Swalling Walk Architects, LLC

I was a colleague of Kara and Sheila at BJSS architects for many years. I am now retired as a registered architect. I can certify that Sheila and Kara have excellent architectural skills in design, project management and development. They also are good listeners and are sensitive to clients needs and dreams.

Simply, I cannot say enough on behalf of Sheila Swalling. She is intuitive, creative, a delight to work with, patient, positive and EXTREMELY TALENTED! One of her greatest attributes is she LISTENS! My husband and I had a firm idea of what we wanted in a home and Sheila delivered over and over again. The end result was a beautiful and very livable home that receives unending compliments. We will forever be grateful for her fine expertise!

I had these ideas of a free standing outdoor kitchen, bar and entertainment center. Basically I wanted a restaurant in my back yard to cook for my family and friends. I embrace the Asian influences and Sheila took that thought and ran with it. I wanted to shape a bar top like a longboard surfboard and again she figured out how that could work. I wanted the structure to really reflect my love of the Eastern culture yet blend with the style of my home's exterior. I honor real wood, stone and metal. She used western red cedar to reflect the beautiful structural requirements. The detail of the ceiling tongue and groove, large beams and copper end caps. The pitch of the roof and materials mirrored the other buildings, but the rain chain buckets finished the function and the look of a Pagoda snatched off a hill in Japan. She left a space in the concrete lap siding for the art work I had planned to hang a fire breathing copper/brass dragon. The floor is washed aggregate with a drain that blends easily as you step down from the elevated sanctuary. Sheila had so many great ideas and listened so carefully to me. The lighting is amazing both day and night whether uplit or down lit always showing the beauty of form and function in its northwest setting. So far it has proved worthy in 85 mph winds, 18"of wet winter snow, minus 10, and 100 degree hot summer days. Sheila was an active participant in the project from start to finish. All and all I would highly recommend Swalling Walk Architects. Thank you.

We hired the LEED architecture firm SwallingWalk to design a master suite that would be added to our existing 1957 mid-century home. We had three main requests: 1. Addition needed to be added seamlessly and not look like it was added on 2. It needed to be kept true to the existing home's look, inside and out 3. The design needed to take advantage of the views from our home. SwallingWalk was very easy to work with, with open communication, and very clear expectations. Deadlines were met and the budget was adjusted as we requested a few changes. I feel they were as excited about the project as we were!. The addition looks like it has always been part of the original home. My husband and I highly recommend SwallingWalk.

The Boston Harbor House After two years of failed starts with contractors who couldn't understand the difference between colonial and craftsman, I did what I should have done in the beginning - I met with Sheila Swalling, who immediately understood blending historic design elements with modern conveniences. We were working with a small waterfront lot, and the goal was to recreate a stone house of the type you see along the shores of the east coast and Europe. It was also very important to have total privacy from the street while keeping the feel of an inviting cottage. Sheila's floorplan brilliantly accomplishes including everything essential on the first floor. Family spaces upstairs include an office, a library in the open hallway with coffee service for the upstairs bedrooms. The third floor, a kids' sleeping porch, is perhaps the most special room of all with the roof angles, the skylight and dramatic 180 degree water views. Besides the constrained footprint, we were also against a hard deadline for permits. Incredibly, Sheila nailed every detail after meeting with me only three times, and she produced all the drawings (structual, electrical, lighting, drainage) needed to proceed in a very short time. I hugely recommend SwallingWalk to anyone looking for a great architect. You will find that Sheila isn't just an amazing responsive professional, she's also wonderful company on the most personal of projects - your home. HUGE recommend from me!