Houzz Tour: Island Home Opens Up to Inspiring Views
In Washington, an architect combines rural and modern styles in a home that looks out to Puget Sound, woods and meadows
A cliffside perch above Puget Sound, a richly wooded ravine and pastoral meadow views all informed the design of this new home on Washington’s Whidbey Island. Architect John DeForest planned a house that mixes vernacular rural architecture and a modern glass box to take advantage of all three natural elements for the couple who bought the property. He created a home that feels intimate when it’s just the two of them but also accommodates larger family gatherings and work retreats.
While studying the site, DeForest went though several iterations to create a house that would connect with it in the best way. He made models of U-shaped houses and L-shaped houses before landing on this design. “Working through these other schemes made me realize that the calm would be lost in a lot of pieces,” he says. So the winning design is one long bar, spliced by a glass staircase that perforates the home’s facade and offers views from the pasture-facing side through to the views of Puget Sound.
“We started with the simple gabled form and then carved it to be more open and connected to the landscape,” DeForest says. “I love to play with traditional forms and then give them a twist.”
The left side of the house contains the gathering spaces on the main level, with the homeowners’ bedroom suite and exercise room on the upper floor. On the right side of the house is an office, a mudroom entrance and a cozy den on the main level, with guest bedrooms above. The architect built flexibility into the plans. For example, it would be easy to convert the office into a bedroom.
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“We started with the simple gabled form and then carved it to be more open and connected to the landscape,” DeForest says. “I love to play with traditional forms and then give them a twist.”
The left side of the house contains the gathering spaces on the main level, with the homeowners’ bedroom suite and exercise room on the upper floor. On the right side of the house is an office, a mudroom entrance and a cozy den on the main level, with guest bedrooms above. The architect built flexibility into the plans. For example, it would be easy to convert the office into a bedroom.
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“I thought, let’s just imagine we had two traditional farmhouse buildings here and someone asked us to do a remodel,” DeForest says. The simple gabled form of the house nods to regional agricultural architecture. So does the standing-seam metal roof, the vertical cedar siding and the upper-floor windows. The first floor was designed as a modern glass box, with large windows and doors opening up the house to features in the landscape.
“Agrarian architecture tends to be big volumes,” DeForest says. “This one has a customized shell where we punched holes in it to create those more modern indoor-outdoor connections.” Here, large lift-slide glass doors open to two outdoor rooms. On the pasture-facing side is this patio, and straight across from it is a patio that looks out to Puget Sound and the mountains beyond. Note how the steel beams that form the structure of the house extend from underneath the overhang all the way through the house and out the other side.
The second story is clad in vertical cedar, contrasted by the lighter-colored smooth stucco on the main level. The farmhouse windows provide a strong contrast to the expanses of glass below. “There is contrast in scale and in the level of detail,” DeForest says. “Contrast is good because it accentuates what is distinct about each of these.”
Browse Adirondack chairs in the Houzz Shop
“Agrarian architecture tends to be big volumes,” DeForest says. “This one has a customized shell where we punched holes in it to create those more modern indoor-outdoor connections.” Here, large lift-slide glass doors open to two outdoor rooms. On the pasture-facing side is this patio, and straight across from it is a patio that looks out to Puget Sound and the mountains beyond. Note how the steel beams that form the structure of the house extend from underneath the overhang all the way through the house and out the other side.
The second story is clad in vertical cedar, contrasted by the lighter-colored smooth stucco on the main level. The farmhouse windows provide a strong contrast to the expanses of glass below. “There is contrast in scale and in the level of detail,” DeForest says. “Contrast is good because it accentuates what is distinct about each of these.”
Browse Adirondack chairs in the Houzz Shop
Stone walls and cladding also nod to the rural architecture. Used on walls in the landscape, on the entry porch and on the chimney, the basalt ledgestone grounds the house, anchoring it in the landscape. “The stone feels timeless and makes the house feel rooted,” DeForest says.
The covered walkway from the garage to the entry forms one side of a courtyard. The wooded ravine encloses the courtyard on the opposite side. “These woods have an almost prehistoric look,” DeForest says. “Moss hangs from the old-growth trees, and there are giant ferns. And there is a creek at the bottom of the ravine.”
Stone cladding: Whistler Basalt ledgestone veneer, Bedrock Natural Stone
The covered walkway from the garage to the entry forms one side of a courtyard. The wooded ravine encloses the courtyard on the opposite side. “These woods have an almost prehistoric look,” DeForest says. “Moss hangs from the old-growth trees, and there are giant ferns. And there is a creek at the bottom of the ravine.”
Stone cladding: Whistler Basalt ledgestone veneer, Bedrock Natural Stone
The architect used expansive windows so the family room could have the wooded backdrop. The stone fireplace provides a well-scaled focal point that breaks up the glass. The ceilings are hemlock. The material palette makes the family room a blend of modern glass box and cozy cabin.
Swivel chairs allow the homeowners to enjoy the view of their choice. In this photo the chairs face the pasture, and they can swing around to enjoy the woods and water views.
Windows: Sierra Pacific Windows
Swivel chairs allow the homeowners to enjoy the view of their choice. In this photo the chairs face the pasture, and they can swing around to enjoy the woods and water views.
Windows: Sierra Pacific Windows
“This is one big open space that has views outside in three different directions. There’s lots of flexibility,” DeForest says. The dining table is for when the couple entertain.
A long pantry directly behind the range wall in the kitchen provides a good spot for small appliances. This leaves the kitchen counters clear of clutter. To the right is a bar that serves all the areas within the open floor plan.
Cabinets: Possession Point Woodworking
A long pantry directly behind the range wall in the kitchen provides a good spot for small appliances. This leaves the kitchen counters clear of clutter. To the right is a bar that serves all the areas within the open floor plan.
Cabinets: Possession Point Woodworking
A more intimate breakfast area offers views on three sides. This table is cozier for when it’s just the couple at home. “I think contrasting scale helps a house live well,” DeForest says. “The cozy and open combination is really wonderful — cozy comes in here in the breakfast nook, or by placing a cozy chair in the corner of a larger room.”
A covered patio provides views of Puget Sound and the sun setting behind the mountains on the Olympic Peninsula. The second-story porch on the right is off the primary bedroom.
The stairwell brings in light, reveals views and divides the house. DeForest was thoughtful about the experience of the homeowners using the stairs. “They go up and down every day. And they’ll look out toward the water and the pasture when they do, making it a special moment every day,” he says.
He also thought carefully about the style of the stairs. “It’s always a challenge to make something special out of a staircase when there are so many codes involved,” the architect says. Here, he added L-shaped metal pieces for each white oak tread to sit on, creating a partial riser effect. The wire mesh grid on the steel railings is at once modern and a nod to agrarian fences.
Stair fabrication: Gauge Design Group
He also thought carefully about the style of the stairs. “It’s always a challenge to make something special out of a staircase when there are so many codes involved,” the architect says. Here, he added L-shaped metal pieces for each white oak tread to sit on, creating a partial riser effect. The wire mesh grid on the steel railings is at once modern and a nod to agrarian fences.
Stair fabrication: Gauge Design Group
Large glass doors lead to the primary bedroom’s private porch. “The cover allows them to enjoy the porch on rainy days. It’s also nice to be able to leave the doors open and enjoy the mild climate,” DeForest says.
A glass box that cantilevers out over the ravine contains part of the primary bathroom.
“Sitting in the bathtub feels like being in a glass bubble hanging over the ravine,” DeForest says. “I wanted to design in a way that would make them feel really connected to nature.”
To the right, the shower has another set of doors that opens to the primary suite porch. DeForest left the chimney stone exposed up here. “Originally I wanted that stone to be exposed in the shower, but others told me it would get covered in soap scum, and they were right,” he says. So a grid of complementary gray tiles adds a modern layer to the traditional material.
To the right, the shower has another set of doors that opens to the primary suite porch. DeForest left the chimney stone exposed up here. “Originally I wanted that stone to be exposed in the shower, but others told me it would get covered in soap scum, and they were right,” he says. So a grid of complementary gray tiles adds a modern layer to the traditional material.
DeForest thought carefully about every framed view. For example, this one above the laundry room sink looks across the pasture toward the barn. It no doubt has a calming effect in the face of an especially stubborn stain.
Structural: Evergreen Design; lighting: Brian Hood Lighting Design
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Structural: Evergreen Design; lighting: Brian Hood Lighting Design
More on Houzz
Tour more modern homes
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Whidbey Island, Washington
Size: Five bedrooms (including office), four bathrooms
Designers: John DeForest, Michael Knowles and Meredith Kelly of DeForest Architects (architecture); Whitney Maehara of NB Design Group (interior design); Kenneth Philp Landscape Architects (landscape architecture)
Contractor: Heggenes Construction
The bucolic setting drove the design. “One of the homeowners had grown up down the street and had loved roaming the property,” DeForest says. “It was important to the homeowners that the house be compatible with rural surroundings.” The project included other buildings such as a garage, horse barn and woodworking shop. It was also important that the landscape maintain the bucolic look. Kenneth Phlip Landscape Architects designed the landscape, including the winding drive through rolling pasture.
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