Testemonials - Trace Wisse Designworks

Client comments sharing their Designworks experience

Working with Trace on the design of our home was an outstanding experience from start to finish.

We met him more than two years before construction began and were immediately impressed by his attention to detail and the quality of his work. He took the time to truly understand our ideas and vision—even when we didn’t express them perfectly. His initial design challenged some of our assumptions, but he clearly explained how it better captured what we were trying to achieve.

Throughout the process, communication was excellent. Trace welcomed feedback, and any questions or concerns we raised were addressed openly and thoughtfully, which made us feel heard and supported at every stage.

As the home came together, it was clear his original vision was being realized exactly as he had described. Now, after living in the house for over a year, we can confidently say it has exceeded our expectations. We continue to notice thoughtful details that originated in those early design stages.

Trace has an exceptional ability to transform rough ideas into something cohesive, functional, and beautiful. We would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a creative, collaborative, and highly skilled architect/designer.

Mark and Lisa

We met Trace about 20 years ago on a cold day on a bare piece of ground with an incredible view of the Fraser River where we had decided to build a house that reminded us of our home country of South Africa. All we told him was that we wanted huge windows to let in a lot of natural light, a lot of stone and wood in the interior and ceramic floors. To say he “got it” is an understatement.

He captured exactly what we wanted. The design flows, the house is light and airy with its double volume ceiling in the living room and large windows letting in the light from the south side while showing off the magnificent view to the north. The artistic touches he suggested and implemented make it extra special, and he was often on site to ensure it all came together smoothly.

We were and still are delighted with the finished product. To love your home is truly a blessing and we are so grateful that Trace was recommended to us.

Steve and Anna

Trace listens to your needs and wants and puts it all together in a wonderful way. The design functionality and detail will leave a lasting impression. People continually comment on how special our place is.

We started with a bare parcel of farmland, and Trace played a crucial role in guiding us through the entire process: from planning the site, to how the driveway should go, to positioning and designing our house and shop to maximize the views and sunlight. The design and building process were a great experience, and seeing his vision come together was truly amazing. His insight into optimizing functionality and incorporating important elements into our home will not be forgotten.

Bryan and Naomi

We have designed and built two beautiful custom homes with Trace.  Both times we appreciated how Trace incorporated our ideas, yet ultimately gave us designs that were better than what we had envisioned.  Having no building experience, we were thankful that he was always just a phone call away.  His support during the build and in getting the details right was incredible.  As much as we loved the first home Trace designed, our current one is even better.  We would not hesitate to recommend Trace to anyone looking to build their custom home.

Ken and Marianne

We used Trace to design an exterior and interior renovation on our home. We loved the way Trace incorporated out-of-the-ordinary surprises and interesting details into his design to make our home special to us. His attention to detail goes far beyond expectation and he was readily available throughout the project to ensure that every detail was properly attended to. If you’re looking for a special and personalized home designer, Trace will not disappoint you.

Jack and Teune Marie

Although our initial wish list for our new house was long and detailed, we were thrilled that Trace designed us a home that went above and beyond what we had imagined.  We appreciated the full-color renderings, and especially the site plan, which clearly showed view lines and sun exposure at various times through the day – both of which were very important to us!  Throughout the build process, Trace was available with suggestions and advice, and worked seamlessly with our builder and trades. 

Now that we’ve been living in our new home for nearly a year, we appreciate the design even more than we did initially.  It is a beautiful, light-filled, and comfortable home for our family of 7, and we are very glad we invested in Trace’s expertise in designing it.

Philip and Jody

We had already been dreaming of the place for several years and were filled with ideas when we approached Trace to design our home and barn. When we reviewed the preliminary concept design, we were pleased to find it very nearly as we had envisioned it would be! He also provided wonderful suggestions regarding the driveway and the positioning of large trees on the property which we were happy to incorporate in the landscaping.

We can say we’re still as happy with our home today as we were when we moved in and get frequent comments on how original the design is. We love that with the “new old house” look, it’s impossible to tell what decade it was built in. We would absolutely recommend Trace to anyone looking to have a unique custom home design.

Eric and Kristy