Edelstein Residence
Edelstein Residence This project included remodeling and expanding a 1940’s era, single family home, located on a steep hillside overlooking Lake Washington for a happily married, spirited couple. The design was to include a new master bedroom suite and adjacent balcony, a shrine space for meditating, a sitting room, a new sunroom, a new patio and a fully remodeled living room, kitchen and circulation areas. The existing interior spaces and floor plan felt small, boxy and disjointed. The Owners requested that the new design create a better plan flow and a spatial experience that would be more playful, functional and dynamic. The Master Bedroom should be located in its own private world affording an exceptional view towards the lake (while as much as possible avoiding looking into the neighbor’s house immediately to the east). The Owners felt that an intimate bonding needed to occur between the main interior living spaces, the surrounding landscape and the distant environs. The Owners requested that the new design be experientially “uplifting” and “expansive” while at the same time feeling “intimate”, well “grounded” and thoughtfully connected to its site. The design should respect and reflect the opposite, yet complimentary and compatible, aspects of the couple’s personalities. The design begins by opening up the living room to create a “center place” that acts as a hub to the rest of the house. This resulted in breaking out existing walls around the fireplace and creating a new curved wall that defines a more efficient hallway that spatially surrounds the existing fireplace and perceptually enlarges the living room space. The curved hallway not only adds to the perceived Living Room space but also serves as a source of daylight from above, illuminating the interior core. The “gesture” of the center plan curve inspired the curved geometry of the roofs above. The various roof forms reflect the various room functions and spaces inside. The break-up of roof forms creates a rather interesting perception of a little village. The Sun Room also functions as the new front Entry to the house which flows into both the main Stair Hall as well as into the Kitchen and Patio to the south. The existing exterior brick is allowed to weave its way indoors strengthening one’s memory of the home’s historic material. The Patio is “couched” into the hillside creating a lovely, private, human scaled, outdoor garden room. The Master Bedroom and Shrine room are lifted to the upper, more private, second floor loft affording a dramatic view over Lake Washington. Windows on the West façades are kept small to maintain some privacy from the neighbors uphill while creating a variety of Zen views outward. These windows also invite little surprise experiences of a drifting western sunlight and the play of bamboo shadows onto a variety of interior surfaces and places of repose. Small windows dance their way along the stairway up to the Master Bedroom loft above. The ancient, hand carved, exterior stone stairs at the front entry are imported from China. The interior’s complement of salmon/terra cotta, pumpkin and sea green paint colors combine to express a lively and soulful spirit of life on earth. The warm color of the exterior stucco intends to provide a soft, neutral backdrop to the surrounding floral and vegetation colors. The exterior color and window patterns make a respectful connection to the neighbor’s home immediately to the north while serving to nicely complement the color of the existing brick work. The standing seam metal roof lines serve to accentuate dramatic roof shapes. Completed Before Drawings
Saito Residence
Saito Residence Completed
Wuth Residence
Wuth Residence Completed Before
Warner Residence #1
Warner residence Located on a site in West Seattle overlooking Puget Sound, this house expanded up and over towards the existing garage. The new owners wanted to transform their house from a typical, non-descript building into a home with more soul which expresses their love for natural materials, deep colors and handcrafted detailing. A complete face lift was given to both the exterior and the interior of this house. Markie Nelson Interior Design was chosen for the interior design work, and we were selected to do the exterior design. The exterior facade utilizes natural stone, cedar shake siding, arched trellised gables and roof dormers. Rich stain colors give this home new depth and a soulful spirit. Completed Before
Jacobson Project
Jacobson Residence Located in the Palouse, near Moscow, Idaho, this 6000 square foot home provides a sense of openness and freedom that complements its environment of rolling wheat fields and expansive views. The owners wanted lots of display space for their art collection, home office and work spaces, guest rooms for visiting family and friends, and an exercise pool. The design of this home was in response to the owners’ appreciation for clean, uncluttered lines as found in Scandinavian designs. The house is organized around a tall, central corridor which serves as an art gallery and provides access to the central living and dining areas. This corridor also connects the two wings of the house, the west wing which contains the home office and bedrooms and the east wing which houses the pool, garage and utility areas. The main corridor walls serve not only as art display surfaces, but also contain large doorways and high clerestory openings which allow south light to flow into the living spaces. Clerestory windows are located on the tall vertical walls allowing light to wash down between the angled roof trusses deep into the interior spaces. View of living room with built in display space. Light from the clerestory windows can be seen streaming into the room. The 60-foot lap pool is decorated with a neon art sculpture. The pool room’s glass wall, doorways and clerestory windows create a moving play of light. The “H” shaped plan allows the home to be well organized into public and private zones. The pool wing is angled outward to broaden the view from the living and dining rooms. Completed Plans
Toscano Condominiums
Toscano Condominiums A 14 luxury condominium project on the south slope of Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill. As design consultant, we were asked to create a feeling that strikes a balance between a northwest craft style and an Italian spirit of northern Tuscany. A Mediterranean inspired color pallet along with simplified classical façade detailing combined with crafted, heavy timber joinery elements were themes that were used to create an inspiring, romantic setting. Completed Plans
Sharp Residence
Sharp Residence Completed Before
Lake Forest Park Residence
Lake Forest Park Residence The clients wanted a home that feels traditional on the outside in order to fit comfortably into its mature northwest neighborhood. This perspective drawing was developed during the project’s design phase to convey a three dimensional sense as to what this house was going to look like. The simple, rectangular plan features a Great Room. It functions as the main living area. This environmentally sustainable design uses engineered, composite wood materials for interior and exterior wood trim and siding and for the floor and roof framing and sheathing. The kitchen, adjacent to the dining area, is also open to the Great Room, but it thoughtfully conceals the large appliances from view allowing a functional space to artfully coexist with the other living spaces of the Great Room. The main dining area which is part of the light filled Great Room space. Built-in light coves and cabinetry provide abundant space for storage and craft display. Completed