Led by Steve Hoedemaker and Tim Pfeiffer, Hoedemaker Pfeiffer is an architectural firm based in the Pacific Northwest. Focusing on connecting their clients with nature, while still incorporating human spirit, these two make stunning homes we simply cannot get enough of! Seamlessly weaving architecture, interior design, and landscape, they take risks and capitalize on their skills to produce these breathtaking homes. They are rooted in the little joyful moments with people, and try to carry this with them in all they do.

Let’s get acquainted. Who are you and what’s your role at Hoedemaker Pfeiffer?

Steve: My name is Steve Hoedemaker and I am one of the Partners at HP.

Tim: Tim Pfeiffer, partner in the firm.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Steve: I suppose the answer to this question is quite different now than it was three months ago. The only thing typical about my days is that every one is different. I wear a lot of hats and work to be involved in every project so that has me meeting with teams and clients in the office, onsite with construction teams around the northwest and across the country, and engaging community around culture and the arts.

Tim: No typical days… though principally client engagement, team design development, art curation, checking in on our Housewright Gallery. 

How many projects do you all take on at one time or throughout the year?

Steve: The nature of our work is that we have projects of very different sizes operating through different phases at any given time. This allows the team to really focus on design for a limited number of projects while others are in permitting or construction, areas that are still very involved but require less active design.

How did you two meet and when did you know that you wanted to be in business together?

Steve: Tim was a Pacific Northwest boy who wandered the continent for a while but when he started spending time back in Seattle our paths crossed because of a large group of mutual friends. We were both immediately curious about the work the other had been doing and saw potential in a partnership almost immediately.

Tim: We are both originally Northwest guys and our lives had crossed for years through friends and family. I had followed Steve’s accomplishments and felt a kindred spirit in his passion for beauty, subtlety and the integrity he brings to his work and life. Family drew me back after 20+ years away. We’d had cocktail conversations over the years, but then timing is everything. I was a free agent and it seemed a natural fit to combine forces. We took the opportunity.  In that move I found a new home and creative partner in Steve and Georgetown.

How have your roles shifted since you initially began your practice? Are there any tasks you miss doing that you’re not directly involved with? Anything you're glad to have off your plate?

Steve: The practice has grown and evolved incrementally. We both really see it as a laboratory for pursuing the things that bring each of us joy based on the idea that where we find joy we will find passion, talent, and motivation. I am personally grateful to have a practice that is large enough for someone else to handle the finances. That is neither a source of joy or passion for me.

Tim: We both focus on the Arts, supporting regional artists and institutions. We have fundamentally given each other room to pursue passions that collectively enrich and inform the design work we do for clients. The first opportunity to spring from this partnership was our award winning interior design team, a service previously unaddressed at the firm. The role of gallery owners was also added with the launch of Housewright Gallery, a brick and mortar space in the Georgetown Arts and Design District, with a beautiful website to help share it’s storied offerings. We are known too, for curating family art collections for clients across the northwest. 

Both of us are proud to have all our businesses anchored in Georgetown’s burgeoning Arts and Design district. We are helping to foster the growth and engagement of the creative community here. Over all we offer a truly unique full service design experience for our clients and the greater Seattle community not experienced before in the region. 

Many of your projects serve as family retreats. What are the main elements of these spaces that make them unique in comparison to a family’s primary estate?

Steve: It is really important to draw a distinction between a family’s urban existence and a retreat. The architecture has the opportunity to temporarily completely reframe our existence. Often these properties allow us to spread the architecture out in a way that is rare in the city. We think of these buildings as tools designed to get people to engage the world outside, encouraging people to leave the buildings whenever possible and when not possible to occupy the space of a covered porch, a room filled with windows and light, and only when night falls to bring your body and gaze back indoors to a warm fire.

What’s your favorite project that you’ve completed to date?

Steve: This is a trick question. I won’t tell you who my favorite child is either (although my children are German Shorthaired Pointers). I don’t think our job as designers is done until we are really excited to personally occupy each and every one of our projects. Of course the projects reflect the clients’ tastes and aspirations. But we have to be invested in the outcome so I see a personal desire to occupy the finished product as a benchmark for success.

Tim: Too many. But I do love a certain simple Fieldhouse.

As PNW natives, are there any themes, characteristics, or materials you find your clients drawn to in this area more so than in other parts of the country?

Steve: In my mind the PNW really invites a conversation with nature. The abundance of rock and wood, plants and water all suggest a building that is in some way reacting to that. It doesn’t mean that a house has to be twiggy but it has to consider those elements and in doing so take a position about whether it is fitting in or standing out, in defiance or in harmony. There isn’t a right answer there but to ignore the question is, I think, to lose the plot.

What’s the most memorable project you’ve completed to date? What made it so special?

Steve: I was very fortunate to work with a young couple on my first major commission. The house was set on a large property and somewhat grand but with the intent to not stand out. The result was a house that was partially buried into the hillside and constructed with parallel board-formed concrete walls and a sod roof. The effect is one of occupying the earth and looking out over the Sound. I think of their courage and my good fortune often for that project. 

What is your dream project?

Steve: One where we can exceed our client’s expectations and do something truly memorable that we can all be proud of. 

Tim: Another vision brought to life that sets the stage for the good times we all hope to live.

What’s next for the Hoedemaker Pfeiffer team?

Steve: We are excited about the opportunity to participate in helping Georgetown reach its potential as a vibrant community for art, culture, food, and living.

Tim: Just keeping it real and all in balance!

Rapid Fire Questions

Hidden Talent?

Steve: Childhood code languages like Op and Pig Latin

Tim: Treasure hunting

Prized Possession? 

Steve: My mother’s Phi Beta Kapa ring

Tim: Cocteau’s book honoring his love ‘Jean Marais’, honoring hand illustrated and inscribed

Favorite Era of Design? 

Steve: 1960s…. and today

Tim: Now... global influences have created a broader viewpoint

Style Icons?  

Steve: Jean Jongeward and Roland Terry

Tim: Axle Vervoort, Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis, George Nakshima

Go-to Podcast? 

Steve: Weather with Cliff Mass

Tim: Talk Art

Dream Vacation?

Steve: Two weeks on a sailboat almost anywhere

Tim: End of Summer six week cross country road trip, LA to Savannah, with my dog and partner

Favorite American City?

Steve: Seattle (honestly)

Tim: Los Angeles

Guilty Pleasure?

Steve: Haagen Dazs with strawberry jam

Tim: 74 Bronco and 66 F-150

Like what you see? Be sure to follow Hoedemaker Pfeiffer on Instagram (@hoedemakerpfeiffer) and check out their portfolio here! We’ve also featured their Hillside Sanctuary Project and Whidbey Island Retreat and, trust us, you don’t want to miss these incredible getaways.