Abbas Rachaman, Designer, Board&Vellum

Like most folks when it comes to a major kitchen remodel of a home built in 1927- we were clueless as to the varying mysteries that could and did unfold. Abbas held our hands, listened to our vision and made the process ideal, instead of an ordeal. Because of his easy demeanor and attentiveness coupled with his sense and knowledge of design, our kitchen is beyond whatever dream we thought we had. From the very start, he asked us how did we use our current kitchen and we actually did a walk-thru demonstrating this. I knew there were things I didn't like about that kitchen, but didn't realize how dysfunctional it was until that point (lol). Next in the process, he asked what changes did we want to make. What were major desires. For me, our home in the Mt. Baker neighborhood, it was important to update the kitchen but have it look like it belonged in a 1927 home. I didn't want an ultra modern design. He heard that and then created 3-4 different designs that we were able to mix and match into a final one. For my husband who does clean up, he wanted the sink, dishwasher and dish cabinets to be in the same area. He also wanted to keep the radiator (we are both New Yorkers). I wanted 2 full ovens and a gas stove. In the pictures, you see how Abbas incorporated all of this and gave us an elevated countertop (over the radiator) to put our microwave. I have a cabinet that has a gizmo in it where I can store pots and pans into a dead corner. When you open the cabinet, sliding shelves provide easy access. Unlike my old kitchen, there is no wasted space. It's all functional. Abbas always said that was one of his main priorities. During the remodel, he would come onsite to make sure the work was being done well and according to specs. He contacted me one day and asked if he could change the specs to include a niche above the stove, asking if this was something I wanted. My answer was absolutely. He'd thought about this the night before. What I couldn't get over was the fact that my kitchen design was in his head during his 'off' hours. He was with us as we selected cabinets, knobs for the cabinets, appliances, tiles, paint color reminding me about scale and dimension, the pros and cons of product types. Our kitchen is so beautiful and more importantly, so functional that my husband loves being my sous chef and busboy. We are spending lots of time together preparing meals. We sit at the island and work on our computers or drink coffee and read the NY Times. Now that the kitchen opens into our family room and we widened the space leading to the dining room, we've had so many dinners, brunches and get togethers because our kitchen wants to us to entertain. Great company that hires the best craftsmen/women and in Abbas, a great and creative designer with a sense of humor.

Abbas has designed two bathrooms and a dressing room/master closet in our house, as well as provided design advice for other rooms. He is the best designer I've ever known. His decisions, overall vision, understanding of functionality, and awareness of the client's taste and the setting of the house and rooms have resulted in rooms that I love more and more with time. I believe he has a rare combination of doing many things well, but most of all he has amazing design judgment and taste.

I worked with Abbas and the folks from Neil Kelly for a complete master batch remodel. Everyone I had contact with was very knowledgeable, helpful and easy to work with. Abbas had lots of good input to a project that I had already pretty much designed in my mind. He worked with me (patiently) to make my image come to life. When things were problematic, he worked to find solutions that made sense. Although the project wasn’t inexpensive, once the budget was set, things worked as planned. Working with a design/build firm like Neil Kelly made the project “easy”. Of course, my life was disrupted as with any remodel but it was pretty much worry-free - they took care of everything and looked after all the subcontractors. I’d recommend Abbas without any hesitation.

We had a wonderful experience working with Abbas on our multiple room home renovation project. We began this project with vague ideas about increasing our homes functionality and updating its aesthetic including kitchens and bathrooms. Abbas really helped us focus on specific changes to improve day-to-day use and ways to bring the house in line with our families sense of style. I really cannot say enough great things about working with him. Abbas started by evaluating our families needs in order to make sure that everything we changed maximized our functional day-to-day use of space. We discussed specifics about our kitchen: where we would put our stuff, how much stuff we had and what we need handy or stored. Once we had a plan for the spaces, Abbas helped us figure out our families unique style pallet. He was able to keep everyone happy by mixing "a little of this with some of that" for a unique and beautiful aesthetic. Finally, Abbas used his amazing eye for color and pattern to link different rooms of our house together with subtle nods to colors and patterns found in other rooms. Moving from one room to the next everything flows so beautifully. Our house is now brilliantly functional and inspiringly beautiful.