RESIDENTIAL
DESIGN
Residential design is our premium Service. We provide our clients with the unique design to build or renovate a custom home or cottage. Bjorn & Poulsen Fine Home Design will take care of every imaginable detail, including helping you evaluate the perfect building site if desired.
• Estate Home Design & Planning
• Unique Luxury Cottages
• Unique Mountain Homes and Cottages
• Custom design for whole-house renovations
• Custom design for large complex additions
• Design for pools, terraces, and outdoor features
• Master planning for large estates (in phases)
Residential Design is our premium service. We provide our clients with the unique design to build or renovate a custom home or cottage. Bjorn & Poulsen Fine Home Design will take care of every imaginable detail,
including finding the perfect building site, if required.
KITCHEN & BATH DESIGN
30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
Bjorn & Poulsen Fine Home Design, is a firm serving clients on the Olympic & Kitsap Peninsulas and Seattle. The firms’ Principal, Darrin Petersen, has been designing custom homes for 30+ years. His ability to envision beautiful balanced and artful spaces, that reflect the distinct personality of each one of his clients, has resulted in many beautiful, and timeless homes to hs credit.
Darrin has always had a passion for design and learning from a young age. Largely self-taught, including 2 years at Montana State University, he pushed himself to develop mastery of his talents to a higher level with each project. The desire to study the nuances of traditional architecture, led him to the east coast, where he established his studio at the age of 23 in the mountains of West Virginia, where he practiced for 17 years. He designed significant homes and estates in the Virginias and Maryland, including commissions in London and Beverly Hills.
Darrin’s fascination with the Pacific Northwest led him to relocate his practice to the Seattle area in the summer of 2009. The studio is currently located on Anderson Island, near Tacoma. Darrin is an avid traveler and enjoys hiking, kayaking, photography and spending time traveling on the Olympic Peninsula, British Columbia, and Orcas Island. His studies of vernacular architecture from his travels greatly influences his creativity and sensitivity to the natural environment for his projects.
“Watching dreams become a reality intrinsically changes people, and I am grateful to be a part of that transformation.”
-Darrin Petersen, Principal of Bjorn & Poulsen Fine Home Design
OUR WORK
DESIGN PROCESS
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
The design process should be an enjoyable and unforgettable experience for clients. Bring only your imagination and a willingness to communicate your dreams and desires for your home. I ask clients to bring in a few clippings and photos from a favorite magazines, or pictures of details and images that appeal to you. All I need are a few to establish the “feel” and the “flavor” of what you like.
I encourage my clients to avoid looking at ‘homeplan’ books. Why? Because communicating by looking at floor plans and finished renderings of someone else’s house simply skips many of the essential steps required to communicate your lifestyle. In my process, I focus on how you live.
THE DESIGN PROGRAM QUESTIONNAIRE:
Over the years, I’ve developed a unique design program that helps clients think about and communicate their lifestyle. The process involves an extensive individual questionnaire that is completed by each person (i.e. husband and wife) involved in the project. This questionnaire is not shared between the two. This allows each client to individually communicate what is important to them. These elements are incorporated into the design of the residence. Invariably, this process brings some great laughs and helps to focus on a client’s actual lifestyle…not just the rooms or plans.
THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN:
Next, you will see artistic sketches of what your home will look like and how it will function. I start with hand-sketched floor plans and rough exterior drawings. From there, the plans continue to be refined until we arrive at a design that fits. Remember, you are in control of this process. At the end of this phase, we have a set of scaled preliminary drawings that consist of floor plans and exterior elevations.
THE CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS:
These are the drawings that show your builder the dimensions and custom details needed to construct your home or renovation. After we are finished with this phase, your builder and their team of craftsmen take over and make your new home or renovation a reality. We are always available for questions related to the design and details for your new home or renovation.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: What type of clients do you prefer to work with?
Darrin: I work with clients who are very particular about the quality and creativity of design work and high-end construction. My clients are looking for someone who can design something very special, and custom-tailored to their lifestyle. Challenging design projects and client relations are my specialties.
Q: What is the firm’s style?
Darrin: My style depends on what is being done for a particular client. “I specialize in your style.” Whether working in Country French estates, Martha’s Vineyard Shingle Cottages, a modern northwestern contemporary, or classical interiors for a single room or entire house, each detail in the various styles is enjoyable. Do you have a unique style no one has been able to articulate? Challenge me.
Q: What size projects are typically undertaken?
Darrin: I don’t necessarily have a set minimum or maximum project size. The size and type of projects I accept are based on whether the project requires a high level of creativity and skill to complete. Difficult and challenging projects are my specialty.
Q: How many projects are accepted at a time?
Darrin: I accept projects based on the client’s schedule and the size and complexity of my workload. Some clients choose to take more time to work through a project while others want to start immediately. Projects are scheduled to suit the timeline of each client and accommodate individual needs. Usually there is a mix of additions, interior renovations, and large estates. There are also a number of interior design and decoration projects of various sizes at any one time. Throughout the year, there are typically 5-7 projects in progress concurrently.
Q: How long does it take to complete design work?
Darrin: This will always depend on the size and complexity of a project. Complex waterfront sites can take more time, due to a myriad of planning issues that need to be addressed. A typical 3,000 square foot residence, after site issues are addressed, normally takes around 8 weeks, or about 40 business days. I am committed to making sure that your scheduling needs are met. I can shorten or lengthen the time according to your project goals. Additions and renovations can take more or less time, depending on their complexity.
Q: Are status checks done during construction or installation?
Darrin: Absolutely! This is one of the most important things, and also sets Bjorn & Poulsen Fine Home Design apart from other firms. I stay in touch and am available for questions from your builder or other subs during construction. I have an open communication policy with your builder. They are encouraged to call to discuss questions or difficult issues BEFORE doing the work that may impact a project. My job is to be here to help as a valuable part of the team.
At the beginning stages of your project, we meet to discuss the amount of involvement you want from Bjorn & Poulsen Fine Home Design. On all projects we are available anytime for a phone conference or to schedule a site visit as the need arises, in addition to occasional site visits. I can, however have a set date and time for a site visit every week or two, depending on the project needs.
Q: Architect or Residential Designer, what is the difference?
Darrin: Architects are licensed by the State of Washington to design commercial, civic, institutional and industrial buildings, and multi-family housing. These are structures that are subject to complex codes that are focused on public safety. Their rigorous University, and intern training and state licensing prepares them to be responsible for these issues when they apply their stamp to a set of drawings. This stamp assures that buildings that the public will use are safe and meet all codes and regulations. Architects rely on licensed Structural Engineers (PE) to design the complex structural and seismic aspects of a building. A Structural engineer’s stamp is also required on all structures. A small percentage of architects (about 10%) prefer residential projects, which do not require their license to perform, but are of more interest to them.
Bjorn & Poulsen Fine Home Design is a Residential Design firm. Residential Designers specialize in only single family custom homes, and are not licensed by the state to do commercial projects. Custom homes are subject to compliance with the the International Residential Code (IRC), which is vastly different from codes for commercial buildings. Custom homes have many aspects and materials that require special knowledge by someone that specializes in residential design.
Homes are emotional and personal expressions of their owners, and require a design professional that has the knowledge and patience to navigate through the myriad of decisions that have to be made. I, along with many other residential designers, are formally trained as Interior Designers, and have evolved into designing custom homes by working with builders and tradesmen for many years before starting a design practice. Other designers come from a homebuilding background and are experts at constructing efficient, cost effective homes that meet all residential codes. Like architects, Residential Designers rely on licensed Structural Engineers to design the complex structural and seismic aspects of a home. Like commercial buildings, a Structural Engineer’s (PE) stamp is required for all residential projects.
Q: Where are projects accepted?
Darrin: We serve clients in metro Seattle/Bellevue, and the entire Puget Sound region, including the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas and the San Juan Islands.
Projects completed in these areas:
Washington State: Anderson Island, Seattle, Mercer Island, Sammamish, Shoreline, Bellevue, Poulsbo, Sequim, Port Angeles, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, Gig Harbor, Fox Island, Orcas Island
Montana: Whitefish
Tennessee: Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Oak Hill
Virginia: Lexington, Smith Mountain Lake, Roanoke, Hot Springs , Warm Springs
Maryland: Deep Creek Lake, Potomac
West Virginia: Canaan Valley, Cheat Lake, Morgantown, Clarksburg, Lewisburg, White Sulphur Springs
California: Beverly Hills
United Kingdom: London, England
Q: Do you use CAD (Computer Aided Drafting)?
Darrin: No. CAD is a very useful tool for some firms, but our creative nature drives us to use our artistic skills and utilize hand drafting. It gives us much more creative flexibility throughout the design project.
Q: Have you been published?
Darrin: Yes I have…most recently, “Seattle Times Magazine”. I have also had projects featured in “Architectural Digest”, and an Aspen project for actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson was featured in “TIME” magazine.
Q: Have you won awards?
Darrin: Yes, a project Bjorn & Poulsen Fine Home Design designed in north Seattle won the 2016 Seattle “REX Award” for best renovation over $500,000. Generally, however, I don’t enter work into contests to be considered for awards. It can be a time consuming and expensive process. I consider referrals from my wonderful clients to be an “award” for doing nice work. I have been awarded dozens of referrals from happy clients. I accept these with great pride and honor, as a reflection of their confidence in my abilities. I value these much more than an engraved plaque or plexiglass trophy.
206.605.2966