OPEN architecture - Sevenoaks

Naomi B.

Stephanie and her team have been working with us for the past couple of years on a major property renovation and extension project.

It’s been a very positive experience so far and we feel that Stephanie has understood our family’s needs really well and has a real eye for design and detail.

We have now completed phase 1 of our build and it looks better than we could have imagined.

We look forward to working with Open Architecture over the next few years as we transform our forever home.

Highly recommended!

Matt A.

Open Architecture have done a fantastic job of designing and gaining planning permission for our house renovations. Plans included rear extension, detached garage and internal alterations - on a grade 2 listed property that required extensive engagement with local authorities. Steph, Sara and the team have been responsive, informed and full of ideas throughout.

Alice

We would strongly warn against using Open Arc and wish we had taken note of the negative reviews we had seen.

Stephanie is wonderful at sales, and really sold us the dream when we were choosing an architect, but sadly after we had paid, our experience was disappointing, and very stressful.

A few of the problems we had:

1) The designs were uninspiring and lacking creativity. After feeling frustrated at the basic ideas we were given, we had to come up with them ourselves – Open Arc then just drew up our ideas.

2) The initial plans were wildly over our budget, despite it being six figures. This, in part, was a result of poor communication, becoming a theme throughout. When we asked Stephanie’s supplier recommendations, hoping to find ways to get the budget back on track, her only suggestions were of premium brands – e.g. Tom Howley and Neptune, showing a continued lack of understanding of us being over-budget.

3) Lack of service and problem-solving skills - Once plans were drawn up, despite them being twice our budget, they wanted to close off the project, rather than help us understand which bits we could afford.

4) We’ve worked with a builder since ending the relationship with Open Arc, to redesign our plans - the process has been enjoyable, stress free and has reimagined the whole house, compared to Open Arc restricting what they designed to certain rooms. The difference in approach, and the creativity is refreshing.

Sadly, the time spent working with OpenArc became immensely stressful. We were left with uninspiring plans (that we could not afford) and felt the thousands of pounds we had spent, had been wasted. Unless you have an unlimited budget or a huge project that they may give more time and attention to, I would strongly recommend using another architect.

Neil M.

Stephanie and the team at Open Architecture are mid way through the process of helping us with our building project as we speak. the experience so far has been first class. The team are organised and very thorough. Stephanie has great vision and came up with a really innovative design for us that trumped other architects that we'd engaged for the project in the past. She came up with some great ideas and features that we never would have considered. She and her team have kept us on track and everything is clearly broken down and explained. I'd really recommend Open Architecture if you are looking for great design and a structured process from A to Z mapped out for you to get there.

Richard M.

We're working with Open Arc for the renovation of our Georgian house. We were really impressed with Stephanie's and Joseph's creative ideas and thought process from the outset, and they're being incredibly collaborative and responsive throughout the process. It really seems like they get what we like and want, and we feel like we're in safe hands.

Sarah 3.

Stephanie has been brilliant on our kitchen extension - listening to what we wanted but making practical suggestions on how it could work better as a space and also look brilliant. She's been fantastic at navigating difficult planning / conservation issues and also recommending surveyors and contractors who together have made the project as smooth as possible so far. She's always quick to respond and pays attention to the details. Can't wait for our project to be finished!

chloe B.

Great service from Open Architecture from start to finish. Stephanie and her team were outstanding every step of the way throughout our entire experience. With previous owners of our house getting rejected planning permission Stephanie went above and beyond with research to get us over the line, and she did exactly that. A year down the line our planning permission and drawings were approved 1st time! Can’t recommend them enough! Thank you again, for everything you have done for us. Xx

Kate H.

We are exceptionally pleased we chose Open for our domestic renovation project in Kent. They have been creative, stylish, likeable, professional and comprehensive, working with us from design through to a very detailed tender process and selection of contractor. As a result we have decided to keep them on in a management roll as the project moves to the build stage. The whole team (under Stephanie Mason)’s responsiveness and wealth of experience has been vital in helping us get the project off the ground and in keeping it moving forwards.