Designing a custom home involves thousands of decisions, from the way the home sits on the property to the materials you touch every day. Some decisions will matter deeply to you. Others may turn out to be far less important. A thoughtful budget helps sort one from the other. At Gelotte Architecture, budget planning is …

Custom homes that exude beauty begin long before construction starts. The earliest design decisions establish the foundation for everything that follows, influencing not only the home’s appearance but also how it functions, feels, and supports everyday life. At Gelotte Architecture, we believe investing time in the design process leads to better outcomes, fewer compromises, and …

There is a reason some homes still feel beautiful twenty or thirty years after they were built. Usually, it has very little to do with whether the kitchen is current or the tile is having another moment. Those things change. They should. A home has to live through decades of changing taste. What lasts is …

A cohesive home is shaped by more than matching finishes. Learn how intentional planning, balanced proportions, natural light, and a consistent material palette create seamless transitions and a timeless living experience. At Gelotte Architecture, every design decision contributes to a home that feels connected, comfortable, and complete.

In the Pacific Northwest, light is constantly shifting with seasons, weather, and landscape. This article explores how Gelotte Architecture designs homes that respond to these conditions by letting the site guide form, placing spaces according to natural light, and using materials that enhance the experience of daylight. The result is architecture that feels connected to its environment, balanced in atmosphere, and rooted in place.

At first glance, the question seems straightforward: modern or traditional.  In practice, the answer is rarely so fixed. The most enduring homes do not begin with a category, but with a careful reading of place and a clear understanding of how life will unfold within it. What we describe as “style” tends to emerge from …

There is a quiet difference between a house that sits on land and one that belongs to it. When we work with clients, we believe that difference is not abstract. It is built into each project, where land, light, and life are considered together. Homes do not simply occupy a site, they emerge from it, …

Marking 43 years of visionary design, we’re proud to practice the art of creating homes that tell stories as compelling as the landscapes they inhabit. From Tuscan-inspired estates that evoke the romance of the Italian countryside, to alpine retreats that rise organically from cedar forests to Mediterranean villas and Southern farmhouse fusions, each project exemplifies …

In the spring of 1983, I somehow set the record at my elementary school in the Presidential Physical Fitness Test for most pull-ups. Strangely, I don’t think that record was ever broken before the school closed and the buildings were demolished decades later. And look—there’s no proof anymore anyway, right? Trust me. That unbroken record—and …

This year, Gelotte Hommas Drivdahl Architecture has two projects featured in Luxe Interiors + Designs annual RED Readers’ Choice Awards. Here’s a glimpse at Contemporary Classic, a stunning Lake Washington home designed by David Grubb. See more photos and vote for Contemporary Classic through the links below! About Contemporary Classic Rooted in a classical, Georgian style, …