Organized as a series of flat, stepping planes down its gently sloping site, the extended rooflines blur boundaries between indoors and outdoors. Concrete, brick and cedar provide durable and low maintenance surfaces. A central steel stair is lit from above by a large skylight and suspended art installation.
Clyde Hill is a suburban community near Seattle, known for spacious homes on large properties. The first views of many of these homes are dominated by large garages. Located on a gently sloping site, the garage has been tucked under the house, allowing for a more spacious main floor and more rooms that open directly outdoors. The form of the house is defined by a low-sloped metal roof that rises to create and long ridge in the middle, then sloping back down to the rear yard.
The Vuecrest community of Bellevue was developed in the 60's and 70's with homes that fit with Northwest contemporary sensibilities. Strict covenants require new homes to blend gracefully with existing homes, and must have gable or hipped roofs that comply with minimum slope requirements, and the general exterior design must be approved by a design board comprised of community members. Our design turned the usual gable roofline that would have gutters along the street face to a broad-shouldered form allowing for high and dramatic interior volumes. Durable exterior materials of concrete, brick, steel, and cedar repeat inside the house, with heated concrete floors, cedar ceilings, steel accents, and first-cut white oak cabinetry.
Articles:
"The Long View", Gray Magazine, June 2017
HomeDSGN, February 2017
Home Adore, November 2016
Basement walls and three fireplaces were salvaged from an original 1950's structure to create a new and spacious family-oriented home in the Sand Point Country Club community. The second story roofline of the master suite tilts up to the sunrise. Other roofs are completely "green" and maintain a low profile. In the great room, sliding, pocketing doors disappear into walls, creating a 28 foot opening to a private, intimately scaled courtyard with the original fireplace and a translucent roof, encouraging outdoor living.
Located in a dense urban neighborhood on top of Seattle's Queen Anne Hill, this four-bedroom, 2800 square foot home maximizes a 3600 square foot building site. The basic-box form is relieved by a large window bay in the living room and second floor master bedroom capturing views and morning light, plus a bedroom on the second floor that cantilevers to provide weather protection for the deck below. Main floor living spaces are open and flowing, complimented by a basement playroom and guest suite, plus garage.
A few steps from the beach on Bainbridge Island, this new home on an old foundation has 3100 square feet of living space, plus his/hers art studios adjacent to and above the detached garage. Taught lines are combined with rugged, sustainable materials, including triple-glazed windows, heated concrete floors, reclaimed wood stairs, and counters of concrete and recycled glass.
Article: "A Bainbridge contemporary celebrates fresh views", Pacific Northwest, July 17, 2010
Fitting a very small site on Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill, this 3500 square foot home is a composition of contrasts, with solid brick surfaces creating strong shoulders for the large glass openings. The vertical plan places garage, guest suite and media room on the lower level, entry and living spaces on the main floor, bedrooms on the second floor, and a loft-style retreat and roof deck on the third floor.
This 1966 Northwest contemporary design by noted architect Paul Kirk has been extended and reordered to create a 2400 square foot home with comfortable living/dining/kitchen area, open stair, and third bedroom plus children's bath. The power of the original design continues with walls that wrap over to create a roof. Original cedar-clad interior walls and ceiling were brightened with added glass and up to date lighting.
Article: "Midcentury Modern Revival", Seattle Met, Dec. 2011
Mid-century modern or Northwest Contemporary? This 60’s era wedge design was in need of a thorough makeover, inside and out. Original shingle siding was replaced with durable fiber cement and aluminum composite materials. New aluminum-clad windows and doors were installed. Inside, the floor plan was reconfigured on the lower floor, and all finishes were renewed for replaced. The loft-style master bedroom looks through a plate glass guardrail to the living and dining area below.
Kirkland's East of Market neighborhood is more urban in character than the surrounding communities, encouraging a design that occupies the urban-suburban boundary. Living spaces are tightly organized and vertical, stacked over the garage, with a shifted geometry between floors creating a dynamic form.
Reimagining this 1929 classic design included restoration of the original rooflines, but not the original intricate wood details. The final result is stripped-down to essentials, with a clean, fresh quality inside and out. Windows have been enlarged to capture lake views, and wide sliding doors connect to the expansive deck. Sleek, glossy laminate is combined with European plywood cabinetry for a bright, hardworking kitchen.
Located adjacent to the business district on top of Queen Anne Hill, this is a new 2400 square foot residence, plus a reconstructed commercial building, on a 5200 square foot property. The modernized commercial building (originally used as a bakery in 1908) functions as art studio and offices.
Originally constructed in the 1950's, the hipped roof form has given way to a more modern expression, with shifting, interlocking volumes. Original Roman brick is combined with new fiber-reinforced cement siding and cedar accents.
This pavilion for entertaining and changing was added in 2007 to our 1999 home design. The wall and roof planes have been pushed/pulled apart and made translucent to create a sense of air and light.
Close to shops and offices, this houses bridges commercial and residential properties in Kirkland's busy East-of-Market neighborhood. Concrete living room walls anchor the corner of the property, with expansive glass to capture lake views.
This home maintains a low profile on the Lake Washington waterfront, with most of the living spaces on a single level modulated by a changing ceiling plane. The plan wraps an entry courtyard filled with water, and opens to lake views and outdoor living spaces on the north side.
An existing 1960's single story home with daylight basement and pitched roof is transformed with a two-story addition and new rooflines. Strong horizontal and vertical planes define each living space.
Space and materials are layered on this sloping Mercer Island site, extending the earth's strata skyward. Water bisects the house at the entry, defining an "escape" wing used for media or quiet retreat. A concrete base supports brick and wood siding, with a metal roof floating cloudlike above. Designed for the family of an industrial designer, the plan is open and glassy, with horizontal layering repeated in the interior details.
A modern design with Japanese influences built in the 1960's has been updated with new interiors and a dramatic new entry reaching out to greet guests, encompassing 2300 square feet with two bedrooms and two offices for the work-from-home owners.
On a steep hillside overlooking Yarrow Bay, the interlocking forms of this house intersect in the two-story living space, joined together at a skylight and by a bridge between the two forms. The steel framed bridge supports a walkway of cast glass, connecting the master bedroom with childrens' rooms.
This is a two level residence, above the owners' office and business on the street level, located in a dense and busy neighborhood adjacent to Seattle Center. An existing two-story building was remodeled and expanded, with the owners acting as general contractor.
Echoing shapes of the mountain views in the distance, this family retreat on the Eastern slopes of the Cascades is made from fireproof granite, cement siding, aluminum windows, and ZINCALUME® roofing, guarding against risk in the pine forest setting.
On the 24th floor of one of downtown Seattle's condominium towers, this spacious home enjoys views from Elliott Bay to Lake Union. Two smaller units were combined, with all new cabinets, finishes, fixtures, lighting and floor plan. High ceilings feature cedar and metal details, with rift white oak flooring and cabinets. The curving wall surrounding the master bath steam shower becomes a focal point from the entry, covered with oak and metal detailing. Window coverings and HVAC are seamlessly integrated within ceiling cavities.
Set in eight acres of protected forest above the old Preston sawmill, the 4000 square foot, three-level home is planned for minimum impact on the site, by taking advantage of a small, existing clearing to preserve acres of trees.
On the Bellevue shore of Lake Sammamish, this home steps down the steep hillside to provide outdoor access from many levels. The design was inspired by young and energetic clients with a love of art and music, resulting in many dramatic elements-entry through a glazed "slot," a spiraling interior stair that changes geometry as it climbs though five stepping floor levels, a bath with windows wrapping continuously around its three-sided, curving ceiling. The details are knitted by a flowing plan that moves people vertically through the home and draws them out to the water views.
Located on the Bellevue shore of Lake Sammamish, this house is on a narrow, steeply sloped property. Separated structures—a garage/guesthouse and main house—are joined by two bridges. The main living space is a light-filled pavilion on the top level with windows on all four sides. The master bedroom suite is on the middle floor, with a projecting home office cantilevered from the main structure.
Designed by Seattle architect Lionel Pries in 1950, the original plan of this home has been only slightly modified to create larger kitchen and master bath areas and a downstairs recreation space. The entire home was updated with new finishes and fixtures, and a freestanding carport was added.
From the street, this house once again appears essentially as it did when first design by Paul Hayden Kirk in 1955. Later modifications to the house were stripped away in this 2010 renovation, restoring the original spare, airy aesthetic. The west wing of the house was expanded, and the internal plan reorganized to provide for a more spacious kitchen and separate media room on the main floor, plus a new master suite above.
This cubist-inspired home was originally constructed in 1970, with an angular wing added in the 80's. Our design restores the original design geometry, but re-invents the plan. The living room, dining room and kitchen have been relocated from the top level to a more convenient main floor locations, with bedrooms moved to the top. The bottom level contains a guest room, play room, exercise room, and garage.
Views of the Puget Sound, Olympics and sunsets shaped this new, 2,900 square foot home in Edmonds, with volumes defined by a large gently sloping roofline. The main floor has all living and master bedroom spaces, plus garage and entry, with guest areas and recreation on the lower level. Concrete and cement stucco clad the exterior, with concrete and steel accenting the interior.
Mid-century modern jumps forward half a century with contemporary cabinets, lighting, windows, doors, and finishes. The house has also been expanded slightly to allow for a more spacious kitchen, dining, and family room. The fireplace has been completely redone with custom cabinetry, highlighting art and concealing audio-video components. Outside, the new entry walk has been lightened by raising the roofline of the garage, a new terrace added in the back yard, and new landscaping throughout.
On a hilltop in the Council Crest neighborhood of Portland, this new home was constructed on an existing foundation and captures views of the city and mountains.
Transformed from a plain gabled-roof box, this was house expanded to incorporate new front and rear covered porches, a new master suite, and lower level garage, overlooking the owner's vineyard near Salem, Oregon.
Perched on a Bellevue hillside, the low profile of the structure spreads and steps across the site to capture commanding views of the lake, city and mountains. Finishes and details are clean and spare, with fiber–cement and cedar siding, concrete accent walls, concrete and oak floors, and aluminum windows.
Starting with a 1970's Mercer Island tract home, the plan was revised to create open, informal living spaces, a media/playroom that can be closed off with sliding doors, and an art studio space.
Designed for a large, three-generation family, this home is oriented around an exterior courtyard used for entertaining and play. The garage has been hidden from street view, and the plan geometry has been "stretched" beyond rectilinear shapes to tune spaces to their particular use.
