Ripple Design Studio, Inc.

We hired Ripple Design to work on our remodel in Greenlake after meeting Jim Dearth. He showed a lot of interest and excitement in our project and was available to start immediately and had a GC he recommended who was available for our project. We toured some of his projects at the time, which were more transitional/traditional, and he assured us that he could help us accomplish the more contemporary look we were going for. In retrospect, we wish we'd waited for some of the architects we'd met who had bit of a wait. Our experience with Ripple Design was less than satisfactory for the following reasons: Attention to detail was lacking. When you hire an architect you want them to spend time in your home and pay attention to light, house direction etc. I don’t believe any of this was considered or brought up. I had to bring up things like the low clearance on the stairway, which was something Jim didn't even notice. Our laundry room sink could not have the tap installed because his plans didn't have correct counter depth. Once our budget crept up because we decided to finish our basement, he wanted to charge us an additional fee for our project, but not for any additional work on his part. (The basement was already in the plans per our original contract). We politely declined and he and his team failed to manage our project beyond that point even for the 2 main floors which was in the original plans. The one person on his team we enjoyed working with was Kelly, but she went to part time when our project was underway so we had a difficult time getting a hold of her. Jim came out to our house less than a handful of times and did not oversee our project for to completion. The initial interest in our project was short-lived and we were pretty disappointed with the overall service. Since I wrote this review Jim has come by our house in an attempt to help resolve things but we are still fixing everything on our own after doing a brand new remodel. He never came to the house while the project was underway. Ripple design has taken zero responsibility for their failure in this project. Instead, Jim said these are all construction related issues. He is the one who vetted the contractor and recommended we go with him. We didn’t even have this contractor on our radar until Jim recommended him. At the time we really trusted that Ripple design cared about our project and trusted their recommendations. When we expressed concerns about the project while it was underway, one of the architects (Kelly) assured us everything looked the way it should. Now that same thing (the siding of the house) is literally falling apart. They also failed us on the design and interior of the house. They never finished the design work on the house because Kelly went down to part time and Jim didn’t assign anyone else to our project. The lack of attention to detail in the design of the house and the overall way they managed our project is the reason we would not recommend Ripple design to anyone.

Ripple Design are hands down amazing! I purchased a craftsman house in Green Lake and they designed a complete re-model of all 3 levels of the house. They helped me every step of the way from finding a general contractor (who was also excellent) to applying for the building permits to bringing out a structural engineer to lighting and hardware design ideas. My house is now complete and is amazing in everyday. I am very happy to be living in such a great space. Ripple Design had the vision and made it happen!

My husband and I worked with Jim and Kelly of Ripple Design Studio in the last few years (completion of our home was around June 2015) as we tore down our house (besides the basement), and went up two stories. We are absolutely thrilled with how our house turned out! It is beautiful! I will be posting photos as soon as I finish the stained glass cabinets. Jim and Kelly were fabulous to work with! They are both wonderful people, but more importantly, they are excellent architects and very patient during the very stressful process of a build and the financial and other strains that happen along that process. Jim and especially Kelly also helped me with some of my interior design decisions and they both have impeccable taste and insight! I would recommend them 100%!

Dream Team...Jim and Kelly at Ripple Design Studio were fantastic to work with. They have fresh, creative ideas that enabled us to build a beautiful house. They have their own points of view which I appreciate, but they also really listened to our needs. Our house had lower ceiling (8ft), it felt confined. The house was completely stripped down to the studs and emerged worthy to be featured in Houzz. The ceiling height no longer bothers me. The change in window height made a huge difference. Opening of the walls, connecting the garage to the main house and appropriate expansion made the flow so fantastic. They were both the architectural firm and the design house. All the finishes were selected by Ripple Design Studio. If you are interested in a creative partner that values their clients needs and delivers amazing results, you should meet with Jim & Kelly.

Ripple Design did a great job drawing up some plans for an ADU project I had in mind, as well as a deck and front porch. They were professional, kind and speedy. They also took my budget into consideration.

Jim Dearth, Architect of Ripple Design Studio created a beautiful plan for the addition of great room for our home. The quality of his design work is excellent. The new room continues the Cape Cod style of our home with new distinction. The ceiling design is so beautiful I just love looking up at it. The second floor above the great room is now a "sleeping porch" for grand children - with built in trundle beds and surrounding windows to enhance our lake view. Jim introduced us to our contractor and was involved with the project until completion. His Design Studio Team was wonderful to work with and made my life through the construction process much easier.

As an Interior Designer, I have had the honor of working with Ripple Design Studio on several projects. They bring a fresh approach to each project and have an impeccable eye for details. The entire team at Ripple Design Studio is professional, knowledgeable and an absolute pleasure to work with. I simply cannot recommend them enough to anyone looking to hire an architect.

As a General Contractor in the Seattle area we have had the opportunity to work with Ripple Design Studio on several projects. They have continually been great to work with. They are not only knowledgeable and professional but are also responsive and helpful. We would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone needing an architect!

As a GC, I have been working side by side with Ripple Design for over 5 yrs on multiple projects. They are a brilliant team that can take whatever you are in-visioning and bring it to life. It is well worth taking time to talk to them.

We hired Ripple Design Studio to design a new custom home for us, and are so happy that we did! We interviewed several architects and decided to go with Ripple based on their beautiful portfolio and fun, team environment. They made us feel like we were included in every step of the process and really listened to our ideas. The team has been wonderful to work with. They are creative, thorough, efficient and best of all we are thrilled with our house!

Jim Dearth and his associate Kelly McShane are both great "listeners" and "guides". They have great style and are flexible (two traits that are hard to find together).

We hired Ripple Design for our second story addition to our 102 year old Craftsman home. He listened to our ideas on how we wanted the space to feel then came back with designs that incorporated our ideas with plans that exceeded our expectation. Their knowledge on design, structure and functionaility made the new addition great. i would recommend Ripple Desgin to anyone.