Studio R Architecture (LEED AP)

Architect Steve Ryniewicz is great to work with as you are looking to bring an idea to life. My wife and I have been considering putting in just a basic bathroom in an area of our unfinished basement ever since we moved in years ago. Wishing, thinking... nothing. Enter Studio R. An email to Steve, a short appointment to show him the space and talk through needs and wants --he's friendly, knowledgeable, insightful, personable-- and he came back with a design for the space that blew my hair back. People in the service sector always talk a good game about exceeding expectations and that rarely happens, right? Right! Steve not only delivered on the basics but he added some creative touches that we wanted but didn't know that we wanted 'em until we saw them in his designs that made us eager to get started. For example, his design was creative and refreshing in that he didn't use the whole space for the bathroom as I had envisioned and expected. This was not a bad thing, as it turned out. Areas around the bathroom got addressed that weren't on our radar but made a HUGE difference in how we now feel about our basement - less dungeony and more of a warm, completed home feeling. Some key touches: + He instead made a slightly more compact bathroom area and designed space for a small closet adjacent to it because we had a crawl space entry way under our sun room where we stored luggage and holiday items in Rubbermaid tubs. This still provided access to an area we thought we might have to access elsewhere (there was no real alternative), or worse, lose access it to it altogether. A door to this closet completed that side. Smooth. + On the other side Steve added another door to our final area of unfinished basement where our laundry area housed our washing machine. This doorway compartmentalized things perfectly. Sweet. + On the wall next to the bathroom was our unsightly hot water heater and central AC unit. Steve designed an accordion door to enclose that and added a ceiling so that we're not staring up at floorboards, pipes and wires. Now when you walk downstairs into the basement you're not greeted by groaning machinery but by a nice clean white look. This is also key as people passing by on the sidewalk could always stare down into our basement through our glass door and see this unsightliness, so my wife had a curtain to hide it and, well, that didn't look too great either. So much better now. + Steve also had the dog-leg of a wall separating our finished side of the basement with the unfinished side vastly widened so that descending into the basement didn't have you bobbing and weaving with baskets of laundry or holiday decor - so glad that's now a wide, warm embrace versus a stuff arm to entrants. + Final touches that made this a gem was that he had the dingy stairs going down into the basement refinished. Before there were gaping cracks to the underbelly that always blew in cold air and the color didn't match and it looked unsightly. It's now the best looking staircase in the house! And the bathroom? Yes, all of the above were bonus "things we love that we didn't know we wanted" touches. + The bathroom was smartly designed with a stand up shower in an expansive 3x5' space with glass doors and a custom built bench, in case Grandmas need a spot to sit and shower. + Shower had built in areas in the wall to house shampoos and body wash. + Recessed lighting to maximize space + Toilet area with a window behind it for natural light and a deep shelf for plants, etc. + Space for a wide sink and a medicine cabinet recessed in the wall so the mirror is flush. Overall we love the design, the easy back and forth with Steve when needed (not often; no issues at all!), we used his recommended contractor who was equally talented and professional that executed Steve's vision, and now we're enjoying the benefits of his creativity. Cost: His rates are competitve and very affordable. We paid when the designs were approved. His contractor was also very affordable which put us in the ballpark to get it done. We paid the contractor half up front and half at the end. Should you consider him? Consider this: If you're seeking someone to stretch your dollar to deliver a finished design that is impressive and is the definition of the nodding approval "Niiiiiiice!" then you can get no better recommendation than Steve Ryniewicz of Studio R Architecture. Contact me for photos or to see it in person yourself.