My Houzz: A Sun-Dappled Oasis on Whidbey Island
At the end of a winding dirt road in a forest grove, this creative couple have constructed their perfect homestead
The property is a series of vignettes, each constructed as the couple found inspiration and the funds to go with it. A fire pit sits near the entry drive and was a wedding gift to the couple. The rough-carved cedar “ball” seating was fabricated by Lana Sundberg, a friend of the couple.
A woven hammock hangs from a bright-painted steel and cedar pergola built by Badanes just outside the dining area’s double doors. “Plants reveal time,” Beaumont says of the wisteria she planted in 2004. Its winding branches create a small outdoor space under the canopy.
When Beaumont bought the property, in her words, there were “tall evergreens flanking the sides of the long lean property.” The couple received the ‘Forest Pansy’ redbud tree as a wedding present, and introduced a looping path of grass interspersed with flowering shrubs.
Just beyond the tree is the first garden project Beaumont and Badanes undertook in 1998 before they got married — a handmade tile table and bench seating.
This was an experiment of sorts, and the marble tile Beaumont used has withstood the elements beautifully over the years. “I had salvaged driftwood benches on alder tree rounds,” Beaumont says. “Though the surface was beginning to sag, tiles stayed on
through all the snow and ice and wet — such a test of materials.” Badanes has a different opinion of the table’s longevity. “It’s due to its excellent foundation work,” he says jokingly, a nod to his contribution to the project.
through all the snow and ice and wet — such a test of materials.” Badanes has a different opinion of the table’s longevity. “It’s due to its excellent foundation work,” he says jokingly, a nod to his contribution to the project.
In the years since she purchased the property, Beaumont has slowly brought hidden scenes to life. Her godson asked to get married in a sun-flecked glade just down the path from the tile table in 2015. After the ceremony, which included a choir escorting the bride down the soft path, Beaumont saw the space in a new light. “I had never thought of it as anything until then, but the entire ceremony was enchanting, and they offered me a new view into the magic of this landscape.” she says.
Beaumont hand-cut a subtle walking path through the forest that is accessed from the wedding site. The path leads to a piece of landscape art fashioned out of a fallen tree and rebar.
At the foot of the “angel of the ravine,” as the couple refers to the sculpture, is a small tribute to Beaumont’s beloved Abyssinian cat Goldie. The sculpture is made of an alder tree that had been blown in a windstorm. “It was pulled from its roots and was leaning into a beautiful cedar,” Beaumont says. “We needed to cut it down, to let the cedar free of its weight. I saw the split in the trunk, which seemed to be legs! So we cut it, turning it upside down to create the ‘legs’ of the angel.”
At the foot of the “angel of the ravine,” as the couple refers to the sculpture, is a small tribute to Beaumont’s beloved Abyssinian cat Goldie. The sculpture is made of an alder tree that had been blown in a windstorm. “It was pulled from its roots and was leaning into a beautiful cedar,” Beaumont says. “We needed to cut it down, to let the cedar free of its weight. I saw the split in the trunk, which seemed to be legs! So we cut it, turning it upside down to create the ‘legs’ of the angel.”
Fittingly, the first item on the agenda for any new visitors to the property is an impromptu hike through the forest. “It’s how Linda tests our guests’ willingness to adventure,” Badanes says.
The forested land came with existing structures built by the previous owner, including two small one-room cabins surrounded by old-growth trees a short walk from the house. Badanes and Beaumont signed their marriage license in one of the structures, which still holds stacks of folding chairs from their wedding.
The forested land came with existing structures built by the previous owner, including two small one-room cabins surrounded by old-growth trees a short walk from the house. Badanes and Beaumont signed their marriage license in one of the structures, which still holds stacks of folding chairs from their wedding.
An ever-evolving project and source of joy is Beaumont’s extensive garden. She and Badanes built a curved-branch entry portal and gate at the garden’s west entry, steps from the main house’s patio.
Through the gate is Beaumont’s greenhouse, which also conceals portions of the original utilities for the site, a flower garden and a vegetable and fruit garden.
Find a greenhouse
Find a greenhouse
Though Beaumont initially used the greenhouse to start plants in the spring for the garden, in recent years she has also made it a year-round herb house. In summer, she refers to it as a “basil palace”; in fall and winter, it houses gardenias and other plants. The wine bottle installation adds thermal mass to the building. Each bottle is filled with water, which absorbs heat during the daytime and radiates it back into the space during cooler evenings.
The flower garden is especially busy in summer, with a whirl of pollinator bees and cacophony of blossoms.
How to Grow a Modern Pollinator Garden
How to Grow a Modern Pollinator Garden
In recent years, Beaumont has become a passionate advocate for the island’s beekeeping community and keeps a small but active colony of bees just beyond the garden. “They won’t sting most people,” she says, “but they see me coming and get feisty.”
Past the vegetable garden, the path continues between lush raspberry vines and a blueberry grove bordered by sweet peas.
“It’s a guessing game each year to see which plants thrive,” Badanes says. He notes that the height and types of large trees surrounding the garden create unique sun and shade patterns that constantly change the microclimates within it. This year’s success stories include potatoes, snap peas, Asian pears, greengage plums and golden beets.
How to Start a Cool-Season Vegetable Garden
How to Start a Cool-Season Vegetable Garden
“One of the most complicated installations on our property was a fence,” Badanes says. He installed this artful wire-and-branch wall that marks the northern edge between the garden and the forest beyond.
Small utilitarian buildings, such as this pair of woodworking storage sheds tucked into the trees adjacent to Badanes’ workshop, were used as design opportunities on the property.
Nestled at the forest edge near the fire pit are two firewood sheds, each built by Badanes.
Browse fire pits for your yard
Browse fire pits for your yard
The main house and property are filled with artwork done by Beaumont as well as the couple’s friends. Particularly treasured pieces include several mixed-media sculptures by Meng Huang, a Seattle artist and close friend of Beaumont and Badanes, who gave his pieces to the couple before he died in 2001.
Miniature works of art and curiosities collected by the couple are scattered throughout the landscape and pathways between buildings.
Badanes’ outdoor shower, with its views of the treetops above, is used year-round. It’s clad in mirror and marble tiles left over from one of Beaumont’s public art installations.
In addition to their wedding on the property, one of Beaumont’s favorite memories is a birthday party she hosted for one of her artist mentors. Another fond memory is from her godson’s wedding where dozens of attendees visiting from New York, Chicago and Los Angeles were led down a looping path through old-growth cedar trees to a hidden glen in the forest that was furnished with hammocks, champagne and music. “Most had never seen this quintessential Pacific Northwest landscape,” Beaumont says, “but when they reached the end and saw the festivities, everyone knew they were in a magical place.”
More: See other inspiring gardens
More: See other inspiring gardens
Who lives here: Linda Beaumont and Steve Badanes
Location: Whidbey Island, Washington
Size: 5 acres with a one-bedroom, one-bath main house, a fabrication studio and wood shop, and a guesthouse
Year built: Main house completed in 2001; studios completed in 2006; guest studio completed in 2015
“Where the wild meets the tamed” is how artist Linda Beaumont describes the forested Whidbey Island property she shares with architect and University of Washington professor Steve Badanes. Beaumont bought the 5-acre property in 1994, the same year the couple met. In the years before and after their 2003 wedding day under the trees, the couple transformed the rustic site into a welcoming homestead with several buildings and a collection of curated outdoor spaces intended to be explored.