Medina: An Architect’s Perspective

Media architecture by Gelotte Hommas Drivdahl
Our architects provide custom home design services for the Medina region.

Welcome to Medina: The Perfect Locale for Your Custom Home

Medina is one Western Washington’s most elite neighborhoods. The smattering of natural beauty, sweeping views of Lake Washington, and the vibrant community that inhabits its borders make Medina one of Washington’s most desirable places to live. We are honored to serve as Medina architects.

In the years that we’ve served Medina as a luxury architecture firm, we’ve come to admire the city as a place that fosters a diverse range of tastes, styles, preferences.

Medina Architects Share Their Favorite Highlights

  • Top tier school system: Medina is part of the greater Bellevue School District and is consistently ranked as one of the best in the state. It includes fifteen elementary schools, one Spanish immersion elementary school, one Mandarin dual language elementary school, five middle schools, four high schools, and two choice middle-high schools.
  • An exclusive collective: As of 2019, Medina claimed a population of just 3,288 people, making it a small, high caliber community well suited to those who want easy access to the city with the experience of suburban comforts.
  • A best place to live: Medina is widely regarded as one of the best places to live in the United States. It’s standard of living, safety ratings, amenities, and livability scores are all exceptional.
  • Ample recreation: Medina is home to beautiful parks, beaches, and recreation areas. The encounters with Lake Washington are unavoidable with a plethora of activities, views, and scenes to choose. Anyone who loves being by the water will love this community. Additionally, the Overlake Golf and Country Club is a community staple for all those who enjoy golfing, tennis, racquetball, and community events.

Life in Medina

Outdoor area designed by Gelotte Hommas Drivdahl architects
As architects, we draw inspiration from the natural beauty that dominates the Medina community.

The world is quickly discovering that life in Medina is exceptional, leading to substantial growth accompanied by an increase in property values. Medina offers the best of all possible worlds: suburban amenities, major city access, and a beautiful natural environment perfect for raising a family.

The homes are stunning, and the city is heavily planted with beautiful trees and well-planned landscaping. Many parts of Medina look out on stunning views of Lake Washington and the surrounding landscape. This community takes great pains to care for their special surroundings with a rare sense gratitude and purpose.

Surrounding Area

Located just across the lake from downtown Seattle, Medina has easy access to the Pacific Northwest’s largest city via the 520 Bridge. Breathtaking views of Mount Rainier and proximity to the scenic Sammamish Plateau and vineyards of Woodinville make destination seeking and discovery a common part of the experience of being a Medina resident.

While technically maintaining its own city charter, Medina can also be considered a part of the larger City of Bellevue ecosystem. The vibrant downtown Bellevue is just a short drive away from the shoreline. The surrounding Bellevue neighborhoods are all exceptional places to live and visit.

Bookended by Bridle Trails to the north and Newport Hills to the south, most neighborhoods have high livability scores and low rates of crime. The Eastgate neighborhood was added as a part of a recent annexation and is considered one of the most family-friendly suburbs. Meydenbauer is one of the oldest areas of the city and boasts some of the highest property values in the state.

Medina Architects Provide Home Design Suited to Your Tastes

Medina architecture is just as diverse and dynamic as the residents who dwell here. Early Medina architects were English settlers who saw the purpose of what they built primarily in terms of the function that it served. The labor of trading goods on the lake was incorporated with the simple and tasteful elegance of the homes they built which sought to satisfy the need for leisure and family connection after a long day’s work.

As the late 20th century brought the tech explosion to Western Washington, Medina became the select choice neighborhood for many of the company’s top executives, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Medina architects are free to adapt their designs to suit the complex tastes of the clients they’re designing for. Residential architects often lean into contemporary modern design aesthetics – tasteful and chic. Sprawling mansions developed with total creative originality and cutting-edge technology dot the shoreline and serve notice for anyone seeking to build or design in this neighborhood.

Custom home designers are always in high demand from residents seeking to make a statement in this premier neighborhood. Medina’s luxury architects have made their mark with spectacular homes from Fairweather Bay to Dabney Point.

Featured Project: Lakefront Splendor

Outdoor living space designed by Gelotte Hommas Drivdahl
A large firepit and ample seating make this the perfect place to host and entertain on a warm summer night.

At Gelotte Hommas Drivdahl Architecture, one of our favorite Medina custom home projects is Lakefront Splendor. Scott Hommas breathed new life into Lakefront Splendor’s former dated, monochromatic design. Fine details—including stained soffits and flush-based wall trim—invite warm sophistication into the remodeled home. Hommas reclaimed awkward space between the house and garage, transforming it into a spacious home office. Custom designed steel railings ensure continuity throughout the interior, and cedar trellises lend dimension and warmth to the exterior. On warm summer days the living room’s glass wall folds away and the home extends onto the deck with the lakefront view beyond.

Medina interior design by Gelotte Hommas Drivdahl
Fire and stone elements continue inside, bringing warmth into this custom home no matter the time of year.

Medina Architects for Your Home

As local Medina architects, we constantly pursue the art of architecture as the calling for our work. The constantly evolving community of Medina provides us with an endless opportunity to answer this calling in original and dynamic ways. We delight in the process of merging the preferences and imaginations of our clients with the distinct character of the Medina location that they select to build their dream home.

Every project presents a new opportunity to consider more deeply how we merge form with function, and to paint a portrait in architecture of our clients’ unique lifestyles.  Serving that purpose is our life’s work and greatest honor. To learn more about designing your dream home, contact us.