Board & Vellum has moved to Seattle’s iconic Smith Tower in Pioneer Square. Learn more.
Should You Pick Your Architect Based on Style or Service? – Board & Vellum Designs in Many Styles to Suit the Context and Client
should_you_pick_your_architect_based_on_style_or_service-featured_image

As a service firm, we design projects of varying styles because we feel the site and context are unique enough to call for distinct solutions like these.

Other Tangents

Should You Pick Your Architect Based on Style or Service?

When searching for an architect, should you pick one based on the architect's style or base on the type of service they provide? As it so often happens: it depends! But, not to worry, Jeff Pelletier breaks it down into pros and cons for each scenario so you can start off your search well-informed.

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2016 Year in Review – Board & Vellum: Group Shot Pointing
News

2016 Highlights and Year in Review

It's that time of year again: time for the Jeff's year-end review! Some awesome things happened in the world of Board & Vellum in this busy and exciting 2016. Now, as the year wraps up, check out the mix of business and personal highlights, and we'll all toast to great new things to come!

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Do I Need to Hire an Architect – Board & Vellum
Ask a Designer

Do I Need to Hire an Architect?

Do I need to hire an architect? It's a question we hear a lot out there. If you're building new, of course! But, if you're considering a remodel, addition, or even a new detached garage, we understand that it can be a confusing question. So, let's break it down for you, step-by-step.

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Strategic Planning at our Company Retreat – Featured Image
The Business of Design

Strategic Planning at our Company Retreat

Board & Vellum recently returned from our annual company retreat, and we come bearing our new "Painted Picture," a.k.a. our new "Strategic Plan." We share it with you to keep us honest. We strive to meet our goals, and we'd love it if you kept us accountable.

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An Architect's New Office – Large Conference Room – Featured Image
News

An Architect’s New Office

Board & Vellum is five years old, and we celebrated with a party in our new offices! We’re now working in a custom space, designed by us, and spreading out over two floors. Board & Vellum 5.0 is here. Explore the glamor shots here, or come on over and say hi – we'll give you a tour!

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Form over Function or Function over Form? - Metal Panel Walls: Cool, But Possibly Leaky
Ask a Designer

Form over Function or Function over Form?

Architects have been arguing about the hierarchy of form and function for ages, so where does Jeff Pelletier stand? It depends! When it comes down to it, there isn’t one, right answer: it’s always a balance. So, let’s discuss form versus function in terms of the decisions you might face when designing your project.

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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.

Words – What is a radiator? – Board & Vellum

Use Your Words (Even When You Can’t)

Even in a profession where we quite literally draw pictures to communicate, words are incredibly important, too. Use them carefully, and precisely to get the job done right, and don’t forget that words can communicate very differently if they are said out loud versus written down, and there’s a time and place for both.

Jeff tells a story. – Experience: Storytelling in the Spaces We Design – Board & Vellum

Channeling Experience: Storytelling in the Spaces We Design

Although we humans have invented new ways of sharing knowledge beyond the sharing of stories to one other over the firepit, storytelling is a key part of our culture. (Who doesn’t love a good story?) But beyond the stories we tell out loud, there is storytelling in spaces we design, too.

Unlikely Inspiration – Board & Vellum

Unlikely Inspiration: The Strange Journeys of the Creative Process

A lot of times, unlikely inspiration solves your problems. To non-designers, it may seem a little crazy, but just as any odd thing can remind you of something else entirely, for designers, that experience often triggers their brains about a project they are working on, taking them on a mental journey towards a design solution.

B&V Thanks – Grateful for a Great Company to Work For

B&V’ers Toast to What They Love About Working at Board & Vellum

Hey, wondering what’s it like working at Board & Vellum? Well, you’re in luck: in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, B&V’ers took a moment to write down (or draw) what they are thankful for about being part of the team.

Teaming up, finding that

Finding That “Eureka!” Moment in the Design Process

Parts of the architectural design process can (and must) be very precise, but there is also a messy, organic part of it. It’s the creative part of the game, and it’s often in that time that we find the “Eureka!” moment in the design process. When you’re working on your design, watch for it!

Designing a House Into a Home – Sketching over schematic floor plans at Board & Vellum.

Designing a House into a Home

Emotion and personalization turn a house into a home, and when you're talking about designing your living space, this is incredibly important. Read about how our design process at Board & Vellum helps us make the leap from a great design (that is still just a house) to a home that our clients will love.

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.

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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.