This spring, Board & Vellum is moving to Seattle’s iconic Smith Tower in Pioneer Square. Learn more.
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Ask a Designer, Custom Residential

How to Match Heights of Doors and Windows

Everyone has their little issues; mine has to do with disparate casing heights around windows and doors in the same rooms. (You know, when the trim on the top of a window doesn't perfectly line up with the door it's near.) This is how to solve that annoyance.

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Ask a Designer, Custom Residential, Interior Design

Top 10 Things to Think About When Planning a Bathroom

Bathrooms are some of the most remodeled spaces in anyone's house. It is easy to see why: we spend a bunch of time in there every day. Coupled with the fact that styles come and go, and the square footage of most bathrooms is pretty small, they're an easy target. Here's what to think about.

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Ask a Designer, Custom Residential

Let’s Talk Dirty: The Wonder of Small Laundry Closets

Do you really want to haul all that laundry down to the dank basement all the time? If you're bothering to remodel, it's just not that hard to find space for a small laundry closet closer to where the dirty laundry piles up. Here's how.

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Other Tangents

Smashing Glass Blocks

Glass block is horrible. Don't use it. Please don't use it. Did I mention that it is pretty horrific? It is. Don't use it. That is all.

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Custom Residential

Oh, Gosh, You Must Love It Here!

I'm often asked for my opinion on people's homes when they show them to me. Please stop. You're torturing architects. All we know, is that you love it and think it is wonderful. Can't that be enough? And besides, I know that you must love it there. Isn't that all that needs to be said?

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Commercial

Downsize Your Retail: 15th Avenue East

There is something particularly special about very small retail spaces. The shops on 15th Avenue East on Capitol Hill in Seattle, especially on the northwest end, are an especially good example of this.

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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.

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?

Aerial view of a single-family residential neighborhood for a blog post on middle housing.

The Middle Housing Bill FAQ

Washington State’s HB1110 — also called the Middle Housing Bill — is setting the stage for big changes to code and zoning in Seattle. But what is middle housing? And what is the “missing middle” HB1110 seeks to fill? You have questions and we have answers based on our best, current understanding of this landmark legislation.

Cantilevered Home – Modern Cantilevered Residence – Board & Vellum

Do I Need a Feasibility Study?

A lot of questions come up before embarking on a design project! A feasibility study, especially for complex or potentially complicated sites or projects, might be just what you need to kick off a successful project.

Growing in Place – Board & Vellum

What To Consider When Future-Proofing Your Home

How long do you plan to stay in your current home? If you’re considering staying in it through your golden years, you’ll want to start thinking about future-proofing. Confused? Don’t worry! Here, we’ll walk you through the four basic principles to follow when you’re planning to age in place.

Four chairs encircle a round coffee table. In the background, a large window looking out at Puget Sound is flanked by two built in book cases.

How to Design to a Concept Instead of a Theme

Concept vs. Theme. Maybe you’ve never thought about the difference between these approaches to design. Maybe you didn’t even realize they were related to design! The difference is subtle, but being able to tell them apart could be what keeps you from taking your design vision to an unpleasant extreme.

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 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.