Blaine Architects
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Blaine Architects is a Silicon Valley-based architecture and design firm founded in 2015 by Megan and Keith Blaine, who returned to California after working together at Foster + Partners in London. The firm has carved out a distinct identity in modern and mid-century modern residential architecture, and has recently expanded its portfolio to include specialized ADU design work, particularly in the San Jose and San Francisco Bay Area markets. In 2023, Blaine Architects received the Merit Award for Residential Architecture from the American Institute of Architects, Silicon Valley Chapter, a recognition that speaks to the firm's standing within the architecture community and its reputation for thoughtful, well-executed residential work.
The design philosophy at Blaine Architects is rooted in the clean lines and human-scaled proportions of mid-century modern design, translated through a contemporary lens. Megan Blaine, the firm's principal and CEO, has over two decades of residential and commercial design experience across multiple countries, including London, Turkey, the UAE, and California. Keith Blaine, the principal and Director of Architecture, holds a Bachelor of Architecture from USC and brings additional expertise in healthcare and education design, and served as President of AIA Silicon Valley Chapter in 2020. The leadership combination gives the firm both design depth and local credibility. The team includes architects like Justin, the LA studio leader, who brings 15 years of construction experience from CU Boulder; Aayush, a third-generation architect with published work and design competition wins; and Fernando, a USC graduate with expertise in digital design fabrication. This is not a template-driven practice; the team has the depth to execute custom work at scale.
Blaine Architects' work across residential scales includes both single-family homes and multi-unit projects, which translates directly into ADU expertise. The firm understands how to design smaller residential units without making them feel cramped or compromised, and how to site ADUs on urban and suburban properties in ways that work for both the main dwelling and the accessory unit. This skill matters more than it might appear, because many architects without ADU-specific experience design them as afterthoughts, shoehorning a small structure into leftover space. Blaine Architects approaches ADUs as intentional residential designs that happen to be smaller, which is a different discipline entirely.
The firm's ADU offering includes a pre-approved plan developed for the San Jose market, known as the Oak and Willow design. This design has been vetted by the city of San Jose as part of its pre-approval program, which streamlines the permitting process. The Oak and Willow plan comes with multiple layout options (four configurations) and six different style choices, allowing homeowners to customize the basic approved design to fit their property orientation, site conditions, and aesthetic preferences. The flexibility is key, because a pre-approved design that cannot adapt to different properties is just a constraint. Blaine Architects has built enough variation into the Oak and Willow plan that a homeowner on a narrow lot, a sloped lot, or a property with a specific street-facing orientation can still use the design without it looking obviously templated.
For homeowners in the San Jose area considering an ADU, working with the pre-approved plan path offers a significant practical advantage. San Jose has incentive programs and expedited permitting pathways for ADUs built to pre-approved designs, and Blaine Architects' Oak and Willow plan fits directly into that system. This means shorter permitting timelines, lower design costs compared to a fully custom design, and a higher confidence level that the design will pass city review. Blaine Architects can further customize the plan to a specific property if needed, which adds cost and timeline but is far faster than designing from scratch.
Blaine Architects also works on custom residential design across the Bay Area and Los Angeles, with project portfolios that include modern takes on classic Silicon Valley mid-century homes. The firm has designed projects with names like the "Sequoia" model and others that reflect its design language. This breadth of custom work means the firm is comfortable stepping beyond pre-approved plans if a homeowner wants something entirely custom. In that case, the ADU design would be bespoke, reflecting the property's unique conditions and the owner's specific vision, but it would still benefit from the firm's practical experience getting designs through San Jose planning and other local jurisdictions.
Pricing for architecture services at Blaine Architects is not published on their website, which is standard for architecture firms that tailor projects to each site and client. Pre-approved designs typically cost less than full custom design work, and the Oak and Willow plan as a pre-approved baseline is more affordable than engaging Blaine Architects to design an ADU from scratch. If customization of the baseline plan is needed, costs increase accordingly. For fully custom ADU design, the firm would structure fees based on the project scope. Homeowners interested in pricing should contact the firm directly with details about their property and goals.
The firm operates from both a Silicon Valley main office and a Los Angeles studio, and the location matters because it means real local expertise, not remote design from a distance. Blaine Architects has done extensive work in Palo Alto, San Mateo, San Jose, Los Angeles, and other California communities, so they understand the specific aesthetics and code preferences of each market. They know which neighborhoods push back on modern design and which embrace it, which planning departments scrutinize small projects closely and which rubber-stamp competent designs, and what the unwritten aesthetic rules are in places like Palo Alto or San Mateo. That local knowledge translates into designs that are more likely to sail through permitting without revision rounds.
Compared to other ADU design options, Blaine Architects sits in the middle ground between fully custom design and mass-market pre-approved plans. Their pre-approved Oak and Willow design for San Jose is faster and cheaper than a full custom design but comes from an award-winning architecture firm with an actual reputation, not a template shop. If a homeowner wants customization within a pre-approved framework, Blaine Architects can do it. If they want something fully custom, the firm is equipped to deliver that as well. The AIA award and the local professional standing mean the firm has credentials that matter if a design is going to be used as a reference point for other homes in the neighborhood or if it's going to be a showcase project.
Blaine Architects is a strong choice for Bay Area homeowners, particularly in San Jose, Palo Alto, San Mateo, and surrounding communities, who want an ADU that feels architecturally thoughtful and fits the mid-century modern aesthetic that defines much of the Silicon Valley landscape. The firm is especially valuable for homeowners who care about design quality and are willing to invest a bit more to avoid the generic, templated feel that some pre-approved plans carry. If you are in the San Jose market and the Oak and Willow pre-approved design fits your property, the firm can deliver that efficiently. If your property or vision requires more customization, Blaine Architects can design bespoke work and still secure local approval with real expertise. The firm's design credentials and AIA recognition signal that this is architecture that is meant to stand up over time, not just comply with local code. For anyone in the Bay Area seeking an ADU design that marries practical permitting efficiency with genuine architectural quality, Blaine Architects offers a credible path forward.