TOLA architecture

Name: TOLA architecture
Address: 540 President Street-3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY, 11215, United States
Telephone: +1 718-499-4197
Rating: 5

18 Reviews

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About Us

TOLA architecture is a full service architecture and design firm based in Brooklyn, with a satellite outpost in the Catskill hamlet of Big Indian. We are devoted to the creation of good clean design for projects of all scales. Founding partners Lisa Mann, RA, Certified Passive House Designer, LEED-AP BD+C and Keary K. Horiuchi, RA, AIA provide the expertise and leadership of over 40 years in the field. After honing their skills at Polshek Partnership Architects (now Ennead Architects LLP), Beyer Blinder Belle Architects, Bogdanow Partners Architects, Turino Kalberer Architects and in their own private practices, they have created TOLA. With TOLA you’ll benefit from years of on-the-ground experience, strong relationships throughout the industry, great communication skills, and a finely honed team. We are well versed in townhouse, loft, and apartment renovations in the NYC area and new construction / additions further afield. In addition we have extensive experience with historic homes and a keen interest in sustainable design. We excel in bringing projects from concept through construction to completion. From the first call, we will work with you to create a space that is uniquely suited to your needs. If you are looking to build your dream home, give us a call at (718) 499-4197 or click the "Contact Me" button to send us a message. We look forward to working with you!

Services Provided

Bathroom Design, Building Design, Custom Homes, Drafting, Energy-Efficient Homes, Floor Plans, Green Building, Historic Building Conservation, Home Additions, Home Extensions, Home Remodeling, House Plans, Kitchen Design, Kitchen Remodeling, New Home Construction, Space Planning, Sustainable Design, Universal Design, Construction Drawings

Areas Served

Brooklyn, Manhattan, New York

Awards

-Certified Passive House Designer

14 Projects

Business Details

Business Name

TOLA architecture

Phone Number

+1 718-499-4197

Website

www.tola-architecture.com

Address

540 President Street-3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Typical Job Cost

$125,000 - $2,500,000

We're interested in design projects of all scales. Our project fees reflect our close attention to detail in taking your project from inspiration through construction.

Followers

108 Followers

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18 Reviews for TOLA architecture

Newest first

David Gallagher

Lisa of TOLA architecture helped us rethink our approach to a long exposed-brick wall spanning the living and dining areas in our Park Slope brownstone apartment. She took us well beyond our original ideas and created a design that included cabinets, a stone countertop, a redesigned fireplace, and hanging shelves. Her aesthetic choices were solid and she helped us work through cost issues and select the right materials. She also managed the project and paid great attention to detail when it came to the contracting work. Much of the work was done while we were out of town and we returned to what felt like a beautiful new apartment. We highly recommend Lisa's firm.

December 31, 2017

Comment from TOLA architecture:

It was such a pleasure meeting and working with you through this project, and so glad you are pleased with the design!

Blankenship Design

I have worked with TOLA on multiple residential projects and find them to be excellent designers who are creative, thorough, and thoughtful. Their attention to detail gives each of their projects lasting qualities that exceed the expectations of their clients. Collaborating with Lisa and Keary is always a pleasure, and I look forward to the next project.

November 29, 2017

Comment from TOLA architecture:

Thank you, we look forward to the next one, too!

TM Roche-Kelly

We hired TOLA architecture and Lisa Mann after beginning work to restore a Brooklyn rowhouse as a passive house. We met with TOLA on the recommendation of our previous architecture firm who was forced to close its doors shortly after our demolition phase began. It was challenging picking up work with someone else's drawings and entering already established relationships but Lisa and the office handled it very well. At times this required extensive research and reconstruction of long forgotten processes. Lisa has been invaluable in the managing of the logistics of the project, team relationships, timeline and permitting/building codes. She has been especially helpful in designing and implementing the passive details required for the project. She is detail oriented, organized and generally a pleasure to work with as are all other members of the office that I have come in contact with. Further, I trust her eye aesthetically. We won't hesitate to call TOLA for future phases of the project.

November 29, 2017

Comment from TOLA architecture:

It's been such a pleasure to meet and work with you through this project. Your commitment to sustainability within a warm, welcoming home was the rudder for this ship!

Leah S.

When we bought our 3-story house, it was like many older places in Brooklyn—all chopped up with lots of walls and doors that made no sense. We hired TOLA architects (Keary & Lisa) because we wanted them to create a warm space that flowed and met our desire to maximize light and allow us easy access to our backyard. Their designs completely opened up our middle floor so that our kitchen and family space blend. They designed two completely new bedrooms (with closets!) and a full bath for our kids on the lower level. As well, their designs took in to account our plans for additional renovations so while the walls and ceilings were open during construction, they created the necessary infrastructure for future work. This forward-thinking planning will make those renovations shorter in duration and lower in cost. We love how our house feels and are excited about the next phase of renovations. We found Keary to be highly responsive during the planning and construction phases. He had a great relationship with our general contractor so any questions or concerns were quickly remedied. Lastly, TOLA stayed mindful of and respected the firm budget we had for these renovations.

November 16, 2017

Comment from TOLA architecture:

Thanks so much for your comments, Leah, and so glad the project worked well for you!

sjsbrooklyn

We worked with Lisa and TOLA on a gut renovation of the garden level of our Park Slope home. Lisa is fantastic: very conscientious, great design sensibility, thoughtful towards the owner's concerns, super easy to work with. We completely reconfigured our garden level, adding a powder room and building a new kitchen and dining room. Lisa had excellent ideas on how to maximize space in our 15-foot wide house, and helped us refine our own ideas of what we wanted to ensure an excellent outcome. She did a great job managing the contractor relationship, and made sure all the details were perfectly attended to. We were so happy that we subsequently engaged TOLA for a second project, a complete overhaul of our building's exterior.

June 25, 2017

Comment from TOLA architecture:

It was terrific working with you on the interior renovation and I look forward to the completion of the exterior this summer!

Jennier Schultz

Thorough and easy to work with. Great design ideas! Very good at managing the contractor/ owner relationship. I would hire them again for my next project!

December 22, 2016

Ariella Lang

We loved working with Lisa and TOLA architecture! Lisa has such a great eye for design, and she both maximized the usable space in our apartment and made it look beautiful. We feel lucky to have gotten to work with her!

December 21, 2016

Susanna Yurick

TOLA designed a brand new bathroom for us. There was no existing bathroom in the location so the project involved the design of the bathroom as well as placing the room in the existing space (which we will eventually turn into our bedroom.) It was tricky to create the room and make it fit with our brownstone and to preserve the existing space for a variety of uses. The pictures are awkward because of the limitations of the camera, and don't do the project justice. We are very, very happy! They did a great job, were honest and easy to work with!

December 20, 2016

Comment from TOLA architecture:

Thanks for the kind words and so happy this worked out for you!

Laura Sztejnberg

I worked with TOLA Architecture (Lisa Mann specifically) to renovate my pre-war apartment. She managed to come up with good solutions to small spaces, kept the project moving and on budget, and made sure that all the specifications for every detail were met.

December 16, 2016

Comment from TOLA architecture:

Thanks for your kind words and recent referral!
I hope you're continuing to enjoy your home.

HU-5344827

We worked with Lisa Mann and TOLA architecture on two separate projects - the first for all rooms in our apartment except the kitchen and bathrooms, and two years later we asked her to help us with the kitchen and bathrooms too. As a family in a pre-war apartment, we needed Lisa to help make our space more contemporary, more open, and to maximize storage. She has an incredible vision and way with space and really took the time to understand our design aesthetic. The result is a beautiful, useable, airy apartment that is perfectly suited to our family, our style, and the way we live in our space. Lisa is a pleasure to work with and we have comfortably recommended her to both friends and family. She communicates well and interacts well with contractors and building staff.

July 20, 2016Last modified:July 20, 2016

Comment from TOLA architecture:

It's been such a pleasure working with you on these projects. I love seeing you and your family grow into the space in all the ways we imagined together. And many thanks for your ongoing support.

Nancy Minty

We restored a pre-war apt. in Prospect Heights - lots of potential but it had been stripped of its character. The main living space had bee reduced to a large rectangle and the original moldings replaced by 2 x 4s. Enter Tola Architecture. With impeccable vision and attention to detail Lisa and Keary achieved what we had hoped for, and more (and tactfully talked us out of some bad choices). Their solutions yielded balance, proportion, harmony and elegance, through the considered reconfiguration of spaces, and the scrupulous design of structures - the depth of walls, the height and width of doors and the incorporation of existing windows. Furthermore, they included functional flexibility with the use of custom designed sliding doors. There is not a day that goes by when we do not take pleasure in the results of their vision. If we had to do it all again we would certainly choose Tola.

June 7, 2016

Comment from TOLA architecture:

Creating flexible living spaces within the pre-war language is a specific NYC challenge. It was such a pleasure working through the options with you and we're so happy to hear that you continue to enjoy your home.

Veena Mohandoss

We used TOLA architecture for the gut renovation of our brownstone. They were amazing. They had great ideas and we liked them both professionally and personally. We have always heard of bumpy renovations, but ours was a smooth, efficient and pleasurable process. We highly recommend them!

June 2, 2016

Comment from TOLA architecture:

Your project still holds a special place for me. The warmth of materials, handcrafted elements, and clean lines really came together in a unique way. So glad you continue to enjoy it.

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32 Comments

Commented: Hi! Where are the industrial styled wood/piping shelving system from?The shelving system was a custom design by our office; we specified industrial pipe fittings with 2 1/2" thick reclaimed wood shelving, sealed only with oil. We had a great GC http://www.constr...

January 16, 2020

Commented: What material is this counter top?Thanks for your question about this kitchen. The countertop is natural Soapstone.

February 25, 2019

Commented: What is the countertop material?Hi Lisa and thanks for your question! These are custom copper countertops with an integral sink and backsplash. They were fabricated by the team at Brooks Custom and they did a fabulous job. https...

February 14, 2019

Commented: sink/backsplashHi Lori and thanks for your interest. The countertops and backsplash are copper, custom designed by TOLA and executed to perfection by Brooks Custom in Mt. Kisco, New York. www.brookscustom.com

November 6, 2018

Commented: where did you get the wall tiles? I love the size and the color!Thanks for your question, Grace! There are two tiles, both available at Nemo Tile. At the vanity we used Nemo's Sandglass Waveline Mini Collection in Pure Silk. At the shower we used Nemo's Viscaya...

October 2, 2018

Commented: What color are the floors? Are they Marmoleum sheet in Real?Yes - they are the Marmoleum Real sheet material: the field is Sahara / 3174 and the inset detail is Red Copper / 3870. Thanks for your question!

September 30, 2018

TOLA architecture