Portfolio · Bellevue, Washington

Above the City, Below the Sky

Q: How did you create privacy and intimacy on an open rooftop with no walls?

We used fireplace placement, strategic seating arrangement, and layered plantings to define distinct zones within the rooftop. These elements naturally create areas of gathering and solitude without requiring physical enclosure, giving the space an intimate feel despite its open-air setting above the city.

Q: What materials hold up best on a rooftop in Bellevue’s wet climate?

We selected wood plank decking and furnishings rated for outdoor, all-season use in the Pacific Northwest — materials that retain their aesthetic quality through rain and temperature variation while requiring minimal maintenance. The plant selection was similarly calibrated for Bellevue’s specific conditions.

Q: Can a rooftop outdoor space meaningfully improve life in an apartment building?

In our experience, yes — dramatically so. For buildings without private outdoor areas, a well-designed rooftop becomes a defining amenity that elevates the overall living experience. This project gave residents something they didn’t have at all: a place outside to breathe, gather, and feel at home.

Outdoor Living
Rooftop Design
Amenity Space
Mixed-Use Residential

A raw rooftop in a dense Bellevue mixed-use building, transformed into the most coveted amenity in the building.

Residents of a mixed-use building in Bellevue — retail on the ground floor, apartments above — had no private outdoor space of any kind. The rooftop was structurally available but completely undeveloped: exposed concrete, no warmth, no identity, no reason to linger. The brief was simple in concept and demanding in execution: make it a place people actually want to be.

In the Pacific Northwest, outdoor space is either earned or abandoned. You can’t just place furniture on a deck and call it designed. The materials have to hold up to cool, wet evenings. The layout has to work for a group and for a single person reading alone. The planting has to soften the urban edge without requiring a groundskeeper.

Outdoor oasis with seating and greenery — Apartment Rooftop, Ariana Designs, Bellevue

Elegant outdoor living space — Apartment Rooftop, Ariana Designs, Bellevue

Chic outdoor retreat with fire table — Apartment Rooftop, Ariana Designs, Bellevue

Warmth as a Design Material

The design was anchored from the ground up. Wood plank decking introduces natural texture underfoot — a material decision that reads immediately as considered rather than generic. Fireplaces were positioned to create defined intimate zones within the larger footprint, extending usability well into the fall and winter months that define Bellevue’s outdoor calendar.

A generous seating area was arranged to work for both conversation and quiet solitude — a sectional sofa surrounded by lush greenery, with a fire table at the center. The vertical garden and water feature weren’t decorative additions; they were structural moves that soften the building’s edge and create the sensation of a garden retreat despite being several floors above street level.

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Outdoor oasis with water feature and lush plants — Apartment Rooftop, Ariana Designs, Bellevue

A vertical garden and water feature anchor the rooftop’s northwest corner, softening the urban edge.

The Challenge

No Outdoor Space. Anywhere.

In a dense urban building, residents had zero access to outdoor space — no balconies, no terrace, no courtyard. The rooftop was the only opportunity, and it was entirely blank. The challenge wasn’t renovation; it was creation from nothing, on a platform exposed to wind, rain, and full sun depending on the season.

Every material selection had to be evaluated for durability in the Pacific Northwest climate without sacrificing the elevated quality residents expected. The layout had to function at multiple scales — intimate enough for one person to feel comfortable, generous enough to host a gathering. And the entire project had to succeed as an amenity that would influence how people felt about living in the building.

Outdoor dining space on rooftop — Apartment Rooftop, Ariana Designs, Bellevue

Layered planting at rooftop entrance — Apartment Rooftop, Ariana Designs, Bellevue

Rooftop seating oasis with greenery — Apartment Rooftop, Ariana Designs, Bellevue

“Outdoor space in the Pacific Northwest isn’t seasonal — it’s architectural. You design for the rain, and you earn the summer.”

Elegant outdoor living area at dusk — Apartment Rooftop, Ariana Designs, Bellevue

Our Design Approach

How We Approached It

The plant strategy was treated with the same rigor as any interior material palette. We designed a layered transition between outdoor and indoor plant selections — species that tolerate Bellevue’s rainfall and temperature range, arranged to create depth, texture, and the sense of enclosure that makes an outdoor space feel like a room rather than an exposed platform.

Fireplace placement drove the zone logic. Rather than centering everything around a single focal point, we distributed warmth sources to create two distinct atmospheres within one footprint: a lively gathering zone near the dining area and a quieter retreat zone near the garden wall.

The wooden archway at the entry was a key move — it marks the transition from the building interior to the outdoor space and signals, from the moment you step through, that this is a designed environment. The detail has an outsized effect on how residents perceive the space before they’ve even sat down.

Chic outdoor retreat with fire feature — Apartment Rooftop, Ariana Designs, Bellevue

Modern outdoor retreat overview — Apartment Rooftop, Ariana Designs, Bellevue

Rooftop outdoor dining space — Apartment Rooftop, Ariana Designs, Bellevue

Project Type

Rooftop Outdoor Design

Location

Bellevue, Washington

Building Type

Mixed-Use Residential

Style

Modern Outdoor Living

Features

Fire table zones, vertical garden, water feature, wood decking, dining area

Scope

Full outdoor amenity design

Common Questions

Frequently Asked

How did you create privacy and intimacy on an open rooftop with no walls?
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We used the vertical garden and planting strategy to create the sensation of enclosure without solid walls. The wooden archway at the entry, the plant-lined perimeter, and the strategic placement of furniture and fire features all define zones that feel contained and intentional — even against an open sky.

What materials hold up best on a rooftop in Bellevue’s wet climate?
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We prioritized materials that weather gracefully rather than deteriorating — composite wood decking with the visual warmth of natural wood, powder-coated steel frames, all-weather fabrics rated for UV and moisture, and ceramic or stone surfaces for tabletops. The goal is that the space looks better after two years of Pacific Northwest weather, not worse.

Can a rooftop outdoor space meaningfully improve life in an apartment building?
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Yes, and the evidence in this building supports it. What was an empty structural deck became the most used amenity in the building — residents use it across seasons, not just in summer. Access to intentional outdoor space, even shared, has a measurable effect on how residents experience their home and how they talk about the building to prospective neighbors.

How do you handle wind exposure at rooftop height?
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Wind is a real design constraint that gets addressed in the layout and planting. Taller plantings and garden structures provide buffering at key seating areas. Furniture selection accounts for weight and anchoring. And the zone plan positions the most sheltered areas — near the vertical garden wall — as the primary retreat spaces, so residents naturally gravitate to the most protected spots.

Can rooftop outdoor design work for commercial or hospitality projects too?
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Absolutely. The approach here — zoning by use, anchoring with warmth sources, layering materials that perform over time — applies equally to hotel terraces, restaurant rooftops, and office outdoor amenities. The specific selections change based on the program and client, but the design logic is the same.

Begin Your Project

Your home should stop you. Every time you walk in.

The work in this portfolio is the standard we hold ourselves to on every project — not just the celebrated ones. We take on a limited number of engagements each year, which means the projects we commit to receive our full attention from the first conversation through the final installation.

If you're considering a renovation, a new build, or a full redesign, tell us about your home. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit — and what working together would look like.

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Ariana Designs & Interiors · Kirkland, Washington
(425) 679-2463 · inquiry@ariid.com