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Welcome to the Board & Vellum blog.
Our blog is a resource for anyone wondering how to approach their project, seeking answers for their design questions, or simply eager for a peek inside our world. It’s a friendly resource from the design team at B&V.
Advice for Young Architects
Arts & Culture
Ask an Architect
Building Green
Civic
Commercial
Custom Residential
Events
Firm Culture
Historic & Traditional
Interior Design
Landscape Architecture
Multifamily & Mixed-Use
News
Other Tangents
Seattle Design Community
The Business of Design
Third Places
Ask an Architect, Custom Residential
What Really Adds Cost To Your Home Remodel?
Have you ever heard that moving a toilet is a budget-busting home improvement? Would it surprise you to learn that we think this is debatable? There’s no doubt that home remodels cost money, but the big-ticket changes might not be what you expect. So what’s really going to impact your project budget?
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Custom Residential
Five Design Priorities for Your Home
Any design project is going to be filled with more decisions than you can anticipate. There’s a balance between understanding how to compromise on things that aren’t as important and prioritize the things that really matter. Here’s what we recommend to help our clients make good choices for their projects without giving up what they love.
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Custom Residential, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Multifamily & Mixed-Use
Storytelling in Design
What inspires designers to create beautiful projects? Just like making a fantastic dish to eat, it’s about more than the individual ingredients — it’s about how they all work together! In design, it’s so much more than meeting the basic programmatic needs of our clients. It’s about telling a story.
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Custom Residential
Five Ways to Make Your Kitchen Feel Larger
If you’re like us, you probably wish your kitchen had just a little bit more space – it’s one of those places where things just seem to pile up with nowhere to go. It may not be an option to actually increase the size of your kitchen, but here are five smaller projects you can invest in to make your kitchen live larger.
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Ask an Architect
Dos and Don’ts of the Pricing Process
We see all the time how a good and thorough Schematic Pricing set helps us avoid the pitfalls of waiting too long to get an official pricing estimate. Still, we understand how the process can be overwhelming and confusing for clients. We’ve got your back with a list of our dos and don’ts for sailing through pricing like a pro.
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Ask an Architect
Why and How We Get Pricing Early
If you’ve started a design project in the last few years, you’ve likely experienced an unfortunate shock when the pricing estimate rolls in. We hate that feeling, just as much as you. Instead of leaving it to chance, we take a different approach to helping our clients navigate the confusing and variable world of construction costs.
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Custom Residential, Interior Design
2021 Trendy and Timeless Design
Each year, materials and design styles come in and out of vogue. Sometimes, it feels like a game of chance, and other times we can see the changes coming from a mile away. As 2021 dawns, we’re reflecting on what design elements are here for the moment and what’s here to stay.
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Ask an Architect
Hiring an Architect vs. a Design-Build Firm
It’s a question that comes up fairly often: “Should I hire an architect and a separate general contractor, or hire a design-build firm as a one-stop-shop to both design and build my space?” There are pros and cons to each; but, before we jump in, let’s pause for a moment and take this conversation more slowly.
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Ask an Architect, Custom Residential, Landscape Architecture
Planning All-Season Outdoor Spaces
Who says yards are just for summer? Here at Board & Vellum, we believe your outdoor spaces should be beautiful, functional, and awesome to hang out in no matter the season or weather. With a few special considerations, you can have an outdoor living space that's comfortable all year long — rain or shine.
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Ask an Architect, Custom Residential, Landscape Architecture
Seven Tips for Enjoying Your Outdoor Spaces All Winter Long
We think embracing the outdoors is key to fully enjoying the winter season. If you live in Seattle, you might be scratching your head. Enjoying the outdoors in all this rain? In short, yes! There’s so much to enjoy this time of year, so take a leaf out of Scandinavia’s book and prepare to get cozy.
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Ask an Architect, Custom Residential, Multifamily & Mixed-Use
Tips for Ensuring Your Home Has Good Air Quality
With wildfire season continuing into the late fall and a global pandemic still keeping millions of people indoors, there's a lot going on in the world. Both these natural disasters have brought to the forefront the importance of ventilation for your health: well-designed ventilation in buildings is important to address present and future pandemics, wildfires, and other airborne pollutants.
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Ask an Architect, Custom Residential, Multifamily & Mixed-Use
How a Heat Recovery Ventilator Can Make Your Home Healthier
Indoor air quality has never been a more pressing or popular target than it is today. With smoke from wildfires all over the West and the continuing global pandemic of COVID-19, many of us are wondering whether our indoor air is safe. The good news is: it can be, with the right systems in place.
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Ask an Architect, Custom Residential
Options for Updating Your HVAC System for Better Indoor Air Quality
There have been a lot of discussions and varied information on how the built environment affects the spread of COVID-19. Now, we are also seeing more intense wildfires and smoke than we’ve seen in the past decade. With both these environmental issues keeping people indoors, healthy ventilation strategies are more important than ever.
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Firm Culture, The Business of Design
How a Philosophy of High Performance is Changing the Way We Work
Designing a home or building is one thing. Designing the work experience of your employees is quite another. But the design mentality we bring to our projects also allows us to adapt and innovate how we operate as a team. Though our firm has evolved over the years, our values have not, guiding us to adopt the philosophy of a high-performance team.
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Custom Residential, Interior Design
The Pros and Cons of Different Types of Toilets
Toilet options are a frequently asked question around here. Where do you start with so many options on the market? We picked our interior designers’ brains about everything toilets so you can go into your bathroom remodel with the info you need to pick the option right for you.
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Ask an Architect, Custom Residential
Five Takeaways From Remodeling Our Home As Our Own Contractor
With construction costs rising (and construction budgets feeling the pinch) it’s becoming more and more popular to self-perform at least some of the work on a remodel that might normally be left for a general contractor. Luckily, Kaysie did just that not too long ago, and she’s sharing her five takeaways from the experience.
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Custom Residential, Interior Design
Three Ways to Create a Relaxing Bedroom
Bedrooms are a popular place to make changes when updating your home. From a primary suite to kids’ rooms to a guest bedroom, everyone deserves a restful and calming place to unwind. Here, we walk you through three simple ways to create a relaxing bedroom you'll want to hang out in — awake or asleep.
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Building Green, Custom Residential
Going the Extra Mile for an Unusual Addition
Living in a log cabin just might be one of the more sustainable things you can do. If you’re a city-dweller, you might never get the chance to do so unless you’re like one of our scrappy clients who saved a log cabin by attaching it to their home as an addition.
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Custom Residential
Questions to Ask Yourself About Building a Second-Story Addition
Adding a second story to your home can be a great solution when you want to stay in your house but need more space. Once you’ve decided to build up, though, the decision-making isn’t done. What questions should you be asking yourself before you commit to a second-story addition?
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Ask an Architect
What It’s Like Working with an Architect
When you see an architect portrayed on television or in the movies, they’re either totally unrelatable, wildly eccentric creative-types, or in all black, mingling at a cocktail party as if they would rather be anywhere else. Inevitably, these characters have egos so big they barely fit in the frame. But what’s it like working with real-life architects?
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Ask an Architect, Custom Residential, Historic & Traditional, Interior Design
Matching a Historic Feel with Modern Materials
How authentic does something really need to be? When you remodel a historic home, or just love a lived-in look, it can be difficult to determine when (and how) to make a new object or material look original. Here, we’ve laid out a few rules of thumb to follow if you’re ever in this predicament yourself.
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Other Tangents
What Is A Ranch?
Ranches conjure up all sorts of imagery in our imaginations. But when it comes down to designing one, what are we really talking about? It’s more than just the land, and it’s more than just the built structures — it is the symbiotic relationship between the two, and cultivating that requires careful exploration and design.
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Ask an Architect
What Different Line Types in Architecture & Design Drawings Mean
Thick lines, thin lines, lines with short or long dashes (or both!) — if you don’t speak the language of all these line types, an architecture or design drawing can be pretty mystifying. This primer on design drawing linework will give you a starter toolkit so you can tell what you’re looking at.
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Ask an Architect, Custom Residential
Remodeling Your Brick House
What should you consider when remodeling a brick house? Sure, brick is just another conventional building material, but remodeling a brick home presents some unique design challenges. Here’s what to look out for and think about when you’re considering a remodeling a house made of brick.
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Ask an Architect, Custom Residential
Ten Things to Consider When Buying a Home You Want to Remodel
What if the new home you’re considering most definitely isn’t your dream home? There’s a lot an architect can do to help you achieve your dreams but not every dream is achievable in every home. Before jumping into a huge investment, check out our top ten things to know before purchasing a home you want to remodel.
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Ask an Architect, Custom Residential
Should You Build Up, Down, or Out When Adding Space to Your Home?
Knowing where to build an addition to your home can be an agonizing decision. And not understanding the impact your decision might have on the construction process (and your wallet) can make it doubly stressful. An architect can help you understand the best solution for your situation and help you move forward.
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Ask an Architect, Commercial
Immediate Solutions for Socially Distant Retail
It has been a tough road for small businesses over the last few months dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. For those small businesses fighting to stay in business, the opportunity to pivot and re-open in some form is upon us. Facing this daunting challenge, where do you even start? This post is for you.
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Commercial
The Rebirth of the American Workplace
Recommendations and trends in commercial office design shift in response to cultural norms, technology, and working styles. Following the 2020 pandemic, how might the design of commercial offices adapt this time? On the spectrum from open office concept, through vast fields of cubicles, to private offices, where will we land?
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Commercial, Interior Design, Third Places
The Personalized Hospitality Experience
Before Covid-19 shifted our world, personalized hospitality experiences, like private dining rooms and by-appointment-only shopping, were considered luxuries reserved only for an elite few. But, with social distancing recommendations in place — driven first by necessity and later by comfort — it’s possible some of these once-elite experiences become more common. Here’s a look at how some of this could evolve.
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Commercial, Interior Design, Third Places
Commercial Design in the Age of Social Distancing
As commercial spaces slowly re-open, businesses and clientele have to take extra precautions because these spaces were designed to operate in a pre-pandemic world. This post is part of a series on how design for commercial spaces may evolve due to the Covid-19 pandemic, either by requirement or by cultural shift.
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Arts & Culture
An Art Walk Sneak Peek: Works by Frank Ching
During the current pandemic crisis, we aren’t currently able to host in-person events in our By Others gallery at the Board & Vellum office on Capitol Hill in Seattle. But, that doesn’t at all mean we aren’t super excited about this one! To tide you over, please enjoy this preview of works by Frank Ching.
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Ask an Architect
Surprises That Come Up During Construction
As much as you may want a surprise-free construction experience, there’s no way around it: there will be surprises. In fact, the surprises that come up during construction can be on the crazy or amazing side, so we thought it would be fun to highlight some real examples our team has experienced.
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Custom Residential
Ways to Open Up an Old House
Old homes are often compartmentalized: broken up into separate rooms, rather than the “open plans” of modern homes. So what can you do if you’d like more connected spaces? Here are some ways you can create a more open feel in an older home, without sacrificing a traditional look.
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Ask an Architect, Custom Residential, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Multifamily & Mixed-Use
Will The Coronavirus Impact Construction Prices?
The impact of the coronavirus / Covid-19 pandemic is incredibly vast. As we try to plan for how this will impact our businesses, how the cost of construction could change is a common — and key — question. Here are some of the factors that could play a role in pushing the cost of construction either up or down.
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Custom Residential, Interior Design
Helpful Features in a Home for Hunkering Down
Last week, I wrote about the little things in my house driving me nuts now that I spend all my time at home while we all work on flattening the curve of this pandemic. It’s natural to analyze and find fault in things, but there are also so many things that I am currently grateful for in my house, like these.
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Custom Residential, Interior Design
Small Remodel Regrets in a Home Renovation
When you are planning to remodel your kitchen, do you want a single or double oven? A one-basin sink or a double-basin? Now, think again. And, remodel regrets aren't limited to the kitchen, here are some remodel regrets from an architect’s own home renovation.
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Other Tangents
Top 5 Tips for Working From Home
So, you’re working from home. Maybe you’ve been part of a remote team for a while, or maybe this is your first foray into the world of telecommuting. Either way, Board & Vellum’s got your back with our Top 5 tips for working from home.
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Custom Residential, Interior Design
How To Set Up Your Space to Work from Home
Never worked from home? Setting yourself up for success can be a challenge, especially if you’re trying to be productive from a space you’re used to relaxing in. Don’t fret. We’re here to help with some tools for how to turn your cozy pad into an effective office — hold the actual office.
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Interior Design
Three Ways to Add Some “Wow” to Your Walls
Are you bored with your plain white walls? Or maybe they’re not even plain white, maybe you have a painted accent wall that’s simply not enough of an accent anymore. Whatever it is, here are three options to add some new excitement to your spaces, with wallpaper, tile, and wood wall finish options.
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Commercial, Third Places
5 Things You Need to Know About Opening Your First Commercial Space
Especially if it’s your first, opening a commercial space is a big deal and takes no shortage of knowledge or planning to pull off without too much trouble, or too much time lost. Here are five things to keep in mind when taking your new commercial space from concept to doors-open.
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Arts & Culture, Events
Works by Morgan Welch & Donal Murphy in the “By Others” Gallery at Board & Vellum
A new show is launching at the By Others gallery! For January’s Capitol Hill Art Walk, we are hosting works by two artists: Morgan Welch (also a B&V’er) and Donal Murphy. Read their artist statements, here, ahead of the January 9th opening reception.
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Interior Design
Creating a Color-Blocked Kitchen
Color-blocking isn’t just for clothes — you can color-block your kitchen cabinets, too. But, it’s not about following a trend, it’s actually something we see in a variety of incarnations to suit different design styles, spaces, and moods.
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Commercial, Third Places
Creating Intentional Interactions Through Design
When we’re designing spaces like coffee shops, bars, offices, and even yards, it’s key to create a space where people can have casual and occasional interactions. Here’s a little about how we go about designing spaces that promote interaction between strangers.
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Custom Residential
Is Exterior Shading Right for My Home?
Though still more common in Europe, we are finally starting to catch up across the pond, as it is becoming more common to add exterior shading to homes. The science is sound, and there are plenty of clear benefits. So how do you decide what type of exterior shading system would be great for your home?
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Arts & Culture, Events
Works by Daniel Ash & Julianna Karr in the “By Others” Gallery at Board & Vellum
Ready for a new show in the By Others gallery? We’ve been on hold for construction, but we are back! For November’s Capitol Hill Art Walk, we are hosting works by two artists: Daniel Ash and Julianna Karr. Read their artist statements, here, ahead of the November 14th opening reception.
Read more.
Civic, Events
Public Life Study: Professional People-Watching!
Join us! With the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict and the Seattle Department of Transportation, B&V is collaborating on “Public Life Counts!” — a public life study of how our community uses public spaces. Data collected will inform an equitable and holistic planning process to shape active, safe, and well-connected public spaces on Capitol Hill.
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Commercial, Third Places
Are Loud Restaurants Really Worth It?
There are certainly reasons why some chefs and restaurant owners prefer a loud space. And, some restaurant patrons enjoy it, too, at least for a little while. Here are a few reasons why loud restaurants exist and a few ways we could make them a little quieter, while still keeping a business profitable.
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Commercial, Interior Design
Creating a Healthier Office Space
Fortunately, trends in office space design have moved beyond fields of cubicles and row after row of fluorescent lighting. Skylights and lush green walls are popular, but even if you can’t incorporate holistic design options like these to support a healthier space, there are plenty of smaller moves you can make to create a healthy office.
Read more.Or, if chronology isn’t your thing…
Here are a couple of posts to get you started. Of course, it’s hard to choose, so feel free to poke around; we hope to have a little something for everyone. And, if you have a burning question you’d like us to cover in a future post, please let us know!
Considering a project? Or, just curious about something?
Send us your questions about design, architecture, interiors, landscape, LEGO rooms… Anything, really. We’re always eager to meet new people, and we’d love to get to know you, your project, and your goals.
Achieved a Just label from the International Living Future Institute in 2023.
Honored as a finalist for residential landscape design.
Our team includes LEED-accredited professionals.
Our team includes certified Passive House consultants.
A Certified LGBT Business Enterprise Since 2016.
Honoring companies that lead in promoting equality.