Lean Lens Architects

We are working with Lakshmi Subramanian of Lean Lens Architecture on a two-stage remodel. Currently ready for construction of first stage. We appreciate Lakshmi’s creativity, thoroughness, honesty and dedication to helping us achieve the best possible results within our budget. We really enjoy working with her and definitely recommend her firm.

We hired Lakshmi to help us envision & create a plan for expanding our home to accommodate parents moving in and growing children. All her references were extremely satisfied with her. Lakshmi took time to understand our drivers, asking relevant questions to helping crystallize our requirements and explaining how long the process would take. She presented us with various options allowing us to further refine our vision. She built on this by providing us budgetary estimates to help us choose the final design & recommending contractors. We didnt proceed with the remodel since our parents decided not to move in negating the need for the remodel I would highly recommend Lakshmi - her passion, skills, customer focus will ensure your vision is fulfilled.

I worked with Lakshmi to design cabinets and closets for a house that she designed in Saratoga. The house had many unique and attractive design features that made for an efficient, easy to maintain home that also looks stunning! She provided valuable input for the finishes and colors of the materials used in the closets and cabinets. I hope that I can use her services to design a house for me some day!

Lakshmi is a vibrant soul with many creative ideas. She is also very well educated in "green home" features and is very passionate about creating homes that are healthy and sustainable. She is incredibly professional and honest.

It was a pleasure to work with Lakshmi as she was doing a major remodeling project on her own home. I really appreciated her eye for style and attention to detail as she managed this major project. She conducted all communications with the utmost professionalism. It was a very successful and pleasant experience!

Lakshmi was the first step in our remodel project. She took the time to understand each of our needs ( family of 4 where I wanted the beautiful big kitchen , my husband needed a good home office and the girls wanted extra large closets ) to name a few demands. She considered everyone and came up with 6 plans for us to choose from. Remodelling is an extremely difficult and intense time and we are very glad to have had Lakshmi to guide and advice us over the lengthy and tedious project. We are very happy with her services and would definitely recommend her . Thank you Lakshmi and wish you the very best for the future.

Lakshmi was very helpful in putting together some conceptual drawings we wanted for our house. We were looking to re-skin the house and freshen it up with new materials, stonework, shingles, etc. Lakshmi not only helped us define this look, but she also helped come up with great ideas for expanding our balcony on the second floor. Highly recommend her!

We started a math tutoring center in Berryessa. Both commercial rent and city permit process was new to us. Lakshmi helped us as an architect and got us through the hoops. He was constantly involved in the process until the project completed successfully. I recommend her service.

We worked with Lakshmi Subramanian (Lean Lens Architects) for our home extension project (720 sq.ft) in 2015-16. She worked diligently and helped us find the perfect plan for our extension. Lakshmi took into consideration all of our non-negotiables, and included our must-have demands into the project. She was knowledgable with the city's regulations and it helped us go through the process in a seamless fashion. I highly recommend Lean Lens and Lakshmi for architectural services.

We moved into a home in Saratoga in 2014 from our townhouse in San Jose and the one space that we were most excited about was our backyard since that was missing in our previous residence. Although we had a big lot and a beautiful home the backyard it was totally unmaintained ! We were eager to get our project started and had a lot of ideas but needed some guidance to stream line them. We hired Lakshmi to help us design the space and were very happy with our choice. She engaged with us by introducing us to Houzz and helping us build our idea book. That helped us see pictures of finished backyards and that helped us focus on what mattered most to us. She helped us consolidate our ideas but also ensured that we met City of Saratoga requirements of allowable lot coverage & fence guidelines. Our backyard has become a great outdoor living space, with plenty of space to entertain and for kids to play basketball, badminton and roller skate. We love it and would highly recommend Lakshmi at Lean Lens Architects for any need which involves design and visualization along with practical knowledge of city codes and regulations.

As home owners in Cupertino, we enjoyed our central location in the bay area but had to contend with a smaller home and lot. Being part of a joint family plus having a big social circle, for us having friends and family over was the central need of our home and outdoor space. We had to make the most of every sure inch we had! In 2014 we decided to improve our backyard as it was not fulfilling this need of ours. We wanted to open up the space and also add an outdoor kitchen to help entertain. Lakshmi at Lean lens architects totally got our cultural and social needs right from the start. She really helped us by providing us many design options to optimize our space.She was able to have both of us not only get what was on our list but also prioritize what would be the most beneficial in terms of usability and aesthetics. Our most favorite detail included low retaining walls which doubled up as seating which were a huge boon when we had our large parties. Barbecues, birthday celebrations, cookouts, baby showers etc followed after the project was done and we could entertain large numbers of family and friends! We really enjoyed working with Lakshmi and she has our vote of confidence!

We were in the process of replacing our carpets with re-engineered wood floors, when my friend and architect Lakshmi gave me some excellent advice and tips about radiant floor heating. Her knowledge about these systems helped me narrow down my choices. We synchronized our hardwood flooring and radiant system work and I'm now looking forward to this winter. I wanted to thank Lakshmi for her excellent guidance. I would recommend her to anyone who is looking for an architect who listens to all requirements may they be small or big.