Lucid Architecture

Always start with an architect. Eric at Lucid really saved us from impending disaster when we began our project by naively hiring a builder "with plans" that could be modified to our taste. The problem was the builder had only built traditional homes and we were looking for mid-century modern. We then found Eric DeWitt who was able to help us modify the plans and achieve the design we wanted. He worked really well with our builder and was always accessible when problems arose. He was patient, generous with his time and made the process very easy by sharing computer screens with us and modifying as needed. We are thrilled with the results and recommend Lucid highly.

We wanted to build a modern house in West Michigan and Lucid Architecture was an obvious choice. They understood the aesthetic as well as the flow and functionality we were looking for. When we first started the project, we were living in Bellevue, Washington, so quite a bit of the initial conceptual work was shared electronically which we made work. Once we were in Michigan, it was a pleasure to share and develop the design concepts with Eric and his team. Since we were going to be our own contractors, we needed to understand the design at a deeper level than most. They were helpful and supportive throughout the project and the house turned out beautifully. It has been incredible to watch this firm produce so many award-winning designs and develop into a leading firm in the midwest.

Based on their reputation for understanding and appreciating modern design, we hired Lucid as Architects of Record for a house I designed for a deep, wooded in-town lot, which was the site of an historic carpenter gothic home dating from the mid-19th century that was preserved and moved to an adjacent town. We are a married couple who have had second home in Saugatuck, Michigan for many years. We share a deep appreciation for modern architecture, art, and design. We love our seasonal life in Saugatuck enjoying time with family and friends; enjoying the long days boating, surrounded by a community with a tradition of appreciation for the arts. Having grown up in West Michigan, I was very influenced by mid-20th century architecture and design—much of which originated regionally. My grandfather built many innovative structures in west Michigan, including the Eames-designed house for the DePree family that founded and led Herman Miller. The Pleasant Street floor plan is as I designed it in 2015 on a rainy Saturday while living in San Francisco after abandoning a less purely modern plan which I had been refining over the previous couple of years. Scale drawings of the final revised design were provided to Eric DeWitt, who served as consulting architect (Lucent Architecture, Zeeland, Michigan). Given the strong design sensibility I brought to the project, I was initially very unsure about working with an architecture firm that has a reputation for the strength of their designs and has received significant recognition for their work. I was extremely happy with the project from end-to-end. Eric and team were terrific to work with, and highly responsive to and understanding of the home we were creating. I'm very proud that the house won the residential design award for 2017 from the West Michigan chapter of the AIA. The house was extraordinarily complex in terms of engineering, siting, and structure and Lucid handled all of these challenges with tremendous skill. The structure was sited between six 160 year-old white and red oak trees preserved on the property. And the house is as close to the street as possible, continuing the form of in-town living we have enjoyed on the front screened porch of our 1908 Arts & Crafts house a block away which we maintain as a guest house. The front great room (48’ x 22’) is intentionally ‘public;’ the furniture-like wall (inspired by Mies’ Farnsworth house) creates privacy for all other rooms—even with no window coverings. No rooms have interior walls that connect with the outer perimeter of the house, echoing a design element of our 1958 E. Stewart Williams house in Palm Springs, CA. The informal orientation of the entrance, screened porch, large open kitchen and garage are intended to encourage spontaneous interactions with anyone who stops by. We entertain often, but always casually—mostly brunches, cocktails, and cookouts. The kitchen of the house is designed to encourage guests to always feel welcome and comfortable. Guests can circulate around the outer perimeter of the food prep area allowing everyone to participate in the conversation. And there is a clean-up kitchen behind the cooktop. Our collection of furniture and art is placed so as to create a welcoming, accessible environment for friends and family. My husband designed the landscaping with each area devoted to a different color of cutting flowers. Perhaps the hardest thing about designing a house for the Michigan lakeshore, is to create a home that lives comfortably inside and outside during the warm, humid summer months, and equally well during the bitter cold, snowy winter. West Michigan’s winter climate has more than double the amount of typical annual snowfall at its latitude, given the town’s proximity on the east side of Lake Michigan. The hydronic heated concrete floors of the main level, basement, sidewalks and garage all serve to make the house a quiet, comfortable environment during the inclement months. The basement is unfinished. The pool table, ping pong table, and unfinished concrete floor, are all reminiscent of our childhood growing up in climates from which one has to frequently escape—especially during the winter months. While we still love our arts & crafts bungalow, as we are in our late 50s, one motivation for the design of the Pleasant Street house was the ability to live on one level, with no steps. The house is designed to be wheelchair accessible so this can remain our home in which to live and entertain for as long as possible.

We hired Eric and his team at Lucid Architecture after reviewing his portfolio and interviewing other firms. I have always been a fan of modern design, but my wife preferred more traditional design. She was “all in” on a modern design after reviewing portfolio projects and particularly the use of space and materials. It was clear from the initial discussion that Lucid was the right fit for us and our project. As first time builders, Eric and team were instrumental in helping develop our priorities of design, space, and functionality. It was a holistic approach that began with the site itself. It was important for us to work with the land and Lucid made this a priority throughout the process. Eric also made it a priority to engage our builder frequently throughout the process which really made it feel like a team effort. Lucid’s process, thoughtful design, attention to detail, and technical expertise resulted in a beautiful and functional home to raise our family.

Professional architectects with an amazing team. Lucid has constructed a detailed design process that puts the clients first while insuring each project is drawn uniquely and specifically based on the clients dreams and wishes. Always thinking out side of the box and questioning the status quo of design. Would highly recommend and looking forward to working on future projects together.

The team at Lucid are fantastic to work with, they really are team players. They listened to our needs and dislikes and understood them, respected them and created solutions for obstacles that we threw at them. After experience working with a previous architect, these people know and understand what it will feel like to live in their spaces and had a good attention to details to make sure that electrical boxes and 'ugly' aspect of the home were concealed and accommodated so they didn't detract from the architecture. They could translate our needs into reality and designed something that worked with our lifestyle. They successfully turned their style, that we admired, into our home that was unique and incredibly perfect for what we asked. Great communicators, made it a fun experience and we will work with them again when the occasion presents itself.

We hired Eric Dewitt from Lucid Architecture to help us with the redesign of our 80's vintage contemporary house. The redesign was prompted by the failure of our 30 year old windows and some prior design flaws that were inherent in the house in that there were no eaves to help protect it from roof run-off. We described the look we thought we wanted and the design and material choices that Eric brought to us provided for a complete transformation of the house such that it now looks so up to date and finished that first time visitors are 100% sure that it was just constructed and is brand new. From the slight elevation changes to the quality of the exterior material choices Eric met our every expectation and the end product is one that far surpassed our initial thoughts for the project. I would recommend Eric and his group to anyone that is considering a new house or remodel project of significance. His ideas and input were central to the success of our project.

We hired Lucid to design our home in Saugatuck. After finding them on Houzz , reviewing their portfolio and talking with Eric, we knew they were the right team to make our vision a reality. Eric and Dana asked all the right questions and quickly took our vision and made it come to life. They were great to work with. They defined our thoughts, offered suggestions, pushed back when needed and made it a collaborative process. If you're looking for true professionals to help make your dreams a reality than you've come to the right place.

As being a first time home builder, the anxiety that comes with selecting the right architect to partner with can be extremely overwhelming and intimidating. We knew from early research we were drawn to Lucid Architecture based on the many modern-contemporary projects displayed on Houzz and their website. When we made the decision to move forward and partner with Lucid, they were extremely professional and eased our anxiety right away. They listened to our vision and with a relatively modest budget in mind, they designed a home that really exceeded our expectations! I appreciated that they were very upfront and transparent during the design process. For example, my husband and I assumed it would take no longer than 1-2 months to complete this process. During one of our initial meetings, Eric De Witt understood our (ideal) tight timeline but was very transparent about the entire process and the time commitment it would take from both parties to move so quickly. Boy he was right!! In hindsight, we should have allowed for at least 6 months to design a home, but we were those overly eager [naive] home buyers with a baby on the way and wanted everything to fall into place by the birth of the baby. It’s really a process that deserves the investment of time. Eric and Dana really helped us prioritize what components of the design were critical vs. a “wish list” to ensure we stayed as close to our budget as possible. They provided alternative, cost effective solutions for many items we wanted built into the design that would have otherwise increased the cost of building tremendously. They partnered with our builder, JPD Construction which again provided more comfort in knowing that what we were designing would in fact be within budget. It was such a great experience and I’d highly recommend Lucid Architecture to anyone looking to design an amazing, one of a kind, custom home. www.lucidarc.com Thank you Eric and Dan for all your work!! Can’t wait to move into our new home this Winter and have you both over for dinner!! Carrie & Cre

I am building a retirement home for myself in SW Michigan on a beautiful lake that I have visited each year since my grandfather built an original home for the family in 1954. It is difficult to make someone else understand the connection to this rural, wooded piece of paradise. Contacting Eric at Lucid, I found him open to listening; helpful in his honesty; professional and skilled in his approach to my idea's. As I look at my own drawings now, I know that my plans, my hopes and dreams for this home, will be able to be re-created professionally and thoroughly by his vision for what I have described - due to his skill. Our time together is only beginning and I can't wait. I am thoroughly impressed.

When looking to build our lake house in SW Michigan, we knew we wanted a warm, modern home. But homes of this style in this region are a bit rare - and so finding an architect in the area that shared our vision was also a bit tricky. Fortunately, someone recommended Lucid Architecture to us and one look at their website told us they designed beautiful homes that matched our taste. We went into the design process with a pretty clear notion of what we wanted. Not only did Eric and Dana at Lucid help us realize that vision; they propelled the design from sound to spectacular. Our home is everything we wanted, and more.

Our experience with Lucid Architecture has been 100% spectacular from start to finish. Eric possesses every ideal quality a client would seek in an architect: honesty, intellect, ingenuity, and humor. He excels in the ability to take what is conceptual and transform it to actual. If there were 6 stars to allocate, we would do so for Lucid.