Jacob Lilley Architects

We bought a piece of land and then hired Jake and JLA to design our summer home on Martha’s Vineyard. Jake was great to work with, taking the time to really understand our preferences, needs, and aesthetic, and then working with us to design something we were really excited about (including a number of iterations). We are thrilled with the finished product and would happily work with Jake again.

We hired Jake and his team to transform unfinished space above an attached garage into a guest suite. The design development process was collaborative and allowed us to explore several options for aesthetic and layout. Our new space compliments our existing home and creates welcome space for guests and us alike. We highly recommend Jake and love our completed project!

Jake is an incredibly talented architect with an amazing vision. He has assisted us with a remodel and addition to our old historic home. Jake is super easy to work with, and what I have appreciated most is how much patience he's had, and how much time he's spent with me on the design details- whether it be tile/stone choices, or location of windows. Jake has also been extremely focused on giving us exactly what we want. We're are halfway complete with our project and very pleased. He has impeccable taste and is really just a pleasure to work with. Highly recommend!!

We are more than halfway through a major renovation to our primary home and I have to say we have been blown away by Jacob Lilley Architects. Long before the start of construction Jake worked with us to define what our functional goals were for different spaces in our home both today and 10+ years from now. With this as a foundation he produced 3 highly creative potential layouts and presented them not just as architectural plans, but as these incredible 3D generated images that appear as though they are real-life photos. I cannot emphasize enough how helpful these 3D images were as a client to be able to visualize the end product and make important trade-off decisions along the way – for example, we were stuck on making some final countertop, backsplash, flooring and color decisions in our kitchen – Jake modeled different combinations and it made making those final decisions very easy. What could have been an enormous headache for us – going through a major renovation – Jake and his team have made it incredibly simple and straightforward taking on so many minute details and interfacing with the builder so we don’t have to. We have loved Jake’s clean yet elegant style, but also that he continually strives to create unique personalized features in our home that you won’t find anywhere else. If we could give a 10 star rating here, we would!!

I cannot recommend JLA highly enough!! My husband and I bought an old Tudor style home with great character but equal the amount of quirks. From the very first meeting with JLA’s team to the completion of this large addition-renovation project, we always felt we were in the most capable hands. Jake was able to formulate ideas that were both exciting and innovative. His vision and expertise helped to transform our dated Tudor into a dream. Before the project was even built, the team was able to provide us with photo realistic renderings of the proposed spaces inside and overall exterior design. This really blew us away and made envisioning their vision a reality. Jake was so involved in each and every decision. I was so impressed with how hands on he was the whole time. The team of architects at JLA was all so equally capable and talented. I am not the easiest client to please as I have high standards...JLA exceeded my expectations each and every time.

We are so excited to share our story of working with JLA. We started talking to Jake about what we presumed would be a simple deck refresh. Thanks to his focus on our total living space and his detailed eye, we are in the process of majorly upgrading our home. He's more hands on than I ever expected, which has been tremendous. Not only does he help us see the project coming to life but with his help we've made some changes during construction to make the end result even better. If you are interested in someone who takes the project as seriously as they would take their own, I highly recommend reaching out to Jake.

My husband and I hired Jake to design a one-of-a-kind dream home that would be perfect for our young family. We had talked about this house for years and knew what we wanted but not how to fit it all in, much less how to make it look beautiful. Jake was able to take our vision, sketches, and practical ideas and transformed them into beautiful spaces. Jake’s eye for detail is spectacular. Small design elements (that we would never have thought of) elevated the design in a way we couldn’t imagine. As we progressed into construction, Jake helped us navigate a stressful year and was always optimistic, available and open to handle any challenges that arose. We recently moved into the house, and it has turned out to be even more of a joy than we had hoped… now that we’re in it, we can finally appreciate the thoughtfulness and intention that went into Jake’s every design decision. We are so happy to be in our home and enjoying all that he created! We cannot recommend Jake highly enough!

Based on our experience of his knowledge, professionalism, design aesthetic and attention to detail, we highly recommend Jake Lilley. Jake designed the renovation of our Cape style home, working with us to make each of our spaces more usable and to create an addition that seamlessly blends with the original house. The result is a home that is transformed, both functionally and aesthetically. We love the look of it, classic New England with added character and beauty unique to Jake, via his eye for clean lines and how small details have a big visual impact. We love the feel of living in it- Jake listened to the problems our renovation needed to solve and solved them, while also incorporating touches we would not have imagined that add both comfort and beauty to the design.

We bought a 1890’s carriage house in 1988. It was the quintessential diamond in the rough. I assured my wife we’d fix it up. I didn’t mention it might take thirty years. But, with the recent expert help of Jake and his associates we have that diamond now. Over many months Jake showed my wife and I (Jake knew it was important that couples agree on decisions) wood and stone options. Patiently explaining the pros and cons. We’re thrilled with the completed project, which included a warm stone fireplace, gorgeous arched metal doors and a hickory ceiling. Just don’t say Jake gave us a diamond, his wife may not take kindly to the idea. George & Nettie Dillon

We have been working with JLA for several months on an extensive backyard and master suite project. Jake is proactive, accessible and an excellent communicator, attributes that have made him a trusted resource for everyone involved. We didn’t realize at the beginning how important a good “quarterback” would be for our complex project, but we now know that we absolutely made the right pick. Our project presented challenges at the outset due to setback limits, changing zoning regs and unexpected issues with neighbors. Jake came up with creative solutions and adapted to the ever-changing circumstances each and every time. He handled it all with grace, good humor and the utmost professionalism. We would recommend Jake and his team in a heartbeat!

My initial interest in JLA architects, aside from the good recommendations, stemmed from viewing photos of previous work. I have a very critical eye and his designs made sense, there was nothing in his work that seemed out of place or inconsistent as with others I had viewed. I was correct in this assumption and the project turned out great, everyone who sees it loves it. I have a hard time relinquishing control but Jake was willing to listen when I made alternate suggestions and try to find designs that worked for both of us. HIs vision of a more traditional house in the front that transitioned to a modern one in the back was very risky but it was designed in such a way that it worked, even from the outside. Even though the project has finished, I still enjoy talking with Jake about the decor options. I would highly recommend him.

We had a wonderful experience with Jacob Lilley and his team. He was creative, thoughtful, and visionary during the planning stages of the project (an addition to our 1850s farmhouse, including a complete kitchen gut and redesign), and he was thorough and meticulous during the building states of the project. Jake took our input seriously at every stage and came up with solutions that we would have never thought of on our own and was able to follow-through gorgeously. We would absolutely (and already have!) recommend him to others.