Francesco Pierazzi Architects

We chose Francesco because he was highly reviewed on Which? Trusted Traders. We have not been disappointed. What started out as a partial refurbishment of our house and improved access to our loft, turned into a full house renovation with a hip to gable loft conversion. Francesco displayed great imagination, creativity and aesthetic sensibility in the solutions he proposed to meet our requirements. Francesco demonstrated a great talent for listening to our plans and aspirations, and building on them in an open-ended dialogue with us. Usually we agreed with his proposed design and aesthetic ideas. Occasionally, Francesco pushed for particular ideas despite our initial doubts. In the event, we are glad he persisted and that we went for his suggestions. We are especially pleased with the airiness of the loft and the great views it affords on three sides of the house. The loft now lends itself to many more uses than we had originally envisaged. We also love the design and aesthetics of our new kitchen, bathroom and wet room; all of which are more useful and attractive than we had anticipated. Francesco has shown a talent for maximising the utility of the tight space in these rooms. Francesco planned for the work to happen in two stages, whereby we lived in the lower part of the house while the loft was being converted, and then moved upstairs for stage two. Although this was quite challenging, we have ended up with a house that has vastly improved the quality of our lives.

For our ground floor remodelling + extension, we wanted an expert to bring our ideas to life and advise on how best to achieve them, to challenge us where there were better ways of doing things and push us to consider a wider range of possibilities. We selected Francesco Pierazzi, and working with him was excellent. We talked through what we were hoping to achieve, where some of our thinking was well developed, some sketchy, other elements little more than a concept / idea / feeling. He captured our thinking as the basis for our engagement, then followed up with images / design inspiration, well aligned with our brief. Some seemed rather grand, for our 1905 London mid-terrace, but you can still see those influences in the finished product, in a way that works in our space, and our lives, and nails the look, feel and functionally we hoped for. From there, he developed designs, materials, fixtures & fittings, occasionally recommending another specialist (e.g. for kitchen fittings) and even advised on furniture when asked. He did what we needed to get the best from the project, encouraging us to consider things beyond our initial instincts / responses, but happy to get behind our preference if those suggestions didn’t suit us. He also managed the project for us, as the principal interface with our building team. He did a great job, pushing for close to perfection but judging well when pragmatism / compromise was necessary. We couldn’t recommend him enough!

We engaged Francesco to design, specify and supervise a new back addition kitchen. He listened carefully to our needs and came up with several creative alternatives for us to consider. After consultation, he amended the proposals that he specified and tendered, to a satisfactory outcome. He supervised the contractor and was always available to deal with problems that arose during the work. He was considered in his recommendations for amendments that arose along the way and brought the project to a successful conclusion. Francesco was always professional, available for help and consultation, replied promptly to queries and was patient and personable at all times. I would not hesitate to recommend him.

Francesco was an inspiration. He really helped envisage and bring to life my ideas for my new home in the Derbyshire Dales – and, of course, take them to a whole new level. The project involved remodelling of the whole ground floor of the cottage, to make best use of the space and to allow the beautiful surrounding countryside in – with the main focus being a single story extension to the rear. This extension was careful to both celebrate and embrace the natural local materials and architectural style, while balancing it with modernity and an openness which both brought views of the Dales inside, as well as much needed addition of natural light into the property. Francesco also indulged me in my passion for gardening, and designed a potting shed as part of the extension, quirky and vernacular in style to wonderfully contrast with the modernity of the main design. I would highly recommend Francesco to anyone looking for an architect. He is extremely talented, has an impeccable eye and imagination and is a pleasure to work with.

Francesco designed and project managed a loft conversion and ground floor refurbishment for us in our house in Brixton. Francesco excelled in all areas, from helping us with the concept of our renovations to guiding us through implementation. He was very patient (we took a long time from initial contact to getting going!) and was there to offer advice on any and all aspects of the practical and the aesthetic. As a working couple with two young kids and minimal time to think about anything properly we relied on him a lot and he delivered to an extremely high level. We are absolutely delighted with the outcome, and would attach pictures if we were able to keep any of the rooms tidy for more than five minutes!

Francesco designed and project managed the build of a large modern extension for me. His design met the brief perfectly (lots of light, clearly defined and functional areas (kitchen, sitting areas, dining area, shower, new entrance)). He has created a fantastic, interesting and light filled living space which we really enjoy. The work was done to a high standard on time. Francesco also advised us regarding the interior design. I have no hesitation in recommending him.

Francesco is an exceptional architect who I would strongly recommend to others. I engaged Francesco to design and manage major renovations to my Grade II Listed home. Some key points are: - Excellent customer focus: Francesco took time to understand my requirements and personal style. Francesco has a rare ability to take someone's vague ideas then transform and enhance them into a clear vision. - Quality of designs: Franscesco's designs were innovative and original. Every room in the house has a "talking point" which garners compliments from visitors. - Helpful, beyond architecture: Francesco consistently goes above and beyond his role as architect offering advice on interior design and even giving up weekends to visit furniture stores to help ensure the final outcome is perfect. - Calm & Friendly: Francesco's experience and calm demeanour during the (few) more stressful periods of the built was invaluable to me. If you are looking for a high quality, passionate and committed architect then I would recommend Francesco without hesitation.

Francesco went out of his way to transform my home into a more beautiful place with a far better use of space. His flair for design, attention to detail and professional approach made what could have been a stressful experience an almost painless one and I am delighted with the result. He is a reliable, trustworthy and innovative architect that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

Honestly, if you need an architect, Francesco is the one. His approach is candid and intuitive and he has great vision. I couldn’t have been more impressed when we used his services recently for our kitchen extension and re-design project. We started with a large but awkward space and we really didn’t know how to achieve the family kitchen / dining layout we wanted within the space we had. We initially spoke to a couple of kitchen designers but no-one had the vision to see what Francesco saw, he made suggestions that we hadn’t even considered and once we spoke to him we knew immediately that we were on the right path. We are so happy with the finished project – with Francesco’s help we now have the kitchen and dining / living space we always wanted. His ideas for colour, finish and design have been perfect every time. He has the great skill of listening to what you want and making it happen, all the time keeping everything within the project balanced. He listened to our suggestions every time and came up with clear and detailed solutions that made sense and kept our kitchen functional but also aesthetically beautiful. I would highly recommend.

We first used Francesco Pierazzi Architects in 2014, having found him on ‘Which Local’ and he undertook the design and management of a Utility/ shower room extension. Four years down the line I am just as happy with the outcome as I was then. I therefore asked Francesco to design my kitchen and again to manage the project using the same builders. The project included two new doors and a new extractor duct to the outside. I am delighted with the result and will certainly use him again in any future projects. Francesco has a wonderful ‘eye’ and a clear vision of what can be achieved. Although he has strong opinions he listens and suggests sensible alternatives, putting forward design ideas that one could never think of oneself. He understands materials and fitments and works very well with the builders to allow their input as well. And I also agree with other reviewers, a strong sense of light. Input worth every penny!