Atelier Rooney Duval, Architects

We have known and worked with Josephine for the past 16 years, and have worked with her on several projects, both small and large. The first project she helped us with was a complete overhaul of a 150 m2 office in an 18th century building. The space had originally been an apartment but had been changed into office space in the 1980's; she oversaw the total renovation; stripping it down to its beams and bringing it back to its former glory. She is attentive to the needs of her clients (which alas cannot be said of all architects!), has excellent ideas and taste, works well with the various tradespeople, and is deft at negotiating the differences of opinion which occur during a couple's decision making process! We recommend her highly.

mme josephine rooney-duval was in charge of the complete renovation and redecoration of my 180 sq meter Haussman era apartment on rue de longchamp in trocodero, 16th. arr., paris. when i purchased the flat was in a nearly derelict state having had few improvements for 50 years. it had one toilet next to the entry door, one farm sink in the kitchen (which had 1900 soil on the floor!), no electricity or plumbing in the rear of the space, and a single light bulb hanging from the high ceiling of the grand reception and bureau rooms. many structural challenges had to be overcome- walls moved, bathrooms (4) installed, ceilings lowered to accommodate piping and wiring for utilities, whilst retaining and enhancing the original 1900 mouldings and splendid classic french glass doors that are stunning features of the large reception rooms and entry hall. throughout the process mme duval exhibited superb design and engineering skills and supervised the work of teams of craftsmen who executed her plans. she closely managed costs and was very well connected with specialty artisans and suppliers of period decor (lighting/bath fixtures/tiles/flooring, etc) so the modernization of my new home did not compromise the beauty and cohesiveness of the original look and feel of the classic design. she also conceived the idea of converting 30 sq. meters of servant quarters into an income producing one bedroom apartment which was a simply brilliant idea. finally, mme duval is a singularly congenial person to work with. she is sensitive to client wishes, has exquisite taste, is thoroughly knowledgeable of complex building codes and regulations. and while my taste is very traditional, mme duval personally prefers very contemporary, sleek decor. it is a testimony to her client focus that she understood my preferences and worked very hard to help me achieve my dream. i regret i on't read french, but wish to be clear that my relationship was strictly that of a client and i have no commercial relationship with her, or involvement in the design industry. my testimonial is the result of my admiration for a job extremely well done by mme duval, and she has my highest recommendation. mme sheila k. o"brien

I have been fortunate to know Josephine Duval for over 15 years. We have worked together in mutually beneficial manner over the years. I call on her talents for renovation work for my property management clients looking to update and often modernize their new purchase. And she calls on me once the project is finished to handle many of the non-architectural services the clients may require. She has done some of the best bathrooms I've seen in Paris. Josephine takes into account the architectural needs of the project and the personal desires of the clients. I always look forward to working with Josephine Duval on a project.

Ayant acheté un ancien atelier de plombier, mon mari et moi avons fait appel à Josephine Duval pour le transformer en lieu d'habitation. Grâce aux talents et à l'imagination de Josephine, c'est devenu un endroit rare où c'est un privilège de vivre. Elle a su transformer un local professionnel délabré en une maison de trois étages avec des volumes miraculeux et des aménagements parfaitement appropriés à notre style de vie. Nous voulions associer l'ambiance d'atelier de peintre que nous suggérait les lieux à des équipements contemporains et Josephine a su répondre à toutes nos éxigences. Grâce à son réseau de contacts, elle a pu recommander les artisans et fournisseurs qu'il fallait à chaque étape du travail. C'était un plaisir de travailler avec elle et je n'hésiterai pas à la contacter pour un nouveau projet.

Ms. Josephine Rooney Duval completed renovated my apartment of 300 m2 in Paris 16. The project was to turn a space built 100 years earlier into something more modern and comfortable. it involved moving the kitchen from the back of the house to a placement near the dining room; creating three new bathrooms; restructuring a number of (non-load-bearing) walls; renovating the parquet floors; creating beautiful tiled walls and floors in all bathrooms; installing a vast array of built-in library bookshelves, desks, and file drawers; and repainting everything. The end effect was beautiful. Ms. Rooney also project- managed all the subcontractors, and supervised the entire renovation. The project came in on time and on budget. We have been very happy in the space ever since.

Autant que pour ses idées creatives que pour ses connaissances pragmatique et fonctionnelle, Josephine Duval est un architecte parfait. Elle s'intéresse aux moindre details du projet, elle sait gérer son equipe et son equipe lui est fidèle. D'autant plus, elle est sympa et généreuse avec ses clients.

I have worked with Josephine Duval and found her to be wonderfully creative and always highly professional. She draws on her extensive experience in both architecture and interior design to find solutions to the most challenging problems. Her meticulous attention to detail not only in design terms but in the procurement and management of the building works contributes to an exceptional service in a market where this can frequently be lacking. Whilst her personal design preferences are for the creation of dramatic clean volumes, she is equally adept in the realisation of more classic interiors. Perfectly bilingual Josephine can be trusted to negotiate the complexities of the French construction world for English speaking clients as well as for native speakers.

Josephine Duval is an extraordinary architect. Attentive to her clients' goals, she can work in any genre. Her architectural talent has yielded projects demonstrating great skill and attention to detail. Her technical know-how is vast, making her an ideal professional in dealing with contractors and tradespeople. Collegial but firm, no defect goes unnoticed by her. She is straightforward and knowledgeable about the complexities and vicissitudes of building codes and regulations. Finally, and last but certainly not least, she is a great partner to her clients!

A la suite de l'achat de notre maison, nous avons collaboré une première fois avec MmeRooney Duval. Nous avons apprécié son écoute et la qualité de sa prestation. Quelques années plus tard, nous avons donc fait de nouveau appel à elle pour un projet d'extension. La façon dont elle a alliée son expertise "technique" et ses capacités d'écoute quant à nos envies et notre "façon de vivre" notre maison a donné un résultat à la hauteur de nos espérances. Les entreprises avec laquelle elle collabore ont été performantes. Les coûts et les délais ont été respectés. Si nous avions un nouveau projet, nous ferions appel à Mme Rooney Duval, sans aucun doute!

Nous avons eu la bonne fortune de faire appel à Josephine Rooney Duval à deux reprises pour la rénovation de notre appartement. La qualité de ses services et prestations fut, en ces deux occasions, impressionnante. La tâche n'était pourtant pas facile. La première fois -en 1998- concernait un vieil appartement fatigué dans un immeuble Art Nouveau construit par Hector Guimard en 1911. Le logement, longtemps occupé par une personne âgée, n'avait guère été entretenu et demandait beaucoup plus qu'un simple rafraichissement des peintures et de la plomberie pour abriter confortablement et agréablement nos trois enfants et nous-mêmes. Avec son esprit inventif, son goût des belles choses, sa culture architecturale, et son sens des réalités, Josephine transforma cet endroit devenu banal en un lieu de vie faisant honneur à la fois aux nécessités d'aujourd'hui et à la remise en valeur du génie créatif de Guimard. Symbole de cette belle réussite : elle dessina et conçut des meubles parfaitement fonctionnels que l'on aurait cru sortis des ateliers des artisans de l'Ecole de Nancy. Le travail de Mme Rooney Duval fut également éblouissant la deuxième fois que nous avons fait appel à elle (il y a trois ans). Encore un immeuble de 1910, au cœur du Montparnasse des ateliers d'artistes. Façade de grès splendides et grandes verrières pour l'extérieur; un vieil atelier sur deux niveaux aux allures sépulcrales à l'intérieur. Il fallait tout refaire, y compris démolir des marches en colimaçon toutes crochues et les remplacer par un splendide escalier droit nous permettant de gagner de l'espace. Encore une fois, l'intelligente audace de Josephine Rooney Duval conjuguée à son respect amoureux de l'histoire et de l'esprit du lieu ont fait merveille, au point de susciter l'admiration de l'architecte officiel du bâtiment (inscrit au répertoire des monuments historiques). Ajoutons que la qualité des relations de Mme Rooney Duval avec les divers entrepreneurs impliqués dans ces rénovations ne fut pas pour rien dans la bonne marche de ces opérations. Jean Lesieur et Carolyn White