Topics
Custom Residential
From small remodels to the construction of new homes, single-family residences are somewhat of a signature around here. We love working with clients to bring their dreams to life. Whether you have an older home or a modern marvel, or whether you prefer a contemporary or traditional style (or both!), we’ve got the team for you.
Our custom residential services.
Reinventing Your Home, Inside & Out
Custom Residential
From small remodels to the construction of new homes, single-family residences are somewhat of a signature around here. We love working with clients to bring their dreams to life. Old or new, traditional or contemporary, and everything in between — we’ve got the team for you.
Learn more.
New Construction, Whole-House Transformations
Custom Homes
Designing and building a custom home from the ground up can be both deeply personal and highly complex. Our integrated design teams — architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture — can help you navigate the process with ease to create a home and property you love from indoors to out.
Learn more.
Reinvented Homes and Spaces
Remodels & Additions
Our teams delight in home remodel projects of all shapes, sizes, and styles. Whether you’re adding on or remodeling in place, love a traditional look or prefer a sleek, modern feel — we relish the challenge of transforming a house that’s not quite right into a home you love.
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Finishes, Fixtures, Furnishings, Function, Flow
Residential Interiors
The finishing touches interior design adds to a project make it feel truly special and uniquely personal. From simply helping to select a few finishes, to engaging in comprehensive interior design services, our interiors team loves to collaborate with you to create beautiful, meaningful spaces you’ll be delighted to call home.
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Outdoor Living, Landscape Refreshes, Residential Estates
Residential Landscapes
Our site design team cohesively blends indoor and outdoor living with beautiful, functional spaces lush and verdant with life. Whether you simply need a backyard refresh, or if you’re seeking comprehensive design services for your entire property, we love to design dynamic landscaped spaces.
Learn more.Our custom residential portfolio projects.
A Sustainability-Minded DADU with a View
Net Carbon DADU
Guided by sustainable principles and environmentally-conscious practices from the foundation to the finishes, this DADU is estimated to be carbon negative.
A Brand New Home Designed to Give Back
Net Positive Custom Home
Built to last, this custom home looks to the future with passive and mechanical sustainable measures, minimal environmental impact, and aging-in-place strategies.
Capturing an Old Home’s Original Charm
Antique Dealer’s Dream
The vision of an antique dealer helped turn this rough vintage home into a cozy home with period details.
A Net Zero Water Home Built on a Budget
Bainbridge Straw Bale
Built with locally-sourced materials and straw bale construction, this cabin is one of Washington’s first legally-permitted Net Zero Water homes.
Our custom residential posts.
Custom Residential, Interior Design
Five Kitchen Island Must-Haves
If you’re adding an island to your kitchen, you might be wondering what details are essential to achieving a functional space that’s a delight to use and also looks great. We’ve got you covered with five of our favorite must-have details for every kitchen island.
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Commercial, Custom Residential, Interior Design
How a Designer Can Help You Navigate Lead Times
Product lead times can play a major role in the success of your project and, these days, they’re longer and less predictable than ever. If you’ve been frustrated trying to find a product in stock and on your timeline, we feel you. And we have some simple ways to help you overcome these challenges.
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Ask an Architect, Custom Residential
How to Determine Your Project’s Program
When folks are setting out on a design journey, many, but not all of them, come to us knowing exactly what they want to do with their project. If you’re someone who isn't quite sure, how do you go about figuring out your dream project’s program? And what can we do as designers to help?
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Custom Residential
Tips For Entertaining In Small Spaces
Is the size of your space holding you back from throwing the dinner party of your dreams? We say, “Throw the dang party!” You don’t need a huge home to have a great party! We’ll give you the push you need to embrace your space of any size for entertaining.
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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?
Read more.
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.
Read more.Our custom residential sustainability practices.
LEED Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council
Our team includes many LEED-accredited professionals who possess comprehensive knowledge of contemporary sustainable practices across disciplines and sectors.
Our custom residential recognition stories.
Best of Houzz 2022: Design
We enjoy the collaborative process of our work — with 80 five-star reviews on Houzz, we’re thrilled to see our clients and collaborators are happy, too. We are excited to be recognized for Design for the 9th year in a row.
Best Residential Architects in Sammamish, Tacoma & Woodinville
On Home Builder Digest’s vetted lists of recommended architects for single-family residential projects in these Pacific Northwest locales.
Best of Houzz 2021: Design & Service
We are excited to be recognized for the 8th year in a row with Best of Houzz awards for both Design and Service. Many, many thanks to our wonderful clients and partners who’ve collaborated with us over the years!
Fixr’s Top 200 Experts in the Construction Industry 2020
In the architecture and construction industry, Fixr releases an annual list of who they consider experts in the construction industry. Jeff Pelletier has made the cut for the last four years!
Our custom residential team team members.
Jeff Pelletier, AIA, CPHC®
Managing Principal, Founder
In 2011, Jeff founded Board & Vellum in his attic and has forged ahead with excitement ever since. Architecture aside, he is a huge advocate for traveling, and takes LEGO really seriously.
Sara Emhoff, AIA
Principal, Single-Family
Sara has extensive experience with the unique challenges of single-family residential projects, having honed her practice on homes across a wide spectrum of sizes, styles, and budgets.
Zack Thomas, PLA
Principal, Landscape & Site Design
Zack co-launched B&V’s ”Site Design Studio,” and is excited to take on landscape projects of all shapes, sizes, and scales. He loves to get out of the city on weekends and makes a point of traveling to another country each year.
Robin Quinn, NCIDQ, LEED Green Associate
Director, Single-Family Interiors
Robin is delighted by the imaginative journey her interior design career has taken. In every project, she likes to celebrate the unexpected, especially the “ah-ha” moments where work and planning come together into a cohesive design.
Terry Phelan, RA
Director, Sustainable Practice
Terry is passionate about educating the public and mentoring designers on the benefits of sustainable design. When she isn’t writing, teaching, or podcasting on the subject, Terry’s spending time in her garden!
Yi-Chun Lin, NCARB, NOMA
Director, Integrated Practice
Motivated by curiosity to connect culture, environment, and human experience through design, Yi-Chun’s generalist experience is expressed through a range of project typologies. An avid reader, seeker of metaphors, and food enthusiast, she revels finding beauty in simplicity.
Would you like to learn more?
We’re thrilled that you’re interested!
Our Story
Board & Vellum is a young and vibrant firm built on the idea that an informed and engaged team leads to better design and happy clients. We wouldn’t be where we are today without passion and hard work, and those same two things keep us going strong today.
Our Process
Bringing your project from “idea” to fruition is a little different at Board & Vellum. We give personal care to each of our projects, and you’ll be in the loop every step the way. The bonus: we are an integrated firm, so each project has access to plenty of great knowledge — and that leads to better design.
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.