Julia did an amazing job assisting me with all aspects of my internal renovation. This included creating designs for a new kitchen and open-plan living area, and the re-design of a laundry into an ensuite and walk-in-wardrobe. She was great at communicating ideas and had excellent suggestions for how to best maximise space and efficiencies (right down to suggesting that we utilise a wall between the walk-in-wardrobe and the laundry for a funky laundry chute)! For someone who has no design experience (and limited imagination), her ideas and concepts were greatly appreciated. Julia’s skills aren’t limited to architecture – she arranged all aspects of the building consent for me, and provided me with plenty of assistance in finalising the internal finishes and fixtures. Her assistance throughout the entire job was invaluable and I cannot recommend her enough. Anna

I am pleased to write this letter of recommendation for Julia Mercer; I have known Julia since 2014 in her capacity as architect and design manager for my home. 

Julia is consistently pleasant, professional, caring and available. She is never too busy to answer questions and listens to concerns. She does so with calmness, poise, compassion and professionalism. She has a great sense of humour and has a great relationship with her clients and colleagues alike.

Julia’s designs make her stand out; she seemingly has a solution for every want, need or concern. Her focus on form and function in my home design and build resulted in my dream home. I could not be more happy with the process and result of my home; I wanted to do another project with Julia the day after I took procession however I would not change one thing about my beautiful home. The entire process of my build was a pleasure; in large part owing to Julia.

I recommend her highly with considerable pride.

Best regards,

Dr. Doris Basic, MD, MSc. 

We engaged Elbow Architecture to design a renovation and extension to our family home in Kohimarama, Auckland. Julia really understood what we wanted to achieve from our project and was able to design a home that responded to our needs and lifestyle. Julia has fantastic communication skills and was very prompt and efficient in turning around changes and tweaks to the design throughout the process. We really felt like we got so much out of each meeting and were truly thrilled with the finished design. K. Watkins

We worked with Julia through all stages of the creation of our new home. She helped us in selecting our lot, with the entire design process, through the permitting process (including some significant trouble-shooting with regulatory bodies) and supported the construction and development phase.  

She contributed immensely to the success of the project and was an invaluable resource to us. She was always available to respond to questions and to provide input and feedback. 

Julia is solution-oriented, understands the needs of her clients, has exceptional taste and design skill and most of all, she is an absolute pleasure to work with. I would whole-heartedly recommend her and would absolutely use her again.

Katie Beck

We just started demo of our existing inner city house and to start the construction of our new house on the site very soon. Julia Mercer is the lead architect. We did not want a large house but we wanted a high quality home that respected the beautiful site. We provided many images of house styles that included craftsman, modern, prairie style, farmhouse, etc. We wanted a contemporary urban cottage feel (if that's a style). 

When Julia presented the design concept, to say we were wowed is an understatement! What was envisioned by Julia didn't look like any of the examples we provided in a literal sense but consolidated our desires and elements of the images into what we were after: a unique design that respects the 1940s neighbourhood with instant character, clean lines and warmth. 

Julia's work showed how well she heard what we said and paid attention to our needs. She is very client-oriented, always kept us updated on progress and is an absolute pleasure to work with. She provided professional guidance in design and colours and really "got" our style. 

The attention to details and efficient use of space and design sight-lines to make a smaller house (less than 1900 sf above grade) not feel small is masterful. 

When we showed the house design to a family member who lives in another province, without having discussed our vision with the family, upon seeing it, she remarked: "It looks like contemporary cottage." We were amazed that Julia's work was able to convey exactly what we were going for in a contemporary package to someone who wasn't part of the planning. I'd say that says so much about the abilities of Julia.

- Kim and Dean 

We have had the pleasure of working with Julia for over a year on our new home related to design development, permitting, working drawings, and contract administration work as we continue through our build. Julia has been a wonderful find for us as she is a great listener and is extremely creative in her designs. Her attitude is always positive and tackles situations head on in a timely fashion.

Christine and I are extremely happy with the design of our new home, and Julia was a huge part in that.

Best regards,

Chris & Christine Ambrozic

We engaged Julia from Elbow Architects to design a concept for our new family home. We had purchased our dream piece of land several years earlier and so the project was very close to our hearts. As the owner's of an architectural building company we had very high expectations and knew exactly what we were looking for in an architect. Julia did not disappoint.

Elbow truly listened to our brief and took the time to get to know our family and how we lived. What eventuated was a concept that we loved and that perfectly complimented our family hustle. Elbow were punctual and delivered on deadlines- they are a pleasure to work with. We look forward to collaborating again in the future and would highly recommend Julia and Elbow Architects.

Keryn and Nick Hoogervorst