Grisafe Architecture, a commercial and residential architecture firm in Long Beach, California just hit an exciting milestone! This year, the firm is celebrating 20 years in business.
You don’t get to 20 years in business by being mediocre—especially in an industry like architectural design. You have to constantly stay on top of the latest trends in design, as well as the technology used in the industry.
Grisafe Architecture is doing a lot of things right. Not only do they provide their clients with great design, but they also provide them with superior service throughout the process. Owner Mark Grisafe puts it this way, “We know that being great architects is a lot more than just producing a good set of plans that will get approved by the city. It’s about listening to our clients’ needs, dreaming with them, facilitating the building or remodeling process, and being their advocate. It’s a personal approach that we enjoy, and also one that benefits our clients.”
Grisafe Architecture’s clients appreciate the firm’s concierge-style approach, which provides premium-level service to every client, big or small. Grisafe says one of the goals of his Long Beach architecture firm is to be an advocate on behalf of his clients. This means that the firm’s job isn’t done once the architectural drawings are complete. They will also see the plans through the approval process and can also oversee the actual construction to make sure the project is completed according to the plans and according to their clients’ wishes.
As a firm, they truly allow their clients to collaborate with them during the design process. They welcome all input, knowing that no one knows how the finished space will be used better than the clients themselves. This is especially true in commercial architecture. In their years in business, they have found that just about every commercial project has a special request that is unique to the client’s specific business or industry. For example, when Grisafe Architecture redesigned a surgery center in Long Beach, they had to make sure the building had a backup power supply, in case power went out unexpectedly during surgery. In another commercial project, the architecture firm had to design a space that could safely house industrial ovens and autoclaves for a manufacturing company. These types of unique challenges often require special expertise. Over the years, Grisafe Architecture has assembled an impressive network of outside experts and consultants—in addition to their own staff—whom they can call on to help them meet any of their clients’ needs.
This network is also what helps Grisafe Architecture stay competitive with the larger architecture firms in Southern California. Grisafe says, “Our small firm is set up to provide our clients with the expertise of a large firm, but with the service and client experience that typically only a small company can provide. We have a core team that works in our Long Beach office, but we also have an extensive network of experts that we can call on for more specialized work, which means we are able to complete the same types of projects that any large firm can.”
When it comes to residential design, Grisafe Architecture takes a very personalized approach. Grisafe and his team take a good amount of time to really understand who they are designing for. They get to know the family—how they interact with one another, their habits, their future plans—even their pets. Then, they design a home to suit their specific lifestyle.
Grisafe says, “Often, clients will tell me they like to ‘entertain.’” But since that word means different things to different people, I try to drill down even more to determine the type of entertaining they like to do (or what they envision themselves doing in their new home).” Grisafe explains that to some people, entertaining means hosting elaborate holiday parties; for others, it means having all of their kids’ friends over for game nights. For still others, entertaining involves hosting formal dinners with a few friends. How a family defines “entertaining” can have a big impact on the home’s design.
Entertaining is just one aspect of how people use their homes. Grisafe Architecture also takes into account how the home will be used on a day-to-day basis by everyone who lives there. Grisafe says, “It’s not just about what we like and what we think will work as architects. We really want to design homes that our clients will enjoy and that will inspire them in their daily lives.”
To learn more about Grisafe Architecture, you can visit their website: https://grisafearchitecture.com/
