Kelly & Abramson Architecture - Piedmont, California

Haley Kotnik

We recently had the pleasure of working with Kelly & Abramson Architecture on our home renovation project (entryway, dining room, kitchen, and bath), and we couldn't be happier with the results. From start to finish, Rob Kelly demonstrated unparalleled professionalism, knowledge of period homes, and attention to detail.
From our initial consultation, it was clear that Rob possessed a keen eye for design and an immediate understanding of our vision. He took the time to listen to our ideas and preferences for the space, insert his ideas when his experience and knowledge led him to, and then transformed them into a stunning and practical design that exceeded our expectations. He not only has a fantastic eye for design, but also for function. Throughout the design and construction process, he would walk us through the space and the plans at each revision to make sure that the space worked for the way we cooked, or got ready in the morning for example. Now that we’re living in our renovated space, I cannot believe how much more efficient he was able to make the same amount of space.
During the planning phase, Rob pushed us to make as many decisions as we could in order to make a much more streamlined and stress free construction phase. I’m sure his detail oriented approach was the reason we were able to come in under budget on our project and made the construction phase go so smoothly.
He also has many contacts in the industry and made recommendations for general contractors when the time came for us to find one. We ended up working with one of his recs which was also an excellent experience. He coordinated seamlessly with contractors and kept us informed every step of the way. Rob also was extremely knowledgeable on our city’s codes and was able to quickly tell us when something was possible as well as accurately estimate timelines because he has worked with our city so often. It put us at ease knowing we wouldn’t get surprised later down the line.
We wholeheartedly recommend Rob and Kelly & Abramson Architecture to anyone considering a home renovation. Their exceptional talent, experience, professionalism, and dedication to their clients make them a standout choice. We will definitely be reaching out to Rob when the time comes to renovate other areas of our home.

Morgan Molvig

We hired Rob Kelly for a remodel on our bathroom and kitchen as well as new stairs to our backyard. Rob’s expertise shined throughout the project, from his deep knowledge of craftsman style homes, his eye for design choices big and small, and his ability to keep us moving forward in a stress-free manner. He works quickly and thoroughly and was able pivot seamlessly when needed. Thanks to Rob and our contractor the project was actually done early! Unheard of, as they say.

Importantly, Rob understands building code and the permit approval process very well. He was able to use some fringe code to get stairs approved from the city that most people thought would never work. Plus he checked in often to ensure the plans were being reviewed, which helped them get approved quickly through a broken city process.

Hiring Rob was the best decision we made for our remodel and the outcome wouldn’t have been nearly as good without him.

Hayley Young

Rob was our architect for a full home renovation/restoration and new ADU, and I can't speak highly enough of him. We chose to work with Rob for his passion for restoration and historic architecture, as well as his cost consciousness. We had no clue what we were walking into but Rob enabled us to be to be the 'designers' of our dream home by teaching us how to budget, translating our Pinterest boards, and enabling us throughout the process, while he was really driving the ship with his deep expertise and bias toward action. Rob also helped us bid contractors, and very importantly iterate on the design collaboratively with our chosen contractor, Dan Richards. I very much appreciate Rob's directness, humor and patience throughout the 3 year journey!

On a personal note, Rob also is gives back to our local community helping to build Tiny Homes for homeless youth in Oakland.

A little before and after...

Patrick Lang

Rob and his team have done a fantastic job with our projects. We've used him for a deck project, and then again for an interior remodel. His design ideas are amazing and he has the technical expertise to make them work. He has an accessible and laid back approach that makes the process as painless as possible. Despite his laid back approach, he was on top of every detail and deadline. Absolute pleasure to work with. He gets our highest recommendation.

Erin Garcia

Dear Rob, thank you for the work you did to make our dining room dream come true! We are so happy to finally have the indoor/outdoor feel that we always knew our house could have. We literally could not have done it without you. Our doors are fantastic, a total home run.

Laura McDowell

From our first meeting with Rob, it was immediately clear that he understood our aesthetic and the goals for each of our three home remodels. Working with him has been has been nothing but easy: his first sketches are always inspiring and he has smoothly guided us through every step of the way from picking out a contractor to picking out doorknobs. I trust Rob implicitly: not only does he have impeccable taste but he enthusiastically researches and follows through with any of our requests. I would recommend him without the slightest hesitation.

Jenny Mak Nelson

Rob and his team helped us with our basement remodel. It was really nice to work with Rob and Mario. I really appreciate all the thought, creativity, and effort that went into making my basement and outdoors so beautiful and usable. I would highly recommend them and use them again!

Samantha Burggrabe

It’s impossible to convey in a simple review how skilled, attentive and effective an architect Rob Kelly is. Everyone had told us nightmare stories about their own renovations before we started, and we had enormous trepidation going in. Due in large part to Rob, however, our renovation was the opposite of what we expected: we finished on budget and on schedule, and had more fun with the design process than we could have imagined.

My husband and I lived in an Oakland 2 bed/1 bath, 1920s bungalow with our two kids, and needed more space. We thoroughly explored the moving option and, not having an extra $2 million handy to buy a larger home, decided to stay and build up.

My background is in writing about interior design and decorating, and my primary concern was finding an architect who would preserve and build upon the character of our original home, rather than erasing it as so many renovations do. I looked at hundreds (no really – hundreds) of portfolios, and we interviewed many architects. All seemed highly talented and capable, but Rob displayed the clearest understanding of our needs and aesthetics.

My husband was very concerned about costs and architect fees. Throughout the design process, Rob updated us with estimated construction costs and at every step helped make the renovation more cost effective. He also was incredibly adept at integrating and improving upon my many (many!) Pinterest-inspired design ideas. The completed design is coherent and compatible with the 1920s style of the home, but dramatically more functional and more beautiful than I could have hoped. We now have two new bedrooms, an office, a second full bath, and a completely reconfigured main floor that includes a truly knockout new kitchen.

Rob recommended all four of the contractors for us to interview, all of whom he had worked with previously on other projects. We went with the lowest of these four bids because it allowed us to keep Rob’s original design and stay within the budget.

Our contractor, Dan Richards, went to extraordinary lengths to make sure that every piece of the puzzle fit together. Dan and Rob have a collaborative mindset and worked together beautifully through each step of the process. Rob was careful to make sure that our concerns were heard, and helped us stay on budget and on schedule with his incredible knowledge and experience. We are beyond delighted with the finished product, and simply cannot recommend him more highly.