we went into lockdown. During this time, we re-evaluated our scope and submitted planning for additional flats. Anthony worked tirelessly with the local planning department on our behalf. He went above and beyond to ensure the council were satisfied with the drawings. A few tweaks later, we managed a positive result! We couldn't recommend Anthony and his team enough. A great work ethos and fantastic communication, each step of the way! Chopstone Property group look forward to working with Dwell Designs again in the near future.

Anthony was fantastic to work with. He really understood the vision we had for our house — as well as our budget. We never felt under any pressure from him, and he was more than happy to provide alternative approaches to our design based on our budget and space. The project design documentation did a fabulous job of bringing our shared vision to life. It was filled with examples of how our final product could look, and it made us even more enthusiastic about the project. His plans and design completely fulfilled - and surpassed - our expectations, with only minor tweaks made to the final proposal. Anthony’s attention to detail is second to none, and his reassuring presence made navigating the project a breeze for renovation newcomers like ourselves.

We used dwell design for a huge rennovation project. We had a vision in mind and we had a strong feeling that Anthony and team understood what we were after. We were delighted when they nailed it even with the first set of draft plans! dwell design were a pleasure to work with. They were flexible and creative when tweaks had to be made (an inevitable part of such a big build) and took our vision further than we had thought of. We intend to use dwell design again for our next project. I would definitely recommend them.

Anthony has been excellent to work with. He helped us come up with a design that worked well for our needs. His attention to detail is second to none and has offered help and guidance in every step. Getting our plans through planning permission were very easy and with no objections at all with is a testament to how good the plans are. Would recommend and would definitely use again. Thanks

Extremely helpful throughout and willing to go the extra mile to establish viability of the project. Excellent communication as always. Thank you.

Anthony and his team were excellent throughout the project. He completed a very thorough initial complimentary assessment to fully understand our aspirations and started adding to our ideas immediately. He fully understood the renovation and required finishes and reassured us that the house could be designed to meet both our expectations and budget. This did not alter throughout the project and he was incredibly helpful in overcoming any issues and working closely with the builder when required. There were no hold ups at all with his team ensuring that all the appropriate plans were ready both at the pre planning and technical stages. The plans were incredibly detailed and helped the builder enormously throughout the project. They removed any ambiguity and met all our expectations. We decided to manage the build ourselves but Anthony was always available to help with any specific questions. He did not try and pick and choose which elements he completed, he worked with us and could not have done more. Through Anthony’s vision, experience and wanting to ensure he created the best possible design for us we have ended up with our dream home delivered on time and on budget. Both Anthony and his team were simply brilliant and we would have no hesitation in highly recommending to anyone in the future.

I couldn't be more happy with the level of partnership we have experienced from Anthony and his team on our project. From the initial design phase, Anthony's attention to detail and creative approach to getting the most from our home, and creating a space that our whole family could relax in and enjoy, has been really impressive. It is clear that the team treat your project with the level of care and attention that they would if it was their own home and this, together with their expert knowledge and professionalism has been both reassuring and cost and time efficient. Ultimately, having Dwell Design working with us has saved us time, money and alot of worry. At every stage Anthony and Rachel have worked with us very closely. Nothing has been too much trouble. Working with an architect is an ongoing relationship that carries you through the ups and downs of any project. If you choose well, an architect can make sure that there are many more ups and we are so glad we chose Dwell Design. Having them on board throughout the process and not just for the design has continued to be a great investment and one well worth making as there are so many more things to a successful refurbishment or extension than just good drawings and a creative design. We are half way through our project right now and I can honestly say that every penny we have invested in having Anthony and Rachel on board has been worth it. Thank you both!

Anthony from Dwell Design Ltd have been amazing throughout all aspects of our project. He has been very friendly and always willing to go the extra to assist us. Anthony has a great attention to detail and is very creative in designing our build. Anthony was always able to be contactable and was quick to respond to emails. Anthony had no problems with travelling to meet us, even with a greater distance to normal. Our neighbours were building at the same time and used a designer instead of an architect. This has highlighted to us the importance of using an appropriate person, and Anthony helped us to resolve problems with their next doors design and build, including making a suggestion to ensure both builds can proceed. Dwell Design are a great company and very friendly and we would recommend them as a company and would use them again.

Dwell Design have done a complete refurbishment and redesign on our home, bringing our home up to modern standards particularly adding more insulation and storage. Although the project isn’t yet complete we’ve been really pleased with the speedy communication and attention to detail from Dwell Design. The transformation is amazing!

We’re so glad that we came across Dwell when looking for a local architect to help us extend and update our 1980s house. Whilst a relatively small project Rachael has been fantastic at making suggestions to the design and layout that will fit within our budget. She has also been especially patient with numerous changes and re-designs and talking us through the various options. We’re thrilled with the final design and can’t wait to start the build and see the finished result.

Having agonised about whether I could submit my own drawings and planning application for our basement conversion in a Grade 2 listed building in Old Portsmouth, I was recommended to contact Dwell Design by someone independently advising us on building regulations. Whilst easy to talk up the super-fast turn around, accuracy and inventiveness of Anthony's work, what really stood out is his personal qualities. He is a thoroughly polite and engaging man who we instantly warmed to. We are so glad that we got hold of him and, from his free-of-charge first consultation to his final submission to get us our listed building and planning consent, he has been superb. We really can not recommend him enough.

We instructed Dwell to come up with a concept design to update and improve our current home. The house was originally a 1930s bungalow that had been extended at various times over the years, a lot of the work was poorly thought out with no consistent look or style to the building, the house is extremely dark in places and upstairs there are headroom issues. Essentially, we wanted to improve the space upstairs, drastically improve the light levels and give the whole house a fresh,modern look. Having lived with the consequences of bad design for a while, we were very keen to find an architect who could help us make the very best of the space we had and who would work with us to improve the house as a whole. At the end of the planning process, we now have a design that we could not be happier with. The building looks stunning inside and out and now the plans have been passed we are looking forward to making the design a reality.

I am an experienced property investor, developer and construction project manager. I have worked with numerous Architects over the years and I can easily say that, from a residential point of view, Anthony and his team have been exemplary. Together we have worked on total transformations of existing buildings and recently new build projects. With each project Anthony has shown a complete understanding from a design, planning and build point of view which is refreshing. I have found in the past that architects can be very knowledgeable in just one area but Anthony seems to have all bases covered. He totally dedicates himself to every project and his attention to detail is excellent. We have more projects in the pipeline and I have no intention on working with anyone else.

Helped us with an extension design for our home. Excellent work, original thinking and responsive to our needs. Helped manage discussions with the planning authorities as well.

We were recommended dwell design after we had just purchased a house that we wanted to turn into our dream home. Anthony was full of inspiration and neat ideas from the very start and the practice really helped with making the building work simple to deal with when the builders were on site, which could have been a very stressful time, especially with us expecting our new baby just after the work was due to finish. The finished house was a joy to come home to and made it a modern townhouse with no more pokey spaces, only bright open- plan living, which was amazing for a house that was over a hundred years old. We've since moved, but we hope to repeat the success and we'll be asking dwell design if they can assist with our next project. Thanks so much guys!

The dwell design team have helped us through each stage of the process keeping open and regular channels of communication. Their service was delivered in a timely fashion and in line with their fee quote. Thoroughly recommend.

From beginning to end, we were extremely pleased with the service given to us by Anthony Brown of Dwell Design. The project was to convert a semi-detached 1960's bungalow into a spacious 'downsize', comfortable and energy efficient, future-proof home for our old age. Anthony listened to our basic requirements and ideas and came up with a perfit fit. He worked well as a liason between us and the builder, and kept a detailed eye on the standards employed. He was always available for any concerns/comments and minor changes. We love living in what has been a shared project. It is warm, spacious and admired by many and is exactly what we dreamt of.

We contacted Dwell Design in June 2017 to explore the possibility of combining our kItchen and dining room to make a large kitchen/diner. Anthony visited to discuss the requirement, which on the face of it seemed quite simple. We were comfortable with Anthony's approach and decided to ask him to undertake the work without exploring any alternative architects. Dwell Design were able to point out several technical issues which would have to be addressed during the project. The Kitchen is part of a two story extension which already had required the use of a large metal beam, this would have to be supported during the removal of the wall between the two rooms. Additionally, the adjoining wall was the original rear wall of the house , double brick and load bearing. Anthony suggested that the efficient way of completing the framework was to first install a vertical pillar to provide a support for both the existing beam and the new load bearing beams. As the new vertical pillar would be unsightly in the new kitchen units, we designed the kitchen so that a floor to ceiling cupboard would completely hide it We were unable to think of a way of extending the kitchen work area. Anthony came up with the simple solution of closing off the kitchen door to the utility room, and re-siting it to the end of the utility room. This created more kitchen work surface and storage. Having finalised our plans, Dwell were able to bring in structural engineers to stress test the structure. At our request Dwell were also able to recommend a local builder to progress the project. With a clear plan in place work started on 12 September. With the continued assistance of Dean Bowden, the builder, we were able to co-ordinate the steelwork, wall removal and making good in time for the kitchen units and subsequently the granite. The whole plan was completed including plumbing and electrics on time and to budget on 12 October. The work was completed with minimum mess and with little or no disruption of our living conditions. So much so that we gave the builder an unsolicited bonus. One often hears of poorly run projects causing major heartache and cost for the poor clients. We were delighted with the ideas, plans and recommendations received from Dwell Design and would not hesitate to recommend them to others undertaking similar projects.

This project, albeit relatively modest in scope, proved to be particularly difficult owing to the fact that on two sides of the building are in fairly close proximity to some Grade 2 listed buildings. The project was also further hampered by being within the National Park and also listed as an area of outstanding beauty. These three factors combined to make the project almost unmanageable within the constraints put upon the proposed schedule of work. Anthony Brown of Dwell design worked tirelessly to achieve compliance with the local authority - Chichester District Council Planning Dept. Several plans were considered each slightly smaller in scope than the one before but to no avail, in fact the authority even had the temerity to suggest that as there were not very many small dwellings in the National park they would like us to revert to the original ground plan of 1936 before any works had been carried out on the property. It was at this point I decided not to continue with my original plans. A year or so later I came up with the idea of trying to work with what was already there and reconfigure the existing house and old extension which had been modified during the 80's. Dwell design worked with me to produce a superb re-design of the kitchen, bathroom and dining room to create a warm and friendly area that utilised the limited space of the cottage to maximise the potential of the building. Anthony Brown, the architect, is exceedingly particular and exacting with his designs which are of a very high, detailed standard.

In their time working on my project I have been impressed with dwell design's eye for detail. It is pleasing to work with a practice that care as much about the siting of a vent flue or the selection of vent slate which are in tune with a building as they are layout. It is very rare in my experience to be provided with architect's drawings which can be used for construction, particularly when domestic projects are concerned. The drawings produced by dwell design were of excellent quality and exceptional clarity and left the impression that the practice was determined to offer value for money. I would have no hesitation in recommending dwell design on the strength of the quality of their work, their attention to detail and their attitude towards client communication.

From start to finish Ant at Dwell was brilliant. Our build was an extension to an existing property . The professionalism and knowledge he bought to our project was second to none . It has meant that we have ended up with not only a beautiful , but a practical family living space as Ant suggested things we had not even considered to make " living " in the property work . Can not recommend highly enough .

When we bought our new house we knew that we would need to extend it to accommodate our family but also we had bought the house despite it having languished on the market for some time due to a rather ugly front view. We asked dwell design to visit and they suggested a range of clever and creative changes that over two extensions maximised our existing space; getting rid of unnecessary corridors as well as significantly increasing our living area by several large bedrooms one of which is ensuite and managing to gain a utility room and a pantry. Not only was this achieved without losing any of the garden but the extensions also impressively improved the energy efficiency of the house and transformed the external appearance of the building. We are now relocating and the house achieved our asking price immediately, we have found it a struggle to find a home that can compare to this one and we will be calling on dwell design to help again to improve our new home.

Dwell design has turned our concept into reality and the end result is truly stunning. We have had several visitors and they have all been blown away by the transformation. As for us we couldn't be more pleased and we feel very privileged to own such a beautiful home. From our initial meetings until the project completion, it has been a real pleasure working with Dwell Design and they could not have been more professional. They did all we asked and more to ensure that our £300,000 project was a total success.

Dwell Design were contracted for a major redesign to our former Spanish villa located on Hayling Island. Antony designed the most beautiful, contemporary family building that we are now proud to call our home.

Although we only required a small extension (single storey extension to kitchen - total build cost £28k), we could not have asked for a better service from Anthony at Dwell Design. Even though we only had a small project, Anthony was enthusiastic from day one. He listened to our wishes, thoughts, and ideas - and then developed them in to something that has really added to our home. Anthony has inspired ideas beyond the initial expectations of what could be done, but never in an unrealistic way that would have pushed us beyond our budget. His designs fit seamlessly into the rest of the house, maximising the light in our north facing aspect, and adding a great twist to make the most of the views of our garden. Throughout every stage Anthony was on time, did what he said he was going to do, and listened patiently to our questions etc. Anthony was flexible, even providing us with new copies of the drawings whilst simultaneously trying to take his family out for the day. We are exceptionally pleased with his work - so much so that we are just about to engage Dwell Design once again for another job.

I interviewed dwell design as a potential practice for my house renovation and extension and they were enthusiastic and interested from the start. When the project began, although we changed a number of items of my self- build they were always keen to make sure I was as well- informed as possible rather than just suggesting the option that was quickest and easiest for them. This included going through elements of complex construction junctions and how my home would work with the eco- elements I have. I’m really not convinced I would have ended up with this level of assistance from the other practices I interviewed, so I am sure I made the right choice.

Our review of dwell design will hopefully help people who are interested in using the practice for their own project understand how much they do. The team started out by putting sketches together to help us understand what we could do with our new home. Their design documents were really helpful as the photographic examples helped us understand how our house might look when it is finished. When we applied for planning permission we were already quite confident that we would achieve an approval because dwell design insisted on putting in a preapplication request with the council and kept in touch with the planners throughout the eight weeks they took to decide on the outcome. When it came to the technical drawings and getting a price our builder seemed really pleased with how thorough their team were and said that it would help him to make sure that they could price absolutely everything. Because we had a builder in mind for the work we were worried that we wouldn't know if we were getting a good price or not but the team at dwell design checked other prices for other similar projects that their other clients had undertaken and so we knew that we would pay only what we ought to. dwell design also asked our builder to change a couple of things as when they went through his price they spotted some items that weren't as they should be so these were corrected before the work started. We had no idea just how much effort a good architect would go to for a project, so we're happy to review dwell design so potential clients realise that not all architects are the same and dwell design really do make that much more effort.

dwell design began working for us on the extension and refurbishment of our new home after the plan drawing company we had initially been recommended totally let us down. By comparison Anthony and the team were thorough, interested, passionate and knowledgeable with much appreciated attention to detail. I felt that Anthony took the time to understand what it was that we were looking for in our home and tailored the plans to suit what we really needed, coming up with a design that worked for us. The final result is all we had hoped for and more and would not have happened without all the hard work from the dwell team. They have all been a pleasure to work with.