Design Highlight: Aura Totem Lake
Elevated Living in the Evergreen State
Aura Totem Lake (Now Bell Totem Lake) employed a visionary approach to redeveloping an outdated shopping center into a mixed-use development to create a vibrant lifestyle center that places residents at the core of the community. The design team took this multi-faceted program and with careful attention to scale, weaved residential units into The Village at Totem Lake to create a robust live, work, play community. This community offers a myriad of on-site and walkable amenities, proximity to the Evergreen Health hospital, and a short commute to downtown Seattle, numerous national forests, and various corporate headquarters. Bell Totem Lake maintains endless opportunities for entertainment, dining, retail, business, and healthcare.
The design seamlessly integrates both the exterior and interiors of the community at all levels – commercial and residential – blending features and materials indicative of the Pacific Northwest. The articulated exterior framing and wood accents meld harmoniously with wooden features found within the community’s interiors, while expansive windows and numerous amenity spaces open to landscaped courtyards that usher the outdoors inside.
Aura Totem Lake’s ground floor entry sits on a bustling intersection of The Village, providing street level views of a striking geometric fireplace, high ceilings, and custom furnishings that contribute to a midcentury modern feel. Lighting, floor tile arrangement, and signage direct potential residents through the vogue mailroom lounge to the elevators that drop off individuals into the fifth-floor leasing lounge. The leasing lounge, clubhouse, internet café, cardio theater, and the various courtyards housed on the fifth floor create continuity within the open floor plan. Shades of blue and marigold throughout shine from the generally subdued tones of the spaces while sizable courtyards encourage residents to interact outdoors and enjoy their village.
Aside from unparalleled walkable amenities offered at The Village at Totem Lake, Bell Totem Lake hosts numerous dynamic amenities, including a 24-hour Cardio Theater, 24-hour Internet Café, and a Clubhouse that acts as a social lounge. Three courtyards make up an expansive 10,000 SF of outdoor space, each with its purpose of socialization, relaxation, or a more intimate escape from the surrounding hustle and bustle of Totem Lake. The Pet Spa, Bicycle Storage and Repair, and 24-hour Package Concierge are located on the lower levels of the community for quick and convenient access.
