“Join the Revolution!” exhorts the website. But it’s not Chairman Mao or Brother Fidel delivering the slogan, it’s the pair behind Revolution Design + Build, launched by two buddies in 2008.
Call them the Architectural Anarchists if you will, because their manifesto explicitly contradicts what they learned in architecture school. Instead of devising one “ideal” design, they make a practice of presenting their clients with a spectrum of choices. After home visits that involve a probing Q & A session to discern the homeowners’ lifestyle, priorities and budget parameters, customers are presented with multiple solutions, “so clients can act as closet architects themselves,” explains Sid Levin, principal. “We talk over ideas and suggest opportunities and come up with solutions—sometimes outside the box—so later, after investing a lot of money, when someone asks them, ‘Did you ever think of….?’ they can answer, “Yes, we did!”
This revolutionary approach is possible—and highly successful—“because we’re a boutique company, compared with others—just Rob Aldecocea, my partner, and me, so there’s never any telephone tag. I accompany our clients to the showrooms to assure everything is cohesive, and we always make sure the construction advances according to plan and schedule.” They enjoy specializing in higher-end projects that involve “interesting, unique, individualized designs, creating spaces that suit our clients,” explains Sid. “Much of our work involves remodeling the entire main level or adding a new second level” rather than simply tweaking a bathroom, he adds. The partners concentrate on homes of Mid-century Modern, Contemporary, and Arts and Crafts, with a fair sprinkling of traditional designs. “We look for the best way to utilize a client’s budget for what they want to achieve,” Sid emphasizes.
In return, satisfied homeowners spread the word that the company delivers on “all three out of three” desirables. He notes, “They’re impressed that we finished on the day we promised, always on budget, and by delivering top quality.” And when asked about their personal passions, Sid extorts “Rob and I really love making spaces become wonderful – using budget in smart ways. Clients become friends we want to take care of. We’re artists, and they get to move back into a work of art.”
By Carla Waldemar
Photography by Meghan Doll
