Lapis Design Partners

John Back was the only one (of eleven architects) interviewed who told me that we were not properly using our space well. John was an excellent listener and asked the right (delving) questions to really understand our lifestyle and needs which he expertly and creatively incorporated into his designs. His plans far exceeded our expectations and he delivered a final product that was beautiful, practical and made us feel very proud of our home. As the project manager, John was highly organized, cost conscious and timely in responding to our requests. Overall, John was a pleasure to work with. I felt he was highly collaborative, trusting, and reliable. If/when I need to build or renovate another house, know exactly who I am going to call.

Working with John is a true treat. He is always professional, proactive, and imaginative. He helped us with our full residential renovation from start to finish and really made the project work.

Very professional. Great design and solid project management. A first-class team. I've worked with several architects over the years, and this is my most satisfying experience.

As a board member and serving on the design committee for my condominium building I have worked with John Black on several projects for the building as well as my own condo unit. John has started each new project great enthusiasm and with innovative ideas, he has always been very professional and it's a pleasure to work with John and Lapis Design Partners.

John is a wonderful architect who executed our ideas perfectly and added many new and interesting enhancements to what we wanted to do. We are very happy with the results, his ability to organize and manage contractors. In addition to his architecture skills, he is a genius when it comes to lighting. He is very professional, keeps his promises and schedules and was a pure joy to work with. I highly recommend John Black/Lapis Design.

incredibly creative. Able to find the perfect form without sacrificing function. John is very attentive to his clients - he transformed our wants and wish lists to a finished product that exceeded our expectations. He is very detailed orientated, both in terms of fit and finishes as well as his project management skills. He is prompt and professional. He was a real pleasure.

I lost my home in a devastating fire and John Black came to the rescue. John and I worked collaboratively to rebuild a two family Victorian home in the historic district of Arlington Massachusetts. John drew several architectural plans and we selected the one that stayed within the confines of the insurance budget. John managed the project from start to finish; overseeing the general contractor and adjusting the original plans slightly during the process to best suit my lifestyle. For example, we converted a few walls to half walls for an open floor plan and added a small veranda off the second floor kitchen to allow for extra outdoor access. Not only was John very patient and easy to work with his space utilization and attention to detail was extraordinary. The end result: a beautiful home that was featured in the Boston Globe magazine section. I highly recommend John Black without hesitation!

I had a great time with John at Lapis Design Partners. He worked with me from the very first meeting to the final walk through process of my house located at Kahala neighborhood in Honolulu. He spent a great deal of his time into this project since I was not in full time residence during the process. We communicate over email, phone conversation and fax very intensively. He and his partner, Susan as a professional long-time interior designer always respected my views and wishes toward this dream house. I enjoyed the relationship with John during the process and appreciated very much for his professionalism as an architect and his responsiveness to the job. The results came much more than my expectations. We received one of AIA Honolulu awards. Most importantly, my time during the process was enjoyable ! Highly recommended.