Sven Lavine Architecture

Sven and his team did a wonderful job on our home renovation. From the initial “idea” meetings, to discovering our “design palette” to figuring out our lighting & electrical plans, and working closely with our contractor to ensure nothing was overlooked, Sven and his group of designers helped create a family home that we love. Our renovation was fairly big and included gutting the existing 2,300 square feet and adding an additional 2,200 square feet. There were many decisions to be made and we felt Sven guided us thoughtfully through each milestone. And being relatively naive to the whole process of renovating in San Francisco, Sven led us smoothly through the many phases and hurdles presented along the way. While our project ended up being much bigger than we originally imagined we are very happy with the outcome and now have the perfect home for our family. Sven has a modern eye which we appreciate and he pushed us in a direction we may not have been brave enough to take ourselves. He’s well versed in new technologies and building methods and was able to inform us on products to consider for our home. We highly recommend Sven Lavine Architecture for any home project you may be considering.

We hired Sven to help with a major remodel of our apartment: rip out the kitchen, redo 2 baths, and ultimately (because the value-add of his plans was so convincing) replace original attic stairs with a fabulous showcase staircase. Sven started the project by giving us MANY layout options for our large kitchen space. He has wonderful design software so you can really visualize the options. In the end, despite significant structural challenges opening up our kitchen to our dining room, plus discovering structural damage to our unit’s subfloor, our open, airy kitchen is exactly as shown on Sven’s original renderings. We couldn’t be happier. The staircase is also amazing. Here too Sven offered many creative design options, involving shifting/relocating the stairs and different aesthetic approaches. What used to be narrow attic stairs is now a generous, modern staircase with plenty of light. Sven was also superb in suggesting lighting for the apartment, something which really wasn’t on the list. The lighting is striking (recessed strip LED lighting) in the kitchen ceiling plus beautiful hidden lighting in a large built-in bookcase. I always receive compliments on the lighting as soon as guests enter the apartment. Sven also introduced us to other great professionals, Brad Doran as the contractor, and Alissa Lillie, an interior designer, who advised on many of the finishes in the apartment.

We hired Sven to evaluate and design expansion options for our 3 level Single Family Home in Bernal Heights. Out of the architects we interviewed he was the only one with sufficient understanding of the Special Zoning restrictions in our neighborhood. While we were originally considering a downstairs expansion he suggested building a roof dormer instead and convert our attic space for a more economical and higher value addition. During the planning phase he guided us through all the stages and later changes of our plans and navigated the planning / building department approvals. A lengthy process since we had to go through historical review and decided to add a bathroom at a later stage. Although Sven is the first architect we hired, I don't think another firm would have been able to be as flexible and responsive. He comes greatly recommended.

The Lavine Architecture group design my kitchen and it has worked perfectly everyone that comes in the home comments about what a beautiful design it is and how well it functions. I'm able to have many guests in my kitchen and no one seems crowded. Because the kitchen is where people allways gather matter how large your home.

Sven Lavine Architecture is a really remarkable firm. Sven, particularly, has provided uncanny attention to detail during the building phase on multiple projects. I have yet to meet a client who was anything but delighted with this firm. Loveland and Company

Sven is an excellent architect and drew up some amazing plans to rebuild our troubling back stairs in San Francisco. After a long process of getting city permits and finishing the work, the stairs are beautiful and I can imagine have added tremendous value to our property. I highly recommend Sven, he was very accommodating and quick to respond to questions. And no doubt delivered an excellent design that we'll enjoy for years to come.

Sven is a pleasure to work with, he is a great designer, problem solver and very good with people. I would recommend his Company for any architectural project.

We have used Sven for (2) house remodel projects now in the past 5-years. One was a conversion of a small sitting-room/bedroom into a master bathroom and walk-in closet. The second project was a complete house remodel of a +100 year old victorian, inclusive of: an added story into an existing attic space with the addition of (2) bedrooms and a bathroom, complete structural upgrade, kitchen remodel and owners representation to the City of San Francisco Planning Department. Sven was a very easy person to work with. He understood our project goals, timelines and budgets and worked well with our contractors and interior designers. He offered several options to us for space plans and worked with us through design changes that crept up during construction, he was a real asset to the overall team.