3 Lights Design

Austin and his team are like family. We approached Austin when we purchased our home, and were immediately struck by his warmth, his sincerity, and his exceedingly thoughtful and mindful approach to our renovation journey. Our goal was to convert our 1750 square home into 3500 square feet, lifting the home 4 ft, converting the basement into living space, and vaulting the ceilings upstairs. It was a massive project. Over the course of several years, we switched designs, changed thoughts, changed scope, changed budget, and through it all, Austin was calm, level-headed and supportive, always providing revised drawings and offering new ideas and approaches. We finally finalized our plans right before the pandemic and construction was suspended for a year. But once we began construction, Austin worked with our contractor to triage a number of issues that arose. Our contractor was quite prickly, and Austin managed to build a strong relationship with them, and even helped to resolve issues and conflicts between us and the contractor--no small feat given our contractor's temper! And now our home is complete. It is truly magnificent, and we get compliments constantly on the design, the flow, and, most importantly for us, the movement of light through the home. Austin and his team took our vision and breathed so much life and light into it--in ways we could never have envisioned. And when he visited with us recently, I was brought to tears--I am so eternally grateful to him for being such a steadfast supporter, friend and advisor through what was (as are all renos of this scale) a incredibly stressful, draining, and emotional process. We are, in fact, so thrilled with the outcome and enjoyed working with Austin so much that we're looking to him to help us now convert our detached garage into an ADU for my mother. If at all you're considering Austin and 3 Lights Design, know that you cannot go wrong, and more likely than not, you'll be left with the results of your dreams and a friend for life in Austin.

It was such a pleasure to work with Austin. He is knowledgeable, has a great sense of humor, is a good listener and communicator and an overall pleasure to work with. He was able to take our small laundry room renovation project and make it work in our hard-to-find-the-right-space house so that it didn't cost us an arm and a leg. He was great about suggesting contractors who could do the job and continued to follow up with me to the very end. He established a relationship with us that was so friendly and fun (Zoolander jokes abound) which made us feel like we were working with a trusted friend. I highly recommend him.

I had more than an ‘interesting experience’ working with Austin - it was empowering. As he did a preliminary interview over the phone, I felt surprisingly comfortable when we met the next week. Despite two extensive remodels on this 100 year old Oakland bungalow, I had yet to work with an architect or professional designer. Within a short time we agreed to focus upon Austin’s ‘full-spectrum client intake’. It’s a process but well-worth it. Austin communicates quite clearly; and because he is interested in listening to the client’s needs and concerns, our time together helped me understand the next steps I wanted to make. It was not to remodel the basement. My idea was impractical but, more importantly, it would not enrich my quality of life. It was rather surprising how my predominant feeling was one of gratitude - and relief. The work with Austin was brief but so very helpful in pointing out the direction I need and want to go. The manner in which he quickly grasped the scope of the project, and my deep concerns, makes me very certain I could have trusted his judgment should ‘we’ have decided to go ahead and build it.

I cannot recommend the 3 Lights Design team more. I worked with Austin and Luis and both were fantastic! I was working on a major overhaul of my rental apartment building - adding a unit and combining two of them. Even though it was not a space that I would be living in, Austin had me go through his process of really picturing who would be using that space. It may feel strange to have that conversation with a designer but it really helped the team to shape the design. Luis worked on my drawings and was excellent with turnaround and answering my questions. The team worked seamlessly together and I really enjoyed my experience - not having to worry about how things are going. This is so rare these days when you have to follow up with folks a hundred times to get anything done. Austin would even follow up with me when I hadn't responded to an email. I would use 3 Lights again in a heart beat.

tl;dr: 3 Lights is awesome, and working with Austin was so much fun. He helped us bring our vision to reality, never rushed the process and made 110% sure we were making the right decision. He was also incredibly kind to our 85 lbs dog (who hated him for no reason at all FYI). My husband and I always wanted a 3/2, but ended up falling in love with a 3/1 in 2016. Our plan was hence to add a bathroom to it, and we finally got around to it in 2017. We got in touch with several architects to start kicking things off. We met a lot of people; some just kept talking over us, some told us the space we had for the bathroom was too tiny (it is not huge, but is still reasonable), and we were annoyed at the world by the time we met Austin. Our first meeting with him was fun; we had a great time explaining our vision, but he insisted on a full spectrum client intake (which we had never heard of before). Through said interview, Austin mentioned he would take the time to get to know us and assess what our real reasons were to remodel our home; he also mentioned would tell us if we were remodeling for the wrong reasons. Wut. Let me mention here that my husband and I are complete opposites: I am bubbly and outgoing, and he can barely tolerate other humans That said, while I was dubious, the interview turned out to be a HIT for both of us. Austin took an hour with my husband and I separately, asked pointed questions about the things that mattered to us, and really immersed himself into how we live as a family. That helped him assess what this bathroom really meant to us and how we would use it. He therefore gave design suggestions based on that. After we established that this remodel was the right move for us, he and his team got moving pretty fast; we had final plans within a few months (we were not the best at answering in a timely fashion ), and the bathroom was built soon after. It is now completed and it is efficient, spacious and gorgeous. Just perfect. Thanks, Austin (and Tawni, another member of his team) for a wonderful experience!

The team at 3 Lights Design was a godsend while my partner and I were finishing up construction on a new restaurant. The contractor had made several unpleasing design choices and we desperately needed some guidance. Donatella, Luis, and Austin were all wonderful to work with and they provided practicable design suggestions. I especially appreciated that they provided immediately actionable vs longer-term solutions as well as ideas at various cost levels. This allowed us to take timely action that addressed our pain points, at a budget we were happy with, and allowed us to open on schedule. In addition, Austin provided an overall calming presence that was much appreciated during this rather stressful process. I'm not sure what we would have done without 3 Lights Design- thank you!!

Austin at 3 lights design is more than just an designer / architect -- he is a spiritual guide. I had plenty of worries going into my home remodel project, but after working with him for just an hour I felt much more grounded and connected to the purpose of the remodel, and was confident that he would help me make the choices that worked best for me and my family. As it turns out, the $200k+ attic bedroom I was envisioning was totally unnecessary, because Austin was able to help me realize that we could achieve the same goal by converting the garage -- for one tenth the cost! I felt seen, held, and cared for by Austin's gentle and nurturing approach. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I felt confident, and lucky to have found a designer/architect who is truly looking out for me and my family.

Austin and his crew worked as a seamless team for our house renovation project. Austin and Donatella are such great listeners and personable. I've reached out to 3-4 different architects in the area(Oakland/SF) from Yelp before I got in touch with Austin and most of them gave me a sense that they are so busy to take time to listen to me. But with Austin it was no the case. He really took a significant amount of time to get to know my husband and myself before we got into all technical details. And because of that solid communications and understanding, him and Donatella were able to suggest designs that reflect both my husband and myself. It really made the whole process feel like we were a big part of the project which we were and it was a great collaboration between them and us. One of the things that I really appreciated of this team was the flexibility. If I had a specific idea for an area, even if it was in the middle of drawing, they were able to accommodate it. Unfortunately right before the permit drawings were submitted, we had to stop the project due to a family situation. It was hard for me to let it go because I was emotionally invested in it. But if anything I highly highly recommend Austin and his team for any house renovations!! He made the whole process so pleasant, stress free, and easy. They respond fast and they are hard working, talented team you will ever meet!! Oh did I mention their fees were very reasonable?? 5+++ stars!

Austin and 3 Lights Design brings a uniquely affordable yet high level design concept to every project. After more than 30 years in the residential remodeling business, and working with more designers than I care to count, I've found working with Austin to be easy, productive, cost effective and even fun! I hear the same story over and over; my clients tell me how he truly took the time to help them discover the design they wanted, instead of the other story I've heard all too often, which is where the designer will impose their own aesthetic over the clients' desires and call it beautiful. I think Austin has somehow discovered how to reach into the mind of each of his clients and draw out the perfect look and feel for their project, and as a General Contractor, it's way more enjoyable to build for a client who is getting the bathroom, kitchen, or addition they always dreamed of, even if they didn't know exactly how to describe their dream before meeting Austin.

Crazy that I haven't written a review of 3 Lights Design's work yet. Wow! Austin designed my entire chiropractic office, from beginning to end, 5 years ago. I am so thankful for Austin for two reasons; one, his vision and ability to see the project all the way through to the end, and two, his incredible personality. I thought I was a great listener...well, I met my match. This guy spent SO MUCH TIME asking me questions about chiropractic, it's philosophy and what about it was important to me. He can take you through a tour of the office and tell you at least two or three aspects of every room that directly apply to those conversations. I felt very taken care of throughout the entire process. And what a process it was! There were so many challenges that this space provided for Austin. For example, mysterious leaks into the space, city zoning laws, and awkward placement of electrical and water structures. Austin kept a cool head through it all. He stayed positive and only focused on possible solutions. Finally, all you have to do is look at pictures of my office and I'm sure you'll be confident to at least give Austin a call and have a conversation about your project.

I have been a General Contractor in the Bay Area for 15 years. In all that time, I have never had such a positive experience working with a design firm. Their professionalism is matched only by their enthusiasm. Their dedication to their clients is exceptional, and in my case, led to a complete home run of a project! From Austin's emphasis on clear and effective communication to Luis' design skill and their combined problem-solving skills, you simply could not hire a better firm, in my experience. For a builder like me, who wanted a co-creative design environment, they provided not only a savings on the back-and-forth that typically leads to excessive billable hours with other firms, but an incredibly satisfying result.

We had a great time consulting with Austin on our residential remodel. His process really helped us to better understand our project needs and helped enable my wife and I to be on the same page (= very important!!!)