Meet Stephen Owen
The Designer Behind SO Architectural Design
Intro:
I’m Stephen Owen, the founder and sole director of SO Architectural Design Ltd. I started this practice with a simple idea: that homeowners in Essex and East London deserve the same quality of design thinking that goes into London’s biggest buildings - without the big-practice price tag or the confusing process.
Whether you’re planning a single storey rear extension, a loft conversion, or a full new-build, I handle your project personally from the very first sketch to the final construction drawing. No junior passed your file. No layers of management. Just one experienced designer who knows your project inside out.
From Major London Landmarks to Your Home
My career has been split between two worlds. By day, I work as a Project Designer at Measom Dryline on some of London’s most significant construction projects. Right now, that means the new Museum of London at West Smithfield - a landmark cultural project in the heart of Farringdon. It’s the kind of work that demands precision, coordination across dozens of disciplines, and an obsessive attention to detail.
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By evening and at weekends, I bring that same rigour to residential projects across Essex and East London through SO Architectural Design. I founded the practice because I saw too many homeowners getting a poor deal - either paying through the nose for a big firm, or getting cheap drawings from someone who didn’t fully understand planning policy or building regulations. I wanted to offer something different: genuine design expertise, transparent fixed fees, and a process that actually makes sense to normal people.
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That combination of large-scale commercial discipline and hands-on residential experience is what makes SO Architectural Design different. I don’t just draw lines on a screen - I understand how buildings actually get built, how construction details work in practice, and what planning officers are really looking for when they assess your application.
How I Work
We start with your brief.
I design with your budget in mind.
You see it before it’s built.
I listen to what you want to achieve, assess your property’s potential, and identify any planning constraints early - before you’ve spent a penny on drawings. If a pre-application with the council makes sense, I’ll tell you.
There’s no point designing a £150,000 extension if your budget is £60,000. I’ll give you realistic cost guidance from day one and design to maximise what you can actually afford.
Using Lumion 3D visualisation software, I produce photorealistic renders of your project so you can see exactly what your extension, loft conversion, or new build will look like - before a single brick is laid. No more guessing from flat 2D plans.
Where I Work
Covering Essex and East London
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SO Architectural Design is based in Hornchurch, Essex, and I work with homeowners across the borough of Havering and beyond. My regular project areas include Hornchurch, Romford, Upminster, Dagenham, Barking, Ilford, Brentwood, Chelmsford, and throughout East London. I’m also happy to take on projects further afield where the brief is right - I’ve worked with clients in Bedfordshire, South London, and Northern England.
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Because I follow a digital-first process with site surveys, screen-share design sessions, and online project management, distance is rarely a barrier. But if you’re local to Essex, even better - I can be on your doorstep for a site visit within days.​
