ABOUT

In 2006, we contracted with Brion Jeannette Architecture to design a completely new home in Corona del Mar, Ca.

Brion and his team provided excellent variety of concepts and adjusted nicely to our budget. The engineering drawing package proved excellent for the difficult design concept that we chose.

We also retained Brion Jeannette Architecture to provide construction oversight. The organization proved to be invaluable in this regard. They are very knowledgeable in ever detail of construction materials and techniques required t build a luxury home such as ours.

His engineering and administrative staff kept the construction contractor as close to budget as we could have wanted. Brion has the imagination and experience to satisfy owner’s ideas or special requirements. He is truly visionary and artist for over concepts, structural design, interior design, decorating, exterior design and landscaping. His contracts with local statewide agencies allowed for very smooth progress through all the governmental approval requirements for such a project. He is relentless in completing his objectives.

Bottom line: He designed a built us an absolutely beautiful home

We highly recommend Brion for any architectural needs

- Bob and Judy

I thought you would be interested to know that our bookstore, adjacent the San Clemente library, that you designed has exceeded our expectaions in many ways. First of all, business has been good. We are selling books at a great rate.

But, more importantly, we get compliments on its design and ambience that I had not anticipated! When you and I met with the engineers and others, I had no idea that the care and detailed work of the design would be so important. But it does apparently attract customers. I can’t tell you how many people have commented on the light, the space, and the room. Apparently other library bookstores seem cramped.

Unanticipated compliments are always a pleasant surprise, so those of us who work at the bookstore are always lifted by them! So, I never realized how all the detail that you and your staff provided would add up to such a pleasant place. But it is very, very nice to work here and the customers agree!

- Bill

I wanted to thank you for all of your efforts to provide contacts for the work that needed to be done on our home. At first Bill Gaudino thought he could do it and I was very excited. But unfortunately, his other work demanded too much of his time and he didn’t want to delay our work since we had the deadlines. I tried several other of the people you recommended but nobody was available. But each was very gracious and gave me suggestions about others to contact. It was Charlie Rohrer’s contact, a contractor named Buzz Diorio (of Diorio Construction), who agreed to take on the work.

I couldn’t be more pleased with how conscientious he and his crew were and his price seemed fair. Just yesterday, we received the final inspection from the termite company, and everything was quite satisfactory and so we can now close escrow.

I don’t think I will ever have a house of which I can be as proud as the one designed by Brion. It has been a real pleasure to live there. Our new house in Seattle is almost as big and has a spectacular view. But I keep thinking to myself how much more wonderful the space usage could be if Brion had started with that lot and view.

And thank you, once again, for making the experience of planning, building, and living in a custom home so wonderful.

- Virginia

Although Brion designs many different style homes, I personally think his contemporary work is by far the best and most creative. I have always admired this work, since the day I moved to Laguna and saw the “Rock House.” I decided then I was one day going to build a Brion Jeannette home. After 2 1/2 grueling years I can honestly say what we got exceeded our expectations. I absolutely love our home. Our budget was very tight and what he was able to do for us with the budget we had to work with was remarkable. I can only imagine what he could have done if we had a more generous budget to work with.

Just as important is the way he navigated through our very strict Homeowners Assoc and the City of Dana Point. He has a tremendous amount of credibility in this community and with the City, especially Laguna. I remember when I called the City of Laguna when I first saw the Rock House to inquire about the architect. I gave the address and the lady on the phone gushed and said “Oh, it’s Brion Jeannette Her voice said it all, she was absolutely enamored by him. To me, that is very telling, as we all know how “lovely” those women behind the counters can be. He also has a great team that work behind the scenes to make things happen on a daily basis.

From a practical and functional perspective, what I think separates the good architects from the great are those whose design surprise you every day. There are so many details or features we never realized until after we moved in. The features and living spaces he created for us is just spectacular. So subtle but just amazing, so much so that our Homeowners Assoc was almost “fooled” by many design features that now I think they wished they picked up on and now would never allow. We got what we want, but it was so below the radar that it didn’t raise suspicion. The Assoc and the City never knew what hit them!

- Bahara

I am happy to share my experience with Brion Jeannette and his staff in their providing architectural services for the “dream house” my husband and I built at Pelican Point in Newport Coast.

We found Brion and his staff to be extremely knowledgable, creative and professional and enjoyed working with them. Brion continued close involvement throughout the planning, drawing, approval, bidding and construction phases, resulting in a quality home that I love and am proud of. Furthermore, four years after beginning our professional relationship, his feeling of responsibility regarding this project continues.

On a personal note - unfortunately, my husband passed away suddenly during the construction phase. Brion Jeannette along with the Builder could not have been more supportive and helpful to me. I was able to complete the construction of the house knowing I could count on these professionals who had my best interests at heart. I couldn’ t recommend Brion Jeanette and his firm more highly.

- Rosemarie

After buying a custom home site in Pelican Hill, Maris and I searched for an architect who would listen to our strong ideas and enhance them into our dream custom home. Maris had been through many of the finest built custom homes in Southern California after being in the lighting and building industry for over 25 years and he especially wanted an architect who was aware of comfort inside the home when facing a strong sun ocean view and who had a strong sense of detail in the finish of the home. After admiring several custom homes designed by Brion we were also delighted to find out that he was also very concerned by energy efficient architecture and had far more detail incorporated in his blueprints than most.

We really enjoyed the design process of our home with Brion. He listened to all of our ideas and added more that we had not thought of since this was our first experience building a custom home. All of our plans had to be submitted to the Irvine Company and Brion helped us get what we really wanted. Sometimes diplomacy is a great asset for an architect to display. We also hired an interior designer to complete our team, but ended up using more of Brion’s detail in the house than hers. After I went to kitchen planning showrooms, I realized that Brion had drawn in many of the custom features that the finest cabinet companies have in our blueprints.

Maris ended up doing most of the general contracting on our jobsite himself; and really appreciated that in most cases Brion had specified that the Rolls Royce technique or materials be used. When the prints went out to bid to “architect’s specifications” , the bids came back not all over the board but much more specific. We then could decide where we wanted to cut costs and not have the subcontractors making those decisions for us.

We moved into our home in 1996 and have enjoyed it everyday since. Many of our neighbors can’t stand to be in their ocean facing rooms in the late afternoon. In our case most of our ocean facing windows don’t have any window treatments because they do not need them for sun control and we want to take advantage of the incredible view. Even though our home is now several years old , we are still getting comments from people who have been here many times but see new detail in the ceiling or the mouldings that they hadn’t noticed before. Best of all we have a large home but it has been laid out to be very comfortable. We designed a lower level recreation room and bedroom for our college age son who still lives with us. He has entertained over 20 people in that area and we have not heard one thing as we quietly watch television one floor directly over him. Brion’s plans had heavily insulated our home between floors as well as walls.

Not only are we enjoying our home but we also realize that Brion gave us a very appealing home to more than ourselves. We have received numerous contacts from people who have only seen our home from the outside who would be interested in buying it. When you invest a significant amount of money in your dream, it is also comforting to know that it can be a liquid asset if need be. When you find a professional who is just that in every sense of the word, and who has brought so much pleasure to your life by a job well done, you just want to sing their praises. Maris and I both feel that way about Brion.

- Nancy

Being a part of your team on this project has made work fun again. After 41 years in the business here in Los Angeles and having worked with many great architects, including Lloyd Wright and Cliff May, it has been a privilege to watch you and your fabulous staff focus on the client and their desires. I see why they chose you.

The detail and quality of this job are phenomenal. Tony Valentine Construction’s work is far above that of most other contractors I have dealt with over the last decade. Your design and his follow through made my job so much easier. I have truly enjoyed every day spent working on this residence.

My favorite day was toward the end of the job when your wife and you told me how much you liked this project. As you know, the architects and the interior designers often don’t share a common vision. On this job, I believe we did and also I believe the end result is much better because of it.

From now on, your name will be the first I offer when one of my clients asks me to recommend and architect. And, of course, I’ll be proud to back up the recommendation with photos of the Ferrucci home. Now that my term as President of ASID is over, I have time to take on new assignments. If you see an opportunity where you or one of your clients could benefit from my assistance, please let me know. I sincerely look forward to working with you again. And now that I also have time to entertain, please check your calendar and let me know when your wife and you have time to be my guests for dinner. I’d like to thank you in person for the gracious way you welcomed me into your team.

- Jean

We want to thank you for your help with our recent plumbing problem. Your prompt and extensive assistance in resolving the broken waste lines was greatly appreciated. Your willingness to tackle the problem in such a timely manner supports our confidence in the professionalism of your firm.

We especially appreciate the work done by Tony Valentine Construction and our project supervisor Cary Gorman. Cary and his crew responded to all our calls, arrived promptly at scheduled times, worked efficiently and lefi the house clean each night. All the subs were competent, professional and pleasant.

It’s never fun living through a plumbing disaster, but Tony Valentine’s crew made it tolerable. I would definitely consider Tony Valentine Construction for any further remodel and/or building needs and would recommend them to anyone.

Thanks again for your efforts on our behalf and we look forward to working with you again when all our children move out and we remodel our upstairs.

- Jerry & Lynn

The purpose of this letter is to express our deepest appreciation to Brion Jeannette and Associates for creating our dream home. We initially selected Brion as our architect based on his reputation within the Newport Beach area and after personally discussing our project. Brion Jeannette and Associates rapidly demonstrated their ability to manage five fundamentally important features, which were; 1) a very creative process that led to our optimum home layout for current and future needs, 2) large quantities of personal attention from Brion, 3) a superb staff with the ability to keep the process moving forward when Brion was not immediately available, 4) a continued focus on maintaining our cost objectives, without sacrificing quality, and 5) exceptional general contractors and interior designers that Brion has worked with for years and embrace his philosophies and operating methods. The overall result was the creation of a beautiful and very functional family home.

During the construction phase we received three legitimate offers to purchase our home for prices well above our final cost. Several realtors and club members have told us they believe ours is the best within Big Canyon. This is clear validation that design and quality really matter, and creates a standard of excellence well above what can be found when viewing multi-million dollar “spec” homes. Friends and extended family members seek our new home as the place to be for special events and holidays.

We strongly recommend Brion Jeannette and Associates without any reservations. Further, we would only use their services for future architectural and construction endeavors.

- Kenneth

Dan and I enjoyed reading the article about you in the L.A. Times and both felt like we wanted to contact you. Reading about you brought back great memories, you will always be a part of our home. We’ve been here 8 years this month. I still love to stand in certain places of the house and just look and enjoy. I look at the arches, the angles and spaces, and like seeing one room through another. I love to look at the front of the house when it’s getting dark outside and the lights in the house are on and the front door is open. It’s so nice to be surrounded by such beauty. It has worked so well for us. After 3 paint colors, a different tree out front (a Coral, like you first suggested), and revised front steps, we are getting it just right.

Dan talks about building again in Shady Canyon, Irvine, so that we could add a rumpus room (our oldest will be a teenager next month), and a workout room but leave everything else the same. The whole process was so much fun that I would do it all again if we could get a lot where the garage would be in the back of the house again. If not, forget it.

I thought you might like to see how our kids have grown. John and Anna were so small, amusing themselves in your office during some meetings and Carrie was just 4 months old when we moved in. We are all well and the company continues to grow.

Again, we are delighted to read about your continued success, your love for a new challenge, your family involvement and your commitment to community. We are proud to have a “Brion Jeannette” house.

- Clark

I want to thank you for a truly exciting and rewarding experience building my home. I recently sold the house you designed for me and I am so pleased with the entire result. I am grateful to you for helping me select the lot my home is on. Without your help I would not have had the tremendous views my home enjoyed, nor would the property have been as valuable as it turned out to be.

I appreciated your careful guidance, as I know I sometimes didn’t understand Southern California weather and life style. The floor plan and design details you incorporated gave me a home that worked well for me as a bachelor, and for the family that recently purchased it. It was such a beautiful and comfortable home that it sold quickly.

Your watchful eye throughout construction was appreciated, as I was living out of state during this phase. I was confident you and your project manager were there keeping track of progress and reviewing my contractor’s billings. It was a comfort to see how quickly you were on site whenever a question arose. I felt that you gave me and my home the same care you would have given to your own. Incidentally, I have remained good friends with contractor you selected for me and I think that speaks volumes.

Thank you for your professional care and artful design skills. You and your staff made it easy to put all my trust in you. I loved the home we created together and when I build another home it will be with you and your very professional staff.

- Dr. Anwar

It is difficult to find the appropriate words to thank you for coming to our rescue.

Brion, when we called you, we didn't know where to start and hoped to get a name or two whom we could call to begin our restoration process. We deeply appreciate your immediate response to our needs and didn't expect such outstanding people to take on the project.

Tony, your organizational skills and directives to see that we were well taken care of were very gratifying. When we saw the number of contractors and workers needed to fulfill each task, we were impressed with the quality of your personnel and the excellent service they provide.

Assigning Hector to oversee each step was a bonus for us. He is very capable, cooperative and pleasant. He made himself available whenever we needed him. He is a good listener and very responsive. He kept in touch with us daily and sent one worker along as soon as the previous one finished. Hector is a great asset to your organization.

John Leichtftuss is in a class by himself What a gentleman! His work is perfection and his patience endless. Bruce Hodgson was fun and did an excellent job filling in our sunken living room with cement. We’ve taken every precaution we can think of to prevent further flooding in our living room. Thank you for your concern and effort on our behalf.

- Winnie & Shelly

We have finally unpacked most of our boxes and are settling into our new home. We are enjoying it more and more each day.

You have captured the style and layout we had hoped to achieve. The more we live in our new home the more we realize the great skill it took to configure the floor plan with regard to the flow from one room to the next... and the views are endless from almost every room.

- Wally & Renate

Our architectural experience with Brion Jeannette Architecture (BJA) was outstanding. At the outset, we benchmarked BJA against other firms, and they consistently emerged at the top of the list.

We went through an early concept process with BJA to identify key likes and dislikes — this enabled Brion to avoid blind alleys and to include elements that we found appealing. We moved from conceptual proposals into detailed plans through a series of meeting, and phone and fax exchanges. Even though there was a distance barrier to be bridged, we always felt that the communication and responsiveness were first-rate, and the interactive process gave us the opportunity to be fully involved. Brion respected our point of view and our input — there was never a hint of condescension or patronization.

The bid process with general contractors, was managed very effectively by Brion, beginning with personal visits he arranged with each contractor, and a benchmarking of their capabilities. Brion’s plans were very detailed, so that few gaps appeared between the contractor’s assumptions that couldn’t be resolved by referring to the plan details. Brion was our advocate in reviewing contractor change notices, which minimized disputes and helped control cost.

We were impressed with the amount of time that Brion spent on site during the construction phase. His pride and dedication to the finished product was almost equal to our own. We can recommend Brion Jeannette Architecture for your project with confidence that you will be highly pleased with the experience and the result.

- Oscar & Nancy

Thanks for your letter with maintenance reminders. I have already taken care of some of your suggestions, and will follow up on the others. Your continued interest is much appreciated.

I receive so many nice compliments on the house, and it’s floor plan; but more importantly I find it very comfortable to live in, and enjoy sharing it with family and friends.

It was great seeing you and Bonnie at the Hoag Foundation event - thanks for coming. Warmest regards to both of you as well as your staff.

- Ro

With moving in just before Christmas and all the excitement that is built around the holidays and New Year, I have been a little tardy in Thanking you and your associates!

After the first interview with you, I knew the eight interviews I had with other architects was time well spent... because during that ninth interview I knew I had found the right team! If I had stopped short on number seven or eight, I know I would not have the house I have today. The house that so many people describe as a sculpture.

Although the building process has many bumps in the road, you, Bonnie, Rob, Kathy and the others on your team have truly been the highlight. You and your team are really professionals, easy to work with and I always felt that you had myself and project at the forefront. After talking with so many other architects and builders, it is very refreshing to work with extremely creative people that enjoy what they do, with that enjoyment being translated in how they work with their clients. And I have to Thank You Brion for many things... the wonderful design, it is truly a one of a kind; for the way you gave me your undivided attention when we worked together; your absolute true creativity and how to value engineer details when it was necessary; and... for those times when I needed a different opinion with interior design and details. You are a natural at this... I can understand why you enjoy it so much!

- Randy

We are finally settled in the house after all. Most boxes are open and walls have few paintings on them. I have to tell you that this house is better than the most expensive resorts we have been to and we really do not feel like going on vacations anymore. Boys come home almost twice a month from San Francisco and want to stay home, something I never thought I would live to see. Everything worked out in terms of spaces, heights, and flow between the rooms. Colors came out really warm and pleasant and wide open outdoors have become part of the family room environment just as we had envisioned.

And now my thoughts for your future clients. Brion designed our first custom home at Pelican Hill about 7 years ago when Irvine Company as well as homeowners were confused about the design guidelines. Dreams are not always architecturally correct and thank God for good experienced architects that we were able to accomplish most of our dream without trouble from ACC at Irvine.Company or Orange County Building Inspectors. Our builder made a comment that Brion’s plans were (the most detailed) that he had ever seen. It made bidding very easy and we finished a fairly large home under budget and within time. Our second custom house at Pelican Crest was also designed by Brion and this time we were dealing with even more stringent and aggressive architectural controlled committee of Irvine Company and needless to say that his experience and diligence made the process painless once again.

In the last 7 years, I have talked to many friends and neighbors, all building custom homes and my choice again will be Brion for architecture, if I do it for the third time. He has been an integral part of architectural activities of Southern California Coast for a long time and knows the whims and fancies of Coastal Commission and county inspectors. He typically uses 25% more structural support than the engineers recommend, which is very comforting to know in this earthquake country. I think having an architect like Brion on your side will be most beneficial and cost effective.

- Lakshmi

Heather and I cannot thank you enough for the wonderful job you have done helping us design and build our new home. The house is more amazing than we thought possible and lives beautifully.

We enjoyed the whole process from beginning to end, which is probably why we are working with you again on our Napa project. Here’s to more projects as the years roll on!!!

Thank you for your creativity, professionalism and most importantly your friendship.

- Brant & Heather

My family and I are very grateful and appreciative of the work effort and enthusiasm that Brion Jeannette and his team contributed in the design and construction of our house in Pelican Hills. We chose Brion Jeannette as our architect because of what we saw as his ability and desire to create a home that was aesthetically and efficiently designed to the requirements of all the members of our family. Brion worked intimately with the family through the design phase and constantly oversaw the construction phase, in the end, creating a home that was both elegant in its aesthetic as well as comfortable and relaxing in its design.

Once again, we would like to thank Brion and Bonnie and their entire staff for their integral involvement in the creation of our house and home.

- Emmanuel

Jan and I are enjoying our new home every day, and after 90 days of living here, we have come to realize all the details of planning carefully to take advantage of the location and create every living space with such a spacious feeling. We believe the finished house has met our dream and all the living areas could not have been better utilized.

Given the complex nature of the site, we enjoyed working with your staff and the prompt feedback allowing our construction to flow smoothly.We wish you and your staff all the best!

- Doug & Jan

Lou and I are very pleased with our new home at 519 Harbor Island Drive in Newport Beach. Your architectural knowledge and work is beyond compare.

- A.V.

Now that I have settled into my beautiful new home I would like to thank you and your staff for turning my dreams into reality.
As you know I started my project with a beautiful oceanfront lot and a terribly neglected, outdated home. I interviewed several of the top architects, known for large view or estate properties. I made it a point to visit their homes as well as interview the homeowners and review their portfolios. Based on references, professionalism and most importantly “architectural work” I decided on your firm.

From that first conceptual meeting to “final” occupancy the process was clear, professional and timely. Speaking of timely, let me point out that your firm was able to deliver the “impossible”. My plans were approved by the notorious City of Laguna Beach at our first “Design and Review’ board hearing. A feat to this day that is unheard of in Laguna Beach. I know of many homes and plans that have been in the city for months and even in the case of “oceanfronts” years. The money saved as well as the unneeded stress from endless design review meetings was reason enough to use your firm. The same process was again used with the California Coastal Commission with the same “first time” result.The team, including builder and interior design firm, that you helped me assemble proved to be a big success. With your firm taking the lead and the other team members understanding their roles we had a seamless integration of professionals providing their skills and talents with absolutely “no finger pointing”. That again proved invaluable to making my project fun, creative and stress free.

Obviously, the above mentioned are by products of building a custom home. The real prize is the finished home. I can sum it by simply saying “it is the finest, most incredible home I have ever seen”. It is everything I dreamed of and much more.Once again I want to thank you and Bonnie and your firm for making all this possible.

- Stuart