Recent Projects

well adorned room with rich colors of green, red, and gold
Williamsburg Rooftop Bar
Williamsburg Restaurant

NEW YORK

NEW JERSEY

[ testimonials ]

What People Say

New World Design Builders have a broad range of customers from individuals to restaurants, stores and spas. From conception to completion, our goal is to surpass the expectations of our clients. See what some of them have to say below.

Our lobby is so gorgeous. Thank you to you and everyone who worked with you to make it so. You told me the Board wanted a WOW factor and we have just that! It is specially beautiful at night when looking in from the street. We are not yet finished, but I want you to know I have enjoyed working with all of you. It has been a real pleasure.
Rae
Museum Mile
"Dear Chris We have been away for half of July and all of August. Coming home to this gorgeous lobby was magical. Feel free to use any part or all of my comments on your website or to customers. I love standing outside across 5th Avenue at night and wondering "am I staring into our lobby or is that a reflection of Central Park"? I would highly recommend NWBD and K2. Your vision, integrity, work ethic and attention to detail was above expectations. There was never an unanswered email or question that was not fully discussed and resolved. You took the time to review costs and provide tiered options for solutions we would all agree upon. You took ownership of the materials and accountability overall. I would recommend NWBD to commercial and residential projects without even thinking. Thank you to you Chris and your team at K2. Best Dara"
Dara Levine-Hillis
Museum Mile Lobby project
"I intended to begin this review by writing of Chris and his associates with descriptions of their competence, creativity, and so forth, in the joining of two apartments into our new home. But, if I begin at the beginning, and describe what made this work together special, it was their enthusiasm and their warmth. Everything seemed to flow from this center: competence, creativity, openness, integrity, and commitment to our having the home we dreamed of. Their competence was demonstrated as much in their ability to adapt and to correct, as in their high quality craftsmanship. When faced with a challenge, they were willing to go the extra distance to make things work. A dramatic example of this came with the realization that the floors were incredibly uneven, from the original shoddy construction of the building. It took careful, determined effort and hours of extra work to make the floor a thing of beauty. "
JOHN P. BALISTRERI, PhD
5 East 22nd Street, Suite 23-B, New York, NY 10010

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"Just over a year ago I closed on an apartment in New York City and became a home owner. A benchmark in this town I thought I would never achieve. It took almost a full year from the day that I closed until the project was complete. It wasn’t without setbacks either, as I encountered a terrible kitchen leak two weeks after moving in which ruined all of my floors and necessitated their complete replacement. But insurance came to the rescue and ultimately I prevailed in the end. I can’t take all of the credit here – my design team of Chris Kofitsas, Bernadette Kopec, and Kathianna Rousseau from New World Design took my ideas and made them a reality. John Farese and George Bardis did the physical work to build the end result. Then, let’s not forget or minimize the importance of the eye of Michael Jurick – hands down the best photographer out there today - who has made this place look stunning beyond words."
J. MILLER
East 79th Residence, New York, NY
"I have worked with Chris Kofitsas and New World Design Builders on numerous projects in the past three years. Prior to working with Chris and NWDB I had been involved in dozens of construction projects with a value of well over $150 million. Chris is the only person I could honestly say I would use again out of all the contractors I've worked with in the past. Having both the design and construction come from one shop truly streamlines the process. If nothing else, having one entity responsible for the entire project eliminates the typical finger pointing which I have found usually occurs on projects. Having the designs drawn up and submitted with knowledge of how the job will be built avoids impractical and/or over-budget design and construction pitfalls and has substantially reduced delays which can be the most costly unseen part of the entire project. Unlike most designers I have worked with, Chris and his team are dedicated to bringing our agreed upon vision (not just his own) to fruition, remaining flexible throughout the entire project. Projects are completed on time, on budget and with a minimum amount of change orders. More than anything else, Chris and his team have a high degree of integrity and I recommend them without hesitation."
JEFFREY CHODOROW
China Grill inc.

New York, NY

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"In 1996, we began working with New World Design Builders on what was to become one of the most unique, innovative and admired projects in our industry -- the reconstruction of our award-winning salon and spa. Throughout the construction of our new 15,000 square foot facility, New World proved to be a very talented group of designers and craftsmen. Their attention to detail and quality was reminiscent of the true artisans of days gone by. As President of New World Design Builders, Chris Kofitsas is a very motivated and talented designer/builder who has a deep understanding of how to coordinate even the most complicated projects (as ours turned out to be). Throughout the duration, Chris dedicated himself to providing the best possible design and quality construction possible. He demonstrated the ability to take responsibility not only for his own contributions, but also for the entire subcontractors in order to ensure that all things related to the project proceeded according to schedule. The second partner in New World Design Builders, John Farese, has also proven to a valuable asset in putting the project at hand together. John's focus and dedication to detail drove him to ensure the quality of work and its aesthetic value was consistently superior during the project. To say that we are pleased with the final result of New World Deign Builders efforts would be a vast understatement. Suffice it to say that a steady stream of salon/spa owners from around the world visit our spa each week to behold its design. We have been written about in almost every major industry publication, even gracing the cover of last month's American Spa magazine. DePasquale, The Spa has prided itself on our dedication to quality, artistry, and customer service for over 13 years. By sharing our continued goal for perfection, New World created for us the beauty and wellness environment that will help us take those principles to new heights in the next millennium. I welcome anyone interested in experiencing DePasquale to visit us for a tour and see firsthand the artistry and excellence of New World Design Builders." Unlike most designers I have worked with, Chris and his team are dedicated to bringing our agreed upon vision (not just his own) to fruition, remaining flexible throughout the entire project. Projects are completed on time, on budget and with a minimum amount of change orders. More than anything else, Chris and his team have a high degree of integrity and I recommend them without hesitation."
CARMEN DEPASQUALE
DePasquale Spa

Morris Plains, NJ

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"When planning a renovation of a new hair salon, I returned to a design team and a construction firm that could design, build and deliver a new salon that was reflective of my clientele and the upscale Madison Avenue location that was relocating to a busy 57 Street location. With a very discerning clientele, I wanted to work with the most capable people. I think I was successful in achieving that objective. New World Design Builders, with Chris Kofitsas and John Farese, was selected as general contractor. They were more than up for the project. Even with other ongoing projects, they were able to meet their commitments to me. The quality of their work and their desire to please the client, were a welcome addition at a stressful time. New World Design Builders was able to deliver the project within the time frame specified and was within the budget guidelines. Chris and John were a pleasure to work with."
JOSEPH STRAFACI
Joseph Martin Salon

New York, NY

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"This letter is to serve as a general recommendation of New World Design Builders. In 2007, NWDB designed and built the Maxim Prime restaurant in the Glenn Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. As Owner and Landlord of the building, Legacy Property Group managed the buildout of this tenant space and contracted directly with NWDB. As project manager for Legacy, I oversaw the design and buildout of this project and interacted regularly throughout the process with NWDB. New World proved to be a highly competent, professional design/build firm. Their design was very creative, presenting a unique dining experience while still remaining a highly functional restaurant space. As the general contractor, they were faced with building this unique restaurant in a tight space inside an operational hotel, a difficult task for any contractor. Even within this challenging environment, NWDB was able to construct the restaurant without causing disruption to the critical ongoing hotel operations. Finally, they were able to quickly respond to changes requested by the Tenant and Landlord while staying on budget and on schedule. I would be pleased to work with them again on future projects and I'm happy to recommend them to other potential clients."
STEPHEN SCHROPE
Legacy Property Group

Atlanta, CA

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"Once in a while design collaboration meets all your expectations and then some. As a so-called creative person, I personally have had the pleasure of this kind of experience. I have had such experiences on photo shoots resulting in the perfect shot for fashion and beauty productions with standing ovations. It's magical when the team of experts pool their talent to a greater purpose. This does not occur very often. However, with the architect Chris Kofitsas, your chances are great. When I first met Chris Kofitsas, I was very impressed with his portfolio. Each project had its own identity that reflected the ideas that the principals that commissioned Mr. Kofitsas as architect and New World Design Builders as builders had dreamed of. Chris's own signature is masked and subtly laced in and out of the designs. Very tasteful. His ability to listen and translate my ideas coupled with his own expertise made working with him a pleasure, better yet, an experience. His enthusiasm and commitment to "Kaizen," continuous improvement, is both refreshing and brilliant. Long after the project had been completed, he is still amiable and interested in "how things are going." Now on the business side, Kofitsas and his New World Design Builders is a client's dream. He designs things that he knows his company could build. This saves lots of time and money. His bids and fees have been better than competitive. The relationship between this architect and builder is a no brainer, obviously one in the same. I could not begin to put a value on that. Our space at 15 Mercer Street, Soho NYC has been photographed for Vogue, The New York Times, American Spa, Modern, New York Magazine, Time Out New York, Nylon, and 2 tabletop books on spas and design. We are very proud of Chris's work, certainly, he is fast becoming one of the country's leading architects, design firms and builders, nonpareil."
RICHARD CALCASOLA
Maximus

New York, NY

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"When asked if I could write a letter of recommendation for New World Design Builders, I dropped whatever I was doing only to jump at the opportunity to reply to such a request. Just the mere mention of New World Design Builders and their associates only brings me great pleasure and satisfaction of accomplishment of a very joyful time in my life when I chose to expand our facility. Chris Kofitsas and John Farese, the owners of New World Design Builders, were about as competent, professional and honorable as it gets. As I write this letter at the facility that Chris and John built, I beam with the thought of such a wonderful experience, one that also won us the 1996 A.I.A. Award of Merit in the state of New Jersey as well as an award from the Fort Lee Chamber of Commerce for its beautification to downtown Fort Lee. To sum up this letter of recommendation, I'm only too pleased to have had the opportunity of providing such a letter for two guys and their company for excellence in every way!"
PASQUALE BENASILLO
Pasquale

Fort Lee, NJ

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"Hiring Chris Kofitsas was the single most responsible factor for the current success of Tru. My intent in hiring an architect was to find someone whose style spoke to me. I had assumed that would exclude anyone who had done a lot of work with spas, as most spas look pretty much the same and are quite uninspired. However, while reading a spa magazine, I fell so in love with one of Kofitsas's designs that I picked up the phone and hired him on the spot. I did so almost despite the fact that he had designed spas in the past. I wanted to do something different. I had worked with architects in the past and was happy to walk them through the nuances of how layout and ensign can affect the spa's operations. After all, I had been in the trenches running spas for years. I did not think there was much an architect could add in terms of details that would enhance the actual operation. Boy, was I wrong. Kofitsas had valuable input on literally dozens of minute but important details that directly affect how we go about doing our business. This input came from Chris's experience building spas, yes, but also from a level of detail and involvement that far surpassed any architect I have worked with in the past. This care and dedication to his craft is also reflected in how he took my dream and through the magic of his easel gave it life. I should mention at this point that any vision of what a spa should be is a bit unconventional. While Kofitsas's past spa experience was a plus when it came to the details, he did not let it taint his interpretation of what I was trying to achieve. When it came to my project, he easily discarded any preconceived notions that he may have had and let me completely lay out my concept and how I wanted it to be reflected in the design. Chris immediately understood my vision, and then took it to another level entirely. The end result was 100% my vision, my idea, what I wanted -- but it was just so much more than I could have imagined. This, I believe, is where Kofitsas's true genius lies. He achieves killer results not by incorporating the client's ideas within his style, but with spaces that are unique to each client and that completely capture the essence of that client's ideals. Kofitsas's immense talent is surpassed only by his character as a human being. I can't imagine doing another project without Chris at the helm, and I can't imagine a day that I would not count him as a very dear friend."
CRAIG FOSSELLA
Tru

San Francisco, CA

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