About

Who We Work With

We work with homeowners in the Bay Area who are juggling busy careers, growing families, and homes that just aren’t working yet. You care deeply about creating a welcoming environment, not just for yourself, but for the people you love. You value thoughtful design, and you’re drawn to spaces that feel both modern and connected to nature.

When you bought your home, you had a clear vision: a place where you could truly relax after demanding days, where family could gather comfortably, and where every room would reflect the life you’ve worked hard to build.

Instead, reality fell short. Your living room tries to be everything at once and succeeds at nothing. When family visits, everyone’s on top of each other. The layout feels awkward, the finishes feel dated, and despite your best efforts, your home doesn’t feel like yours. You know it has potential, but you’re not sure how to unlock it.

What’s at Stake

Without intervention, the frustration compounds. Family gatherings remain tense and uncomfortable. You continue comparing your space to what you see around you, wondering if you’re missing your window to create something better. The peace you’re searching for stays just out of reach, and your home—which should energize you—continues to drain you instead.

The real cost isn’t just discomfort. It’s the persistent feeling that your home doesn’t match the life you’ve built. That gap affects everything: your peace of mind, your relationships, your sense of accomplishment.

What’s Possible

When we’ve finished our work together, your home becomes what you always knew it could be.

You walk through the door and feel it immediately. That exhale of relief, that quiet pride. Spaces flow the way they should. Every room has a purpose. When family visits, everyone has room to breathe. Your primary suite becomes an actual retreat, somewhere you want to be at the end of long days.

The details matter too: storage that makes sense, light that fills your rooms naturally, outdoor spaces you actually use. But what matters most is how you feel. Restored. Proud. At ease. Your home finally supports your life instead of complicating it.

My Background

I’m Linsey Dunn. I founded Linsey Dunn Architecture in 2022 after spending nearly a decade transforming Bay Area homes from sources of frustration into sources of joy.

I graduated from UC Berkeley’s Architecture program in 2013 and have been a licensed California architect since 2022. I’m LEED AP BD+C certified, which means I’m credentialed in sustainable design—important because sustainable homes aren’t just better for the environment, they’re healthier and more comfortable for the people living in them. In 2011, I received a scholarship from the AIA Inland Empire, and I’ve spent my career focused on one thing: creating spaces that genuinely improve how people live.

I’m also the founder of the ARE Study Guide podcast, created to help aspiring architects navigate the challenging licensing process. To my amazement, it’s been downloaded over 150,000 times. The podcast reflects something I believe deeply: complex processes should be clear and accessible, whether that’s getting licensed or renovating your home.

What draws me to residential architecture is the intimacy of it. Your home is where life actually happens—the conversations, the quiet mornings, the gatherings that matter. I love designing these spaces with my clients. Getting it right requires both technical expertise and genuine understanding of how you want to live. That’s what we do.

How We Work

Our process is straightforward:

Step 1: Basis of Design and Feasibility Study
We begin by understanding how you want to live—not how you think you should live, but how you actually want your days to unfold. Then we assess what’s possible given your site, budget, and the Bay Area’s regulatory realities. You’ll leave this phase with clarity and a realistic path forward.

Step 2: Design
We develop a solution tailored specifically to you. Spaces that accommodate multi-generational living. Storage that actually works. Connections to the outdoors. Layouts that make daily life easier, not harder. Modern design isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about creating environments that function beautifully.

Step 3: Construction Documents
We manage the permitting process so you don’t have to. Having worked across the San Francisco Bay Area, from San Francisco, Marin, Oakland and the East Bay, to the Peninsula, and the South Bay, we know how to navigate local planning departments efficiently, avoiding the delays and complications that derail projects and inflate budgets.

Why This Matters

Attempting a major renovation without experienced guidance rarely ends well. You risk investing significant time and money into changes that don’t actually solve your problems. Layouts that still feel cramped despite added square footage. Materials that look right initially but don’t perform over time. Permitting issues that could have been anticipated. Or simply decision fatigue so overwhelming that the project stalls indefinitely.

Our role is to guide you through this process, to help you avoid costly mistakes and create a home that truly works.

Ready to Begin?

If your home isn’t supporting your life the way it should, let’s change that. You deserve a space that reflects your success, restores your energy, and makes every day better simply by being in it.