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Houzz Tour: A Dream Single-storey Home With Glorious Views
For their retirement years, this couple have swapped city living for a peaceful, modern home with views over the water
Ready for retirement, this Seattle couple sold their business and headed to an island in Puget Sound. The heavily wooded, 5 acre waterfront property they purchased on Camano Island had spectacular views across the Saratoga Passage to Whidbey Island. After living in a traditional saltbox house for 33 years, they wanted a change.
They craved an open, light-filled home with a large main reception room and a more casual and social living style. The team at Designs Northwest Architects worked closely with the couple to create a single-storey forever home that met all of their needs and took full advantage of the water views.
They craved an open, light-filled home with a large main reception room and a more casual and social living style. The team at Designs Northwest Architects worked closely with the couple to create a single-storey forever home that met all of their needs and took full advantage of the water views.
Though the cabin was gone, the homeowners and Dan were inspired to keep its modern style alive. The former structure’s placement on the site also influenced the plan. There was an existing well and septic system, and upgrading the septic system was included in the project. The architects orientated the house to take advantage of the south-westerly views of the Saratoga Passage and Whidbey Island.
“The site is quite wooded and has a secluded feel,” Dan says. “The approach to the house is through the trees and it feels totally private.” The site is atop an [18m] cliff overlooking the water.
Facing the entrance side of the house, the main bedroom suite is on the left; an open-plan room containing the living room, dining room and kitchen is in the centre; and two other bedrooms are on the right side. Next to those bedrooms, a boot room/utility connects the house to the garage. The garage roof is covered in solar panels.
“The site is quite wooded and has a secluded feel,” Dan says. “The approach to the house is through the trees and it feels totally private.” The site is atop an [18m] cliff overlooking the water.
Facing the entrance side of the house, the main bedroom suite is on the left; an open-plan room containing the living room, dining room and kitchen is in the centre; and two other bedrooms are on the right side. Next to those bedrooms, a boot room/utility connects the house to the garage. The garage roof is covered in solar panels.
The water-facing side of the house is often subject to strong afternoon winds, so Dan wanted to provide the homeowners with a protected outdoor living space – in the form of this courtyard on the entry side.
The courtyard’s surface is composed of concrete pads poured in place. The scale of the pads is small enough to give the space an intimate feel, while the proportions suit elements on the facade, such as the windows.
The courtyard’s surface is composed of concrete pads poured in place. The scale of the pads is small enough to give the space an intimate feel, while the proportions suit elements on the facade, such as the windows.
Approaching the house, the views out to the water are clear through the large expanses of glass in the open-plan room.
The siding and roof are standing-seam metal in a dark bronze. “A great thing about modern houses is that you can use low-maintenance materials like this,” Dan says.
Painted fibre cement panels break up the facade. Colourful planting in a concrete board-formed planter adds softness and attracts pollinators. The planter also hides the rubbish bins, which tuck in behind it.
Painted fibre cement panels break up the facade. Colourful planting in a concrete board-formed planter adds softness and attracts pollinators. The planter also hides the rubbish bins, which tuck in behind it.
Here’s a closer look at the view straight through the open-plan kitchen-diner-living room. A door on the right provides direct access to the courtyard patio from the kitchen area. A boulder adds an organic shape among all the straight lines.
Western red cedar adds a warm organic feel at the entrance and beneath the overhangs. This overhang provides protection from rain when unlocking the large pivot door.
Dan has been designing sustainable, energy-efficient homes since they were a novelty. But he notes that local building laws have caught up and are some of the most stringent in the country. The home’s energy-efficient elements include the solar panels and all-electric systems and appliances.
The windows are double-glazed and the insulation has a high R-value, giving the house a tight envelope. Accordingly, it also has a ventilation system.
More: How to Choose an Architect
Dan has been designing sustainable, energy-efficient homes since they were a novelty. But he notes that local building laws have caught up and are some of the most stringent in the country. The home’s energy-efficient elements include the solar panels and all-electric systems and appliances.
The windows are double-glazed and the insulation has a high R-value, giving the house a tight envelope. Accordingly, it also has a ventilation system.
More: How to Choose an Architect
There’s a transformative moment that occurs when one is standing in front of the solid wood front door and it pivots open to reveal the spectacular view through the house out to the water and Whidbey Island.
The floors are engineered hardwood. A herringbone pattern helps define the hallway and fits the scale of the space.
Standing in the more compact hallway makes entering the open-plan kitchen-diner-living room all the more dramatic. The ceiling soars and clerestory windows, which are operable, provide views of the sky.
The homeowners love the room’s connection to the outdoors and, in particular, the fact that the windows go all the way to the floor.
“Needing air conditioning has never really been an issue in the Pacific Northwest,” Dan says. “On hotter days, the clerestory windows let the heat out.” However, he notes that the type of heat pump system he used here did come with air conditioning and that the area’s temperatures have been rising lately.
The homeowners love the room’s connection to the outdoors and, in particular, the fact that the windows go all the way to the floor.
“Needing air conditioning has never really been an issue in the Pacific Northwest,” Dan says. “On hotter days, the clerestory windows let the heat out.” However, he notes that the type of heat pump system he used here did come with air conditioning and that the area’s temperatures have been rising lately.
The views the other way towards the entrance are peaceful. The large boulder gives the courtyard patio a Zen garden feel. The homeowners love the calm feel that the openness and clean lines create.
However, it’s not always tranquil and contemplative around here. This room can easily accommodate a large number of guests, which works well for the homeowners’ lifestyle.
However, it’s not always tranquil and contemplative around here. This room can easily accommodate a large number of guests, which works well for the homeowners’ lifestyle.
The couple enlisted designer Stephanie Preble to help them with the interior design. The furnishings have a warm look that mixes traditional and modern styles.
For example, the kitchen has traditional Shaker-style cabinets and a classic coastal blue, white and wood palette, but it’s also clean-lined. The grid of tiles on the range wall, the crisp edges of the quartz worktop and the lighting and plumbing fixtures all have a modern edge.
The colours in the fireplace surround play off the rocks, sky and water outside the windows, and the rug repeats these colours.
The opening to the left of the fireplace leads to the main bedroom suite. The wardrobe and bathroom are lined up along the entrance side of the house, while the bedroom takes advantage of the water views.
The opening to the left of the fireplace leads to the main bedroom suite. The wardrobe and bathroom are lined up along the entrance side of the house, while the bedroom takes advantage of the water views.
“The view in the bedroom is the big deal,” Dan says, “so we sized it for a king-size bed that faces the view.”
Creating a headboard that also serves as a partial wall allowed him to float the bed in the middle of the room, away from the entrance door and the door to the walk-in wardrobe. It also provided a place to mount reading lights.
Creating a headboard that also serves as a partial wall allowed him to float the bed in the middle of the room, away from the entrance door and the door to the walk-in wardrobe. It also provided a place to mount reading lights.
This strategy put the bed in the best possible spot in the room. The way Dan laid out the bedroom allowed for a corner window on the left.
The architects tucked the main bathroom to the side of the bedroom, along the far side of the house. This allowed for the view out to the water.
That bathroom window is on the right side of the house in this photo. The way the bathroom is tucked back from the facade allowed for the windows to wrap the corner in the bedroom.
In the centre of the house, large sliding doors open to the deck from the dining area and kitchen. The deck plays the role of the back garden for this house, and its generous size allows for dining and lounging areas.
In the centre of the house, large sliding doors open to the deck from the dining area and kitchen. The deck plays the role of the back garden for this house, and its generous size allows for dining and lounging areas.
The architects placed a barbecue station to the left of the deck. It has a small overhang to protect the cook when it rains. A stainless-steel panel offers some protection from the wind and defines this little area.
To the left is a small patio off the guest bedrooms. The husband is a musician who uses one of these rooms as his music room. The bedrooms share a bathroom. The couple have adult children who live in Seattle and come out to the island to stay with them.
To the left is a small patio off the guest bedrooms. The husband is a musician who uses one of these rooms as his music room. The bedrooms share a bathroom. The couple have adult children who live in Seattle and come out to the island to stay with them.
Beyond the barbecue area, the concrete patio leads to stairs down the sloping garden.
The facade on this side of the house is composed of the same painted cement fibre panels that were used as an accent on the opposite side of the house.
The deck floats above the land, and the plants will help it blend in as they grow. The decking material is ipe, and stainless steel cable rails keep the views as open as possible.
The deck floats above the land, and the plants will help it blend in as they grow. The decking material is ipe, and stainless steel cable rails keep the views as open as possible.
In this floor plan, the water-facing side of the house is on the left and the entrance side is on the right. The main bedroom suite is at the bottom of the plan.
Spaces not seen in the photos include the two bedrooms at the top of the plan, as well as the boot room/utility between those bedrooms and the garage.
The homeowners say they have really taken to the calm, unrushed feel on Camano Island. They enjoy the eagles flying by, the whales in the sound, the beautiful skies and the sunsets.
Tell us…
What do you like about this island home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Spaces not seen in the photos include the two bedrooms at the top of the plan, as well as the boot room/utility between those bedrooms and the garage.
The homeowners say they have really taken to the calm, unrushed feel on Camano Island. They enjoy the eagles flying by, the whales in the sound, the beautiful skies and the sunsets.
Tell us…
What do you like about this island home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? A retired couple
Location Camano Island, Washington, USA
Size Three bedrooms and two bathrooms (approx 200 sq m)
Architects Dan Nelson and
Bill Lippens of Designs Northwest Architects
Interior designer Stephanie Preble
Photos by Lucas Henning of Swift Studio
“There was a cool little modern cabin on the property that had been designed by a well-known architectural firm in Seattle,” says Dan Nelson, one of the couple’s architects. “The problem was it had been built poorly and there was dry rot in the structure. Nothing could be saved, so unfortunately my clients had no choice but to tear it down.”
As empty nesters, the couple wanted single-storey living and didn’t care to add a daylight basement. They met with Dan to work on the concept for the site planning and the house. He developed conceptual sketches and plans. Then project architect Bill Lippens joined the team to work on the design development drawings and manage the project.
The homeowners say they found working with Dan and Bill made the design process seamless for them. They appreciated the way the architects translated their general ideas into specifics.
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