Kit Newman
I am as close to a Seattle area native as you’re likely to find nowadays. My family moved from the Bay Area to the Pacific Northwest in 1969 when I was three years old, settling in the then dense forested glades of Bellevue. Having endured the subsequent years of my suburban education on the east side of Lake Washington, I moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, where I received my bachelors degree in Architecture in 1987. Finding few career opportunities for a freshly minted intern architect here in Seattle at the time, I decided to return to San Francisco to begin my architectural career. I came back to Seattle in 1990 and continued to pursue my passion for architecture here in my “home” state ever since. I received my Washington state licensure (license # 7600, hence the name of my business) in 1999, and 14 years later in early 2013 I finally felt I was ready, and I opened my own one man firm to start a new and exciting phase of my professional life.
Most of my architectural career has been pursued in the residential branch of the profession. However, in my now 27 years at the drafting table, I have had many opportunities to do design work in several commercial typologies, such as research educational, retail stores, restaurants, medical/dental office, to name but a few. My real passion though lies in the residential sphere of architectural design. It is a more personal and intimate relationship you have with your clients, and in my heart I’m a very people oriented person. When you are designing a persons “home” you are affecting their lives in both subtle and profound ways. This is the most gratifying and humbling aspect of what I do for my life’s work.
My professional experience in residential design spans a wide range of project types including small kitchen and bath remodels, custom & spec homes, clustered town homes, and all the way up to 5 story mixed use multi family apartment/condo buildings. I have a personal passion for tight urban infill projects and creative adaptive reuse of existing structures. I believe strongly in the necessity and urgency of the current green architecture movement of the early 21st century to begin to address global climate change. All of my design work always seeks to increase the sustainability, and lower the environmental impact, of any new building or existing one the project involves.
Lastly a note on architectural style and my design philosophy. While I have my own personal style and design preferences, your residential project whether a remodel or new custom home, is not about my style but yours. I can credibly design in just about any style you could name and I probably already have. I see myself as a facilitator in achieving your design aspirations for your home, and not my own. I offer you all of my many years of experience to help guide you to your dream home and make the best version of it we possibly can. Budgets are always a concern and a challenge on any project and I will use my many talents to get the best design your money can afford. In the end, if I’ve done my job well, your completed project will be the ultimate expression of your dreams and your lifestyle, and we also got to have a lot of fun along the way!
PODCAST: FOUNDATIONS IN ARCHITECTURE
My dear friend Mike Vas produces a wonderful podcast called BOOM Knowledge. I was thrilled when he asked me to come on his show to discuss all things architectural. We discussed how I decided to become an architect, the impetus to opening my own firm, my architectural influences and influencers, and the current and future trends I see in the architecture profession.