Custom Residential, Multifamily, Commercial, Civic & Community

Architecture at Board & Vellum

From rural to urban, beautiful, well-designed homes and buildings enhance daily life and support vibrant communities.

Much of our lives are influenced by the built environment, so its design should be thoughtful, functional, beautiful, and enduring. Whether designing a new or remodeled home, building, or commercial space, we approach it conscientiously. We are committed to great design, sustainable practices, and creating healthy buildings composed of spaces that are a joy to experience.

An open plan living room, kitchen, and dining room with expansive water views. – Architecture and interior design by Board & Vellum.
Blue Ridge View Home

Blue Ridge View Home | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

Blue Ridge View Home

Blue Ridge View Home | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

The experience of an architectural space should tell a story.

We’re here to make places for people more hospitable and delightful — in real life, as judged by the people who actually experience them. We’ll match your project with the right team and then work closely with you on a design that achieves your goals and makes your heart sing.

Whether we’re designing for a public space or a private one, a commercial experience or a residential one, we’ll guide you through a rewarding experience and deliver a space that not only works, but that you’ll love for years to come.

We often say it should take a while to give a tour of your space — because design in the details, and every little thing comes together to tell a story.

Bookshop and coffeeshop café. – Ada’s Technical Books & Café – Retail Design – Board & Vellum
Bountiful Bookshelves

An abundance of tall bookshelves line the walls, all the way to the back room, fostering classic, nostalgic charm, and ensuring there’s plenty of space for display. Ada’s Technical Books & Café | Photo by Cindy Apple.

Bountiful Bookshelves

An abundance of tall bookshelves line the walls, all the way to the back room, fostering classic, nostalgic charm, and ensuring there’s plenty of space for display. Ada’s Technical Books & Café | Photo by Cindy Apple.

Street view of a new home in Fremont that is actually built on existing foundations. – Architecture by Board & Vellum
Water Conservation

A cistern in the front yard collects rainwater for use in a graywater irrigation system. Fremont High-Performing Home | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

Water Conservation

A cistern in the front yard collects rainwater for use in a graywater irrigation system. Fremont High-Performing Home | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

The lobby passageway at the Lucille on Roosevelt: view towards the linear fireplace. – Multifamily Amenities
Fire Flickering With Stars Above

Though presented in the squared-off shapes and forms of the city, the flicker of flames from the linear fireplace accented by a star-like custom light installation, evokes the feel of sitting by a fire in the woods with the night sky twinkling above. Lucille on Roosevelt | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

Fire Flickering With Stars Above

Though presented in the squared-off shapes and forms of the city, the flicker of flames from the linear fireplace accented by a star-like custom light installation, evokes the feel of sitting by a fire in the woods with the night sky twinkling above. Lucille on Roosevelt | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

Lucille on Roosevelt: New Apartment Development in Seattle
Complimentary Materials & Plenty of Glass

The three masses of the building are each clad in a different material, creating a balance of three textural finishes, paired with the reflections off plentiful windows. Lucille on Roosevelt | Photo by Meghan Montgomery.

Complimentary Materials & Plenty of Glass

The three masses of the building are each clad in a different material, creating a balance of three textural finishes, paired with the reflections off plentiful windows. Lucille on Roosevelt | Photo by Meghan Montgomery.

Blue Ridge View Home – Architecture and interior design byBoard & Vellum.
Folding Glass Doors

Folding glass walls between the deck, kitchen, and dining room create easy and inviting passageways from indoors to out. Blue Ridge View Home | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

Folding Glass Doors

Folding glass walls between the deck, kitchen, and dining room create easy and inviting passageways from indoors to out. Blue Ridge View Home | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

Mount Baker Historic Craftsman – Board & Vellum
Bright Kitchen with Dark Accents

Unlike the adjacent rooms, the coffered ceiling and trims in the kitchen are painted white, which keeps the room feeling bright while select dark accents stand out. Mount Baker Historic Craftsman | Photo by Miranda Estes.

Bright Kitchen with Dark Accents

Unlike the adjacent rooms, the coffered ceiling and trims in the kitchen are painted white, which keeps the room feeling bright while select dark accents stand out. Mount Baker Historic Craftsman | Photo by Miranda Estes.

Balancing the artistic with the technical.

Art meets science to create the places we really love.

The built environment is incredibly complex, full of nuance, and requires that we balance how spaces look and feel with how they’re actually put together.

As much as we care about aesthetics, architecture is much more than what you see — it’s how a space works, how it doesn’t fall apart, how it withstands the weather, daily use by humans, and the movement of the earth. It’s easy to forget how a building keeps you safe, comfortable, and healthy because when it’s done well, you never have to think about it.

Beyond the impact buildings have on us, their impact on the natural environment is immense, a fact we bear with great responsibility. We’ll propose options for approachable strategies to improve a project’s environmental footprint as a baseline, as well as options for more robust sustainable practices and features.

We are dedicated to continual learning so we can understand and evaluate advances in building technology and material science. Helping clients deploy appropriate sustainable solutions is core to our effort to be responsible stewards of our neighborhoods, community, and planet.

With every project, there’s a lot to consider and a lot to balance, and it requires deep technical expertise paired with serious design chops to create beautiful, compelling results.

A dining room and kitchen with gabled ceilings with trusses. – Architecture by Board & Vellum.
A Dramatic Space

By connecting the dining room and kitchen, an open concept main floor was created, complemented by a dramatic ceiling and light aplenty. Unique lighting fixtures and exposed trusses with metal collar ties add drama (and function) to the space. Seward Park Gables | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

A Dramatic Space

By connecting the dining room and kitchen, an open concept main floor was created, complemented by a dramatic ceiling and light aplenty. Unique lighting fixtures and exposed trusses with metal collar ties add drama (and function) to the space. Seward Park Gables | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

A home with a California feel and midcentury design feel with wood accents. – Board & Vellum, Custom Residential Design Services
Peek Into the Dining Room

A deep passage connects the living room space to the dining room. This area accommodates pantry storage on the dining room side, while allowing for built-in bookshelves, accessible by library ladder, on the living room side. Fremont High-Performing Home | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

Peek Into the Dining Room

A deep passage connects the living room space to the dining room. This area accommodates pantry storage on the dining room side, while allowing for built-in bookshelves, accessible by library ladder, on the living room side. Fremont High-Performing Home | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

Process makes perfect.

We look for balance everywhere, including with the tools we rely on to ensure our process is as seamless as possible. We’ll never give up our favorite pens and trace paper, but we couldn’t do this as efficiently or as effectively without technology.

Though we may start with loose hand sketches iterating rapidly to explore design direction, as we hone in on a path to develop, we move into Revit, a Building Information Modeling (BIM) application.

Revit facilitates designing not only in plan and section, but in 3D, tracking every detail. It helps us quickly illustrate how our creative vision is actually buildable, allowing us to ensure the design intent is translated into a format a contractor can use to build your project.

Bringing a project from conception to completion requires many moving parts. Our process is structured to be fun, straightforward, and an effective pathway to take projects from start to finish. But, it’s not set in stone; it’s designed to be flexible because no project and no client are the same. We tailor our integrated design, documentation, and services to the specific needs of each project, collaborating with you to bring a spectacular space to life.

Plentiful glazing, a large shed roof, and warm wood tones give this home a Pacific Northwest feel. — Cloverdale House – Second Story Addition by Board & Vellum
Cloverdale House

Cloverdale House | Photo by Travis Peterson.

Cloverdale House

Cloverdale House | Photo by Travis Peterson.

Backyard Reading Retreat – Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture byBoard & Vellum
A Backyard Transformation

Once overgrown and unruly, this backyard’s limited footprint has been maximized to utilize every square inch available, all without feeling cramped or stuffy. Backyard Reading Retreat | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

A Backyard Transformation

Once overgrown and unruly, this backyard’s limited footprint has been maximized to utilize every square inch available, all without feeling cramped or stuffy. Backyard Reading Retreat | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

Stellar Apartments at 1405 Dexter, Seattle, WA – Board & Vellum
Namesake Entrance

The inset glassy corner entrance at the Stellar Apartments sparkles with with a wrap-around “stellar” awning. Stellar Apartments | Photo by Meghan Montgomery

Namesake Entrance

The inset glassy corner entrance at the Stellar Apartments sparkles with with a wrap-around “stellar” awning. Stellar Apartments | Photo by Meghan Montgomery

Cabins in Eastern Washington – Board & Vellum, Custom Residential Design Services
Deep Porches

Wide overhangs shelter open porches on each side of the cabins, with beautiful vistas of the surrounding landscape. Cabins in Eastern Washington | Photo by John Granen.

Deep Porches

Wide overhangs shelter open porches on each side of the cabins, with beautiful vistas of the surrounding landscape. Cabins in Eastern Washington | Photo by John Granen.

Harrison South: New Apartments in Capitol Hill – Board & Vellum Multifamily Architecture
Old and New Worlds

Nestled between two historic buildings, the goal was to build a timeless exterior using durable, classic materials — a refreshed, modern take inspired by, and pairing naturally with, the surrounding architecture. Harrison South Apartments | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

Old and New Worlds

Nestled between two historic buildings, the goal was to build a timeless exterior using durable, classic materials — a refreshed, modern take inspired by, and pairing naturally with, the surrounding architecture. Harrison South Apartments | Photo by Andrew Giammarco.

Rendering of a proposed townhome development with a dramatic sunset above.
Shoreline Townhome Community

Shoreline Townhome Community | Rendering of proposed project.

Shoreline Townhome Community

Shoreline Townhome Community | Rendering of proposed project.

What type of project would you like to pursue?

Our team has experience across a wide breadth of project types.

We’re an interdisciplinary group of designers specializing in a spectrum of projects from new custom homes and residential remodels, to multifamily and mixed-use development, to restaurants, retail, and office spaces — even parks.

Our architecture teams work not only independently or paired with our in-house interiors or landscape studios, but also partner with other interior design and landscape architecture firms. In fact, with so much internal collaboration, and a firm culture that encourages the open sharing of ideas from everyone, we make great teammates.

We aren’t stuck on one type of design, one style, or one way to make the work happen — our job is to advocate for our clients and ensure projects meet goals, look great, and make people happy.

Custom Residential

We offer custom residential architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture services for new construction and remodels, in a variety of styles, for projects large and small.

Multifamily Residential

We focus on distinctive projects we can weave into the greater neighborhood around them, designed to please not only the developer, but the residents and community.

Commercial

We approach commercial design from an integrated services standpoint, composing multidisciplinary teams balanced for the particular needs of your project to create a beautiful and functional space.

Civic

We create meaningful, sustainable, public spaces supporting neighborhoods, by focusing on building community through engagement and human connection.

Comprehensive teams design cohesive projects.

The benefits of a collaborative culture and firm-wide shared knowledge.

Board & Vellum offers comprehensive design services: not simply architecture, but also interior design and landscape architecture, all under one roof. Having multiple disciplines in-house allows us to build flexible teams of designers providing precisely the amount of services you need from any of our design disciplines — even if it’s just a consult — something you may not be able to do if you hired three separate firms.

Even when a project is firmly-rooted in one discipline, all our projects benefit from having the shared perspectives of a multidisciplinary design firm. It’s not uncommon for casual chats in the office to provide new insight into designs-in-progress.

Another way we take full advantage of our multiple in-house disciplines is through our design critique process. By opening the critique of a project beyond the immediate design team, we ensure proposed designs are comprehensively considered. Not all architecture and design practices make time for group crits, but we believe it adds value to our work and benefits your project.

From our cross-disciplinary teams and design critiques, to our transparent invoicing and dedicated project managers — our goal is to make this process an experience you enjoy, culminating in a project you love. We look forward to working with you!

Would you like to learn a little more about us?

Feel free to explore the pages below, and — of course — please reach out to us if you have something particular you’d like to ask.

Portfolio

Our portfolio of work spans across a spectrum of project types and scales. We don’t have a particular “style” either: we love traditional, modern, contemporary, you name it. Our goal is to work with you to design a project you love.

Recognition

We are humbled and honored to be recognized for not only our design work and professional service, but for being a great place to work. This inspires us to keep pushing forward to bring the next great project in our community to life.

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.