Topics
Landscape Architecture
From site planning, to hardscapes, to green walls, landscape architecture elevates the design of any project, large or small. Our landscape team works closely with our architects and interior designers, so we all enjoy seamless communication of ideas and problem-solving.
Our landscape architecture services.
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.
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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.
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Refreshes & Renovations of Multifamily Properties
Multifamily Remodel & Repositioning
With in-house teams in architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture, we are uniquely positioned to collaborate on the reinvention and repositioning of aging multifamily housing stock. Whether or not you already have a refreshed brand for the community, we’ll design the environment to attract your target resident, and breathe new life into your multifamily development.
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Neighborhood Spaces, Parks, Parklets, Playgrounds
Parks & Public Spaces
Supporting physical health, social connection, and mental engagement is at the core of our approach to park and public space design. We focus on creating sustainable neighborhood spaces that are both functional and beautiful, while enhancing and promoting the unique characteristics and needs of the communities they serve.
Learn more.Our landscape architecture studios.
Custom Residential, Multifamily, Commercial, Civic
Landscape Architecture
Beautiful outdoor rooms expand our experience and build community. Spending time outside is essential to our health and happiness. From our own backyards to everyone’s public parks, we love designing verdant, sustainable spaces people simply love to be. Knowledgeable and passionate, our landscape team has experience on projects public and private, large and small, commercial, residential, and civic.
Learn more.Our landscape architecture portfolio projects.
Personalized Spaces in an Elaborate Custom Home
Snohomish Estate
Rebuilt from its foundations, this home is customized — down to the smallest detail — for the homeowners and their family.
Landscape Architecture for a New Home
Laurelhurst Landscape at the Tree+House
Rebuilt from the ground up, the landscape design for this new home revolves around the site’s existing mature trees.
Interior and Exterior Whole-House Reinvention
North Beach Refresh
Without adding any new square footage, this house and yard feel like a whole new home, with cohesive spaces flowing seamlessly from indoors to out.
Multi-Use Outdoor Entertaining Space
Backyard Covered Kitchen
An industrial-class outdoor kitchen, entertainment space, hot tub, and outdoor shower sheltered by a canopy for year-round use.
Our landscape architecture posts.
Landscape Architecture
Your Guide To Raised Beds & Container Gardens
We’re digging deep into everything you need to know about adding raised beds or a container garden to your outdoor space. And what about edible plants? A popular choice for raised beds and containers, let’s talk about how to make the most out of your space to grow exactly what you want.
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Landscape Architecture
Five Things To Consider With Composite Decking
Thinking about building or rebuilding your deck? Maybe you’re looking at all the material options and feeling a little overwhelmed? If you’re considering composite decking as one of your options, let’s talk about some of the things you might want to mull over as you make your decision.
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Building Green, Civic, Landscape Architecture
Sustainability in Park Design
In the Pacific Northwest, the heat is literally on. Last summer, we experienced record-breaking heat in Seattle and, in Washington State, we recently adopted the Climate Commitment Act that requires a drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and carbon pollution to net zero by 2050. Can investing in sustainable park infrastructure help us meet those goals?
Read more.
Landscape Architecture
Recent Trends In Outdoor Spaces
Have you noticed a lot of people updating their yards recently? We certainly have. There are a lot of reasons why, but probably most important has been the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic and the way it changed our relationship with the outdoors. Let's explore some of the influencing factors behind all these updates and what we’re seeing as a result.
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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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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.
Read more.Our landscape architecture 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.
Gray Awards Finalist for Residential Landscape Design, 2021
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.
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!
Our landscape architecture team team members.
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.
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.
Leslie Batten, PLA, CPSI, LEED GA
Senior Associate, Landscape Architect
Leslie’s experience on projects of diverse scales makes her a great asset to the B&V landscape team. Outside of the office, Leslie leads an annual bike tour exploring Pacific Northwest wine regions.
Ian Garnier
Associate, Landscape & Site Design
Ian loves working with multidisciplinary, creative teams to deliver a variety of projects from residential housing to themed zoo exhibits. He likes to ask, "Why not?" and enjoys problem-solving and research that generates novel ideas and solutions.
Jennifer Garcia-Chen, PLA
Associate, Landscape Architect
As a Landscape Architect, Jennifer is inspired to positively impact the world through design. She works on projects of all sizes, from private gardens to large-scale civic work, like parks.
Juliana Hom
Associate, Landscape & Site Design
Interested in art, design, and nature since she was young, when Juliana’s not thinking about how design can create environmental and social benefits, she enjoys sketching, exploring Seattle by foot, and trying all the restaurants that Seattle has to offer.
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.