“ We wanted to send you a note to say how much we are enjoying our renovated home.  Having been back in now for three months, I'm of the opinion that the feeling of being "home" will never get old here!  During the nine-month build and the design period leading up to the actual construction, we all found the Maike Design process an absolute pleasure.  Your willingness to engage with everyone including the kids and consideration of Murray the dog has resulted in a home that is functioning like a dream.  Aesthetically your suggested finishes and fixtures were always considered and refined and the result is one that ties the period portion of the home to the modern extension in a way that is respectful and consistent without giving a uniform or bland feel

- there are little features that make each one of us happy when we experience them on a daily basis.

The lighting in the new extension is a particular favourite with the right amount of light to do functional things like read the paper at the table and cook on the bench, but once everyone retires to the lounge, we are able to dim and re-direct the lighting to enjoy the soft glow of the large Akari light.

We really enjoyed the process and found during the concept design, that you did a great job of presenting all sides of the idea so we could make a truly informed decision.  Some of our early ideas were blatantly unworkable or wasted precious space, so your knowledge and wisdom came to the fore in many ways.  It was particularly enjoyable to head into the detailed design phase and receive your beautiful renders which were such a great communication tool for us and everyone around us with whom we shared the journey - everything turned out as we expected.   I think the only times I felt out of my depth with drawings or design was more related to scale - it was difficult to picture how the spaces would feel until they started to be built and even then, it was still hard to "feel" the spaces.  I don't think that was a fault of the communication at all, but just a tricky thing for anyone to grasp when it comes to their own spaces.

Given we were reasonably time-poor, it was great to have you understand what we were wanting in terms of finishes, and come to us with beautiful and considered options for each decision.  We appreciated being involved in the selection/refinement process and when provided with two or three choices, in most cases would have been happy with any of the options presented as they were all so close to the brief - usually with an elegant twist for us to consider which made the entire build very cohesive with individual touches.  We receive tonnes of compliments about the feel and the aesthetics as soon as people enter, but to live in our home is to truly experience the thoughtfulness and purposeful design you've delivered.

During the contract negotiations with our builder including the finance process we really relied on your wisdom and experience. To say that we would have struggled through this phase without your involvement is a huge understatement.

We would definitely recommend you and work with you again.  Tilly has been really inspired and found it "really cool" to be involved and see you work - she's considering architecture, interior design, or graphic design for a career (at this early stage...).  Both girls love their bedrooms and their deck which is becoming a place that play spills out to when the floor is completely filled with a complicated lego or playmobil setup.  My personal favourite touches are the period elements that you were able to integrate, such as the recycled bricks for lovely texture in the extension, to the shed door and old window which we look onto fondly, now part of the garage.

I'm sure Sam has additional notes he'd like to add personally, so stay tuned for his thoughts too.  My overall summation would be that you absolutely nailed the brief and delivered in a way that suited us completely.

Many thanks for absolutely everything!  “

 Amy

4 Week How To Guide:

Clearly Define your Design Brief