Client Reviews

We love the new house that Bruce and Michael created for us. Our family lived on this property for more than thirty years and we wanted to replace the original home with one that better suited our entertainment style, was integrated into the property more effectively, and would serve the next generation of our family.

Sitting on a large, wooded property with beautiful views, we wanted to “bring the outside inside”. Bruce and Michael created an open floor plan with walls of windows that allow us to see all around the property and through the house. They immediately understood our sensibilities and pushed us on how to best show off our art in this new space. They cleverly employed a split-level approach in our front yard to create an entertainment and presentation space on a lower level that walks out onto an expansive lawn. The use of copper plate brought a unique look to the exterior of the building while custom oak stairwells and cabinetry created a warm interior.

Bruce and Michael were a pleasure to work with and they helped us select our general contractor. They collaborated easily with the kitchen and interior designer as well as with our long-time art consultant. We gave them a general sense of aesthetic, but they sourced options for finishes, tile, flooring, and fixtures and we made final selections from a well-selected set of choices. When something did not seem right, even after it was installed, they were quick to encourage us to make changes and “get it right”.

This was a very special project for us, and we had a wonderful time working with Bruce and Michael. We cannot thank them enough for this special home, and we would absolutely work with them again!

JH and DM.

We are very happy to have worked with Red House on our lower level renovation project, and would recommend them to anyone looking for help on a building or renovation project.

Michael and Bruce spent a lot of time listening to our hopes for the design, and helping us to think through our priorities and the consequences of our decisions. Designing the space was an iterative process, that took a number of different drawings, incorporating changes right up to the point of construction. Throughout, they helped us to stay focused on our most important goal of creating a space that was warm and welcoming. Their advice and input were crucial to making the project a success.

We met with Michael and Bruce throughout the design and building phase of the project. They were always reachable and responsive when questions arose. They were engaged and truly committed to the final outcome. While being very professional, they were also very personable, and we found the working them easy and enjoyable. Finally, they were instrumental in helping us to find the contractor, who was also outstanding, and to navigate the world of subcontractors and building supplies.

We would go with Red House again in a heartbeat

Deb and David T.

Red House Design: Professional, Attentive, Inventive, Flexible. We enjoyed working with them tremendously and give them our highest recommendation. We are VERY happy with our extensive renovation.

Emily E.

We recently sold our city place and moved full-time into our weekend house in Upstate New York. Our master bedroom, such as it was, was on the third floor, with limited closet space and a tiny bathroom. There was no formal laundry room, just 1990s vintage washer and dryer stashed in a primitive bathroom down on the ground floor.

In fact, the ground floor of the house had a fair amount of undeveloped space. We engaged the services of Red House Design to help us completely re-design the ground floor to incorporate a master suite — bedroom, bathroom with shower and soaking tub, and walk-in closet — as well as squeeze in a modern laundry room, powder room for guests, and “butler’s pantry” — a small, fully-equipped kitchen so that if the day ever comes that we need to live on the ground floor, we’d have everything we need. It was a tall order, and we wanted to do it on a budget.

Working with Bruce and Michael was a joy. In our initial meetings we shared Pinterest boards to suggest the look and feel we were after….natural palette mixing wood, stone and tile textures; a clean, Scandinavian feel.

Bruce patiently worked up multiple iterations in the design phase until we had juggled the existing space to fit in all our requirements. Then, as we moved to selecting materials, Michael was masterful in showing us affordable options to deliver on our aesthetic, without busting the budget. It was a fluid, collaborative, very satisfying process. And in the end, the plans that they provided to our general contractor were so detailed and complete that there were no surprises during construction. We got everything we hoped for and came in on budget!

We love the work that Red House Design did on our renovation. In fact, we’ve just begun a new project together! We can’t recommend them highly enough as talented professionals and all around good people. A joy to work with.

Liz N.

Red House worked on the renovation of our 19th century house (with a 1958 kitchen/garage addition) and the process was not only painless, it was fun and interesting. Bruce and Michael each brought experience, a keen design sensibility, and a gentle demeanor to this project. I was grateful for their guidance, and stewardship, of our renovation project. They kept an eye on our budget while they created smart and handsome solutions for our restricted floor plan. Working with Red House was a dream, they were always reachable, kept a clear line of communication, and the only surprises were a function of the old house. I would absolutely hire them again and will highly recommend them to friends.

Marion R.

We don’t know where to begin… Red House has been the best partner imaginable. They consulted with us as we considered remodeling our former house, as we pondered new construction, and once we took the leap and decided to tackle a significant renovation of our 30-year old 3,500 square foot “forever” home. We could not be happier. Total gut renovation of all bathrooms and kitchen; new open floor plan configuration for the first floor that created incredible flow and took full advantage of the views; additions of a screened in porch and carport that flowed seamlessly into existing wrap-around porch (harder than it sounds); integrated solutions for storage, elevated grilling area and outdoor shower; finishes, hardware, cabinetry, design support; infrastructure improvements, site plans and construction oversight — Red House helped us manage the chaos and made it fun. It is impossible to convey how happy we are 9-months later. The light pours through the house, we move from room to room, sit and smile. We are forever grateful to them for their collaboration and partnership. You cannot go wrong working with Michael and Bruce.

Ben B.

Red House Design did a spectacular job of designing and supervising a major renovation of our 18th-century cottage. Even better, they did it with great communication, follow-through, professionalism, and cooperation. Their plan called for total renovation of two bathrooms, construction of a screened porch, removal of a partition, foundation repairs, creation of a laundry space, lighting design, and analysis of traffic flows and recommended furnishings through the reconfigured space. The result is a light-filled, charming living area from which mountain vistas can be enjoyed all year round. From the structural elements to the details of the fixtures and the color of the paint, they provided excellent recommendations, coordinated seamlessly with the contractor, and were truly a delight to work with.

Robert B.

We hired Red House to create a mud room, living room and guest room with a bathroom for our home in the Berkshires. They did an incredible job — professional, kept the project on track and on budget, outstanding taste from design to fixtures to countertop stone to flooring to paint colors. Could not be happier and couldn’t imagine finding anyone who could have done a better job. I highly highly recommend Red House!

Stacey P.

We had a feeling about what we wanted our space to feel like, but no idea how to proceed. Red House really “got” us. They listened to us and designed us wonderful space that we couldn’t even have dreamed of. Words cannot describe how happy my husband and I are with the transformation of the dumpy disaster 1950s house that we bought. Bruce and Michael helped us turn it into a bright, open, amazing space to live, dream, work and entertain. They respected our budget, were both practical and creative, and were delightful to partner with. We cannot recommend Red House highly enough.

Ilene S.

Having now done 2 major renovations with Red House, I can only speak in superlatives about Bruce and Michael. I think they are both consummate professionals, they have a ton of experience, they work together beautifully, they are talented and they absolutely listened to and heard us every step of the way.

We have worked with 2 architects in our lives previously (one in the 1990s in Bayside, Queens, where we added a full second floor to a small house, and the second in Westchester, where we did a major renovation on our house there.) We were happy with both of those experiences with our architects.

However, working with an architect and design team brought it to a whole other level.

Our first exposure to Red House Design was watching the impressive transformation of their home and office in Great Barrington.

When my husband decided to add a wood shop onto our house, he went right to them. He loved working with them and the outcome is fabulous. (It’s 1,100 square feet and truly meets the needs he had expressed.)

We sold our home in Westchester and decided on one more project up here. We added a large office, and underneath that space, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a family room. The renovation is gorgeous and again, totally meets our needs.

I am extremely grateful to have worked with Bruce and Michael, who helped guide us in making critical decisions, in the most cost effective way. Honestly, they discouraged us from doing things that were excessive (and were clear on their opinions for what they felt was important when we considered things to cut.)

I looked forward to every meeting we had and sometimes I would just sit back and watch the interactions and be so impressed by how gently and respectfully Bruce and Michael spoke to one another, and to us. Renovations can be nightmares, but that was not our experience AT ALL.

As it happened, the Realtor who sold us our house in the Berkshires 5 years ago was visiting recently and she hadn’t noticed our new addition when she drove up. THAT’S how seamlessly they integrated the new part (our office is about 400 square feet, so not incidental AND it’s in the front of the house!) When she walked in and saw everything we had done, she was stunned. It REALLY came out great. The longer we live in it, the more we appreciate the attention to detail and the high quality of user-friendly design.

Hinda B.

Red House Design understood the needs of our house. We bought an old barn that needed attention to light and updates that were within our budget. We could not be happier with the end product of our home. We highly recommend Red House!

Vicki W.

Although I have no clear idea of what style our house is — all crazy angles, 80ish stuff. We engaged Bruce and Michael to create an extension off our living area. They examined every nutty angle and produced several working options that we all gradually honed down to a brilliant creative design. What was wonderful was that they listened fully to our ideas and needs. During the construction phase they were ever present and engaged and available for consultation if there were issues. When Bruce came to see the extension when it was completed the look on his face said: “We did this, we made this beautiful space.” And it is a beautiful space. And we are looking forward to more beautiful spaces created by these two talented men.

Anne R.