TESTIMONIALS

We are so happy we hired Jennifer of Bay Area Designs! We could not decide if our outdated San Carlos house was a candidate for a full remodel or a tear down. So we interviewed quite a few architects and designers for their input. Ultimately we hired Jennifer because of her excellent communication, creativity and her impeccable design skills. She knew it was a big decision whether we should remodel or rebuild so she pointed out the pros/cons and ultimately made the recommendation to rebuild. Once that decision was made, we launched into full-on design mode! Jennifer asked us to provide our list of must haves and wish lists, as well as links to Houzz and Pinterest images. Meanwhile, she got to work building our team of consultants. Once the survey was in hand, she presented us with many options for the site layout, focusing on the best use of our odd shaped, sloped lot. She is very efficient and her willingness to listen to feedback and collaborate is just unmatched. Jennifer pushed us beyond our initial comfort level and we are sure glad for that now! Her design passed the Design Review with flying colors and no changes. When we interviewed contractors, several complimented her design. Once Jennifer secured the permit, we broke ground. It is so exciting watching our dream house come to life and we are grateful to Jennifer and our whole team for all their efforts. She is a joy to work with and we couldn't recommend her high enough!Read More

I've been working with Jen for the last 5+ years for various big projects. The first was to turn a small, slightly boring home in Sausalito CA into something the opposite of small and boring. From restrictive city code to a challenging site plan, this one had some major design constraints that required someone creative and unconventional to navigate. Jen redesigned the house inside and out, and added a second story addition to take advantage of the amazing views in Sausalito. Construction on this is still far from done, but I know when it's done it will be a jaw dropper Jen also did a house for me in Denver, which also came with it's share of constraints and challenges. This 1908 home had a horribly impractical layout, and to make matters worse, we couldn't remove certain walls because of the way the house was built. Jen worked around these difficulties, and saw things other's didn't. A year and 9 giant steel beams later, this house is probably the awesomest in the neighborhood. A super functional layout, vaulted ceilings, exposed brick, an outdoor kitchen and bar, etc. etc. Jen is also currently designing another home for me up on the Russian River, and I am sure there will be more to come. Throughout all of these projects, Jen was great to work with. It's always a collaboration. She shows me her design, I give my input, she tweaks the design. Or in some cases, I come up with a design idea, and she then improves it 1000x. It's always a fun collaborative process with Jen. I look forward to the next project!Read More

In 2017 my husband and I bought an outdated ranch home on an acre lot in Atherton. It needed a full gut remodel and master suite addition to meet our needs. Initially, we hired Mary Jo Fiorella of Fiorella Design for the interior design. When it became clear that we would need architectural drawings, Mary Jo recommended Jennifer Lee to join the team. She worked very well with Mary Jo and together they were our dream team! At the beginning Jennifer alerted us that our initial budget was low for the scope of work we wanted. We appreciated her candor and adjusted our expectations. Ultimately, we decided to expand the work to include a detached ADU and extensive landscaping. In addition to the house and ADU, Jennifer and Mary Jo designed a steel pergola, outdoor kitchen, and completed several layouts for the entire landscape. Jennifer then recommended we hire a landscape architect, Keith Willig, who completed the details and plant selections. We could not be more thrilled with our new home! The project took over 2 years to complete (which included unforeseen delays due to Covid lockdowns). The home was recently published in Luxe Magazine with high accolades. Jennifer and Mary Jo have become close friends to us. We enjoyed celebrating with them and the rest of the team at our recent backyard barbeque. Aside from being easy to work with, I am grateful to Jennifer for her role in suggesting and implementing fresh, modern yet stylistically classic design elements to our project. We are grateful for her part in giving us the home that we’ve envisioned to have and we are happily living in.Read More

Jennifer was fantastic. Easy to work with, organized, creative, and responsive to us as we changed a few things in the design of the house over time. I’d recommend her to others without hesitation.Read More

Jennifer Lee is an established Palo Alto architect. She has worked on many projects, from modernizing remodels to complete rebuilds, like ours. My husband and I have a rustic modern aesthetic and had strong ideas about our project. Jennifer was the perfect architect: she brought her experience, creativeness and flexibility to our project. She communicated effectively, shepherded us through permitting in a challenging city environment and was not only willing to work with budget constraints, but was quite knowledgeable and creative in this regard as well. Most importantly, her talent and creativity led to a beautiful outcome. We highly recommend Jennifer, she's the right combination of professional, artist and guide.Read More

Jennifer is a truely professional architect. She always puts herself in our shoes to think from the whole picture, especially on budget and meeting the deadlines. We are building a spec house so the time and budget are key to the success of this project. Jennifer not only accommodated our needs but also put things in perspective and made valuable suggestions. Although at the beginning of the project we had to spend some time together to understand each other's expectations and to work out some communicatoin issues, these all paid off well for the whole project. When we had an unexpected delay on permit application, Jennifer pushed the city department tirelessly and minimzed the impact on our project. Overall we are quite satisfied by her work and professionalism and we believe we will be able to pull off this project with her assistance.Read More

I cold-called a few architects to consult on a property that I was about to buy in Los Altos. Among them, Jennifer was not only took my call, but also was very willing and happy to advise me on what it would take to remodel to our specifications. A few things that instantly stood out with Jennifer from my conversation with her: 1. She provided advice as if I was already her client. We didn't know each other, yet she took the time to review the listing and photos and even offered to visit the site in person 2. Throughout the conversation it was clear to me that she cared and provided unconditional guidance. She just wanted to make sure that I make a well thought-out decision before signing the dotted line 3. She carefully listened to what I needed in the remodel, my budget and provided a detailed analysis even before visiting the property site After discussing with a GC, her analysis was in fact on the money. Even if it weren't, the fact that she cared as if she was buying the property, and that she provided unconditional advice that is good for your family (not for her) left a huge positive impression on me. She also gave me a new perspective on remodeling in general. These are the key qualities I tend to look for in any architect/designer I hire, and hence would strongly recommend Jennifer Lee not just for designing your dream home but also for pre-purchase consultation. And for those wondering whether I purchased the aforementioned property, I did not, thanks to the timely consultation with Jennifer.Read More

My wife, Christine and I, interviewed many architects in 2019 for the full remodel and addition of our Atherton home. We liked Jennifer immediately and ultimately hired her after speaking to her references and seeing other homes she designed in Atherton. She impressed us throughout the entire design/build process as designing house has so many decisions - some more abstract than others - yet she presented us with pragmatic options at each point. We collaborated with her in person and over zoom over the over the course of 9 months perfecting every inch of the house. Jennifer provided many options for the overall layout of the house as well as the details of each room, including kitchen and bath design. In the end, we finalized on a floor plan that works beautifully for our family of five! She updated the whole exterior from an outdated ranch to a refined modern house with street appeal. Jennifer worked diligently with the Atherton Planning and Building department to secure permits and assisted us with interviewing contractors and reviewing budgets. She remained available during construction when questions arose and worked well with our chosen contractor. We love the final product so much that we asked Jennifer to design a new detached ADU.Read More

We hired Jennifer in 2021 after she was highly recommended by the contractor, Bill Fry. She had never worked in Woodside before but quickly got up to speed on the somewhat challenging local codes. Jennifer completed a beautiful and functional design for our family! The project consisted of: converting our existing basement to a family room with an attached kitchenette and bathroom, and a second story addition. It is complicated by the fact that we will need to excavate and lower the existing slab for more ceiling height and create a plan that will bring light into the parts of the space that are below ground. We were impressed with how Jennifer coordinated all the consultants including: the soils and structural engineers, as well as the interior designer, whom she recommended. She not only provided the architectural drawings for the permit, but also completed all the interior elevations. Our project is now in for permit review and we are excited to break ground soon! I would say Jennifer's best strengths are: communication, great design ideas, coordination/project management and being great to work with.Read More

We hired Jennifer for the design of our remodel and addition. A great listener, she carefully considered all of our concerns with the existing house, criteria for our new house and offered several initial draft options that met our expectations. We selected one of those options and she patiently worked with us to hone and perfect the plan. We were constrained in size for our rebuild, but she was inventive in finding solutions to allow the house to feel more spacious than the actual square footage, and worked to incorporate areas for storage. The planning and permit review process was very smooth, with only one set of comments to address. Moreover, Jennifer worked very hard to ensure that our deadlines were met. Her plan also ended up coming within our construction budget range when we sought estimates from general contractors. We are now in the construction phase of our project and she continues to be very responsive to questions that arise during the process. We highly recommend Jennifer.Read More

We worked with Jennifer Lee to create a beautiful design for our new home in Old Palo Alto. In order to pass Palo Alto’s strict approval process, we needed an architect with extensive knowledge of Palo Alto’s zoning code and planning/permit process.. We had met a few architects prior to meeting with Jennifer but none felt right. A friend suggested Jennifer, knowing she had already designed several new homes and had navigated through the city's review/approval process. By the end of our first meeting, we knew the search was over and we wanted her on our project. She listened to our wishlist and offered many thoughtful design recommendations. In a few short months, the plans were ready for submission. Her previous experience with the city proved invaluable as she guided us through the city’s design and planning reviews. As we approached the end of the approval process, she recommended a few interior designers and contractors, which was very helpful. We ended up hiring Supple Homes as our contractor based on her recommendation, and they turned out to be a great choice as well. The end result is a stunning new home with a beautiful exterior and cozy interiors. It is modern and timeless; functional and comfortable; airy, light-filled, inviting and comfortable. Jennifer worked with us to create not just a house, but a home.Read More

I hired Jennifer Lee of Bay Area Designs to help with the redesign of my 1947 central west Menlo Park home. Her initial design ideas really impressed me. My family room had an old chimney that she suggested removing to open up the space for better seating. I have lived in the house over 25 years and never thought of that solution! Jennifer is a good listener, and she offered design ideas and furniture layouts to improve the living and dining rooms, including a new electric fireplace insert. She was expert and efficient at offering options for furnishings and materials that were budget-conscious, but still had a WOW factor. I am delighted with the end result. The freshness and functionality of my home is all thanks to Jennifer. I highly recommend her services and believe you will be in great hands with Bay Area Designs. (Below are before and after photos - final decorating is still a work in progress.)Read More

It has been a pleasure working alongside Jennifer so far on a very complicated plot for a large scale 2 storey modern property with basement. We've formed a great partnership on this project collaborating on some fantastic ideas creating an amazing building for a large family. Jennifer is brilliant at space planning and has a vast knowledge of local codes and their problem areas. Currently we play the difficult waiting game with the planning office.Read More

It is always a pleasure working with Jennifer. She is very knowledgeable, professional and brimming with creative ideas. Jennifer is humble and open to collaborating with her clients and other professionals involved in her projects. She is a great communicator, which is helpful to all involved parties. Thank you for your excellent work, and I look forward to doing more projects together!Read More

My husband and I reached out to Jennifer for help with our addition and remodeling project. We have elements that we want to change in almost every room, but not enough to justify a total teardown and rebuild. We shared with her all of our ideas. She listened carefully and asked questions that made us really think about what we wanted and why. She helped us organize our thoughts through several iterations to develop a really amazing design and construction plan. Jennifer is also flexible and responsive, making time to meet with the structural engineer and construction firms to ensure everyone is on the same page with the design and the aesthetic/ feeling that we want to create in our home. She submitted our plans last week. We are so excited!Read More

We started working with Jennifer in May 2017 to conceptualize our addition / remodeling project. Throughout the process, Jennifer was very respectful of our design inputs and was instrumental in turning ideas into actual plans. Her responsiveness was critical in the iterative process of finalizing our plan, submitting it to the city for review and responding to city planner's comments. We enjoyed working with Jennifer, and look forward to her involvement in the construction process that's currently underway.Read More

Jennifer has exceeded my expectations and secured a permit for the remodeling and small addition of our house in quicker time than anticipated. I love collaborating with her because she is very responsive, sets clear expectations and expertly guided me through the planning process - from start to finish. It is clear that she cares a lot - Jennifer asks the right questions, listens and is deeply considered in her design so it is a perfect balance of what I want and what is a good investment. She pays great attention to detail and during the design process, even took into consideration our existing furniture dimensions and factored them in the new space planning. Being new to the Bay Area and now understanding the rigors of planning here in Palo Alto, I am truly grateful that we had Jennifer. Thank you!Read More

I worked with Jennifer on my Preschool start project up in Palo Alto, CA. She is extremely professional and knowledgeable with the strict city requirements. She helped me obtain approval from the city's Planning Department (which is a difficult and drawn out process). She balanced the complicated requirements for parking regulations, local Palo Alto zoning codes, traffic/transportation regulations, and childcare licensing minimums. I would work with Jennifer again, no question. She cares about her clients, works hard for them and it shows.Read More

Jennifer has a great design sense. She renders accurate and buildable designs. On a Palo Alto home remodel, she included many "Green Building" components: radiant floor heating, solar panels, bamboo flooring, and non-VOC paint. The project exceeded the Palo Alto Green requirements. It is always a pleasure working with Jennifer and her clients. - Bill Fry, Wm. H. Fry Construction Company, http://www.billfryconstruction.com/Read More

My husband and I bought a home in San Mateo in 2021. We loved the large lot but the house was small and outdated. We knew we needed some help so we interviewed several people. Jennifer stood out to us because of her knowledge and ability to communicate that made us feel comfortable and confident with the process. We were impressed with her approach, style, and flexibility. She was always on time or ahead of schedule and nudged us in a very professional way. Once we decided on Jennifer, she got right to work! She measured the house and drew the existing plans and exteriors. From there we met in person and online several times to finalize the design. We were not sure if this was to be our "forever home" or a place for our grown daughters. Jennifer was happy to look at all options. We then hired her to design a pool house and had her meet with the pool contractor to decide on the location. She was flexible with looking at different styles and did a great job incorporating my pinterest images into the design. Unfortunately, we decided the house was not going to meet our needs so we sold it and bought another home on a beautiful view lot in Millbrae. We reached out to Jennifer to design a full remodel to this two story, non-updated house with loads of potential! She completed many floor plan options for us as well as the layout for the pool, outdoor kitchen, and jacuzzi. Jennifer is an amazing person before being an amazing designer which is why we recommend her for others as well as look forward to working with her again.Read More

Jennifer’s work is exceptional! She not only has a superb instinct for design, but is a great listener with a focus on making client dreams come true. We greatly enjoy her design with an open floor plan and main living room looking out on her distinctive swimming pool. Jennifer has an enthusiasm for and strong knowledge of architectural elements and style. I strongly recommend her for your architectural projects!Read More

Jennifer was a great team member on the interior design of our new home in Menlo Park! She drew and assisted with the design of more than 20 sheets of drawings. We needed custom interior design for all the rooms including: kitchen, pantry, home offices, family and dining room, basement rec room, master suite, bathrooms, and built in cabinetry. Jennifer was always wiling to meet in person for long and productive design and drafting sessions. She was patient with changes and helpful in sharing her building code knowledge when we requested something that wouldn't work. I always enjoyed meeting with Jennifer . Her friendly personality and good style made the process so fun! I would highly recommend Jennifer as she is a complete joy to work with and her final product is fantastic!Read More

Jennifer Lee was the perfect solution to my project dilemma. I had worked with 2 prior architects and 2 prior builders on a new house (urban in-fill) who had all simply failed to translate my vision into reality. Jennifer was great at listening and evaluating the prior failures, before clearly laying out her approach and aesthetic. We have been happily working together on designing my home for 6 months and expect construction to begin in the next 3-6 months. Communication has been wonderful. She works very hard and knows the ropes, but she's also goofy and laid-back and happy to join me for a drink at the end of a long day.Read More

Jennifer was absolutely wonderful to work with and we highly recommend her architect services. We selected Jennifer to work with us on our Palo Alto house addition and remodel after we had seen the results of her work at a couple of Open House visits on the Peninsula. Jennifer's great design ideas for our project, as well as her experience with Palo Alto permitting/building requirements, were additional assests. She expertly helped navigate us through the design and permitting process. Jennifer was up front and clear about her fee structure, and there were no surprises along the way. She recommended and worked extremely well with our contractor, Bill Fry. Unlike larger architect firms, Jennifer was the only person we worked with during the plan, design, and build phases of our project, which translated to cost savings. Jennifer did an excellent job listening to and incorporating our ideas while staying true to the overall design of the house. Changes to the drawings were consistently delivered to us on time, and she regularly updated us on the status of our project. We are very satisfied with the results of our remodel and extremely happy to have worked with Jennifer. We would definitely hire her services again.Read More

I have worked with Jennifer Lee for over an year now in the design and construction of a new house in Palo Alto. I have interviewed multiple architects and decided to work with Jennifer because she does all the architectural work herself and she will pay full attention to this project instead of juggling several projects at once. Jennifer is an excellent choice in many ways. She is pleasant to work with. She really listens - I wrote a detailed requirement spec for the house in the early stage of the project and she incorporated that faithfully and creatively in her design. She is very responsive to my comments and is very patient working with me through multiple iterations of the design. She consistently meets project deadlines. She is also an excellent project manager, staying on top of things throughout the project. Her responsiveness and her project management skills are crucial for this project because I live out of state most of the time. I should also add that I found the contractor and interior designer through her. I look forward to working with her and the rest of the team and finishing up the project this summer!Read More

I am very thankful to have found Jennifer. I hired her to review the plans for our contemporary addition (already approved by the city) and she was able to provide invaluable feedback and address critical design issues right before construction. I can't say enough good things about her: she understands how people live and how they interact with their environment. She is also very creative at resolving difficult layout problems and she has a great eye for design. She is also incredibly efficient and more importantly, she is a joy to work with. I would recommend her without hesitation to anyone embarking in the challenging task of remodeling or building a new house.Read More

After interviewing multiple recommended architects we decided to hire Jennifer because of her experience, her vision with our home and her stellar recommendations from previous clients. Our project was about a year from planning/design to end of construction. Jennifer coached us and guided us throughout the entire process to minimize the stress and help us to stay on time and on budget as we embarked our first remodeling project (gutted entire house). Jennifer provided ideas and recommendations that were cost effective and extremely beneficial. For example, she recommended skylights in our home that were strategically placed to allow as much natural light as possible. As a result, our home feels bright and warm at the same time. We are a family with 4 kids and she was extremely thoughtful and detailed with the flow of the house and how each space could meet our growing needs especially as the kids grew. Again, this is one of many examples of Jennifer's detailed ideas/recommendations to ensure our home was designed to what we needed now and into the future. Jennifer was extremely responsive and helpful during construction especially when we opened up walls that required us to change the design slightly. Jennifer was quick to respond, make the changes and leverage from her relationships to ensure permits were in hand and construction continued to progress. She truly knew how to go the extra mile for her clients. We have lived in our home for 6 months and truly love the home that Jennifer architected for us. She listened to us and provided priceless ideas. She coached and guided us through the process and cared about making our home an amazing home to fill with great memories. Thank you Jennifer!Read More

I highly recommend Jennifer as an architect for a house remodel. I hired her after interviewing several others and worked with her to remodel our house from start to finish. I valued her advice on design, house selection and contractor selection; over an above her role as architect (design and structure).. She was obsessive with detail, a direct and clear communicator, particularly with contractors, insightful in dealing with the city and highly creative when it came to problem solving. We moved walls and windows, so we had some tricky problems to sort out. She has a great eye for design and gave me lots of decorating ideas. A pleasure to work, highly reliable with deadlines and details, connected and resourceful.Read More