Building Culture

We hit our equity goal and closed the construction loan yesterday evening.

We’re wasting no time: we’re breaking ground today. It’s time to BUILD!

Stay tuned.

Have been itching to reveal this: rendering of our residential courtyard for Townsend, our infill mixed-use project getting ready to break ground. 12 townhomes surrounding a few connected courtyards with layered gardens and brick pavers.

So. Dang. Beautiful.

This is actually a highly accurate rendering of what we are doing architecturally—we use our real designs and detailing from sketchup as the backdrop, and collaborate with an amazing illustrator to bring it to life. We have a ton of fun working together. He actually knows how to capture the FEEL of it.

Even the varying pavement, etc, is all from the plan; that’s not just superficial detail in a rendering. We’ve designed the outdoor space with as much thought as each floor plan and facade.

And we are also leaving some space for design to evolve as the project unfolds.

We are imagining more free standing planters and pots that enclose each home’s front “patio” for a semiprivate space that’s also lush and can be tended, but didn’t make sense in rendering.

We opted for a central garden rather than some fire pit, table, outdoor kitchen or “amenity” in the center of the courtyard; we have more public space nearby with our commercial courtyards, AND it’s already walkable to 30+ F&B options if you want a “gathering space”.

It’s tempting to create “usable” amenities, and sometimes you should, but here, the central courtyard is a beautiful space to enter and exit your home, to look out your window and glimpse, a place to sit outside, and if you WANT to engage with someone across the way you can, but there is also a barrier in between and it makes it optional.

It’s balancing privacy + option for interaction—in a stunningly beautiful and peaceful setting.

I cannot wait to build this with our team. It’s been a tremendous amount of work over nearly 2.5 years to be on the edge of breaking ground. But it’s going to be so much fun. And it’s also going to blow people away.

I promise you: this will be some of the best walkable infill in the country.

A place for books, photos, and everything that feels like home.

It doesn’t need to be complicated to be beautiful.

Behold...

The most beautiful fireplace we’ve ever done!

Every time I’m in the house I can’t help but gaze at it. There is so much fun little detail to take in.

The beauty of brick: it’s a sculpting material, made of hand-sized pixels.

- Austin

Solid wood, solid meals, solid conversations.

The kind of entry that makes coming home feel like an occasion.

We built the house, but they gave it a heartbeat.

If you haven’t been out to Selah yet, it’s worth the trip.

They’ve got cottages you can rent, walking trails, a vineyard, fire pits, and a whole lot of peace and quiet.

We helped build a few of the spaces out there, but what they’ve created goes way beyond the buildings. It’s thoughtful, it’s beautiful, and it’s built for people who want a more curated life.

Check it out: selahok.com Selah Living