In their own words.

★★★★★

My relationship with Tim Bjella began with a remodel of my ranch style home in Minnesota. Through his creative genius he created a masterpiece that was featured in two International publications. I have now worked with him on homes located in three states, reflecting timeless and unique design.

No cliches!

Given the resources and the willingness to dream big, he will make your dream a reality. He did for me. In California, he listened and transformed our ideas to create not just a home, but a work of art.

His portfolio speaks for itself.

Dannie Gustafson

★★★★★

Tim is extremely creative yet takes seriously the specific needs of each owner. This became apparent to us during a review of several of his custom designed homes. He offered a range of design concepts that we never thought possible.

Tim has no artistic ego and is easy to deal with. He gets along well with contractors. He finds practical solutions to any challenging condition and accepts input from others who might have knowledge of the situation. Almost twenty years later we still love the original home that Tim designed for us, and five years ago hired him a second time to work on a separate property which has also outstripped its apparent potential making it a comfortable and beautiful place to live.

Bjella Architecture provided a full-service architectural and design process for us including landscape, home design, architectural engineering, lighting design, kitchen design and interiors. We have gone back to Tim occasionally to help us make decisions about the home he helped us to conceive.

Fiona Woods

★★★★★

“Art you can live in” is the slogan for Tim’s company. Truer words have never been spoken - the art, though, is not of the type intended to shock, but rather to nurture the soul. We hired him to design a house for us in Virginia and didn’t realize till it was finished what we had been missing throughout our many years of living in cookie-cutter houses. The interiors are not simply rooms to be decorated, they are extensions of the architecture, lovely even without furniture (although we still prefer sitting on the furniture he selected over sitting on the floor).

It’s some sort of magic using light, proportions and detail, and something he calls layering. We didn’t realize that a house could move us emotionally. From the cheery, skylight-filled kitchen to the cozy fireplace inglenook, there’s a spot for every mood. When we arrive home from our travels, we feel a palpable sigh of relief.

After the home was complete, we planted a tree in the front yard and named it after him, a bit tongue and cheek. Now, whenever we chat, the first thing he asks is “how’s Tim”? Did I mention he has a sense of humor? What a fun experience.

Kristen Fitzmorris

★★★★★

We hired Tim to design our home. He quickly became more than our architect, he became our friend. We gave him free range to design our dream house and Tim sat down with both me and my husband to find out what we both had envisioned for our beautiful home. From the shape and style of our roof through each room.

Tim’s expertise, experience, and creativity was superb, precise, and amazing. Tim was with us every step of the way, from design, through city planning permits, through building the house working closely with our contractor and sub-contractors. Truly a one-of-a-kind experience.

Jill and Steve H.

★★★★★

We have had the opportunity to work with Bjella Architects on two of our homes and could not have been more pleased. Their creative designs and guidance throughout the projects were above our expectations.

Jeanne Braun

★★★★★

Tim Bjella is a phenomenal architect!

We first hired Bjella Architecture in 2011 for a large, minimal loft-style condo. Even though he had not done a minimalist design before, his design captured our vague vision perfectly. He brought together the space, our requirements, aesthetics, lighting, everything. His attention to detail was incredible—he even spent an entire day mapping sunlight to optimize the brightness across the unit. The final product turned out as an almost exact replica of his plans and renderings. I only fully appreciated the brilliance of his creativity after living in the space.

Bjella Architecture provides comprehensive services including architectural drawings, interior design, lighting, and project management. Their fees represent exceptional value for the immense time and care invested.

Now, 15 years later, we are finishing our second project with Tim—a complex gut renovation and combination of our pre-war NYC apartment. The two projects could not be more different. While the loft is minimal and meditative, the NYC apartment beautifully honors its pre-war charm while maximizing modern functionality. He helped us navigate the complexities of city codes and board approvals. Importantly, both projects have had minimal budget overruns! If after 15 years, I can look around my home and feel happy about how beautiful it is, he is definitely doing something right.

Vivin Oberoi