Coastal Comfort

Photographer: Jay Goodrich This 2800 sf single-family home was completed in 2009. The clients desired an intimate, yet dynamic family residence that reflected the beauty of the site and the lifestyle of the San Juan Islands. The house was built to be both a place to gather for large dinners with friends and family as well as a cozy home for the couple when they are there alone. The project is located on a stunning, but cripplingly-restricted site overlooking Griffin Bay on San Juan Island. The most practical area to build was exactly where three beautiful old growth trees had already chosen to live. A prior architect, in a prior design, had proposed chopping them down and building right in the middle of the site. From our perspective, the trees were an important essence of the site and respectfully had to be preserved. As a result we squeezed the programmatic requirements, kept the clients on a square foot restriction and pressed tight against property setbacks. The delineate concept is a stone wall that sweeps from the parking to the entry, through the house and out the other side, terminating in a hook that nestles the master shower. This is the symbolic and functional shield between the public road and the private living spaces of the home owners. All the primary living spaces and the master suite are on the water side, the remaining rooms are tucked into the hill on the road side of the wall. Off-setting the solid massing of the stone walls is a pavilion which grabs the views and the light to the south, east and west. Built in a position to be hammered by the winter storms the pavilion, while light and airy in appearance and feeling, is constructed of glass, steel, stout wood timbers and doors with a stone roof and a slate floor. The glass pavilion is anchored by two concrete panel chimneys; the windows are steel framed and the exterior skin is of powder coated steel sheathing.

www.twofoldinteriors.com Photo credit: Scott Norsworthy

Master Bedroom Mark Schwartz Photography

Leanna Rathkelly photo: Bringing the outside into the kitchen meant using large windows all around this ocean-side home, eliminating upper cabinets on the view side of the kitchen. A window is placed behind the gas range so the owner can look outside to the wild yard while cooking.

The Port Ludlow Residence is a compact, 2400 SF modern house located on a wooded waterfront property at the north end of the Hood Canal, a long, fjord-like arm of western Puget Sound. The house creates a simple glazed living space that opens up to become a front porch to the beautiful Hood Canal. The east-facing house is sited along a high bank, with a wonderful view of the water. The main living volume is completely glazed, with 12-ft. high glass walls facing the view and large, 8-ft.x8-ft. sliding glass doors that open to a slightly raised wood deck, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor space. During the warm summer months, the living area feels like a large, open porch. Anchoring the north end of the living space is a two-story building volume containing several bedrooms and separate his/her office spaces. The interior finishes are simple and elegant, with IPE wood flooring, zebrawood cabinet doors with mahogany end panels, quartz and limestone countertops, and Douglas Fir trim and doors. Exterior materials are completely maintenance-free: metal siding and aluminum windows and doors. The metal siding has an alternating pattern using two different siding profiles. The house has a number of sustainable or “green” building features, including 2x8 construction (40% greater insulation value); generous glass areas to provide natural lighting and ventilation; large overhangs for sun and rain protection; metal siding (recycled steel) for maximum durability, and a heat pump mechanical system for maximum energy efficiency. Sustainable interior finish materials include wood cabinets, linoleum floors, low-VOC paints, and natural wool carpet.

Photos by Whitney Kamman

Midcentury Modern Home Lounge Area Fireplace

Ed Butera, ibi Designs

Ciro Coelho Photography

Greg Wilson

Sited on a runway with sweeping views of the Colorado Rockies, the residence with attached hangar is designed to reflect the convergence of earth and sky. Stone, masonry and wood living spaces rise to a glass and aluminum hanger structure that is linked by a linear monolithic wall. The spatial orientations of the primary spaces mirror the aeronautical layout of the runway infrastructure. The owners are passionate pilots and wanted their home to reflect the high-tech nature of their plane as well as their love for contemporary and sustainable design, utilizing natural materials in an open and warm environment. Defining the orientation of the house, the striking monolithic masonry wall with the steel framework and all-glass atrium bisect the hangar and the living quarters and allow natural light to flood the open living spaces. Sited around an open courtyard with a reflecting pool and outdoor kitchen, the master suite and main living spaces form two ‘wood box’ wings. Mature landscaping and natural materials including masonry block, wood panels, bamboo floor and ceilings, travertine tile, stained wood doors, windows and trim ground the home into its environment, while two-sided fireplaces, large glass doors and windows open the house to the spectacular western views. Designed with high-tech and sustainable features, this home received a LEED silver certification. LaCasse Photography

Floor-to-ceiling windows fill the master bedroom with light, and a screened porch overlooking the lake brings the outside in. Photo by Trent Bell

Ciro Coelho Photography