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Luxury Home Remodeling Experts

Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

Refined & Co. is an award-winning team of expert architects, designers and craftsmen that work with equal parts passion and precision to imagine, design and build beautiful and inspiring places to live.

We’re Milwaukee’s premier Design + Build team and NARI-certified professionals with 20+ years of experience in transforming the home you have into the home you love.

We know that to be the best, we have to work with the best. Meet our team of creatives, curators and collaborators.
Refined & Co.

Meet the Team

Matthew Jahns

Owner, CR

With 25 years of experience in remodeling and design, Matthew is fluent in creating thoughtful and beautiful spaces. As founder, he has curated a team of award-winning architects, designers, and builders. His responsibilities are wide ranging, and his work inspires the core principles of thoughtful design, balanced spaces, and quality materials.

Morgan Taugher

Designer, BAIAD | ASID Allied

Growing up in an artistic family, Morgan was always drawing or crafting as a child. She put her love of art into practice and now holds a BA in Interior Architecture and Design and enjoys predicting and practicing the next big thing in design. When Morgan’s not designing, you’ll find her camping, eating sushi, or thrifting—or maybe doing all three, very carefully.

Sofie Knouse

Designer, BFAID | ASID Allied

Sofie appreciates a variety of design styles, but feels a special kinship with old homes: she enjoys balancing updates while still honoring an old home’s soul. A graduate from Iowa State (go, Cyclones!), she brings a wealth of talent and a keen eye to our team. Sofie collects architectural paintings, dotes on her Golden Aussie, and digs a good movie marathon.

Emma Harris

Sales Coordinator

With a degree in Interior Architecture + Design from MIAD & professional experience with furnishings & real estate, Emma has a keen appreciation for how spaces add value and impact our lives. She enjoys life’s simple pleasures: connecting with nature, or spending time cooking new & nostalgic flavors. She’s always trying new restaurants & has a soft spot for Thai food.

Haley Ross

Designer, ASID Allied

With a BFA in Interior Architecture and a minor in Business Administration, Haley brings a unique blend of creativity and business understanding to her work. Her background in interior design and construction drawings has equipped her with an eye for detail and a talent for creating functional, beautiful living spaces.

Laura Marshall

Director of Marketing

Laura brings experience as a writer as well as a master’s degree in psychology. Her role is to define the client experience, oversee the creative direction of our content, and create the voice of our brand story. In other words, her work ensures that what we’re saying about our work is true, clear, and well-spoken.

Rosie Roberts

Director of Operations

Rosie works at the intersection of administration, resourcing, and managing our partners to ensure smooth operations. With 20 years of experience in property management, she has unsurpassed knowledge of the Design + Build process. Rosie masterfully balances client communication and team management, and her attention to detail keeps our projects running smoothly.

Grant Gillespie

Accounting Specialist

Grant holds a degree in Accounting and has experience in expenditure tracking and real estate. When he’s not crunching numbers, you’ll find him playing chess, hiking, or hitting home runs for his softball team. But don’t let Grant’s easygoing nature fool you: in his free time, he also throws knives and axes with the precision of an accountant.

Angela Nye

Office Administration

With over 20 years of experience in Accounting and Human Resources, Angela thrives on attention to detail and achieving a high level of customer service. She works with our team and our partners on all financial and administrative matters. Angela finds satisfaction in ensuring a smooth process and brings a high level of care to her work.

Robert Schwalbach

Production Manager

Robert’s love of carpentry began in the 1980s with a passion for skateboarding. Building ramps and half-pipes introduced him to the thrill of using tools and understanding how structures are built. Over the years, he’s expanded his craft into high-end remodeling and project management. Outside of work, he enjoys skate/snowboarding, cycling, and time with his family.

Alec Iwen

Project Leader

Alec befriended his shop teacher in high school and his teacher’s love for carpentry inspired his own. Alec went onto college and graduated with a degree in carpentry and he now has experience in the cabinetry, millwork, and construction industries. Alec’s attention to both the big picture and the small details shine through in his work.

Dalton Riner

Project Manager, CRPM

Dalton’s love for carpentry began working on furniture projects in high school. He takes pride in creating lasting work and enjoys the trust he builds with clients. From the initial design through production, he is attentive to all aspects of his work, from the big picture down to the smallest details. He builds with artistry, quality, and a dedication to his craft.

Derek Pritzl

Journeyman Carpenter

As a lifelong tradesman, Derek appreciates the puzzle-like characteristics of his work: like piecing a puzzle while crafting each piece for a perfect fit. A talented musician, songwriter, and sculptor, Derek is truly a renaissance man. He knows from experience that singing harmony may be the best thing in life—especially when he hits that note just right.

Jonah Carlson

Carpenter, CLC

Jonah comes from a long line of tradesmen, craftsmen and woodworkers. For Jonah, pursuing a career in carpentry brings a lot of personal fulfillment, as well as a way to carry on his family legacy of quality craftsmanship. Jonah brings his lifelong appreciation for carpentry into his work, as well as his own skills as a thoughtful craftsman.

Tim Milligan

Project Leader

Tim fell in love with carpentry at age 2 and never wavered. Despite earning a Mechanical Engineering degree, his true calling was hands-on craftwork. With 8+ years in trades, he thrives on creative problem-solving and builds beautiful, lasting homes. Off-site, he’s a ski patroller, deer hunter, and baseball enthusiast.

Nicole Winkler

Business Development Specialist

Nicole is the first friendly voice our new clients hear on the phone. With a background in human resources initiatives, Nicole shares her expertise in improving client relations and processes. When she’s not clicking “like” on cute animal videos, she assists as a teacher’s aide, enjoys all forms of glamping, and Wisconsin lake life.

Emily Kaczmarek

Design & Sales Consultant, BSAS | ASID Allied

With a degree in Architecture and a knack for understanding people, Emily listens closely—taking what matters most to her clients and turning it into designs that feel inspired, thoughtful, and completely personal. She loves the thrill of a design’s ‘aha’ moment—and just as much, she delights in quiet evenings walking her dogs, sitting by a crackling campfire, or savoring well-crafted food.

Building on a tradition of excellence and quality craftsmanship, from my family to yours.

From my earliest recollections, my parents always provided me with building toys; from plastic hammers as a toddler, to Lincoln logs and LEGO’s, to Erector sets and model airplanes as I got older. It’s no wonder, seeing as my grandfather William A. Jahns as well as my father Lowell W. Jahns were both builders and engineers. William started his construction company during the Great Depression. After graduating as an engineer from the University of Wisconsin my father came back to Milwaukee to run his fathers’ construction company in the 1950's and 60’s. As I grew up, I worked for my father during my summers off from school, and loved the satisfaction he had from creating and problem solving. What I enjoyed equally however, was how he cared for people he was working for, as much as the home or building he was constructing for them.
After my father went on to work for the City of Milwaukee as a building inspector, I was trained in the specialized field of residential remodeling, growing with one of Milwaukee’s largest remodeling firm Bartelt+Filo for 9 years. Starting in the carpentry field, advancing to Project Manager, then to Project Coordinator, I learned much about the remodeling industry. I also learned that I wanted to do it better by focusing first and foremost on the customers I worked for. In 2004, I made that happen by starting Refined Renovations.

Now entering our 19th year in business, I reflect on the many great customer’s my team and I have worked for. Sure, we have created outstanding homes and spaces, even won awards and accolades for our efforts, but it’s the people and their families that I think about equally. It’s why I do my best to stay in touch with them, not just with ‘business visits’, but personal interactions, catching up on the new and exciting events in their lives. I am proud to say we have worked for some of the best people in southeastern Wisconsin.

I am proud of the disciplined and collaborative process we have honed over the past 10-plus years. We have assembled the best trade partners in Wisconsin, bar none. They share my priorities of customer care. All of this to make my customers proud of what they set out to do to their home, and whom they selected to accomplish it. It is a great privilege.

As the owner, I give you my personal commitment that our team will handle your project with the greatest of care — making every effort to ensure that it will meet, even exceed your expectations. We would be honored to work for you, creating great new spaces, and great new memories.

—Matthew L. Jahns, CR
   Owner
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