J. Visser Firm Profile
RESIDENTIAL DESIGN FIRM
J. Visser Design — Jeff Visser, Principal
Every home designed by J. Visser Design is different, but they all start out the same way: as a blank slate.
J. Visser Design is a Grand Rapids–based boutique firm specializing in residential design across a wide geographic area—from St. Joseph to Traverse City—while also taking on out-of-state projects. About 90 percent of the homes the company designs are on the water.
That’s a factor that principal Jeff Visser said comes into play in the final design. “Outdoor living spaces are integral elements of waterfront settings,” he emphasized. “They’re most effective and ultimately more enjoyable when they’re tied directly to interior living spaces.”
When clients hire J. Visser Design to design a home, they get the whole team.
“We have a small office of people who are passionate about what we do,” Visser says. “We all work on every project that comes through the door.”
Meeting a client for the first time to begin a new project, he added, the drawing board is clean. “We don’t come into a project with a preconceived idea of what style we want to create,” Visser notes. “If you look at our portfolio you’ll see everything from traditional to modern. We keep an open mind.”
It’s only after talking with clients, getting to know them and how they live, understanding their taste, reviewing their wish list, and visiting the site does a design begin to take shape. “All of those things determine the appropriate design for that property,” Visser says. “I like to think our homes are the result of how well we listen. Our passion shows up in the smallest details, but without the client’s vision the homes would never be realized.”
SMARTER SPACE
Environmentally conscious and eager to make the most of their investment, clients are trending toward more streamlined, efficient homes these days. Along with sustainable building practices and energy efficiency, they want to use square footage wisely. “We’re seeing homes get smaller with a higher level of detail,” Visser says.
Storage is a key element. “If a (new home) is properly designed it will store everything you need—and that takes discipline both from our standpoint as well as the homeowners to really think through what they need and want,” Visser said. “We try to focus that, how they want it to function, making sure we’ve addressed everything. It’s better than just adding square feet.”
“We’re seeing more people willing to use up a little less square footage and really think through their needs”
In fact, clients can save money to channel into other areas of the homeor keep in their bank accounts by taking the time for such analysis. And to J. Visser Design, it’s much more about design than the size of the home.
“Size is not as important as a quality, well-designed project,” Visser says. “Some people assume we only do big projects.”
Not so. For example, the firm is currently designing a 1,300-square-foot cottage that Visser described as “mid-century modern.”
“It’s very well defined,” he said. “We’re very concerned with volume of space, light coming in to make it feel bigger than it is, designing every square inch of storage. It’s a very high level of design, but not in a very big package.”
DESIGNS FOR LIFE
That high level is what sets homes conceived by J Visser Design apart. For one, the company is focused on designing houses, period. The firm focuses exclusively on residential architecture “so we’re not distracted by opportunities outside our area of expertise,” Visser says.
“We love working exclusively on houses, designing them to the unique needs of our client on a specific pieve of property to take the best advantage of the views, the path of the sun through the day, and the topography,” Visser said. “we try not to get distracted with other ‘opportunities’ that come our way outside of our area of expertise.”
“We believe well-designed houses enhance the quality of life for the people who live in them,” Visser said. “Details, good taste, and craftsmanship are the characteristics of houses that endure.
They look better with age, they grow more loved. They add value to their owners and their communities.”
It’s a responsibility the company does not take lightly
What I always try to remember is that when someone comes to us to design a house, it is an honor,” Visser said. “We never lose sight of whose house this is and who is paying for it.”
Contact
J. Visser Design
5500 Cascade Road SE, Suite 210
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
616-954-2509