WHO WE ARE

Designing a home remodel or contemplating a new house entirely can feel daunting. Entrusting your largest investment our team of residential building designers requires a significant amount of trust. With two decades of experience, we serve as guides for our clients, methodically bringing each stage of the process into focus. This empowers you as we work together to craft solutions and make informed decisions at each phase, as the project unfolds. We believe that a home should fulfill your emotional needs and suit your lifestyle. A successful project seamlessly integrates these needs while being mindful of your budget, resulting in a visually stunning outcome that adds both financial and emotional value to your home. We look forward to working with you.

If you’d like to speak with the team about your project, please fill out our questionnaire and we’ll get back to you shortly!

ALEXANDRA IMMEL

Alexandra, originally from London, completed her seven-year architectural education in Oxford and Brighton, England. She became a registered architect in the UK in 1991 and relocated to Seattle a year later. After gaining experience with a Seattle-based architect, Alexandra launched her own residential building design company in 2004. She has a passion for collaborating with homeowners, as a residential building designer, assisting them in achieving their desired outcomes for home remodels and crafting unique designs for new homes. Drawing from her extensive knowledge of Pacific Northwest houses, building codes, and contractors, Alexandra leads a team of six other residential building designers in the transformation or construction of homes. She finds fulfillment in both the creative design process and establishing connections with clients. Alexandra emphasizes a team approach at AIRD, striving for optimal design and functionality within budget constraints, resulting in mutual satisfaction. Outside of work, Alexandra stays busy pursuing creative interests in fiber arts and mosaic tile work.

Associate AIA

TRACY RONALDSON

Born and raised in the Seattle area, Tracy is Washington State Registered Architect who holds a BA in Interior Design from Seattle Pacific University. After 10 years of working as an interior designer in the commercial realm, she took a leave to study abroad at Denmark Int’l Studies' Interior Architecture summer program in Copenhagen. This marked a pivotal moment for her as she subsequently shifted her focus to smaller-scale projects, becoming deeply involved in every aspect of the design process. She began working at smaller residential firms to pursue this path. Tracy joined AIRD in 2013.

Tracy’s passions have long been rooted in beauty, art and design. More recently she’s found intrigue with the relationship of the built and natural environment and its affects on our physical, emotional and mental well being. This understanding is a backdrop in her approach with clients as she works with each individual in helping them achieve their design objectives.

Tracy has a great love for gardening, paddle boarding & continuing to take excursions both near and far as time allows. She lives in Normandy Park with her husband, son, and dog Theo.

AIA, NCIDQ, LEED AP

JESSICA KASHIAN

Jessica hails from Illinois but considers herself a local after 15 years in the Northwest. She holds a BA in Community Environment and Planning from the University of Washington. Jessica joined the design team in 2013, always drawn to the field of design, she is making her passion her vocation. The idea of home and how we all create this most intimate space has always had a strong hold on her imagination. She has a passion for design that is invaluable to the practice. She has a talent and good eye for timeless design. When she is away from the office, she is either taking care of dogs or thinking about design.

Danielle Quick

Danielle has lived in the Northwest all her adult life. She studied interior design at Bellevue College and Sociology at Western Washington University. She worked as an independent designer for over 8 years and joined Alexandra’s team in 2017. Danielle believes in client-led design and creating a home that reflects the individual or family that lives there. “I love learning more about people by seeing their homes”.

Small space living is something Danielle personally lives and loves the challenge of helping others who desire that. She approaches design with functionality first while keeping clean lines and showcasing that which reflects the client. "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” - William Morris

Danielle is a mother of three children, loves to ski and to cook.

Natalia Chetvernina

Born in Novosibirsk, Russia, Natalia spent her youth in Washington, D.C. area. She moved out west to attend University of Washington in Seattle where she studied historic preservation and received her masters degree in architecture in 2013. During her studies, she participated in programs in Italy and Copenhagen, learning about history, architecture and urban design.

Natalia spent several years working in San Francisco Bay Area where she gained experience in a variety of projects, large and small, including adaptive reuse, affordable housing and community projects. She became a Washington State Registered Architect shortly before moving back to Seattle in 2018.

Natalia is a constant learner with excellent problem solving skills and whose thorough attention to details has proven invaluable to our team since she joined us in 2021. She loves residential design for the opportunity to build personal connections with homeowners and is inspired by local nature and climate and looks to sustainable principles to design beautiful, healthy homes.

Outside of work Natalia loves being part of Seattle’s tango community, where she finds immense joy in learning to dance. She is an avid reader and dreams of designing her own huge home library one day.

Laura Malkasian Huggins

A California native, Laura moved to Seattle in 1997 upon completing degrees in architecture from University of Oregon and University of Illinois in Chicago. She worked with a few different architectural firms for 12 years before taking time off to be home with her daughter.

While Laura became a Washington State Registered Architect in 2013, she also spent time over the years in graphic design. It is the love of problem solving and crafting visual concepts which both architecture and graphic design encompass that resonates with her. She is drawn to and energized by the design process and unraveling the complex puzzle that design challenges present. She joined AIRD in 2022.

Through the years, Laura has found more and more to value her health and honor what brings her joy. For her that is time spent with friends and family, creating ceramic pottery and artwork, playing 80s tunes on her electric guitar and enjoying the search for inspirational design. Laura lives in Seattle with her husband, daughter and little dog Zuzu.

AIA

Patty Brasel

Born and raised in Fairbanks Alaska, Patty has called Seattle home for over 30 years. Before she left the work force to raise 3 children, a number of her early jobs were in the travel industry. Working for the Alaska Railroad as a ticket agent and hostess on the summer passenger train led to a job at a San Francisco travel agency, which ultimately led to a job in sales and service for Holland America Cruise Line in Seattle.

Organization, patience, perseverance and good humor are traits that were acquired over the years and which she brings to her role as office manager at AIRD. Patty is most happy when thinking about home design, interior decor, fabrics and color!

When not in the office, you will find Patty and her family enjoying time at their vacation home on Vashon Island, reading her way through stacks of books and exploring Seattle neighborhoods with coffee cup in hand.

Non-Profits We support

We feel immensely gratified that through AIRD we get to help so many families create an environment in their homes that reflects how they want to live. We love our work and feel lucky to be engaged with so many wonderful clients.

However, we are acutely aware of Seattle’s housing crisis and therefore give monthly to Sound Foundations NW who are building transitional tiny houses and providing wrap-around services to support rehousing. Through Sound Foundations NW, AIRD was able to contribute pro bono work to support their efforts in starting a hope factory in Tucson, AZ. We greatly admire their methods and goals.