Michael Mullin Architect

We wanted to bring our 1896 Queen Anne style Victorian into the 21^st Century, but maintain a connection to it’s 19^th Century roots. Michael listened carefully to our thoughts and concerns and worked closely with us to plan and develop a house we love more and more each day. Space is at a premium in older houses in San Francisco and Michael magically made the most of what was available. As important, his attention to detail shows in every room. It’s obvious to everyone who visits the care taken with finish and style. We would recommend Michael without hesitation to anyone who is looking for a talented, thoughtful, and thorough architect to translate their ideas into something special.

Michael consulted for us when we remodeled our kitchen and came up with the breakthrough idea that allowed us to have a functional and effective layout. He has a great sense of how to maximize a space for both function and aesthetics. He has consulted on remodels on our investment projects as well, and is a great resource for reliable contractors and other vendors. In addition to being a great architect, he is also a good listener, has a great sense of humor, and is a good person. His input has helped us tremendously, and we can’t recommend him highly enough.

Over 20 years I have remodeled my own home and several investment properties, Michael has consulted on these, giving me valuable advice. His input lowered my construction costs and increased the resale value of my properties. Highly recommended.

We wanted to add a third story to our 1948 house in the Outer Sunset, and had several unusual constraints, including the desire to keep the second «living» floor intact with only a kitchen remodel, no parallel walls in the large new third-​floor music room to reduce reverberation, and a full-​size elevator (!). After talking with several architects, we settled on Michael and were delighted with the result — and even more surprisingly — with the process. He helped us find and select an array of skilled contractors and engineers (structural steel was added and a new foundation constructed in place, it is earthquake country after all), and was onsite almost daily during the process to ensure the result.
We have been delighted with that result, my spouse loves it, and technical me was so enchanted by the intricacy required for the back wall (all those angles) that I have framed the long stripe of Michael’s architectural drawing that shows it and hung it behind the piano.
I highly recommend Michael Mullin. He brings strong technical competence, access to great resources, absolute honesty, hard work, fair negotiation, and a fine artistic vision to his work.

You can’t go wrong with Michael. Along with being incredibly talented he is thoughtful, kind and impeccable with the details. We hired him to restore our 100 year old home in Marin County. It was important to update the house but retain the charm and character of the original structure. His vision was perfect and his work has stood the test of time. Our remodel was in 2001 and today we still get rave reviews. This is a testament, not only to his ability to design, but to choose fixtures and interiors that don’t look dated. I really loved his process too. He talked to us about how we spent our time in the house and how we would utilize each and every space based on our lifestyle. These details allowed him to design for the people who were going to live there not just for the sake of «design». The architectural changes he suggested were perfect. We moved a staircase and lifted a section of the roof which we had not previously considered. We sure are happy he recommended those changes as they are a pivotal component of light and space in our home. Michael is also very easy to work with and he documents and remembers every conversation and decision. He will stand up for his ideas and can be quite persuasive but when the client decides to go another direction he will adapt and compromise. Our home was featured in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine and «Kitchens for the rest of Us» a Taunton Press book which indicates we’re not the only ones who appreciate his work!

I highly recommend Michael Mullin. I used him for a two-​year, massive reconstruction /​expansion of my 1883 Victorian house in Noe Valley. I found him because he was working on a very similar project on the same block. It turns out that he had done other projects on the same street. I liked the work he was doing on that house, and unlike the four other architects I talked to, he definitely checked his ego at the door. He definitely had a vision for the project, but he was also open-​minded and actually listened to other ideas. That doesn’t always happen with architects who seem more interested in winning awards and padding their resumes rather than pleasing the client. This project cost $ 2 million and involved all kinds of permits, variances, plus dealing with neighbors and a contractor who could occasionally be difficult. The end product was beautiful and I give a lot of the credit to Michael and his small, talented staff. You can’t go wrong with Michael, regardless of the scope of your project.

Michael was hired as our architect for a major remodel of our house. The process was quite involved and he worked with us for many months to finalize the design. He listened to our ideas and, combined with his own vision, he created a beautiful space that, many years later, we are still thrilled with. It is a space that consistently impresses our visitors. He also was very through throughout the project, advising on many details during the lengthy construction phase. I can recommend him without reservation.