Blackbird Architects

To clarify, I was not part of the walking tour. These buildings are throughout Santa Barbara. I…read morehad to see these in person and drove around seeking out these gems. The structures are white washed walls with very colorful tiles and accents. The arches are non conventional. The details are not overlooked. At times quirky, at times whimsical. I'm still in awe!!!

Jeff is first and for most an amazing artist. All of his designs are gorgeous and off the wall. If…read moreyou are in the market for a head turning design see Jeff

Banyan Architects

We've been impressed by Banyan Architects' elegant, creative and unique designs that gracefully…read moreincorporate the special needs of the site and users. Kirk Gradin seems to be especially able to incorporate environmentally friendly materials and user functionality, while maintaining the highest aesthetic standard.

From the owner: Architectural Design for custom residential, commercial and institutional projects of all sizes. We…read morespecialize also in hillside design for homes or businesses with over 300 projects completed since 1995.

David Watkins Design

4.7

(9 reviews)

I met David by chance in late 2016 and hired him to help us map out a complete remodel of our…read morehistoric home that needed a complete overhaul. David was really patient with us as we didn't have the biggest budget and helped us with not only a well laid out floor plan for our changing needs (it was very funky before) but also helped with our project management which I found incredibly helpful. Most important, we didn't have to hire a separate designer. He suggested very thoughtful period centric elements to build in and materials, tiles, and color schemes to ensure our home had the right feel. He introduced me to some really beautiful and unique materials I'd have never found. In the end we finished everything (including the landscaping) in 2019 before the pandemic to enjoy full time home living. My last comment is that David also works fairly quickly. Our street is older had many architects remodeling our neighbors and it seemed we had the fastest process with getting our plans completed. Highly recommend David.

Attempting any new project whether a home remodel or commercial build-out is overwhelming for…read moreanyone but hiring the right architect with experience and approach can make all the difference. That's why I hired David Watkins Design, to help guide me through the process. David has a proven track record that you can see in his well organized attention to detail, while making sure he communicates through every step of the way. His good relations and many years of working with The City of Santa Barbara has made what could be a frustrating and overwhelming task for the average person, a breeze. David always makes himself available to discuss and update me on my project. I would recommend David Watkins Design to anyone who wants to get the job done right, while having a personalized experience throughout the process.

CCS

4.7

(15 reviews)

Work with both the LA office and the SB office. Great team, answered all my questions and solved…read moresome challenges we had with the construction of our family home in Santa Barbara. We have approved plans in hand and excited to start construction soon. Thank you all for your help and patience, highly recommend this firm to anyone taking on any construction work.

I hired this company for architectural plans and structure engineering for a room addition in my…read moreexisting home and right away felt comfortable with their experience and knowledge very friendly staff & received weekly progress updates along the way. I highly recommend CCS and will hire them in the future. Thanks a lot!

Kamran & Company

(3 reviews)

My wife was a caterer in the early days. Kamran was, and still is, the standard bearer…read more He's expanded and still provides great service over a diversified business.

Kamran & Co. just did the new W Hotel in LA and it looks amazing!read more

DesignARC Architects

I have hired them for a mixed use project in Santa Barbara. Kirkhart and Shields are excellent…read more Also, Dave Watkins is great to work with. The plans are great and they know how to get the project through the city.

From the owner: DesignARC is an innovative design firm comprised of progressive, like-minded thinkers who share a…read moregenuine desire to research, learn and apply newfound knowledge to the project at hand. Specializing in custom residential, commercial, hospitality and institutional design, DesignARC has thriving studios in both Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. On the search for creative architectural solutions for its clients, the company culture stresses collaboration among colleagues.

DC Foote

4.9

(10 reviews)

David did an amazing job with our junior ADU plans. He was very detailed and great to work with…read moreevery step of the process.

I used DC Foote & Associates to design an add on master bedroom and bath. Dave was very…read moreprofessional, receptive and easy to work with throughout the whole design process. My wife and I couldn't have been happier with the quick completion of the plans and the end result. I definitely would recommend his services!

Madison Nicole Design

(12 reviews)

We had an absolutely wonderful experience with Madison Nicole Design and her entire team. They…read moretransformed our kitchen into a space that is not only stunning but incredibly organized and easy to use--it has truly changed how we live in our home. Everything feels intentional, functional, and beautiful, and we constantly have fun receiving compliments and questions from friends who can't stop admiring it. Madison also designed our lighting, which is nothing short of breathtaking, and helped us select furniture for our living room, dining room, and bedroom. Every piece is top quality, thoughtfully chosen, and as practical as it is beautiful. Our home feels cohesive, elevated, and perfectly suited to us. We have so much affection and admiration for Madison and her team--they are incredibly talented, professional, and a genuine joy to work with, and we think the absolute world of them.

We bought a home in Santa Barbara in January 2022. Realizing we would make major decor changes we…read morediscovered Madison Nicole Design on Yelp. We knew from our first interview with Madison that she was the designer for us. She understood our style and helped us complete the job within our budget and time frame. Her use of technology allowed her to assist our contractor with floor plans and elevations. It was a six month process and with Madison and her assistant Tia's help we now have the home of our dreams.

Zilles Architecture Group

1.0

Zilles Architecture Group is the worst company I have dealt with. Marsha Zilles was routinely drunk…read moreon the job and has major mental issues. Her drinking problem extends into her work and it quickly became apparent that she was not the professional she claims to be. On certain occasions she would attack my employees with slander and verbally assault them. I will not ever work with this company again, as the work was not completed correctly nor on time and Marsha was extremely belligerent with excuses. If you are considering working with Zilles Architecture Group don't do it!

In response to Zilles response to my initial review. I stand by my review. The truth is not…read moreslander. She lies when she said she did 3 projects for me. She was fired before completion of the one and only project she was hired for. To continually refer to 3 projects is symbolic of her bizarre and irrational behavior. I did in fact "start out" as a painting contractor. I had a successful painting business that paid my way through college and law school at Boston University. My development experience includes 18 years of developing property on Martha's Vineyard which is far more complicated than Santa Barbara. The Santa Barbara process is straight forward. What wasn't straight forward was her not even knowing how to do the simplest tracking of the permit process. For a person involved in the building business to suggest that a painting contractor - a tradesman's - opinions should not be taken seriously again demonstrates her mean spirited bizarre and unprofessional conduct. If her statement about the garage which she mis-measured by ten feet is not part of the project, then how could she present existing conditions and why did she design a gym in the garage (without our permission)? I clearly have a building permit yet all along she said I didn't. She now calls it a fee receipt. Hire her at your own peril.

Madison Nicole Design

(12 reviews)

We had an absolutely wonderful experience with Madison Nicole Design and her entire team. They…read moretransformed our kitchen into a space that is not only stunning but incredibly organized and easy to use--it has truly changed how we live in our home. Everything feels intentional, functional, and beautiful, and we constantly have fun receiving compliments and questions from friends who can't stop admiring it. Madison also designed our lighting, which is nothing short of breathtaking, and helped us select furniture for our living room, dining room, and bedroom. Every piece is top quality, thoughtfully chosen, and as practical as it is beautiful. Our home feels cohesive, elevated, and perfectly suited to us. We have so much affection and admiration for Madison and her team--they are incredibly talented, professional, and a genuine joy to work with, and we think the absolute world of them.

We bought a home in Santa Barbara in January 2022. Realizing we would make major decor changes we…read morediscovered Madison Nicole Design on Yelp. We knew from our first interview with Madison that she was the designer for us. She understood our style and helped us complete the job within our budget and time frame. Her use of technology allowed her to assist our contractor with floor plans and elevations. It was a six month process and with Madison and her assistant Tia's help we now have the home of our dreams.

Saltwood Interiors

(5 reviews)

We absolutely loved working with Christine Bergman of "Styled and Staged". Her "reading" of our…read moreSanta Barbara area West-Indian themed home was so insightful. The requested partial staging was fairly priced and the results just stunning. Not only beautiful enhancements, but small thoughtful touches to add warmth and a sense of "home". Especially in a time of sudden and drastic changes in the RE market (pandemic), her gorgeous furniture and accent pieces very definitely made our home "shine" to best advantage and greatly helped us to sell. We highly recommend Styled and Staged to any wishing to sell their homes--to do so will be a huge advantage. Thank you Christine & Team for being so wonderful at your job and so delightfully easy to work with!

After months of building, patching, painting, installing and generally remodeling the whole house,…read moreit's time to sell. Now you want it to look it's best! The house will be listed in 3 weeks and I need someone to stage the house; to add the finishing touches. I interviewed several staging companies. The last person I called before making a final decision was Christine Cowles Bergamin at Styled & Staged Santa Barbara. Of all the staging companies that came to my house she spent the most time. Christine and her husband Mauricio are a terrific team. They spent time measuring rooms, taking pictures and really getting a feel for the house. I was very impressed and decided to hire them on the spot. Within a day I received a detailed written estimate. She recommended which rooms were most important for staging and what I could do to save some money. I decided to do more than less and she got to work. A few days before my property went on the market, Christine and her husband got to work. They spent two full days "dressing" the house. Christine obsessed over every tiny detail. Furniture came in and then came out, pictures in pictures out: It was a frenzy of activity, finding just the right pieces for the space. Staged & Styled SB converted my house from a nicely remodeled house into a high end luxury home. A professional photographer, a great agent and a fabulous staging company and my home was listed on a Thursday. The next day I received multiple offers and accepted the best offer Saturday. All this before the open house on Sunday! A professional staging company is a must. The property shows better in the MLS listing and creates a real "buzz". There's more interest, more offers and it sells fast! Thank you Christine and Mauricio. I couldn't have done it without you! Brian P. Goleta

Blackbird Architects - architects - Updated August 2026

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Sherry & Associates Architects

4.5

My husband and I moved into a beautiful hundred year old home in a historical part of downtown…read moreSanta Barbara. Through a good friend we learned about Dawn Sherry and Sherry and Associates Architects, Inc. Dawn and her amazing staff helped us with everything from a modern office design, to bathroom and kitchen updates that compliment the historical beauty of our home, to the fine details of exterior railings, landscape and fountains that add to the charm of what was already here. Dawn and her team of professionals listened to our wishes, put together designs, connected us with excellent vendors, and worked to consistently make sure our vision was being reached. As a bonus they helped us navigate the intricacies of historical and review committees in the building department. They never tired of process it takes to get work approved. We are so grateful to Dawn, Brooke and the rest of the staff and Sherry and Associates for helping us with our projects. We high recommend their services.

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David Watkins Design

4.7

(9 reviews)

I met David by chance in late 2016 and hired him to help us map out a complete remodel of our…read morehistoric home that needed a complete overhaul. David was really patient with us as we didn't have the biggest budget and helped us with not only a well laid out floor plan for our changing needs (it was very funky before) but also helped with our project management which I found incredibly helpful. Most important, we didn't have to hire a separate designer. He suggested very thoughtful period centric elements to build in and materials, tiles, and color schemes to ensure our home had the right feel. He introduced me to some really beautiful and unique materials I'd have never found. In the end we finished everything (including the landscaping) in 2019 before the pandemic to enjoy full time home living. My last comment is that David also works fairly quickly. Our street is older had many architects remodeling our neighbors and it seemed we had the fastest process with getting our plans completed. Highly recommend David.

Attempting any new project whether a home remodel or commercial build-out is overwhelming for…read moreanyone but hiring the right architect with experience and approach can make all the difference. That's why I hired David Watkins Design, to help guide me through the process. David has a proven track record that you can see in his well organized attention to detail, while making sure he communicates through every step of the way. His good relations and many years of working with The City of Santa Barbara has made what could be a frustrating and overwhelming task for the average person, a breeze. David always makes himself available to discuss and update me on my project. I would recommend David Watkins Design to anyone who wants to get the job done right, while having a personalized experience throughout the process.

DesignARC Architects

I have hired them for a mixed use project in Santa Barbara. Kirkhart and Shields are excellent…read more Also, Dave Watkins is great to work with. The plans are great and they know how to get the project through the city.

Wade Davis Design

Our company uses Jim from Wade Davis design for all our architecture needs he also helps out with…read moreour questions on construction related issues. Thank you for all you do. Wall St LLC.

Lawrence Thompson Architects

Great architect great designs. Has great ability to design beautiful projects. Did my house and…read moreeveryone I bring in comments how professional the design is.

Bruce Labins Architect & Associates

3.0

Just walked a Bruce Labin designed home and must give my praise to him and his staff. Ventura has…read moresome great Architects, but Bruce has always distinguished himself by understanding field problems from a builders perspective. We first met in the early 80's. He was pushing a wheelbarrow on East Grand in Ojai. I was the building inspector. He asked why a HD7, 1 1/8" bolt for shear walls, would be installed in a masonry stem wall. My question was "why would someone pushing a wheelbarrow accurately point out a problem the architect/engineer of record missed? He the mentioned he graduated from Cal Poly, San Louis Obispo. Respect is earned!

I don't think I've ever done a review on yelp but was so grossed out by this architect's mode of…read moreoperation that I had to say something. I work in construction so I get it - that it's loud, and it gets dirty - but I'm living next door to a home this architect is remodeling and his and his contractors ethics are terrible. The contractors leave messes all over my property and don't clean them up for days and days, they leave their lunch mess on my property and watch pornos on their breaks under my window... so gross! My nieces had to hear it!! And why are they on my property eating their lunch?? they violate the noise ordinance regularly and start at 6:30 and worst of all he and the owner are encouraging his contractors to break the law and not being courteous to residents around his construction sites. His client told me because I'm a renter, I don't have any rights and they can start whenever they want... wtf???? Very unprofessional architect and construction crew. Bottom shelf operation all around. Oh and I almost forgot when I came outside this morning at 6:40 to say not to start before 7am, the contractor told me to "shut the fuck up" and to "fuck off"... real classy group of people.. And as for this firm's claim regarding site observation, when I called, the firm tried to blame everything on the contractors and that they hadn't been to this site... wth?? Every good architect knows that their contractors are a reflection of their values and ethics.

Arketype Architects Inc

David Ferrin of Arketype Architects did a major remodel for us on our 1910 Craftsman bungalow. The…read morebottom line is that we will hire him again. Trustworthy, creative, intelligent, and worked beautifully with our general contractor. Our home is gorgeous.

Flores Hardware & Lighting

3.7

(6 reviews)

Raoul Flores and his team did an exceptional job restoring our 14 rusted and worn-out exterior…read morelight fixtures. We live right on the ocean. The fixtures were steel, badly rusted, and rotted-through in spots. Raoul media-blasted them all, made needed metal repairs, powder-coated them in a beautiful oil-rubbed bronze color, replaced some missed beaded glass, and rewired them all. Stunning! And he also engineered better mounting plates to correct some unevenness in mounting heights. Bravo Raoul and thank you! Better than

I'm speechless attempting to understand how they are in business. I visited the store in March 2021…read morewhile visiting from Los Angeles, photographed a variety of sconces I was interested in, and communicated I would be in touch. In recent weeks I've made two separate attempts to reach them for quotes, both through their website and direct email, but they never bother to respond. When you try to reach them via phone, no one ever picks up.

NS Ceramic

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Excellent tile supply and designer. Nola has high end tiles and expedites shipping. She's extremely…read morehelpful with getting you the right kind of tile for your project.

Nola was a very patient and knowledgable person helping me to choose the new ceramic tiles for my…read morekitchen remodel. I highly recommend this lovely store with a very special showroom, great personal customer service and fair prices.

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