North Lake Washington Residence

Five acres of forest defined by hill + valley north of Seattle became the inspiration for a family home for seven designed to open to a private glade. A series of pavilions including a glass living room, a delineated bedroom wing, kitchen, family room, and a separate garage shape the entry path, courtyards, and gathering space, opening to the land and bringing the natural world into every space.

 

The house is turned, two splayed wings, to embrace a central vale facing the southern sun. The western wing facing morning light houses a kitchen and an informal family space. The long eastern wing facing afternoon-evening light melds four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and storage with lofts above, punctuated at the end with a master suite. An open living pavilion defined by flanking cast-concrete fireplaces and glass walls greets visitors and holds living, dining, and a gathering space.

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Materials were selected to create an honest, simple, rich aesthetic and to be robust. Board-formed concrete walls were exposed as an accent to slate and glazed tile, natural wood, standing seam metal, dark aluminum doors and windows and corrugated metal siding. Land, trees, rocks, understory ferns are the focus.