This spring, Board & Vellum is moving to Seattle’s iconic Smith Tower in Pioneer Square. Learn more.
Footprint Wine Tap – Wine Bar Capitol Hill – Board & Vellum
Architecture, Commercial, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture

Pre-Leasing Considerations for Your Commercial Space

Finding the right commercial space for your business can feel overwhelming. Board & Vellum’s pre-leasing consulting helps businesses uncover hidden risks, evaluate tenant improvement budgets, and explore design opportunities before signing a lease — turning uncertainty into clarity and setting the stage for long-term success.

Learn more.
Diagram showing a small icon representing the bank on Capitol Hill where Board & Vellum has been located for 10 years and a small icon of the Smith Tower, where Board & Vellum’s new office is located, with two arrows between them completing a circle, and a transparent aerial shot of Seattle underlaid beneath the diagram.
News

Board & Vellum is Moving to Pioneer Square

As we approach our 15th anniversary, Board & Vellum is preparing for a new chapter as the evolved firm we’ve grown into, moving back to our roots in Pioneer Square, this time, taking over the 16th floor in Seattle’s iconic Smith Tower.

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A back and white rendering of the exterior of a single-family home.
Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture

Why Architects Are Your Best Advocates in a Complicated Permit World

Permitting in the Puget Sound Region is a complicated endeavor, but you don’t have to go at it alone. At Board & Vellum, we have the knowledge and experience to help get your project to the permitting finish line. In fact, architects are key players in helping you achieve permit success. Here’s how.

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Rolled up project construction documents for a home.
Custom Residential

Factors that Impact Permit Timing

How long does it take to get a permit? This is a perennial question we wish we had a simple answer to. In reality, there are many factors that can impact permit timing. Here, we explore what those factors are so you’re armed with the right knowledge before your project goes in for permit.

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Living room space in a Mid-Century style with a large, stone fireplace.
Architecture, Custom Residential, Interior Design

Fireplace Options For Your Home

If you’re considering adding a fireplace to your home or restoring an existing fireplace, the options may seem overwhelming. There are many things to consider, like aesthetic goals, ambiance, and sustainability. Luckily, we've assembled this essential guide on fireplaces to help you decide what’s right for you.

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Aerial view of an empty office building to be converted to housing in Seattle.
Adaptive Reuse, Architecture, Mixed-Use, Multifamily Residential

Transforming Empty Office Buildings into Housing

In the wake of changing work dynamics after the pandemic, empty office buildings are a common sight. Meanwhile, the need is dire for more housing in the city. Many are seeing this as an opportunity to solve two problems at once, and a sustainable solution for urban living to boot.

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Would you like to read more from the team?

If you enjoy reading our blog as much as we enjoy writing it, that simply makes our day. You may also enjoy a few of the related posts below.

Footprint Wine Tap – Wine Bar Capitol Hill – Board & Vellum

Pre-Leasing Considerations for Your Commercial Space

Finding the right commercial space for your business can feel overwhelming. Board & Vellum’s pre-leasing consulting helps businesses uncover hidden risks, evaluate tenant improvement budgets, and explore design opportunities before signing a lease — turning uncertainty into clarity and setting the stage for long-term success.

Landscaped retail streetscape at Club Monaco – Board & Vellum

Building Walkable Neighborhoods

The walkability of neighborhoods is an important factor in community health and livability. While we see around the globe the benefits of neighborhoods that are easily traversed on foot or bike, in the U.S., many of our cities are oriented toward vehicular traffic, rather than pedestrians. So what could make our communities more walkable?

Tanager Apartments – Board & Vellum
16x9-euclid_union-rendering-view_6-night

Tanager Apartments | Rendering by Board & Vellum.

What to Expect in Your Multifamily Feasibility Study

If knowledge is power, a feasibility study is an invaluable investment in your potential multifamily project. A comprehensive feasibility study should give you the important, foundational information you need to make informed decisions about your project early. Thorough and efficient, so you can move forward with confidence and clarity.

Office-to-Residential Conversion, Commercial Conversion, Office to Housing Conversion, Office Space to Multifamily Apartments Conversion: Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture by Board & Vellum (Rendering of Stream Queen Anne, the first office-to-residential project permitted in Seattle after the pandemic.)
Exterior Updates

Strategic updates to the building’s exterior — like a high-contrast paint upgrade — celebrate its commercial origin while bringing it into the 21st century with a new use. Queen Anne Commercial Conversion | Project Rendering by Board & Vellum

Your Guide to Multifamily Feasibility Studies

If you’ve been thinking about developing a multifamily project, whether it’s new construction or a conversion, apartments or townhomes, you’ve probably heard someone mention the need for something called a “feasibility study.” But what exactly is a feasibility study, and why is it such a crucial first step?

Designing for the Senses

Designing a hospitality space is about more than what’s behind the front door. The scents, sights, and sounds that radiate onto the street prime your guests and passers-by for what they’ll experience inside. Your menu is important, of course, so how can you feed your guests’ senses from the start? Let’s visualize it.

Navigating the Challenges of Middle Housing

Washington State’s Middle Housing Bill creates a lot of opportunity, but it also presents some challenges for self-developers. Here, we explore the expanded choices HB1110 offers, and how having a multidisciplinary design team can help navigate the real-life outcomes of this new legislation.

Considering a project, or curious about something?

Say hello, and send us your questions via the form below. We’re always pleased to make new connections, and eager to get to know you, your project, and your goals.

Get in touch.
Board & Vellum receives Just label from the International Living Future Institute, a voluntary reporting tool for social justice and equity indicators in the workplace.

Achieved a Just label from the International Living Future Institute in 2023.

Board & Vellum is honored to be a Gray Awards Finalist for landscape design, earning the recognition for the rooftop garden at the Lucille on Roosevelt.

Honored as a finalist for residential landscape design.

LEED Certified in White

Our team includes LEED-accredited professionals.

Certified Passive House Consultant in White

Our team includes certified Passive House consultants.

NGLCC Certified as LGBT Business Enterprise – Board & Vellum Recognition

A Certified LGBT Business Enterprise Since 2016.

PSBJ’s Top 25 LGBTQ-Owned Businesses 2016 in White

Honoring companies that lead in promoting equality.