I Hired Three Architects in Greenwich Before Finding One Who Actually Listened
The first architect talked about himself for forty five minutes. His awards. His design philosophy. A project he did in Shoreditch that had nothing to do with my three bed Victorian terrace in Charlton. He barely looked at the house. He definitely didnt ask how we lived in it. He sketched something on the spot that looked impressive but had the staircase landing in the middle of our daughters bedroom. When I pointed this out he said "we can finesse that later." There was no later. The second architect was the opposite. Quiet. Methodical. Took measurements. Sent a detailed proposal two weeks later. But the design was generic. A rectangular box on the back with bifold doors. It could have been any house on any street in any borough. Nothing about it responded to our specific property or our specific needs. The third architect walked in, spent ten minutes looking at the house, and asked a question nobody else had. "Where does everyone end up on a Sunday morning." The...