Rasmussen / Su Architects

I can’t recommend Kevin and Vivian enough. I spend my professional life working with architects and engineers, and I wish more were like them. They helped us with a full gut-reno of an 1850s home in Fairmount which was under construction (and paused) during COVID. Their key strengths: - Aesthetics: they were the only firm I could find in Philly that shared my aesthetic tastes - modern, but not too modern; classic and respectful of the old architecture of Philly homes; and understated and clean, but also luxurious. - Experience - if you’re doing a major residential reno in Philly on a historic house, you need a firm that specializes in these specific homes and has lots of experience. They know how to get Historic Society approval (when needed) and how to get the most out of these narrow, tall, dark and otherwise constrained spaces. They are efficient and have lots of ideas because they are so experienced. - Client-focused: I have two young kids and a messy husband and wanted a house that was beautiful but practical for our family. Kevin and Vivian took the time to really get to know us. They understood and empathized with us and always kept our family’s needs and personalities in mind with their recommendations to enhance how we lived in this space. They internalized our goals and made this house function exactly the way we had hoped. - Cost-conscious - if you can clearly communicate your budget priorities, they are respectful of them and will work with you on selections and recommendations for contractors that will help meet budget goals while not compromising on quality. - Collaborative and accessible - big house projects are complex, often stressful, and a team sport. Kevin and Vivian are awesome teammates because they communicate clearly, are highly responsive, worked collaboratively with our contractor, interior designer (and us), and went the extra mile in unexpected ways. For example, after our house was done, Kevin came over for multiple days to help install all of our AV items because we couldn’t find a service provider to do it at a reasonable cost.

Our family is eagerly embarking on a 3rd project with Rasmussen/Su. Kevin and Vivian are the ultimate partners in the potentially stressful, always interesting, and ultimately rewarding process of renovating a home. They led the total overhaul of our 5-level 1800s urban townhouse. Long split up into a hodgepodge of apartments, the home is now a bright, airy sanctuary--one that delivers both free-flowing entertainment (pre-COVID) and stay-at-home comfort for the 6 of us. Throughout the multi-year renovation, Kevin and Vivian guided us with creativity and professionalism in equal measure, bringing the very best of themselves to every challenge the project presented, and there were many. They navigated complex relationships with project partners, they worked seamlessly with our contractors (MLC, Inc.), and they identified and collaborated wonderfully with creative partners (designer Andrea Mihalik, metal artist Bill Curran, landscape architect Bryan Hanes, to name a few). They far exceeded our expectations and earned our unending trust. In just one example, Kevin and Vivian moved and totally reinvisioned the stair, with a light-filled cupola above. The resulting wood and steel staircase is now my favorite aspect of the interior, with a timeless quality that references the history of the Frank Furness company-designed home. Kevin and Vivian are committed to excellence and to their clients. They design to maximize functional ease and aesthetic delight. Thank you, dear friends.

Kevin & Vivian are a great architecture firm. From the beginning, they helped us with the overall layout and design that reconfigured the first floor of our 100 yr-old four-square home. The overall focus was to update the kitchen and optimize the flow of the back of the house, including the mud room, powder room and family room. They did this all within the existing footprint of the house. We are beyond thrilled with the result. They helped us all along the way with not only the architectural design, but also with construction details, great material/fixture choices and design recommendations. Throughout the process they were approachable, always responsive and showed great attention to detail, as we dealt with road-bumps that naturally arose with the renovation of an old house. They answered any questions we had and always had a thorough explanation on why they made their decisions. They were truly a steady hand to help navigate the engineers, contractors, zoning board and designers. The renovation turned out better than we could have imagined. We love living in our newly renovated home and continue to get compliments from anyone who sees it. If you are lucky enough to work with Kevin and Vivian your end result will be better than you can imagine. We couldn’t recommend Rasmussen/Su more highly – two thumbs up. Thanks, Kevin & Vivian!!

We cannot be more happy with how Kevin and Vivian lead us through a complete kitchen remodel. They came up with really innovative and truly gorgeous solutions to our unique situation and our kitchen feels warm, cozy, and modern while also in keeping with our century-old house. They worked with our contractors at every phase and did site inspections as well as provided work-arounds as demo uncovered surprises (as they often do in older homes). In fact, our contractor said they have never had architectural plans so fully match with the practical implementation….even the number of tiles and layout for a wall were exactly spot on! Kevin and Vivian were stellar from all perspectives - architectural, design, and project management and we recommend them highly.

Kevin Rasmussen and Vivian Su led us through a complete renovation of our Bella Vista rowhome. They developed a new floor plan for the house, guided us through the zoning process, recommended finishes, and assisted the general contractor during construction. They were literally there every step of the way. They are an excellent architectural & design team and their expertise is reflected in every aspect of our house. Kevin and Vivian are great people, smart and funny, and easy to work with. We would highly recommend them to everyone (and have)!

Simply put, Kevin and Vivian created an amazing home from our 4-story row house in Center Philadelphia. Their attention to detail and their ability to see “beyond the existing” were superb, and they also introduced us to new technologies that have dramatically improved our home! Our project was not without significant challenges, and Kevin and Vivian had a ready solution for all of the issues we encountered. In the end, we gut renovated the entire house and they were with us every step of the way from selecting a contractor to selecting the finishing touches. My husband likes a more modern ascetic and I have more traditional tastes, but with their help we found finishes (and colors!) that created a home we both love. Kevin and Vivian are incredibly easy to work with and very responsive – we recommend them very highly!

We recently completed a complete gut/rehab of our Philadelphia townhouse and Kevin and Vivian were the highlight of the process! Using their combined expertise, they guided us through each step of the process from finalizing a new vision/floor plan for the house to picking out the finishing touches. The final product is a family home that reflects our aesthetic and will grow with us. They were incredibly easy to work with and their sense of humor was much appreciated! We give Kevin and Vivian our highest recommendation!

Kevin and Vivian artfully led a full gut renovation / redesign of our now, beautiful 3-story, 4K square foot home in the Fairmount/Spring Garden section of Philadelphia. They represent the finest in this field bringing years of experience and expertise, a brilliant aesthetic, and the precision, accuracy, and timeliness that result in a relaxed and wholly enjoyable experience. Their design options, project orchestration, and overall relationship management abilities are incomparable! Don't believe what you hear about house renovations: Kevin and Vivian make it foolproof! In addition to their singularly phenomenal work, Vivian and Kevin are incredibly engaging, witty, and kind. They really are the finest of the fine!

Kevin Rasmussen and Vivian Su are an excellent design team. We hired them to create plans for our Philadelphia townhouse's main living floor (kitchen, dining room and living room). This was a total rehab. They provided us with at least 8 separate designs from which to choose, and found solutions that were both functional and beautiful. They worked well with the cabinet supplier we brought to the project. They helped us pick materials, fixtures and finishes. They saw the project through to completion, providing feedback to our contractor, whose subs had iffy execution at times. They were excellent allies and the results are, like, wow. Highly recommended.

Like everyone else (I think) who has written reviews about Rasmussen/Su, I have nothing but great things to say about working with them. I hired Kevin and Vivian to redo the kitchen in the basement of my 18th century house, looking for something that was modern but also would work with the old design of the house. They had great ideas, listened well, communicated well, and were terrifically conscientious. In the course of the renovation, a few surprises came up (not their fault), and they handled everything with care and professionalism. The kitchen turned out great, and I'd happily give them my most enthusiastic recommendation.

We couldn't recommend Kevin and Vivian higher. Our 1900's row house had a dismal kitchen poorly renovated too many decades ago. With a few savvy layout tweaks, their new design created space out of nowhere. Impeccable material and fixture choices made a great layout gorgeous. Fantastic attention to detail -- they know where you need that extra half inch and where you don't. Kevin and Vivian have thoroughly vetted the contractors whom they recommend and have excellent working relationships with them. We were entirely comfortable leaving our home for six weeks and having all work done while we were away. And we were grateful that when several headaches were uncovered during demolition, they were properly addressed instead of being covered back up. If you're looking for consummate professionals with a clean, smart aesthetic that will not go out of style in two beats, look no further. An added bonus -- Kevin and Vivian are genuinely nice people with a sense of humor and a working style that puts you at ease.

Kevin and Vivian's work is impeccable, as was the work of the contractor they recommended. The experience of renovating my kitchen, adding new floors for entire first floor and a powder room was stress free and the results are dazzling. Pairing their sophisticated design aesthetic with creative, practical problem solving makes for beautiful, smart results.