Helen Hald Architecture

Helen has the unique ability to apportion space in a way that makes the space live much larger, enable free traffic flow, and result in an interesting (sometimes surprising) and very pleasing living solution. We recently completed a three phase remodel and addition to our Kirkland cottage originally built in 1915. Helen's vision and architectural guidance has played such a huge part of making the project a real success and the house a true joy to live in.

In June, 2015 I hired Helen Hald to remodel my mid-century modern home. Initially, I wanted a complete remodel of the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry/mud-room, dining room and carport while keeping the integrity of the original Paul Kirk design. I have never worked with an architect before so I had no idea of the value added. I learned that I wasn’t just hiring someone to create the drawings for the contractor but someone who is a collaborative, creative problem solver and could shepherd my project through the entire process from conceptual design through permitting and construction. She was able to implement creative design that transformed my living space into an environment that enhances my quality of life. I had no idea that an architect could help me with all aspects of the design using an open minded, collaborative approach. She had so many creative and practical ideas and was able to assist me in lighting design, selecting furniture, designing a custom head board for my bedroom and also designed my custom cabinets that were installed in my bathrooms, kitchen and living room. After tackling the inside of the house and seeing what a great design she employed with my carport, I asked her to continue with the outdoor design where she created an outdoor room off of my dining room. The design included a deck/trellis, fence and gates to create a more harmonious built environment. I am very pleased with the outcome of the entire project. Upon reflection, Helen made it an enjoyable process. I felt as though Helen was on “my team”, equipped with an incredible aesthetic, great, creative design ideas, extremely knowledgeable, and most resourceful.

We recently hired Helen Hald Architecture to re-design our kitchen and completely remodel our 2nd floor (including raising the roof, moving the stairs and adding 2 bedrooms and a bathroom). Helen's attention to detail and willingness to work with us to iterate to a design that we truly love was amazing. Her extensive knowledge about Craftsman houses enabled us to maintain the character of our 1916 home while creating sunny, spacious living spaces with strong connections to the outdoors. She is a patient listener and a creative problem-solver. She helped us identify the features that were most important to us and then came up with many different possible design solutions to choose from. Helen's attention to detail with everything from the height of a window sill, to the style of door trim, to tile color, to ensuring maximal functionality of space, made all the difference in our project. For example, our kitchen stayed the same width during the remodel, but now feels much more spacious and filled with light due to many design decisions including window placement, paint color and widening of entry ways. There are so many decisions that have to be made during a remodel and it was incredibly beneficial to have Helen there to anticipate potential issues that we had not even considered. She shepherded our project through the whole remodel design and construction process and made sure that we ended up with the house we had been dreaming about for 10 years.

Helen had great, creative ideas for both our basement and upstairs jobs. She worked well with us and all the other professionals on our job, including the contractor and the engineer. She brought with her great knowledge and effective problem solving skills to deal with the inevitable problems that cropped up during our remodels. The new spaces meld perfectly with the style of our home, so we have a larger, more useful home that looks like it was always this way.