I have had the great pleasure of working with Isabelle since 2006 on several Corporate Interior Renovations and Building Addition Projects at the City of Toronto, Water Works, F. J. Horgan Water Treatment Plant. These projects exceed 4.5 Million dollars construction cost and where executed in time and within the City of Toronto’s budget allowance. Her primary role was to lead the projects from needs analysis, design development, furniture procurement, and selection of artwork and construction documentations to Project Completion.
Isabelle’s performance during each phase of work was outstanding and her coordination with the project teams and contractors was excellent. She pays attention to detail and ensures that our projects are taken care of.
I enjoyed working with Isabelle and have great respect for Isabelle as an individual and as a professional. Her work ethic and inherent knowledge of Interior Design makes her an asset to any project.
~ Larry Tyo, Supervisor, Water Works Toronto
It is my pleasure to recommend the services of Isabelle Smith, Principal and Senior Interior Designer at Chirp Design Agency. During the past seven years, in my capacity as the management representative for ESCORT Manufacturing Corporation, I have worked directly with Isabelle on the interior design and accoutrements required for our new world class manufacturing facility in Mississauga, Ontario. From the selection of colours, the search for the right lighting, surfaces, woods, tiles, office furniture, boardroom design, and production seating; Isabelle was instrumental in lending her skills and helping our team move forward. Isabelle sought input and involvement from all levels of the ESCORT organization before consolidating the feedback into a comprehensive design plan for approval. This made a difference to staff buy-in as well as the effectiveness of the actual plan.
During the design/build of our new facility Isabelle was able to demonstrate her commitment to customer satisfaction, quality, and fiscal management. Our staff made countless revisions to layouts and material selections; and without fail, all were incorporated quickly and with the least impact to the master schedule. In the design of the boardroom, it was important that certain design elements be incorporated without escalating the build cost. Again, Isabelle was able to achieve our goal and designed a world class boardroom that met our objectives and cost constraints. The entire project was completed on schedule and within budget.
Today, ESCORT Manufacturing Corporation is recognized as a manufacturing showcase and is routinely visited by international and domestic clients, governments, and yes even other manufacturers — thanks in no small part to the design concepts suggested and adopted from Isabelle and her team.
Please consider Isabelle and her team for all your interior and architectural needs. I recommend them and look forward to working with them again.
~ Lesley G. Boyles, Consulting Manager, Escort Manufacturing Corporation
Renovating an old war home is no easy feat, and the way you listened to our ideas, our needs and our wants, and then offered your expert advice was exactly what we needed. You helped us preserve the older classic features of our home, both inside and out, and perfectly blended them with a very modern take, which is what we were imagining, and needed your help to find the correct balance. You made us see that everything we desired was possible, and even through some unforeseen obstacles, you offered various options that still encompassed our final vision.
Your team of professionals was accommodating to our schedule and timelines, and worked very quickly to produce a wonderful design, ready for permit submission, which is the hardest feat of all! Working with your team was exciting and they, like you, understood our vision. They were also very knowledgeable on the city restrictions and guidelines, enabling me to be prepared when applying for the building permit.
I would like to end by saying that I would recommend you and your team of professionals at Chirp to anyone who is looking for a ‘one-stop-shop’ for design, architectural and dimensional possibilities on existing, older homes like ours! Thank you again.
~ Nida Hanif & Terry Martins.
I proudly recommend Isabelle Smith and would like to convey our experiences, as well as her professional character and work ethic.
Ms. Smith has worked closely with us on two hotel design projects. Most recently her group completed the expansion and re-design of meeting space located in Ottawa at our full service Marriott Hotel. The works Isabelle and her team performed were detailed in scope, brought forth a refreshing design and involved working with our Architect, Mechanical and Electrical contractors. This project was completed on-time, below budget and adhered to brand standards.
It was a wonderful experience working together with her and I am especially thankful for her expertise and creativity.
~ Mark McCue, Director of Project, Larco Hospitality/Larco Investments
Isabelle Smith was recommended to me by my construction manager to be the appointed interior designer for my new dental office located in Richmond Hill. Her primary role was to take generic tenant fit up drawings and create a design concept that allows for a fresh new interior environment in my dental office.
The design concept presented included all of our day-to-day needs and requirements and at the same time has given a great importance to our office culture and brand, all the while meeting my new clientele expectations and needs.
Isabelle’s strong communication skills and coordination with the team has allowed this project to move along smoothly. Her performance was outstanding and her coordination with the project teams and contractors was excellent. She listened to my requirements and made sure the design was executed properly.
I enjoyed working with Isabelle, Principal, Senior Interior Designer at Chirp Design Agency and I am happy to be able to provide this recommendation.
~ Dr. W. Kaldas
We worked on two projects with Isabelle where she was lead designer.
• 12 unit condo building at Queen & Pape; construction budget 3 million. Worked on exterior design, rendering, and interior layout/finishes
• Relocation of family shelter into a historical mansion. Worked on interior layout, bedroom configuration to maximize occupancy count and interior layout/finishes
I highly recommend Isabelle for her professionalism, design expertise, and communication skills. Her work ethic and inherent knowledge of Interior Design makes her an asset to any projects.
~ Yvonne Liu, Director Strategic Development, The Rose And Thistle Group
As senior engineer at the FJ. Horgan Water Treatment Plant, I had the great pleasure of working with Isabelle Smith for the construction of a new office space in 2005 and subsequently for the design of the office expansion in 2008 and 2009. Her responsibilities included development of a design concept … to convert an old laboratory into an office space composed of washrooms, file and storage areas, kitchen, offices, boardrooms, library and clerical area … in consultation with the City.
[Isabelle oversaw] coordination of construction activities including managing various trades, addressing unexpected site conditions, ensuring as-built conditions meet original design intent and requirements provision of contacts for additional office decorative features after construction including photographers, artwork and plants.
During her work at the FJ. Horgan Water Treatment Plant, Isabelle exhibited many strong skills including strong ability to listen and understand the clients’ needs and putting them into the design. She is also very resourceful and creative, does not let contractors intimidate her, keeps good documentation of contractor deficiencies and is relentless at following up with contractors to ensure that the deficiencies are satisfactorily addressed.
Plant management staff, senior management and I were very impressed with the outcome of the new office space. As a result, the design created by Isabelle and her team at our plant established the standard for the creation of office additions at the remaining City water treatment facilities. I would not hesitate to work with Isabelle again in the future and would highly recommend her for interior design and construction work.
~ Liza Ballantyne, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., Senior Engineer, Water Treatment and Supply
Toronto Water Division
I have worked with Isabelle for several years. She, along with the Chirp Design Team, has always displayed a high degree of integrity and responsibility in their projects with not only the furniture suppliers but also with the engineering consultants and construction companies.
We have worked together on various project types, for example Corporate (Rathcliffe), Healthcare (Dr. Kalds Dental Office, Hear Clinic), Hospitality (Remezzo)· On working with their budgets, I found Isabelle to be quite competent.
~ Elaine Gordon, Senior Interior Consultant + Account Manager, The Office Shop