Kind Words

My entire experience in working with Sophie has been nothing short of perfect. Every step of the way she’s been kind, inspiring, intuitive, efficient, energetic and attentive. She’s truly outstanding in her ability to listen carefully to her clients needs and translate them into a project that is incredibly close to the client’s vision- throughout the process her suggestions have been so in tune with my wishes that we frequently joked that we shared a brain! Our project involved a complete home remodel -with additions- that was designed and completed in record time. As a first step, she asked me to collect pictures of my dream homes and to list what were essential esthetic and functional attributes that I was seeking. The first layout she designed as a result of this input was so close to what I wanted that it was practically the home we ended up building! We have now lived inside the house that resulted from that project for over 6 months and not a day goes by without me appreciating the thoughtful design and the functional flow of the spaces she imagined. The house is not only beautiful, unique and seamlessly part of the surrounding elements but is also perfectly suited for our lifestyle and needs. Sophie’s guidance on allocation of space, on choices of materials and colors as well as of local trades, resources and service providers has been invaluable. She was there every step of the way during the many inevitable issues that happen in home building and gracefully supported and provided guidance to our contractor. Building a new home is a highly rewarding but hugely stressful, life changing event and I would have never kept my sanity if it had not been for Sophie’s advice, guidance and direction. She never lost her sense of humor and thoughtfulness while following up on every one of my requests in record time and with impeccable quality. She is one of the best professionals I’ve ever worked with and I am grateful of her vision and creativity every day as we enjoy the beautiful and functional spaces she has designed for our lives.-PS

We worked with Sophie on the design and construction of a new first floor master suite. There were a number of design challenges and my husband and I had a number of different ideas about how the space should be used and what it should look like. Before we started, we were pretty convinced that integrating those different ideas into a coherent, functional and beautiful space might be extremely difficult. Sophie was not to be deterred however, and working actively with us, she created (or rather, we co-created) a master suite that far exceeded our expectations. A year later, we are just as pleased as we were when we first moved in. Contributing significantly to our satisfaction with the project was the construction phase and Sophie’s continued, active involvement with the contractor, with the project manager and us. The quality of the building and the communication with the construction company was outstanding. We have been so pleased that we are now working with Sophie and the same contractor on a redesign of the front entrance and walkway to our house. -MB

At best, building a house from rubbles is a daunting, challenging undertaking. Sophie was for us not merely an architect (brilliant with 'spatials', function and utilization), but also our partner, planner, intermediary with our general contractor and overall cheering squad. She knows how to work with subs, knows pitfalls and where costs can overrun, and will always provide two or three options that can get you what you want without having to sacrifice it all. A great listener and collaborator, Sophie is able to take abstract ideas and turn them into 'your' space. - D&A

Sophie was such a pleasure to work with. We wanted a big remodel on a 1960 cottage, and thought we would have to expand to get what we wanted. Sophie created modern spaces and everything we wanted without adding square footage. Thanks to Sophie our remodel was a pleasure. We are thrilled by the results!
- LC

One of the reasons we so enjoyed working with Sophie was her continued interest and involvement in the process. We envisioned that the architect handed the plans to the builder, wished them luck, and disappeared into the sunset. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Sophie partnered with our builder and visited the site many times, insuring that the vision became the reality. " - ME

Sophie is straightforward, direct, creative … and a joy to work with. Our house "fits" us nicely. We'd work with her again in a minute. -KC

My husband and I first met Sophie about six years ago when she designed a sun-room for our house in the country - we loved it from the beginning and feel certain that addition helped sell our home last Spring. When we made the decision to move to a retirement community, our first phone call was to Sophie - the space was 30 years old and needed serious renovation prior to our moving in. Sophie came up with incredible ideas - especially about space - and we credit her architectural skills for our being so happy today!!! Without the changes she designed - our day to day life would be totally different. She is simply the best!!!! -MM

Working with us on three major renovation projects over twelve years, Sophie has helped turn a house that needed work into a home we love. Both inside and out the house has become interesting and comfortable. We always know when meeting with Sophie that she will have lots of fun ideas incorporating what she knows we are looking for. -JT

Sophie pays attention to details, is good at solving difficult design problems, and works well with inspectors, builders, plumbers, electricians, and so on. Even after eighteen months filled with the usual stresses and strains that the renovation involved, I continued to enjoy our almost daily conversations. I recommend Sophie very highly and would unhesitatingly use her again myself were the occasion to arise. -CR

Sophie Piesse is MORE than an architect. In addition to producing professional drawings, Sophie takes a personal interest in every project and every client. When you enter her attractive office, you are greeted by pictures on the walls that impressively demonstrate her work. Sophie wants to know what you want in your living space. Sophie has worked with my wife and me on three completely different projects and she has performed in a gold medal manner every time! We have been amazed by her ability to take our ideas for living spaces and envision them in a way that has added so much to the quality of our lives. -LPM

I loved working with Sophie so much I did it twice! She listens! She is creative and knows her stuff. She understands efficiency of space, energy and costs, AND will design you a beautiful house. She knows that you will live in your house, and will seek to form it to how you do that, anticipating details that could become "issues" or, conversely, be really handy. Finally, and this is NOT insignificant, she is really nice and a delightful person with whom to work on a project. I recommend her with great enthusiasm! -MM

“Construction people working with her respect her; clients adore her. I have recommended her to friends arrayed all along the path from “thinking about maybe a little renovation” to “ready to gut the whole house and redo it completely. There’s no one I’d rather have at my side guiding the process if we were to buy a new “old” house and make it our own than Sophie Piesse.” -JE

Sophie was a pleasure to work with. She helped make our renovation dreams come true. She was able to help us translate our ideas into concrete plans, work with our contractor by speaking his language, and come up with innovative and beautiful solutions to make the renovation a beautiful home. We wholeheartedly recommend working with Sophie. -BM

After admiring her work in our neighborhood, we approached Sophie for help with a small renovation project that we hoped to do at some unknown point in the future. As fate would have it, we learned soon thereafter that we needed to rebuild an interior pool room in our house -- and quickly, to prevent water from coming into the house. We hoped that Sophie could figure out how to fix the problem, which seemed pretty complicated, but had no expectations of the project being remotely fun or quick, given what we'd heard about the Chapel Hill permitting process. Sophie was able to coax out of us what we thought we wanted the space to look like (beyond just "dry") and in short order produced not one, but two, options that not only solved our structural issue, but transformed the space - and our house as a whole. What should have been a stressful project of necessity quickly became fun. And just as remarkably, Sophie was able to get us the needed permits in short order, guided us through the bidding process, and remained extraordinarily available for all our questions as the project progressed. -EM

Sophie is a gem. She is technically brilliant, has a very straightforward communication style, and is super easy to work with. These qualities were immensely important to us as a couple facing a major home renovation with lots of trepidation and concerns about costs. The great relationship she had already established with the builder we chose, and her accessibility by email, phone and in person on key decisions along the way, made for a super smooth, positive experience. Most importantly, we adore our new space!
-CV

In the process of building our house, which had its moments of of stress, Sophie was a beacon of light and a calming force. She was ever present as a guide and resource in the seemingly endless string of decisions to be made. Her client-oriented encouragement helped us to build a house that fits our needs and lifestyle perfectly. It was always about what we wanted our house to be, not some grand, architectural ego-driven vision on her part. It's been 6 years since we moved in, and every time we run into Sophie we always say "We love our house!" -LJ

We have been fortunate to work with Sophie on 4 projects: a screen porch expansion, living room and playroom addition, yoga studio construction, and master bedroom ronovation. She has been an indispensable part of our ten-year house renovation, and we have thoroughly enjoyed working with her: professional, insightful, funny -- and sharp as they come. Sophie knows how to encourage us to find and speak our dreams, and then, of course, knows how to make them work on paper. Whether the job required figuring out how to creatively work with space limitations, or develop clear intentions for a new space, she was a wonderful support and friend, simply helping to make the whole process of renovation as straightforward and successful as possible. -HR

After having seen her beautiful redesign of the 1925 Carrboro farmhouse owned by my sisters-in-law, we knew that Sophie Piesse was the architect that could change the very odd, disjointed contemporary house that we purchased into our dream arts and crafts retirement home. Sophie was brought in one day after we completed the purchase of the house and through her inspired creativity provided a unique solution that tied the two unattached first floor angled sections of the structure into a grand entrance. Her design encompassed an almost complete revision of the house, leaving only the kitchen, one bedroom and two bathrooms untouched. In addition, a first floor master suite and a six car garage were added. This beautiful design was amazing in that it had to fit within the restrictive property set back and University Lake Watershed District impervious surface constraints. Throughout the process, Sophie was everything that you want in your architect. She is extremely good at listening to your wants and needs and then providing a solution that far exceeds anything that you dreamed possible. Sophie was instrumental in every facet of the eight month construction, acting as facilitator, color consultant, creative consultant and even provided us with much needed comic and stress relief. In short, when we are ready to begin the kitchen design, there is only one person we will call… -KS

Sophie's work with us was invaluable when we built our home. She was very thorough in planning and took care to take care that every detail was in place before the building process began. She was consistently available to intervene with our building contractor and sub-contractors. Her care undoubtedly saved us time and money, not to mention our personal satisfaction with the home she designed for us. -NGB