Seaside Home

This house has a history. It sits proud on a point as the first house on this stretch of beach, and there is majesty in the views and the site.  

Inside the house was dark and dense with bedrooms and doors, stair wells and baths, low ceilings clipped with corners and dormers. Outside the Salish Sea laps and the Olympic Mountains glow.

The solution was to bring qualities of the outside in.  Open the entry; stairs become light wells, and views beckon from landings. Doors disappear in glass and the movement of light.  The warren of bedrooms was transformed into a crafted master suite with a balcony open to sea breezes; a glass library open to guest rooms. The attic suite floats like an aerie above the ocean. The home, without adding to its original footprint, has become "the stuff dreams are made of."

 
 
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BORROWED LIGHT: Opening up the house to breathe

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HIDDEN LAUNDRY ROOM: A small laundry room in the master suite is placed behind the long wardrobe wall in a series of flush panel doors.

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THE COLOR STORY: We pulled a shell from the beach and studied the multitude of whites, sand tones and hints of violet. These colors have an ephemeral quality that change in the sunlight. As you move upwards through the house the palette lightens. The material palette consisted of natural materials: hemp, linen, cotton and whicker. Woven grass shades, white linen sheers, a hand painted bead board and white washed beams contribute to the sense of serenity and reinforce the harmony of the house and its connection to the beach.

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The experience of moving through the house is like experiencing a poem. A weaving of daylight and architecture that creates harmony, magic and openness. You move towards the light and find places of refuge, contemplation and promise.

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Location: Seattle, Washington

Photographer: Laurie Black, Kathryn Barnard, Ben Benschneider

Publications:

Coastal Living "A Seaside Thanksgiving" November 2013

Seattle Times "A Woman's Place Finds New Strength" October 2012