International Influences

Home design is a vehicle for art, exploration, and expression. It’s rich with detail and meaning. Across the world and throughout history, architecture has been a manifestation of a culture’s concept of beauty, and each style stirs curiosity in the visitor. From the Norman coast to the Japanese countryside, we find new inspiration in the …

The Art of Architecture: Lessons from Adventure

House architecture is about people—about understanding how people live and interact with each other and their surroundings. Our opportunities to interact with our clients, our teams, and our own families shape our work and enable us to provide homes suited to the unique individual. For Troy Howe, a project manager at our Kirkland architect firm, …

The Art of Architecture: Lessons from Photography

Architecture is rooted in composition, angles, and perfect settings. It’s chief end is beauty. When we consider the art of architecture and the ways in which various artistic pursuits influence our understanding of custom house design, we observe a rich relationship between the methods of architecture and the methods of photography. Photography and Architecture Jin …

The Art of Architecture: Lessons from Nature

The art of architecture is a lifestyle. It’s more than composing detailed home drawings and crafting bespoke residences. It’s a daily quest for beauty. It’s exercising our creative muscles in every activity we undertake. As we head outside and savor the Pacific Northwest summer, whether from the vantage of our backyards or someplace far removed …

The Art of the Arch

That’s the thing with curves. While most architecture is rectilineal – all straight lines and squared angles – curves are often designed to soften a building’s impact, help the structure meld into the surrounding landscape. That’s why curves work particularly well near bodies of water, reflecting that sense of fluidity, or in rural and mountain …

The Evolution of a Home

Rarely does a dream home emerge out of a single moment of inspiration. It’s a journey. A series of conversations, experiences, and magazine-page-flips woven into a single vision. A patient wait for the right moment and the right place. We’ve witnessed this story unfold countless times as we partner with clients to bring that perfect …

Texture in Home Design

The art of architecture lies in the details. In how carefully selected materials can mimic forests and water within a home. In how a spiral staircase adds motion to an entryway. In how a living room’s soft wood floors can perfectly contrast with the stark limestone walls. Details matter. Texture matters. Texture—the result of carefully …

5 Backyard Destinations

Home is more than the roof and walls that offer shelter. It’s the unique way a kitchen reflects your personality, how the front door welcomes you in, and how the customized landscaping entices you to linger longer in your backyard. Luxury home designs weave the best of architecture, interior design, and landscaping together into a …

Outdoor Dining Spaces for Summer

As we launch into summer on the heels of the solstice, we turn our attention to all-things outdoors…including dining. As sunlight lingers longer and the warm evenings draw us outside, there’s no better place to unwind than your own backyard. Here are three outdoor dining spaces our Juanita home designers love. Outdoor Kitchen Grilling is …

The Baby Boomer Dream Home

As Bellevue residential architects, we’re constantly aware of the needs and dreams that our clients look to fulfill in their homes…and how those dreams change with time and life stages. While a recent study revealed that millennials are dreaming of large, suburban homes with smart, energy-efficient technology, baby boomers envision a smaller, tropical escape. According …