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A Hidden Sanctuary

When Terry and Jackie Lehmann moved to their Bellingham home, just north of Lake Whatcom, the backyard consisted of little but grass and a small deck. After 25 years of work, it has been transformed into an oasis, inspired by Terry’s appreciation of Chinese and Japanese culture.“For me, it’s so tranquil,” he says. The Lehmann’s…
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A Hidden Sanctuary
  • Architecture

Shaw Island Timber Frame Home

Set on idyllic Shaw Island, snuggled among the trees, this finely detailed timber frame home really captures the imagination. As with many Pacific Northwest contemporary homes, it masterfully blends a clean, simple, even minimalist aesthetic with warmth from the naturally finished wood throughout.Even the home’s traditional timber-frame-style skeleton and Douglas Fir tongue-and-groove ceilings give a…
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Shaw Island Timber Frame Home
  • Architecture

Skagit Bay Waterfront Home

This stunning Skagit Bay waterfront home was once a comfortable weekend cabin that offered a retreat from Seattle city life. But as its owners approached retirement, they turned to principal architect Dan Nelson and project architect Matt Radach of Designs Northwest to transform the cabin, with its low ceilings and multiple additions, into a primary…
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Skagit Bay Waterfront Home
  • Architecture

Lake Whatcom House

The stunning views of the lake, city, and Puget Sound set the stage for a spectacular home that blurs the line between the indoors and outdoors. Our clients came to us with three overarching goals for their home: execute a clean, modern aesthetic; use our experience to optimize the home’s high-performance chops; and maintain discipline…
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Lake Whatcom House
  • Architecture

A Pacific Northwest Retreat

When I first met owners Ken and Lisa Chovil, they were looking for a general contractor that could work well with their designer, Christine Coder, to upgrade their home in Bellingham’s Ridgemont neighborhood. It had long been their dream to update the interior and add more storage. Over the course of the project, there were…
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A Pacific Northwest Retreat
  • Architecture

Chuckanut Crest View Home

Located on beautiful Chuckanut Crest with sweeping views of the bay, this modern home was designed with intent. The kitchen has multi-purpose features, such as the island built on a metal frame with rollers that allows it to serve either as one long island, or, if pulled apart, a separate formal dining area. The homeowners…
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Chuckanut Crest View Home

Architecture

The Twin Peaks Passivhaus + ADU

The Team at Designed Community
January 15, 2020

The Twin Peaks Passivhaus + ADU, which appeared as part of this year’s Northwest Green Home Tour, started with countless hours of research on the owners’ end. Their main goal: to minimize their ecological impact in the face of climate change. From there, they assembled the dream team—[bundle] design studio and Bellingham Bay Builders—to finalize…

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Benefits of a Dog Wash Station

The Team at Designed Community
January 4, 2020

If you’ve ever had to wash a dog, you know it can be quite the ordeal. There’s nothing easy about hauling a muddy dog into a sink or bathtub, then awkwardly maneuvering the hose or faucet to get a good rinse. Then there’s toweling the dog dry so it doesn’t drip all over the place—not…

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Interviews

Ariel Wilson • Dumb Question for Smart Designers

The Team at Designed Community
May 2, 2020

Nothing tickles us more than highbrow art mixed with lowbrow humor. Interdisciplinary artist and educator Ariel C. Wilson may create…

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Kevin Dalby

The Team at Designed Community
April 28, 2020

Who are you, and what do you do?My name is Kevin Dalby, and I am a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. I currently run an active research group in the field of chemical biology. Work in my laboratory converges on mechanisms in cancer where we discover new cell signaling processes and develop…

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Community Design

On Placemaking: An Anthropologist’s Perspective

The Team at Designed Community
February 6, 2020

Placemaking. It’s been called everything from a buzzword to a movement. It even comes in varieties like “creative.” And, depending on who you ask, it’s two words and not one. But what is it? And furthermore, what makes it such a hot topic?Defining placemaking has been one of its biggest issues from day one. Taken…

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In Defense of Bias

The Team at Designed Community
January 22, 2020

Let’s talk about bias. I have it. You have it. As humans all of us have our own opinions towards virtually everything that comes across our plates in our daily lives, be it (literally) a menu option or (the more serious) potentially deadly first impression. And researchers, from the molecular biologist to the cultural anthropologist,…

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More From The Archives

Ariel Wilson • Dumb Question for Smart Designers

The Team at Designed Community
May 2, 2020

Nothing tickles us more than highbrow art mixed with lowbrow humor. Interdisciplinary artist and educator Ariel C. Wilson may create…

Read More + Ariel Wilson • Dumb Question for Smart Designers

Kevin Dalby

The Team at Designed Community
April 28, 2020

Who are you, and what do you do?My name is Kevin Dalby, and I am a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. I currently run an active research group in the field of chemical biology. Work in my laboratory converges on mechanisms in cancer where we discover new cell signaling processes and develop…

Read More + Kevin Dalby

A Day in the Life of Sophie Ashby Founder of Studio Ashby

The Team at Designed Community
April 21, 2020

Sophie founded her interior design and creative direction practice, Studio Ashby, in 2014 at the age of 25. Before branching…

Read More + A Day in the Life of Sophie Ashby Founder of Studio Ashby

A Hidden Sanctuary

The Team at Designed Community
April 17, 2020

When Terry and Jackie Lehmann moved to their Bellingham home, just north of Lake Whatcom, the backyard consisted of little but grass and a small deck. After 25 years of work, it has been transformed into an oasis, inspired by Terry’s appreciation of Chinese and Japanese culture.“For me, it’s so tranquil,” he says. The Lehmann’s…

Read More + A Hidden Sanctuary

COVID-19 Legacy: It’s Time to De-Car The Delivery Sector

The Team at Designed Community
April 17, 2020

Most of our home deliveries can be performed without a single driver taking to the road — or even carrying a package to your door.COVID-19 may be our best chance to get rid of the dangerous delivery truck once and for all — but safe streets advocates want to be sure that we don’t replace…

Read More + COVID-19 Legacy: It’s Time to De-Car The Delivery Sector

Bob Giordano

The Team at Designed Community
April 14, 2020

Who are you, and what do you do?My name is Bob Giordano, and I am the Director of the Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation, which includes the Free Cycles community bicycle program. Our goals are to make transportation safe, equitable and environmentally sound. I lead this effort for better transportation, with a focus on active…

Read More + Bob Giordano

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Designed Community is a publication of the White Fern Design Agency. We are independently published, and focus on spotlighting great design in the built environment, as well as efforts to forge community in those environments.

Our mission is to inspire and support designers of all kinds & organizational leaders through highlighting real life work and examples.

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