Our commercial posts.

A tenant improvement allowance helps businesses like Oasis Tea Zone build out new commercial spaces.
Ask a Designer, Commercial

What Is a Tenant Improvement Allowance?

As a business owner, understanding what a tenant improvement (or TI) allowance is, is essential to inform the choices you’ll make when selecting a new commercial space and negotiating your commercial lease. The TI allowance will also define how much of the cost of your commercial build-out will come out of your pocket.

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Including plenty of living plants, like in this lobby, are a great way to introduce biophillic design to your space.
Commercial, Interior Design

How Biophillic Design Can Help Your Commercial Space

As humans, we love nature, and studies show that access to nature or natural elements is actually beneficial to our health. As a design theory, this is called biophilic design. Here are a few reasons why it’s worth it to incorporate nature into the design of your commercial spaces.

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Salvaged casette tapes create a mural: a creative cost-saving tip for your commercial space.
Commercial, Interior Design

Creative Cost-Saving Tips for Your Commercial Space

Often, design budgets for commercial tenant improvements can be tight. But giving your space that little something extra to excite your clientele is super helpful for bringing in business, and getting your customers to linger. Here are a few creative tips for stretching that dollar further in your commercial space.

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Interior photo of a neighborhood commercial shop and café.
Commercial

How Your Neighborhood Can Inform the Design of Your Commercial Space

Neighborhood and community context is important to the success of a retail — or other commercial — space. Here’s how being site-specific can be beneficial to your commercial project and help you make the impact you need to win and retain customers.

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When Should I Hire an Architect for My Tenant Improvement? – Board & Vellum
Ask a Designer, Commercial

When Should I Hire an Architect for My Tenant Improvement?

Commercial clients sometimes think they need a signed lease before hiring an architect, but it’s much better to bring an architect on before you sign that lease, locking you into a space that might not meet your business's needs as well as you hope it will. Read on for more about how we can help.

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How To Create a Residential Feel in a Commercial Space – Board & Vellum
Commercial, Interior Design

How To Create a Residential Feel in a Commercial Space

Are you hoping for a residential feel — that "homey" comfort — in your commercial space? You aren’t alone! Spaces that capture that homey feeling draw people in, and can help people feel more comfortable and relaxed in your establishment. How do you pull it off? Here are our top ten design elements to make it happen.

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Our commercial recognition stories.

2014 Gold Nugget Winner

Gold Nugget Award for Ada’s Technical Books & Café

Ada's Technical Books & Café takes home a 2014 Gold Nugget Award for Rehab Commercial / Industrial Projects.

Ada’s Technical Bookstore & Cafe Featured in design:retail Magazine

Ada’s Technical Books & Café Featured in design:retail Magazine

In a piece on Seattle’s lively retail marketplace, design:retail magazine featured Ada’s Technical Books & Café, highlighting their small business success.

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Our Story

Board & Vellum is vibrant design firm built on the idea that an informed, engaged, and cared-for team collaborating on a variety of disciplines and sectors leads to elevated design and happy clients.

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 with in-house multidisciplinary design services, each project has access to a wealth of knowledge.

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