Working with Colin was an excellent experience, the best one I have had in the 20+ building projects that I have undertaken. Colin has his act together from the high creative aspects of design excellence with cost efficiency, to the more pragmatic aspects of checking the contractor’s billing and quality of work.

— Mark Bloome

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Colin and Brandt Design. My specific residential project consisted of very high quality expectations in terms of design and project management as well as tight budget restraints and Colin over-delivered at every level under those difficult circumstances. Working with my aged traditional Queen Anne home, he presented me with several options that mapped directly back to my day-to-day lifestyle needs as well as bringing a refreshing and creative perspective which allowed me to gain substantially more value for the work performed. He worked closely with my contractor to assure the work was performed at the highest quality and on time. Having an impeccable eye for detail, he was never afraid to identify a gap/imperfection in the work. I will without hesitation recommend Brandt Design and look forward to partnering with Colin again in the future!

— Loren Alhadeff

It has been almost five years since we moved into our newly built home. Occasionally we reflect on the huge process of start-to-finish design, construction, and settling in, and feel very lucky that things went so smoothly. We ask ourselves if there is anything we would have done differently, anything we should have changed to make life here more suited to us. The answer is no. Thanks to Colin’s thorough and thoughtful work, the house is sited beautifully to get the best light and weather out of each season. All outdoor and indoor surfaces are holding up well and complement our aesthetic preferences. Each room size is just right; passageways and storage areas are functional and pleasant. We love this house, we love living in it and appreciate its artistic value and practicality as well.

— Barbara Bradfield

I have worked with Colin on my last two kitchen remodels and there will certainly be a third. Colin has a great sense of design, but what makes him special is that he really encourages me to think about what I really like and then he as a great way of incorporating it all into the overall plan. In the end, I have loved both of my kitchens; each one unique. Additionally, he is patient, flexible, has great resource suggestions, and is a wonderful interface with contractors.

— Jill Kemble

Hello Colin, Happy spring! I saw Brad a few nights ago and it reminded me that I wanted to share that the kitchen is still perfect! I sat at the kitchen table with heat on my back for over 300 hours this winter completing my National Boards for teaching and I honestly would have quit had I not had that lovely spot to be and a fabulous kitchen to look at! Everything works perfectly and the light in the whole house is amazing! So, again, I love the house and thank you for your talents.

— Anna White

Colin was instrumental in a pretty complex remodel we had done for our house in 2008. The scope included adding an additional bed and bath room on the second floor, but also remodeling a lot of the first and second floor of our house to more efficiently use the space we had. He was very creative in coming up with ways to make the house more functional, but also has a great sense of aesthetics.

During the initial stages he and his team met with us to understand what we were looking for, to help define the “product”. After we had agreed on the overall approach we (Colin, our contractor, and us) met on a frequent basis to talk through things we had uncovered when selecting the various materials (tiles, appliances, other materials, etc.) to rethink the initial design. He at that point also provided guidance on how to reduce the scope of the project, for cost savings matters.

As we went out of the country for several months during the remodel, Colin was our “watch dog” while were gone. He provided feedback on how the project proceeded. Working closely with the contractor, he visited the site frequently to provide us feedback and pictures of the work as it progressed.

We are very happy with the result.

— Markus Glunz & Ruth Kennedy

We are utterly grateful for all of your support and ingenious ideas in creating the new Vera Project. To say that it was a pleasure working with you would be a gross understatement. Thank you.

— Kate Becker, Co-founder of The Vera Project


We at Schuchart/Dow enjoy working with Colin because he is very sensible with his design approach and his designs are always very buildable. Colin works well to solve problems and always finds a rational, reasonable solution. We have found Colin to be an advocate for both the contractor and the owner and he offers an unbiased voice when conflicts arise. We often refer our clients to Colin for design services because we are confident that a project designed by him will always be a successful one.

— Jim Dow, Co-owner of Schuchart/Dow


Colin’s approach to design helped the client understand the value proposition of the project. He worked equally well with the trades, not only to explain the project goals, but to gather their input to create efficiencies and stretch the project budget. It was a winning formula for all.

— Blaise Goudy, Owner of Goudy Construction Company

It was a pleasure to work with Colin and Brandt design on the Tomlinson project. The design work was thorough, well researched, and completed in a timely manner. Colin’s commitment to teamwork proved to be a great asset to client as well as the builder. And, of course, the architecture of the finished product was beautiful.

— Matthew Cantrell, Co-owner of Odyssey Builders, Inc.

I’ve been meaning to email you for some time to send you an incredibly heart felt thank you.  Over the past couple of summers, as we finished the house and added the three season room, we have absolutely been thrilled with the changes.  Being in that house feeds my soul.  The light, the way the trees come into the house.  The flow, the space—the fact that the house is not big but it feels like there is space for everyone.  The deck off the master bedroom that I would have never ever thought of that is now one of my favorite places in the whole house.  Every time I’m there, I send a thank you to you in my heart as I fall asleep in our tree house with our very own deck.  You rock.  You got what we wanted and made it so, so much more than we ever could have imagined.

— Libby Nuttall