Carole Hunter Home Design

As a custom home builder on Martha’s Vineyard, we have had the great pleasure of working with Carole and her team. Carole brings a lot to the table. She is up to speed on the latest technologies and is always available to work on details and answer questions. We especially appreciate her knowledge of the many phases of the construction process and her keen and critical eye for quality craftsmanship. She is not afraid to question or advise the builder when she feels it will elevate the project. Her ability to deliver timely sketches, material selections and approvals keeps the project moving without unnecessary delays. The combination of her practical experience and artistry in design is evident in all of her work. Carole exudes passion for her work while bringing a healthy dose of humor and good cheer to the job. We love working with her and have been very proud of our association!

Carole is a no nonsense, thorough, creative, pragmatic and talented designer. She listened well and worked with us to create a total redesign plan for our second floor master suite which was absolutely fabulous (while helping us work through and comply with limitations put on us from the town's building regulations) . Although the actual building portion of the project is not yet complete, I feel confident in saying that Carole's vision and creativity has given us a beautiful, well designed, bright, and airy refuge.

I have used Hunter and Company on a few projects and Carole it very professional and knowledgable. She work is of the highest quality and always keeps appointment times and deadlines. I am particularly impressed with her ability to listen to budget concerns and her willingness to work within them and not push the client past their comfort zone. I am an Interior Designer and have used Hunter and Company personally and professionally for my own clients and never been disappointed.

Carole is fantastic! She was the mastermind behind a renovation and addition to our four-generation home on a complicated site in Aquinnah, Martha’s Vineyard, in 2011. Totally knowledgeable about all aspects of design and building, she coordinated well with our contractor, kitchen designer and us. Distance was never a problem. Her plans were detailed and imaginative, and she stayed totally within budget. She helped obtain the approvals of the various planning boards without a hitch – no small feat on the Vineyard. Working with limitations of space and boundaries, and a hilly lot of total sand, Carole honored our wish for wrap around views while managing to incorporate 5 bedrooms, 2 1/2bathrooms, large open kitchen/dining/living room, den, porch, deck, laundry, pantry and lots of storage while still allowing for privacy for the various family sub-groups of our multigenerational gang of 10. Carole has a knack for architectural interest and imaginative creativity – there is absolutely nothing “cookie-cutter” about her designs. We love everything about our new home both inside and out, and wish we had many of its traits in our off-island home. Every day we spend in it we marvel at its seeming perfection and how much it reflects who we are and how we live.

Carol is a gem! We purchased a house was about 2/3 of the way completed, but one that had hastily made "habitable," but just barely. It needed not just an eye for beauty, but also an eye for reconfiguring, relocating, adding a sense of balance and proportion to rooms, creating flow and functional spaces...the list goes on and on. We were on a tight budget, thinking we'd chip away at the project over a number of years, but because of Carol -- her respect for budgetary constraints, her amazing creativity and ability to think outside of the box, her ability to respond to the client's taste and lifestyle issues, and her genuine sense of humor -- she literally transformed this house and created our dream house. She has a creative eye and a depth of knowledge not only about design, but also about construction that enables her to help clients consider design options having considered price, weighing the relative "impact" a change will have and consider options, both larger and smaller. We were going to add a deck, but once we had a draft of the plans, Carol suggested we might want to enclose it with big, very reasonably priced windows that can be removed during the summer. This has become the go-to room. It's simple but beautiful mahogany floor, expansive windows, ceiling fan, and lighting added a room we literally live in almost all year long. A simple yet gorgeous outdoor shower, transoms above windows, new cottage trim, finding flooring and tile to match what was in the house.... We truly can't say enough about Carol. I recommend her without a moment's hesitation.

Carole Hunter is everything you would wish in an architect: skilled, tireless, attentive, always kind, and immediately responsive. The level of knowledge, brilliant, and her taste level—invariably lifted me one rung higher than I'd have managed on my own. What I want to say is that she not only drew our kitchen renovation in precise blueprints for our contractor to follow, but she also accompanied me to choose cabinets, offered guidance on appliances, and yes, design items too. Most people think of renovation as hell—well, I'm here to say, mine was heavenly—fun, on time, and on budget. Seriously.

Carole Hunter founder of Hunter and Company orchestrated a complete rebuilding, from the foundation up, of our house overlooking the Menemsha harbor in Chilmark, MA. There were many hurdles to clear with conservation groups, as well as complex engineering issues. Carole is a brilliant and seasoned architect and designer. She seems to relish difficult challenges, and none seem too much for her to solve. Carole has worked in the field for over 25 years, including with our family on other rebuilding/remodeling projects. She works with traditional architectural and design tools, as well as with state-of-the-art technology. With the small lot size at 26 Harbor Hill, Carole was able to find ways to meet all our needs: An upstairs open deck; social areas and reading nooks; bedrooms, each with private bathrooms, and all still conforming to the original footprint and rigorous building height restrictions. Carole knows and works well with the top subcontractors on Martha's Vineyard; she takes a personal interest in projects; and she meets deadlines. Our home at 26 Harbor Hill came in on budget, and is extremely cost-conscious. Carole was responsible for the entire effort, from foundation and architectural drawings, to interior design features and finishings. We could not be happier with the result.

After we hired 2 different contractors to work on our vacation home across country we were worse off than when we began. That's when Carole Hunter came along to save the day. We were at our wits end, with financial demands and no clear picture of how to proceed. Carole turned that all around. She listened to our wants/needs and began to help us sort through the information to get the home we wanted and could afford. Though not an architect, but with decades of experience working with them, she was able to plan and execute drawings/plans that would meet our needs and complete our vision. Carole is organized, punctual, realistic and knowledgeable. Her ability to listen carefully and then direct you to the products that fulfill your wishes is always met. Carole has a way of leading you to the right answers, while taking into account all the input you have given her. As the eyes and ears of our project, Carole turned a challenging undertaking, into a home where we will be making happy memories with our family and friends, for years to come. She earned our trust, and we are truly grateful for her. We know we couldn't have completed this project with such satisfaction if not for her.

Constraints enhance creativity, it is said. Certainly that is the case with our project and Carole Hunter's plans for renovating our old small house and adding improved kitchen, living and bedroom space. We had a tricky building site - all sand - and the old house was at the edge of the property line. So there were lots of issues re zoning and codes. Carole did a superb job of adding a connector from the old to the new house and positioning the new wing at a slight angle, esthetically appealing and conforming to requirements. Included in the overhaul of the old house is a superb dividing wall between the main bedroom and den - tv on the den side and alcove with built-in shelves on the bedroom side. The old house had overhanging rafters. She kept this look in the new part by insisting on having rafters. In order to maintain a sealed envelope, the rafters had to be scabbed on. Our view was most important to us and it was maximized! When we are asked what we do when we're at the house we always answer "look out the windows." Carole worked well with all four of us - me, my husband, my brother and my sister-in-law. We find the house stunningly understated - just what we wanted. For pictures go to chunters@houzz.com, projects, beach house.