It's possible that Urban Homecraft would not exist today if I had never met Maxwell Ryan, founder and CEO of Apartment Therapy.

I first heard of Maxwell in 2007, when I came across a New York Times article describing his "preposterously miniature" apartment in the West Village. At the time, he was living in a 265-square-foot studio, with a baby on the way. He had installed built-ins and compartments to maximize the space. "It was an exercise in proving... that when you're frustrated with your apartment and feel like moving, there are other solutions," he'd said.  I had been living in a preposterously miniature apartment myself (250-square-foot), in the East Village, which I had rigged with my own built-ins and furniture.

In March of 2007, back when Urban Homecraft was just a few months old, I looked up his offices and simply showed up and asked for Maxwell. I showed him my website and the space solutions I had come up with. He was enthusiastic, and within two hours after leaving his office, I had an email telling me to look at the Apartment Therapy website: there on the homepage, was a blurb about Urban Homecraft. By the next morning, I had 70 people call about doing their home renovations. He basically created my initial client base, which grew from referrals, and gave me the courage to move to a bigger cabinet shop in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where I have been ever since.

Since then, we have worked on various remodeling projects for his apartment, including custom cabinets for his bedroom and a bedroom renovation for his daughter's room. To this day, I enjoy working with him, and Apartment Therapy is my favorite source of design inspiration. He continues to be a mentor and a friend.

-George Evageliou, Founder and President of Urban Homecraft