We hired Studio Crowley Hall to design our renovation/addition. We had a horrible experience with them and fired them before construction even began. They were consistently behind schedule in getting us our promised drawings and ultimately undermined our relationship with our contractor. They did not listed to what we wanted - oftentimes having to insist on something multiple times before agreeing to draw it in the plans. Although Anne appeared to always take notes, she never implemented any of our requests. In addition, although they agreed to a flat fee, on multiple occasions they claimed that we would have to pay more- for no apparent reason. They were unprofessional, rude and difficult to work with. I absolutely do not recommend them. read more

I really enjoyed my experience with Anne and Michael - they were referred to me by a neighbor and from our first meeting I knew we would work well together. I was able to describe things I wanted to address, like bringing in more light or fixing issues with heat or cold, and SCH's designs were more than I could have imagined on my own. I trusted the process, from design to final construction, and am so satisfied with the results. In particular, I knew I didn't want to move too far from original details in the design, and they worked with my contractor to find the balance of new and old - like building new doors that look just like the original doors in the house but going completely modern in the new master bath (which has been an inspiration for 2 friends renovations!) This project was big (at least to me) and it was worth the investment in SCH to have their design and management support for the duration. read more

Studio Crowley Hall saved our home. Crowley-Hall helped us to recover from a botched major renovation project that was originally started by a contractor-led "design & build" outfit. The job was a 3-story extension which included an au pair suite for an incoming grandparent who was set to retire and move to the region. Left with only the framing, duct work, minimal design plans, and foundation, Crowley-Hall got to work regarding the new designs (after extensive discussions about the project needs) and suggested (but did not require) the use of trusted potential contractors. They proved to be knowledgeable about the selection of building materials, and resourceful concerning "high" and "low" options design options and features in order to meet the needs of the project within the constraints of the budget. Beyond the design aesthetics, they were equally adept at helping us to address emergent structural issues with both the original home and the new construction left by the old contractor. While our project was objectively a construction nightmare given the lost time and resources from the original project, the "design intervention" proposed and executed by Crowley-Hall was exponentially better than our original concept. Moreover, they are particularly skilled at merging "warm Modern" designs with more traditional home designs. read more

We underwent an extensive renovation of our row home with Anne and Michael and the results were fantastic. They were able to execute our vision in a way we couldn't even imagine. Passerbyers regularly ask who designed our extension and we gladly recommend them. We are already looking forward to phase 2! read more

This is a husband and wife studio ,unfortunately we didn't get 'two for the price of one', More accurately, you get less than one for the price of over two (as they often bring an intern and charge both for two architects and one intern). They know very well how to sell themselves, they pretend to listen (they take notes that latter on are forgotten or ignored...) they promise to help in choosing /making decisions -but they don't , they recommend outrageously expensive items (our windows' cost was triple compare with other very good brands).They know very well how and what to promise but they certainly don't know how to fulfill these promises. They planned a major renovation of an old home we bought in June 2007 which , including everything: new electrical wires, new plumbing, dry walls,new roof, new dormers, installing 4.5 bathrooms, new kitchen, finishing the basement and the attic . The architects job was: phase 1- to design and submit the drawings to the DCRA, and phase 2- to work with the contractor, follow up and supervise the process of the renovation. We signed a fixed cost contract with them for phase 2 but they billed us by their hourly input, the moment the total fees reached the fixed cost amount agreed upon in the contract- they started to ask for more payments as if we never signed a fixed cost contract. .. when we refused to pay them -they stopped to answer emails/phone calls which means they simply walked away from the project ! Afterwards we found out that we were not the only ones that had been taken by this studio. We have spoken with 4 other homeowners that had a very similar experience with them (more details off line). The initial drawings, which took them three months to draw , were poorly designed with very little imagination and nothing in it met our specific requests. We had to ask them, more than once, to change the design according to our requests/ideas until they actually did so. The schedule they proposed was unrealistic; 6 months vs the actual schedule that was 18 months. when we asked them to offer us items like sinks/bathtubs etc' -their selection was very limited, repetitive and not updated -they kept offering us the same items all the time even though it didn't match our specification. They never finished the drawings for the basement closets/cabinets neither updated the original drawings after discovering their huge mistakes. Fairly quickly we found out they made huge mistakes of several feet (not inches...) that some of them were- luckly -caught on time by the contractor. Some other big mistakes led to further problems such as having to reorder a doors and windows or a toilet designed to be under the roof where we can't even stand up straight . we had to add a skylight to solve the problem. In general ,they showed a lack of professionalism ,very limited creativity, lack of responsibility ; they never admitted their huge mistakes nor apologized . read more

Anne and Michael were such a great low-key team, helping us figure out what to do with our kitchen, which was small and dark. Working within the original footprint of our 1920 Adams Morgan townhouse, they helped us work towards a very simple solution with exciting, unexpected results. The surprise that we weren't even focused on was, when the wall was knocked down between the kitchen and dining room, not only did we acquire an amazing new, light kitchen but our dining room changed exponentially. So much more light! So much bigger! And not one change to the footprint. The tall glass doors now allow light to pour into the two spaces. We are constantly in the kitchen, which we used to avoid because it was so depressing. Now it's the spot where everyone wants to be, and I can actually grow plants in there as well. Finally we feel like grown-ups--in a good way! Thank you so so so much. We have already recommended you three times. read more

My experience with Studio Crowley Hall has been extremely positive. They have turned the daunting process of house renovation into an easily understandable project. When I was confused, they kindly & patiently explained. When complications arose (as they always do in house renovations), they creatively offered solutions. When the scope of work got a bit out of hand because of everyone's dreaming, they were the ones that streamlined the project so that our dreams were in-line with our budget. I've not experienced this attention to customer needs in quite some time. I would recommend them every time. read more